Foosball Basics: 10 Tips to Improve Your Foosball Game
Though it may be best known a common bar room game, the affordability of home foosball tables makes it a fun game to enjoy at home as well. One of the great things about this game is that there are no particular qualifications to be able to play it other than the skill that comes from practice. There are various tips which enable players to improve their play. The main tip to follow is to acknowledge that frequent play will raise a player’s low skill level! There are additional valuable tips besides the “practice makes perfect” gem just shared. Following these additional tips can only make a players game more proficient and thus more enjoyable!
Tip 1 - Become familiar with the equipment you will be using during play to better enhance your enjoyment, your score, and your experience. This is much easier if you are playing with your own equipment than if you are relying on bar tables for your play. At least take a few minutes to acquaint yourself with your tools before you jump into play.
Tip 2 - Become aware of available sources of foosball silicon during play to keep your playing rods lubricated for smooth play. Again, this is easier when using your own table at home. In a bar environment, you will be less likely to use your own foosball silicon to lubricate the rods. You can still have access to foosball silicon, however. You can get acquire some by stripping excess silicon from the —table bumpers. Simply clean your metal pole with one of the bumpers and rely on one of the bumpers to deposit some of its extra silicon while cleaning the pole. Doing this same thing at home might cause your —-bumpers to get excessive wear and tear. If you are on your own turf, buy silicon and use it the usual way. Don’t jeopardize your own equipment by doing this!
Tip 3 - Remember that you will be variously playing both offense and defense during a given game. Because you will be responsible for both postures, watch for opportunities to maximize both at all times. You will need to remain alert to both types of opportunities at all times!
Tip 4 - Always follow the ball, regardless of whether you are playing offense or defense. You may get the chance to unexpectedly prevent an opponent’s scoring attempt.
Act on that when you see it! To be able to take advantage of this opportunity, you must always keep the ball in motion and never take your eye off the ball. Always try to position yourself to play both offense and defense, and give preference to defensive plays whenever to avoid a score by your opponent.
Tip 5 - Make your opponent think by varying your play to keep the opponent alert and on his toes! Requiring the opponent to guard your play carefully will take energy away from his offensive efforts and may help prevent a score!
Tip 6 - Learn to make tilting your players work to your advantage. There are various things your rack of players can do for you when it is titled and the players are not positioned completely upright. These strategic tilts can be used both as defensive moves and offensive, scoring maneuvers. Become accustomed to using your players at a tilt; practice the tilts whenever possible. Realize that the team is probably worth more to you at a tilt!
Tip 7 - Use the placement of the men along with your pace of play to your advantage. Leveraging your play to confuse your opponent can work to your advantage by causing honest confusion about your likely actions and strategy. This can throw off an opponent who is waiting for you to repeat predictable patterns, strategies, and behaviors.
Tip 8 - Using your tilt to stop or “catch” the ball in play. Your tilt position can enable you to stop or “catch” the ball in play in a given match. Of course, your players don’t have real hands to catch anything with, so we should think instead of trapping the ball and not letting it continue along its intended route. This in turn allows favorable possession claims as far as scoring computation is concerned. A good position to be in for any player!
Tip 9 - Use the tilt to stop the ball under your players without letting it roll through your line or otherwise out of your control. It is possible to use your tilt to control the movement of the ball around your players. You can judge whether your tilt is sufficient for control if the ball can no longer slip beneath the line of players without being caught by their feet. This method of control shows one of the best reasons for learning to control and perfect your tilt technique for offensive - play purposes as well as defensive purposes.
Tip 10 - Work on your timing as you play so that your playing is not sufficiently predictable to give your opponent any advantage while playing against you. This principle is especially important when you are going against an opponent who is used to your style and the pace of your play.
Based on strategy as much as technique, these 10 tips are designed to elevate the experience level of beginning players and to improve their skills and scores. Remember that practice can indeed make perfect, or at least make a good thing better as your game progresses to greater heights of proficiency. These are all things that can be practiced and can cause an individual’s game to rise from a basic beginner level to an advanced pro with some practice and determination!
