Foosball is a fast and fun game that requires excellent hand-eye coordination and plenty of skill. If you want to get better at this sport, but you don’t have the time to put in hours of practice mastering all the shots and trick plays, you can follow some simple tips and techniques to help you become better at foosball virtually overnight.
11 Easy Tips & Techniques to Up Your Foosball Game
Strengthen your foosball game and beat your family and friends in friendly tournaments with these simple tips you can practice today.
1. Stop spinning the rods while you play
You might be tempted to spin your rods around when you’re playing against friends and family. This technique is easy to do and can result in a quick and powerful shot when one of your figures connects with the ball.
However, this spin method is illegal in the sport, so if you’re planning on competing in official tournaments or matches in the future, it’s best to get out of the habit of spinning the rods.
More often than not, when you spin the rods and one of your figures connects with the ball, this shot will go wayward of the goal as you don’t have any control over the angle or direction of the shot when you randomly spin your players.
2. Work on your grip
When you’re new to the sport, you should also get into the habit of loosening your grip on the table’s handles. As you relax your grip, you leave some space between the handle and your fingers: this gives you more versatility when adjusting your hold and hand position as you react to your opponent’s shots or plays. It also allows you to modify your grip efficiently and effectively whenever you want to try a specialized shot at your rival’s goal.
3. Practice your spray, push, and pull shots
It’s helpful to have a couple of shots in your back pocket that you can pull out at any point during a game. You can practice different shots, but you might feel overwhelmed if you try to master all these plays at once.
Instead, begin with the basic shots: the push shot, pull shot and spray shot. If you find it challenging to get the ball past your opponent’s defensive 2-man rod, practice the push and pull shots. These unidirectional strikes are where you drag the ball towards you or push it away as you shoot, forcing the defense to move.
If you find that you spend a lot of time passing the ball back and forth between your goalkeeper and your defensive rod, practice the spray technique so that you can put an angle on the ball and sneak it past your opponent’s offensive line in front of you. This involves pulling the rod toward you while your player controls the ball, then pushing the rod in the opposite direction as you take the shot.
4. Work on your ball control
One of the trickiest aspects of foosball to master is that of ball control. You might work the ball up the pitch and get it to the feet of your star striker before losing it to your opponent’s 2-man defensive rod.
It’s a great idea to spend some time practicing your basic ball control. Use the rods to pass the ball between your goalkeeper and 2-man defensive unit, between your defense and midfield, and between your midfield and your striker line.
You can also use a couple of easy hacks to increase your ball control when playing against friends: use the figure’s feet to trap the ball to the tabletop. This gives you time to figure out where you want to pass the ball next.
5. Figure out how to execute the serving cup strategy
In any foosball game, the initial ball serve needs to be fair, but after you’ve scored a goal, you have the opportunity to take over serving duties. This gives you a chance to make sure the ball goes to your figures rather than to your opponents’.
Take some time to practice the serving cup method: for this technique, put the ball in the top left-hand corner of the cup, then slowly take your finger away from it to let it spiral down the cup’s right edge. When this ball hits the table, the spin should take it to the feet of one of the figures on your 5-man midfield line.
This technique only works with foosball tables that are equipped with a serving cup. Many low-end models do not offer this feature.
6. Work on your ready stance
Get into the habit of loosening up and relaxing your stance when you play or practice foosball. Lots of people stand up tall and rigid when they play, but it’s better to stand at a slight angle to the table.
Opening up your stance gives your shooting arm more room to move and produce forceful shots on goal.
7. Angle your 3-man offensive rod during the game
When you’re not using your 3-man offensive rod, turn the handle so that your players are angled slightly forward.
If you get back possession and pass the ball upfield, it will roll under the feet of one of your strikers. This attacking figure will be in a brilliant position to shoot: just flick the handle around, and they’ll hit the ball into the back of the net.
8. Use the table’s walls
If you’re having trouble getting the ball past your opponent’s figures, you can try performing an effective wall pass: use the side of your player’s feet to kick the ball at an angle using a gentle spray shot, and it will bounce off the wall and move up the pitch to your strikers.
9. Make sure your goalkeeper and defensive rod are working together
It can be challenging to keep all your rods in sync, especially when you’re playing foosball on your own rather than with a partner.
However, just remember that when you’re playing in defense and under pressure from your opponent’s offensive line, you must make sure that you’re controlling the goalie and the 2-man defensive rod at the same time. You want to create a defensive unit that combines well together to block shots and cut off wayward passes. Adjust your 3-man defensive setup accordingly to cut off the angle of shot and give their striker as little room as possible.
10. Learn how to put backspin on your serve
Once you’ve mastered the serving cup method, learn how to put backspin on your ball serve so that you can give the ball back to your figures at the start of every new play. You can also learn this technique if your table doesn’t have a serving cup.
Put your thumb on the ball’s left-hand side, then press down your thumb so that the ball spurts out from your grasp and hits the right edge of the hole. When this ball hits your table top’s surface, it will spin back toward your midfield set of players.
11. Practice the art of blocking a shot
When you’re practicing foosball or playing fun games against your friends and family, make a special effort to block your opponent’s figures with your figures. Use your rods to shadow every move that your rival makes. This means that when they get around to shooting, they’ll hit the ball right at your player. Often, you’ll find that the rebound will go back into your opponent’s goal, earning you a valuable point.
Take Your Foosball Games to the Next Level
Playing foosball extremely well requires a lot of skill and hours of practice, but if you don’t have that kind of time on your hands, you can try using one of these simple and practical tips to improve your game and increase your chances of winning matches.