With school holidays upon us, parents will be looking for activities to amuse the kids during the visit to the beach or park and hopefully keep them active and tire them out. Tailball is a fresh new take on the traditional bat and ball game from the same people that brought you the popular Swingball. The new Tailball range can easily be packed in a bag and taken to a park, BBQ, beach or any outdoor space with your friends and family.
The Tailball Range is available in five varieties giving you the option to play outdoors, indoors, with a net, or as an alternative to a traditional Frisbee or ball.
Tailball Back Pack Attack
The perfect game for those who prefer a net game – it is a lightweight back pack complete with two Tailball bats, a Tailball and a net! Great for in the park, at home in the garden or on the beach. Approximate RRP £29.99
Tailball Extreme
Want more from your Tailball? Tailball Extreme is strictly for outdoor play and the perfect game for any picnic or BBQ. Approximate RRP £14.99
Tailball Light
Raining? Don’t worry, you can still get your Tailball fix with Tailball Light – a game that can be played both indoors and outside. Approximate RRP £12.99
Tailball Flyer
Like a game of frisbee but find it a bit dull? Then Tailball Flyer is the game for you. Approximate RRP £8.99
Tailball Rocket Zoomer
Add a bit of flair to the traditional throw and catch game with Tailball Rocket Zoomer. Approximate RRP £9.99
Road Testing the Tailball Light
Firstly the ball comes in its own protective container and as it’s made from foam and weighs only 12g, doesn’t hurt when it hits you on your head. Secondly the tail provides flight control and actually seems to slow the ball down making it easier to prepare for your return shot.
As the Tailball is an ideal activity to get kids moving I thought I’d better get some under 12’s to help me test it. I took a Tailball Light to a summer sports scheme to get a variety of ages to have a go as it is recommended as suitable for ages 3 upwards.
First a few 7 year olds had a go. It took them about 15 minutes to work out how to serve as it requires serving like a badminton shuttlecock with the ball being dropped onto the racket, whereas they insisted on throwing it into the air like a tennis ball to serve and ended up hitting the tail. Surprisingly they didn’t get frustrated and soon got quite a long rally going. They probably needed an area 10x10m to play in and if a hit did go wide it didn’t bother people it landed on.
The adult instructors then had a go. They picked it up straight away and the tail ensured that whilst the Tailball could travel a long distance and required a lot of running around to hit it, even if they tried to smash it, it didn’t fall dangerously hard onto someone’s head.
Then the 12 year olds had a go and unfortunately this is where the trial ended. They too picked up the concept of how to serve but they couldn’t direct the ball. Instead of hitting it across the room they hit it skywards and after a few minutes it ended up on a beam of the sports hall roof.
The ’tail’ of the Tailball is made up of a number of plastic like streamers and after about 30minutes of regular use, three had already fallen off. Although the set with the racket and Tailball is relatively cheap, I think that if they sell packs of spare Tailballs, they would be useful to buy as I imagine that the lifespan of the Tailball itself is quite short either through regular play removing the tail streamers or with it getting lost in a tree or over a fence.
Overall
An original alternative to traditional ball or Frisbee games. The combination of the tail and light weight ball makes it more suitable for playing in public areas where a traditional ball may hurt if it hits someone or roll away.
Because of the tail however, it does travel further and higher than a traditional ball. This does make you run about more and get more exercise but also means it could get stuck high up or lost. Also as the ‘tail’ easily falls off the ‘ball’ it will need replacing quite frequently, although this is probably taken into with the low RRP and a Manufacturer’s helpline available is if you require spare parts. Call 01525 722716 if you require assistance.
The Tailball range is available to purchase from Amazon
