25 Foosball Tips and Tricks Essential to Your Game

So you’ve bought a foosball table and you’ve been playing for a while, by now you are trying to work out how to actually get better at the game. You want to defeat your friends… after all, it is your table. Like other games, foosball or table soccer has some definite tactics and strategies to follow that will make you a better player for winning more games. Foosball is collectively a game requiring both physical and mental skill sets. For a general guide on how to get better at foosball, read here.

After you’ve learnt the basics, you will need to develop speed, timing, and strategy to make your performance addicting and mesmerizing. In this guide, we present some incredibly worthy tips and tricks for developing the skill for you aspire to become a champion foosball player.

25 Foosball Tips and Tricks

One of the biggest mistakes beginners make in foosball game is playing predictably. If the opponent understands your techniques, strengths, and weaknesses very easily no one can restrain you from losing the game. Therefore, you should be creative to hide your next move. You can follow the technique of kicking the ball by the goalie directly to the opponent’s goal. You will get surprised to see the result!! 

It is more a rule than a mere tips. Even if you are a newbie in foosball, there is no way but to follow this rule without which you will breach the spirit of the game. Spinning the rod has some bad impacts by way of damaging the table and warping the rods. Spinning will lead to less accurate and less powerful shot.

Keep it in mind that your opponent has his strategy to move on. Therefore, you need to move constantly. You shouldn’t stop in the playtime. Keep a close eye on the movement of your opponent and define your steps accordingly.

Beginners tend to hold the handle very tightly at the time of mounting pressure and when the competition soars up. But instead of gripping the handle tightly in such situation, a newbie should maintain a relaxed grip. 

Hold the handle firmly with the knuckle on top and thumb around the bottom. But there should have space between the handle, your fingers, and palm. Little space will allow to adjust the grip quickly. When your grip is in relaxed position, blocking maneuvers and playing shots are easier. A relaxed grip will give more power to your wrist.

When you play foosball, your dream is to win the game. But the dream can only be real through proper practice and playing against the pro level players. You may get frustrated over losing the game if your opponent is a pro. But you will learn a lot from a worthy opponent and can improve your skill level. 

There is a tendency among the new players to stand stiff and straight. They place their both feet parallel to the side of the table. But for a better result, you should open your stance a bit. You need to maintain at least 45-degree angle between your position and the table. Open stance will allow you to generate more power, move quickly, and will free up the right arm.

Do you dream to be a top skilled foosball player to beat everyone, everywhere? If yes, you must concentrate on strengthening your arms muscles by regular exercise. Focus on the shoulders, biceps, forearms, and wrists. Strong muscle will enable you to spin the handles fast and you can engage yourself in the game for longer duration. Regular exercise will make you a strong and in-shape player.

One of the biggest mistakes a beginner foosball player makes is just dropping the ball without proper attention and care into the hole!! By this mistake, you create an opportunity for your opponent to get the possession freely. This situation leads him to score without much hassle. 

It is imperative to learn spinning the ball and controlling the angle at the time of serve. With an intense level of practice on this technique, you will master the serve someday. Mastering the service will help you succeeding against all odds to win the games!!

When playing, you must focus on the player figures of your side. Besides, you need to give special attention on the movement of your opponent players. This closer focus will enable you to find the gap to pass or shot the ball to the goal or your advanced men.

You can dramatically increase the speed of shot in table soccer if you make an open hand shot. For making such shots, you need to just spin your handle on wrist. It will empower you to make extremely fast shots.

Related: How to get better at Foosball… General Strategies

For a glazing performance in the game, you need to learn advanced back-spin method. Place the thumb on the left portion of ball, push down on the foosball as if you are pushing it to the right side through the hole. When applied properly, the ball would stop and roll back to your five rods for hitting to score.

If you want to gain ball control for the next move, pinning the ball would be great option. Before the ball comes to the rod, angle your player figure a bit. Catch and trap it beneath the player. Now, you can make a strategic pass or a pin shot to a more advanced player.

If you want to snatch the win, you need to keep your eyes open and stay focused. It is very natural to get distracted and overwhelmed for the many events that happened around the foosball tournament. But you must concentrate on the ball and movements of your opponent. It is very important to plan your next shots and presume the next action of the rival.

When you play open singles, master the technique of playing 2 rods with 1 hand. It will be a real game-changer. Practice intensively to control the 2 defense handles with your thumb and pinky finger. Though the mastering would take toilsome days, you will feel the power within you once you are get used to the control.

The three-man rod holds your real forward players. You should try to advance the ball to this rod as much as possible and retain the ball control here for the strategic moves or shots. Keep your forward players a bit angled so that they can receive the ball easily. So it is very important to place the player figures in right positions to possess and control the ball for the expected result.

If you play by passing methodically to your offense players, the opponent may guess the strategy and take action to suppress the action you intend to take. However, one of the effective techniques to hide your intention from the opponent is to pass the ball forward along the wall. Control the ball by any player of the 5-man rod for passing it to any figure of the 3-man rod placed against the wall. 

When you take the game casually and make plain moves, all your intentions, strategies, strengths, and weaknesses become evident to your opponent to get his players ready for the reaction. As well as being unpredictable, it pays to have the right winning and creative mindset, you will better read the situations to score the opportunities. Mix the things bravely and even bounce the ball to score goals. Move such a way that your rival becomes baffled what to do!! 

When you quickly switch your ball passing direction, your opponent simply becomes perplexed. You can move to pass the ball along the wall. But instead, you may shift your direction fast by using the outside edge to pass the ball to the 5-man rod in the middle. Then find the gap to advance the ball to the 3-man offense rod. 

Consistency is crucial for gaining success. But if you move the same way time and again, your style of play will be predictable like a simple math. When you know that your opponent is particularly strong to block a kind of shot you make, you must try various shots from different angles.

Practice rotating your wrists by 180 degrees at a fast pace. Don’t procrastinate for an entire movement for the rotation. You will see the speed and momentum the ball will gain from such moves. It is strategically significant for scoring every chances. 

When the rival player consistently blocks all your shots and passes, you can create some space by passing the ball back and forth between the defense and goalie. It will open up the lane to forward the ball quickly to the 5-man rod. But be aware of suicidal goals!!

Use push and pull shots effectively. But you would require to become a master player is finding a single shot tactics that works best for you. In case when the hole opens up in the goal, you must not waste time to arrange a line. Rather use your special one-shot technique to finish quickly.

Lubricate your rods properly for having a fast and smooth performance. Also clean the dust and other residue along the rods by sliding the rubber bumpers.

Many foosball players forget to breathe during the game which leads to quick loss of energy and ultimate defeat. When there is an intense foosball match, you must pace your breathing. It will maintain your body functioning perfectly and enhance the chance of winning. 

Don’t forget that foosball is game packed with fun and you will have to explore it. If there is no fun and enjoyment in this physically hectic game, you will soon lose your enthusiasm which will be the extreme reason for downgrading your performance.

Final Thoughts

Foosball should always be a fun game to play. You don’t need to master all 25 of these tips. Start with a few and master them first. Your game will surely improve.