Tips and Techniques to Improve Your Foosball Game

Foosball is an enjoyable indoor or outdoor game that you can play at home or in a bar. Most of the time, people play it for recreational purposes. However, there are professional championships.

Whether you play foosball for fun or professionally, winning is the ultimate goal. In this guide, you will find essential tips and techniques that will increase your winning streak on the foosball table.

1. No Spinning

Like any other game, foosball has rules. The most important of them is the ban on spinning. For starters, it is the act of spinning the player 360 degrees. You commit an offense if your player rotates 360 degrees before receiving the ball or after kicking the ball.

An acceptable version of this tactic is the wristlock, sometimes known as the snake. However, in this case, the player spins only after receiving the ball and stops on kicking the ball. Spinning has several disadvantages. Besides giving the game away and disorienting your players, it can also warp the rods and damage the table.

2. Relax Your Grip

If you need to improve your foosball skills, then you must learn to be relaxed. The best practice is to have a relaxed grip with your knuckles on top, and the thumb wrapped loosely around the handle. Leave a little space between your palm, fingers, and the handle. It gives you more power when you need to snap a shot.

3. Work on Your Stance

The number one mistake amongst new foosball players is standing with their shoulders parallel to the side of the foosball table. While this is the natural stance, it is not a winning one as it limits your mobility and increases the chances of bumping into your teammates.

Instead, angle your body away from the table with your left side closer to the table than the right. To achieve this, stand with your right leg at an angle of about 45 degrees with the left. This stance gives your hand great movement, which is essential when operating rods two and three.

Once you have your feet correctly placed, bend your knees slightly. This relaxes the body and makes it easy for you to spring into action.

4. Serving Well

Serving is an opportunity to take control of a foosball game. Like soccer, there are no rules against serving the ball to your men. Since it is so easy to lose a serve, it is one of the techniques you need to learn.

The most common serving technique is the index finger serve. To do it, follow these steps:

• Close the hole from inside with the palm of your left hand to keep the ball from dropping off before you are ready
• Place the ball into the hole and hold it with your right index finger at the 11-hour clock position
• Hold the 5-man rod with your left hand and be ready to possess the ball
• Spin the ball counter-clockwise. If done right, the ball will roll toward your 5-man rod
• Practice until you can get 10 out of 10 serves right

Some people prefer using the thumb, but the principle remains the same.

5. Learn to Control the Game

Controlling the game involves two main tips. The first is to keep an eye on your opponent's players. This is essential because most players focus more on their men than the position of the opponents' men. Also, keep the men on the 3-man rod angled. It makes it easy to take possession of the ball.

6. Master the Essential Passing Techniques

The passes that you should try to master include the wall pass, lane pass, and the wall bounce pass. Redirecting your pass and passing from the defense are some of the passing techniques to learn.

7. Master One Shot at a Time

It is easy to be tempted to try the many shooting techniques you see on advanced foosball games. However, the most effective way is to master one shot and stick to it. You can learn the push or pull shots and the wristlock for more power.

8. Get a Training Table

Having a professional foosball table at home will help you improve. With it, you can train how to serve, pass, take shots, and block shots anytime you need. Buying a foosball table also removes the need to go to the bar when you want to play.

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