Foosball Tip #1
Loosen Your Grip – By keeping a loose grip on your handle, you’ll be able to shoot and spin the handle much faster! This allows for maximum movement and limits your resistance!
Foosball Tip #2
Don’t Spin – The first rule that all players should follow- Don’t Spin! Spinning causes damage to your table and remember that it is illegal according to USTSA rules. find more effective ways to get a better shot!
Foosball Tip #3
Practice Your Passes – Wall passes, defense passes, and bounce passes all come in handy while playing a game of foosball! Rather than slamming the ball forward, try out one of these techniques to improve your game and become an unpredictable player!
Setting Up Your Table for Practice
Practicing on your foosball table requires very little setup!
Set up the opposition rods by having some of the rods with the player’s feet rotated up and some rods with the player’s feed rotated down.
A foot up position is where the foot of the players is rotated enough to completely clear the ball. The intention is to stop these players interfering with the ball. Non-counterweighted players can be fixed in that position by using a rubber band, whereas counterweighted players will remain in any position.
A foot down position can be used to mimic real game situations. It often helps to secure the rods with players down to prevent them from rotating if the ball hits one of the men. Suspending a heavy bag from the handle is one simple way to lock them in place.
Limiting the playing field can be very helpful to make practice more efficient by reducing the time to retrieve the ball and put it back where you want it. Blocking parts of the field with wooden blocks can accomplish this. For example, if you want the ball contained in the right half of the field you can block off the left side. You can also block off the goal to make sure the ball is always in play.
Utilizing the Open-Palm Grip
An open-palm grip is a method to hold the rod handle with a straight palm. This grip can be helpful to generate power behind the shot as you do not need to flick your wrist as you do with the regular closed-palm grip to turn the rod.
To shoot using the open-palm grip, open your palm with all fingers straight. Hold the rod handle on the long side of the handle about half way up your palm. Make sure your thumb is not in the way by having it in line with the straight fingers. Rotate the handle approximately 90 degrees clockwise so that the players are close to the horizontal position. Hit the ball by moving the palm up and catching the handle by curling your fingers as move your palm up. After the shot the players should be rotated close to the horizontal position with the feet pointing towards the opposition goal.
The downside of using open-palm grip is poor ball control during passing. Therefore you would use the closed-palm grip to set up the ball and then change to the open-palm grip to shoot. Be aware the change of the grip causes delay between passing and shooting, which gives the defense time to prepare. It may also create a “tell”, by which the opponent can learn and see when the shot will be made.
Square Pass and Catch
A square pass (aka straight pass) is the transfer of the ball between two rods. One player on the 5 player rod kicks the ball to the receiving player on the 3 player rod. The ball travels straight, that is, parallel to the side walls. A square pass is the most basis pass in foosball.
You need to know the technique of catching to be able to stop the ball after a pass or a loose ball on the field.
To execute the square pass, put the ball in front of your 5 player rod players edge. Align the corresponding 3 player rod player with the ball. Tilt the 3 player rod anti-clockwise for the receiving player to be ready to catch the ball. Quickly rotate the 5 player rod anti-clockwise enough for the edge of the player to kick the ball straight to the 3 player rod player.
To catch with the 3 player rod player rotate the 3 player rod anti-clockwise so the players are at an angle of 30 – 45 degrees. The catch movement should be soft to absorb some of the impact of the ball. Ideally you should be able to catch a quick pass without the ball rolling or bouncing away.
Once you have caught the ball, you have completed your first pass. Now you can put the ball back under the 5 player rod and do it again and again until you become comfortable with it.
To practice the square pass, you can lift the 5 player rod defenders out of the way of the ball. After perfecting the unobstructed passes, bring down the defenders and try to make your passes through the gaps. Although the defense is stationary, it is a tough exercise.
This basic ball work is extremely important, because it is a building block for all other passes. A straight pass like this on its own is not likely to be used in a game, because it is easily blocked.