Foosball is a fun game to take part in but it can be frustrating if you aren’t very good and are playing against better opponents. It doesn’t take long to get scored on a few times and make you wish there was a mercy rule in effect.
Each foosball table has 8 rods (or bars) and you may hear the words used interchangeably. Each team has 4 rods/bars and we’ll refer to them using both names. The goalie bar has 1 or 3 goalies depending on the table style. The defensive bar has 2 foosmen. The midfield bar has 5 foosmen. The forward or attacking bar has 3 foosmen.
The question is…how do you best serve the ball, manage your bars and become a more competitive foosball player, quicker?
Let’s get started and answer 8 questions to help you learn how to play foosball better.
Is foosball a sport or a game?
Foosball is similar to table hockey, ice hockey and other table games. Billiards and pool are considered to be sports as is poker to an extent, so it stands to reason foosball is as well.
Although not an Olympic sport of course, foosball does have competitive tournaments and a governing body. The International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF) was founded in 2002 to promote the game/sport of table soccer and organizes tournaments around the world culminating in their World Cup.
Foosball does require certain skills that we normally associate with sports including speed, dexterity and quick reflexes among others. Improving as a foosball player takes practice too, just like a sport.
Treating foosball like a sport might enable you to become more competitive and better at it. If you choose to treat it as a game for fun, then that’s perfectly fine too.
And if you decide to take both stances depending on the situation, it can only help you become a better player. You never know when you’ll be called into action to play foosball and want to ensure you don’t embarrass yourself against a better player(s) who shows no mercy.
Is spinning the bar allowed in foosball?
You are allowed to spin the bar as long as the turn is only 360 degrees total.
In the past, spinning was outlawed in official game play but the ITSF does allow one complete spin as long as the rod doesn’t turn more than one full rotation.
By doing so, it speeds up the game and allows for fast shots that can be difficult to defend against such as the snake shot which we’ll talk about more below. It can lead to some pretty awesome goals that come out of nowhere.
Should you shoot at the net with the 5 bar?
One strategy is to try to take shots with your midfielders on the 5 bar with five foosmen. While some people like to play this strategy, the odds of scoring against a good player are low.
It’s somewhat analogous to a soccer player taking a shot at the opposing net from around center field. You could do it and you might score, but chances are you’ll miss the net or the shot will get blocked or ultimately saved by the goalie.
In foosball, a shot from the 5 bar tends to hit your opponent’s players and deflect away, meaning you might lose control of the ball for what was a low chances shot to begin with.
If you’re just playing for fun and your opponent isn’t as skilled, it’s a shot you might attempt but with skilled, experienced players it won’t tend to work very well and may cost you if they gain possession of the ball and quickly get a shot on your goal.
Can you gain an advantage when dropping the ball to start game play?
Official tournaments start with a player tapping the ball three times between their foosmen with the ball already on the table.
Home games or coin-operated foosball games tend to start with someone physically dropping the ball through a small opening on the side of the table at center field to start the game or restart the game after a goal.
You can attempt to legally gain an advantage when dropping the ball onto the game table to start play. There is no rule in foosball against serving the ball to yourself.
Here’s how you can practice to legally give yourself an advantage when serving:
- Cover the inside of the serving hole with your left hand. So you hold your left palm up against the opening of the serving hole inside the table where the ball will fall out of. This is to prevent the ball from dropping onto the table before you’re ready.
- Hold the ball in your right hand with your thumb at the 11:00 position (i.e. towards the top left area) and press and hold the ball in the serving hole, ready to serve.
3. Remove your left hand from the inside of the serving hole and hold the 5 man bar with that same hand.
4. Spin the ball counterclockwise with your thumb to serve the ball back towards your 5 man bar.
Practicing this move will make you a better server and will improve the chances you win all your serves, increasing the chance you score on your opponent more often.
How should you hold the rods if you’re playing 1 on 1?
When you’re playing 2 players per side, it’s straight forward: You and your teammate each take responsibility for two rods. But how can you manage four rods with only two hands when playing against a single opponent in a one on one game?
In general terms, you operate the bars that are closest to the play at that time. In other words:
If play is in your defensive zone: Hold the goalie and 2 bar (defensive) players.
If play in your offensive zone (i.e. near your opponent’s goalie): Hold your 5 and 3 bars. Ensure your defensive and goalie bars are pointing up and down to block shots that come their way.
You may also master the art of holding both the goalie and 2 bar with your left hand and moving them back and forth – although probably not actually turning them! – together. This is handy to do when the ball is being controlled by your opponent’s 5 bar. You hold your 5 bar with your right hand and use your left hand to control the two back bars for defensive purposes.
Is there a time limit on each bar before you must pass or take a shot?
In competitive foosball, there is a time limit that can’t be exceeded when you have control of the ball. It differs by bar so here are the rules:
5 bar: 10 seconds before you must move the ball to another bar at which point the timer resets.
3 bar: 15 seconds before you must move the ball to another bar at which point the timer resets.
2 bar: 15 seconds before you must move the ball to another bar at which point the timer resets.
If any player exceeds the state time limit, they lose possession of the ball and the opposing player gets it on their 5 bar.
Even if you’re playing just for fun, it’s not a bad idea to train yourself to stick to these limits not only for when you might play competitively but also to challenge yourself and keep your opponent on their toes.
How do you perform the snake shot in foosball?
In foosball, the snake shot is a hard shot taken by the middle foosman on the 3 bar.
You first pin the ball with your foosman with the ball being held in front of the man so it’s closest to your opponent’s net.
Use your wrist to hold and move the bar back and forth to try to trick your opponent into giving you an opening. You only move the bar enough to trick your opponent but not to move the ball so much that you lose control of it.
When you see an opening, drag your wrist up and grab the handle to hold the bar and rotate it quickly to take a shot at the net.
How can you best defend against the snake shot?
Defending against any shot in foosball involves moving your defensive and goalie bar back and forth to avoid giving your opponent an opening. You assume the ball will hit the goalie but you don’t try to guess where or when.
This is opposed to standing still and keep your defensive and goalie bars stationary, hoping you’ll be able to anticipate where and when the ball will be shot. Your reflexes aren’t quick enough to do this consistently and it’s a low success strategy as a result.
What you want to do is quickly move your bars back and forth quickly to confuse your opponent while not giving them enough time to find an opening. You want to try to fill in gaps and move your bars in a way that maximizes their ability to block an incoming shot.
Summary
Use the answers to these eight questions to become a better foosball player, sooner. Foosball can be a fun and competitive activity but it’s even better when you’re scoring more goals than your opponents.
Click here for some tips on becoming a better foosball player.