In the episode of RUN BTS, the group’s variety show, titled “BTS Table Tennis Class,” RM talks about how “it's so nice to play table tennis. All we need is a table, rackets and a small ball. We can play it anytime, anywhere. … I hope many people watch this. And try playing table tennis. You can find a facility easily. I hope they can go and practice it.” The group first learns of the beauty of the game in the first season of In the SOOP. On that show, they literally play table tennis all day long—from first thing in the morning when they open their eyes until after dark late into the night. RM, Jin, Jimin and Jung Kook rely mainly on the penhold grip, while V, considered an expert player, makes use of both the penhold and shakehand grips. Each comes with its pros and cons: Many of the BTS members prefer the penhold grip, which, like the name suggests, imitates the way you would hold a pen, but only allows you to easily use one side of the paddle. The grip has the advantage of giving the player a powerful forehand shot and allows them to use more precise angles and to execute more impressive moves. But because penhold only uses one side of the paddle, it’s tough to use the backhand side or keep up a good defense. The shakehand grip, meanwhile, is where you hold the paddle as though you were mid-handshake, and has become more common in recent years. Unlike the penhold, this grip uses both sides, making it more convenient to switch between forehand and backhand and opening up a wide range of defensive possibilities. The downside of shakehold is how difficult it becomes to hit the ball when it’s aimed at the center of your body or made to drop right in front of the net. With these pros and cons in mind, make sure you try everything out so you can find the grip that’s right for you.

If you’re having a hard time choosing the right style for you just by watching the way the members of BTS grip their paddles, why not seek out the opinion of an expert? Table tennis is one of the most casual sports there is, so you shouldn’t have any trouble giving it a try. Nearly all community centers provide table tennis classes. Depending on where you live, students may be specifically divided into classes for beginners, intermediates and more for a more tailored learning experience. Class fees will vary by location, but most private table tennis lessons in Korea last around 15 to 20 minutes at a cost of 100,000 to 130,000 won per month for weekly lessons or 150,000 to 200,000 won for twice-weekly lessons. Classes at community centers can be free or cost up to around 50,000 won. Just as the members of BTS found out after first picking up table tennis in In the SOOP, only to fall head over heels for it when they practiced more in RUN BTS, the game becomes more fun the more you understand it. If watching them play during In the SOOP sparks your interest in the sport, try taking a look at your local community center’s website and sign up for a class yourself.

The hands-on fun of wood carving

The members get a feel for making things with their own two hands in the first season of In the SOOP when they try their hand at wood carving, an artform involving carving and sculpting wood with a knife. SUGA uses a wood carving kit to make a spoon and chopsticks, Jin makes a plate and Jimin makes his own sketch of a fennec fox and carves out a sculpture from that. Convenient DIY wood carving kits just like those the members of BTS used are easily found online these days. In addition to the kind of spoon and chopstick sets they made, various kinds of hardwood kits for things like food trays, cutting boards, butter knives, forks and more can be purchased for 10,000 to 30,000 won. Take note before buying that some kits don’t include work gloves. SUGA, for instance, worries Jimin might hurt himself while working and tells him to put on some gloves first. If you’re going to be working with wood and knives, gloves are a must to protect your hands. And, if you’re not good with your hands and worried you’ll have a hard time getting started with a kit, you can always take a class. With the burgeoning home decorating craze and an increased interest for learning new hobbies, it’s trivial to find one-day craft classes both online and off.

Once you have found the approach that suits you best, try setting a small goal for yourself before you jump into anything overly elaborate, like when Jin decides to make himself a plate to eat pickled calamari off of. You could choose to make something one of a kind for yourself or make something special to give to a special someone. The basic act of wood carving—shaping hardwood into something new—is simple, repetitive and easy to get into, but you might also encounter some unexpected difficulties as you progress. Still, if you focus on the repetition, you’ll find that your mind and your emotions are put at ease and your troubles will wash away. Take in the woody scent of your completed project and experience the joys that only wood carving can bring. Like SUGA says, “This feels good for the mind.”

Rubber band airplanes: a blast from the past

j-hope makes a rubber band airplane in season one of In the SOOP and a water rocket in season two. j-hope said that he made them because “it was my dream when I was young” and explained how he “wasn’t good at making them when I was young so I wanted to do try it again once I was grown up.” Just like j-hope and his rubber band planes and water rockets, we all have something nostalgic we would love to play with again. It might be a puzzle or building blocks for some or a handmade toy as in j-hope’s case for others. Once staples of the stationery stores found near schools, toys like rubber band planes, foam planes and water rockets are now much harder to find. But while it may be difficult to find them, it’s far from impossible: As such shops move to selling their goods online, you can still find these toys for sale on the Internet. You’ll pay a different price depending on the quality, but low-end versions sell for between 3,000 and 5,000 won, while the more deluxe toys are priced around 10,000 won. They also sell kits of beginner, intermediate and advanced difficulty, so choose the product that best suits your level.

Still, there’s no guarantee that a toy you had trouble putting together when you were a kid will be any easier now that you’re older. j-hope spent over three hours building his rubber band airplane, saying, “It was hard to make when I was young and it’s still hard now.” You may also have to work out some kinks even after you think you’re all done. j-hope’s plane takes a nosedive the moment it takes off, at which point SUGA and Jung Kook think things over and give him some tips. Seeing the disheartened j-hope, SUGA suggests adding tension to the rubber band, saying, “It’ll work. It’ll work. Just try it.” Jung Kook says, “Don’t worry, you can make it fly,” recommending j-hope move the wings forward slightly. Thanks to their encouragement, j-hope’s plane managed to take off properly after some minor alterations. This whole idea of building things and then the trial and error of modifying them when things don’t go right the first time is what makes old analog toys so appealing. For j-hope, making these rubber band planes and water rockets was a nostalgic return to his innocent science kid days. Why not find something you weren’t able to finish when you were little and take a visit down memory lane for a while?

A little board game called The Resistance: Avalon

On the final night of In the SOOP’s first season, the members of BTS get together to play The Resistance: Avalon, a board game Jin says he “plays with my friends of 15 years every single time we get together.” Resistance is one of the very best Mafia-style social deduction games, with its main selling point being that none of the players face elimination. Typical games in the genre hold a vote each round after which players are eliminated, meaning those players have to sit out for the remainder of the game. This is where Resistance shines, since no one is ever eliminated and everyone can enjoy the game together right to the end. The backstory to the game is that the good side, with King Arthur as their leader, and the evil side under Mordred set off on an expedition. There’s a new expedition each round, and the players determine whether they end in success or failure based on a secret vote. The clearly divided roles among the good characters (Merlin, Percival, etc.) and the evil ones (the assassin, Morgana, Oberon, Mordred, etc.) make the game that much more immersive.

The BTS members likewise take each of their roles very seriously, engaging in high-level psychological warfare to keep their identities concealed. They all act in line with their assigned roles, but V takes things in a direction all his own to throw the others off. He stands firmly opposed to every expedition and says, “I want to be consistent with my character,” acting like Oberon, even though he wasn’t meant to be a playable character in their game. The more complicated rules confuse everyone at first, but as they play more and more rounds they grow even more immersed in the game. SUGA even suggests they “should take this game with us when we go on tour.” Sure, it’s fun to play games where you watch your character running around on-screen, but sometimes it’s nice to switch things up and play a board game that lets you sit around facing all your friends. You can buy The Resistance: Avalon online for around 10,000 won, and since it’s so popular, you can also just as easily visit nearly any board game cafe and play using a copy there. You might also think about making things interesting with a small wager, like making the loser buy snacks for everyone.

Fishing: because patience is a virtue

Jin, SUGA and Jung Kook go fishing in the river outside where they’re staying in season one of In the SOOP. Jin goes first, giving bass fishing a try from the deck of their boathouse. Bass fishing is one of the main reasons freshwater fishing with lure has become so popular in Korea and allows even beginners to get a feel for the sport with relative ease. Jin asks the camera operator for tips on how to fish but unfortunately he still can’t catch anything. After having no luck at the boathouse, Jin goes out on the river in a boat with SUGA to find somewhere to fish but only succeeds in making the others laugh when he catches everything but a fish—including mud, some seaweed and even snagging the boat. Still, the two of them are out on the river for a long time, enjoying the scenery around them. Fishing gives you the opportunity to spend a long time out in nature while you wait for the fish to bite, falling into deep contemplation as the natural world mellows you out.

Because fishing is both fun and relaxing, people of more and more ages have come to love the pastime. As such, not only have personal and group classes risen in popularity, but regional governments have begun to provide travel packages that combine tourism with ways to experience fishing and nature. If you prefer to learn on your own, you should check out all the fishing channels there are on YouTube. They provide detailed videos on the essentials, like how to tie a hook and how to put line on a fishing reel, making it easy to pick up the basics and learn the terminology. Plus, there are now various fishing apps that guide you to the best places to fish, show the types of fish you can catch there and even tell you the temperature of the water and when the tide comes in.

While the boys were overtaken with table tennis in the first season of In the SOOP, in the second season, it’s all about jokgu, or Korean footvolley. Before the season began, the members of BTS were asked in an interview, “If the seven of you were to do something together, what would it be?” Most of them answered, “jokgu.” As if to prove the point, they end up playing the game constantly, whether out in the sun or under the heavy rain—to which they pay no heed. In jokgu, two teams of four players each—striker, setter, left defender and right defender—take either side of a net and try to score points by hitting the ball with their feet and heads. Each game consists of three sets, each of which is won by the first team to reach 15 points. If a set enters deuce, the winner is whichever team can score two points in a row. The game of jokgu played in In the SOOP reaches a so-called endless deuce, with each team unable to topple the other. Before the game, RM says, “Let’s rid ourselves of the label of ‘three worst players.’” This was in reference to when they played in RUN BTS episode 100 and the unfortunate show then of calf traps, falls and total misses, and they certainly improved since then. They also show off great teamwork, which is especially important in jokgu since no one can touch the ball twice in a row. If even one member of the team neglects to perform their role properly, the ball can’t be returned. In addition to their teamwork, the members show off some amazing individual feats, including headbutts, bicycle kicks and impressive saves.

You might notice that all BTS did to get a game going was bring a ball with them. Jokgu has a relatively low barrier to entry because, compared to other sports, you don’t need much to get started. Naturally it helps to have a net like they did where they were staying, but it doesn’t impact the game much even if you don’t. Still, it’s recommended you wear proper footwear for safety. Jokgu makes extensive use of the feet, so if you play it in regular shoes then you might experience pain not only in your feet but in your ankles and knees as well. There aren’t as many classes available for this sport compared to table tennis, but the rules aren’t very complex, so why not give it a try with a group of friends? Like the members of BTS, you can get better just by playing together.

In the spin-off show In the SOOP: Friendcation, the Wooga Squad—consisting of Park Seojun, Peakboy, Choi Wooshik, Park Hyungsik and V—are unanimous in what they want to do on their upcoming trip: firespacing. Firespacing is a recently coined word—a portmanteau of fire and spacing, or staring into a campfire with not a thought in your head. More and more people came to enjoy outdoor activities like camping with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and firespacing rose in popularity at the same time. The word has become well known outside of the camping community as well and has given birth to derivatives like waterspacing, mountainspacing and forestspacing.

On the second night of their trip, the Wooga Squad sits around a bonfire for a nice, long talk. There could be nothing better than sitting around a campfire like the Squad did and doing some firespacing of your own, but it has to be done in the right place and can be a fire hazard, especially if done indoors. These days you can play it safe by avoiding real fire altogether and watching some firespacing videos on YouTube or even getting a firespacing mood lamp. The Wooga Squad also adds a special powder, sometimes called magical flames or mystical fire, to the fire so that it changes the flames into a rainbow of colors, from purple, to blue, and even green. It’s a popular item for campers and makes you feel like you’re looking at a rainbow version of the Northern Lights right at your feet. You can pick up a set of five to eight different powders for around 10,000 won and give your campfires a splash of color. Maybe it was the warm atmosphere brought on by their fire that led the Wooga Squad to open up about things they weren’t able to talk about before. The performers shared stories that the others had never heard before, like their memories from the first time they met and how it felt being up on stage during the pandemic. We can learn something from the Wooga Squad and take time out of our own busy schedules to do a little firespacing with friends.