From the look of it, playing foosball seems straightforward and like a piece of cake. But just like actual soccer, foosball requires mental focus and skills for one to become an expert. You can spend long hours twisting handles and randomly hitting the ball when playing with a colleague without making any impactful progress.
Like any other game, certain steps are necessary for one to have an advantage over their opponent. Owning the best foosball table won’t cut it; you need to have a gaming strategy. To help you out, below is a list of tips on how to better your skills. Do regular training to increase your winning chances. You may eventually get to beat that pro who’s always defeating everyone during hangouts.
Grip and Stance
No matter the type of game you are playing, whether friendly or competitive, the first step in getting better at foosball is improving your grip on the handles.
A common mistake committed by many new players is holding the handles stiffly. Tight gripping happens particularly when the game gets challenging and affects your speed as well as overall performance. Maintain a slightly loose grip but always keep it controlled to enable fast adjustments and motion. Open up your stance and avoid standing upright to boost power and reflexes.
Practice Your Passing
In foosball, passing is a vital skill. You need to keep your opponent guessing by strategically aligning the ball to create more scoring chances. You should work on passing your ball around your defensive players. Keeping the ball at the back will help create extra scoring opportunities by opening up the field. Constantly work on how to move the ball around your players and notice your game build-up improve.
Always Concentrate
This method does not receive enough emphasis! You must understand the importance of following and keeping an eye on the ball at all times. Always be aware of your opponents’ moves and try to move your players as well to counter any scoring attempts.
The Bottom Line
Similar to some games, a great defense will help boost your offense. A lot of critics debate on this ideology, however, practicing on your defense is guaranteed to increase your chances of winning by limiting your opponents’ chances of scoring while creating chances for you.
Keep control of the ball and avoid random passes. Once you get used to training alone, try playing against skilled foosball gamers to help improve your gameplay creativity. Also, if you find better players than you, do not be shy to ask them for tips; to be the best you need to learn from the best.