Topic: Casual player - very important game next week!

[timtebow]

Hello guys!

I am new on this forum! I would really appreciate if you could help me a little.

So... I have played foosball a few times with my friends etc, but just for fun and never really tried to learn anything or get better at it. Next week however I have a pretty important game which I really would like to win. So I am prepared to invest some time and effort in improving my game as much as possible until then. I see there are quite a few talanted players on this forum so I would be really greatful if you could tell me how I learn as much as possible during the few days I have to prepare for the game.

I do not really know the strength of my opponent, but I am assuming he is about as good as me at the moment.

So do you recommend me to do until the game. I have started to look at some tutorials on youtube.com and visited some internet sites. Is there any videos or sites you would recommend specially? Do I learn the most by actually playing foosball or can I also learn something by reading and watching things on the net?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I will post a summary of how this very important game went once it has been played.

Thanks everybody!

[Old Meister]

It would be an understatement to say that teaching you usable and effective skills in such a short amount of time by simply telling you is a stretch. If you both have similar skills then you will do well to have a good defense. This requires you to spread your defensive men about 2 finger widths apart and create a moving target without making the likely target an easy hole to hit. Never let the middle hole just sit in front of the ball but rather make it noticeable but not completely open by moving it from side to side. When you move don't do it with tight muscles, keep them relaxed and flowing. It will help you move to where the ball is going and not over respond. If you tighten up you will find that you will freeze up on shots. You can tease and dare your opponent with this type of defense and make him frustrated which in turn will give you confidence and you then will kick his a--!

[papafoos]

That's a tough question without knowing what level of player you are now.

However, my initial advice is to practice ball control.  I only play about twice a month but I've been playing for about 40 years and I still have the same routine when I go out to play.  I get a rack of balls and just practice moving the ball from man-to-man and rod-to-rod.  The idea is to just get a feel for the table.  Ball control and defense will hold you up until you can get going offensively, assuming you're playing someone of equal ability.

[timtebow]

Thanks for the replies guys!

From your comments I have confirmed what I previously thought. I cannot learn by just reading and watching, I need to actually practice as well. I have therefore decided that I will buy an already used/second hand table tomorrow. But I still do not really have anyone to play against. I will still be able to learn eventhough I have no opponent right?

But there must still be some good videos/texts around which I can watch/read to perhaps pick up some good techniques?

[papafoos]

One week is not much time to get ready.  Ball control is something you can practice by yourself.  If you watch some of the videos on ball control, they'll probably overwhelm you.  Just take it slow.  But, again I'm assuming you're a fairly inexperienced player.  Of course, just the idea that your using a TS avatar tells me you've at least been exposed to the game.

[timtebow]

Of course, just the idea that your using a TS avatar tells me you've at least been exposed to the game.

Well that doesn't count for much in this case. I just picked one that I liked. I thought this one was appropriate because of the "The Millon Dollar Game" text on it.

My experience comes down to playing for fun with my friends. An occasional game every now and then.

Perhaps I should tell you a bit more about the background to this game I am playing on tuesday next week. I took part in a Champions League quiz sponsored by Heineken/Viasat (Swedish TV channel). I did well enough to qualify for a tiebreaker (this foosball game) and the winner gets an all-expenses-trip to the Champions League final in Rome later this month. So I hope you can understand why I am so anxious to improve my skills. They have also told me that parts of this game will be shown in a 2-3 minute long clip on TV. If I am able I will try to record that and post a link on here if anyone is interested (provided I don't embarrass myself, haha!)

[bbtuna]

don't buy a table just for this...where are you playing, can you find time to get to that table?  that would be ideal so you get the feel for what you will really be facing

if one of us could spend some time on the table with you it would be much easier to help you with a few basics so we could demonstrate and give you feedback when you try it

but OM has got the right idea on defense...you can practice ball control but in a week you won't get much out of that except maybe to make you a little more comfortable...won't hurt but keep your expectations low

get as much table time as you can and as I said on the table you will play on, or one just like it, if possible

while you are on the table, practice moving your hands from one rod to another to get used to where they are at on the table because you are playing singles and if the other person is a beginner like you, you will be reaching and moving for balls all the time

also, when the other person has the ball on their 5 bar or in goal, keep one hand on your goalie rod as a last ditch effort if a ball is rolling toward the goal and to make them think a little more...this means if they have the ball on their 5 bar you will defend with your right hand - again, as part of your table time and work on moving from rod to rod, even without someone to play, practice doing this and moving your men around and moving your hands from rod to rod so you will be comfortable

if you know someone who will put some table time in with you to help you warm up then it will do much for you to play them as much as possible to work on these things

also, think about what OM said about defense...what he was talking about was defense against the other person when they have the ball on their 3 rod

break the goal into 3 equal parts so you have a general idea that your men can basically cover 2/3 of those holes...avoid 2 things...1st, dont be hyper and try and jump all over the place and race the person to open holes and 2nd don't sit dead still and then jump at any movement the other person throws at you

keep your guys basically in the middle of the goal, as OM said about 2 fingers apart, and bob them about 1 inch either direction, in and out, as random as possible...some movement, not hyper, home base is the middle of the goal

what you want to do is make it hard for the other person to see a good big hole, keep from creating big holes by jumping too much, and make them shoot a perfect or totally lucky shot to score

now, if he is a "scrub" (no offense) like you, then he won't have the ball on his 3 row trying to do much of anything it will be wacking at the rolling ball mostly and that goes back to be comfortable moving from rod to rod

the only exception to the 3 rod D I am talking about is if the have the ball on the outside men (close to the near or outside walls)  in this case, you will want to use the same defense we talked about except you want to move it about 2 inchs toward the side he has the ball making the short side harder to see and hit

you will want to keep your guys in what is called a standard formation - you can see what this looks like in the link here http://www.discoverahobby.com/learnfoosball.htm
I am looking for some other diagrams that I thought I could find but not so far...I will find them and if they are helpful as I think they will be, I will add in another post

questions so far?

[timtebow]

Thanks for a long and good post bbtuna!

don't buy a table just for this...where are you playing, can you find time to get to that table?  that would be ideal so you get the feel for what you will really be facing

if one of us could spend some time on the table with you it would be much easier to help you with a few basics so we could demonstrate and give you feedback when you try it

I live in Sweden and I will play this match on tuesday in Stockholm (the capital city) so playing anyone from here is probably not an option. The table I am buying is an already used table (according to the seller it is still in almost new condition though), but I am buying it at a price equivalent to about 100 USD and since the prize I can win is estimated to be worth around 3000 USD I see this as a small and worthwile investment. Furthermore I have the option to resell it also and make most of my 100 USD back if I don't feel like I want it after the game. I will not be able to play on the table the match will be played on and I don't know what it looks like. How big of a difference is there between the different types of tables?

It seems like defense is the easiest thing to learn quickly, and I also feel I have some idea of how it works from previous experience and the help of you guys.

keep your guys basically in the middle of the goal, as OM said about 2 fingers apart, and bob them about 1 inch either direction, in and out, as random as possible...some movement, not hyper, home base is the middle of the goal

Ok, so not too many quick and reflex moves, mostly controlled and well thought through? By "your guys" which guys do you mean? The goalie and the "defenders"? Or all of my players?

As for attacking I have seen there are a couple of different types of shot that you guys talk about, i.e. "snake shot". Should I try to learn myself these shots? Focus on learning 1 of them, if so which one? Or focus on other things and try to score "normally"?

And thanks for the link, I'll check it out now!

[timtebow]

The "Foosball University" section on here seems pretty good. Is it worth learning?

http://www.foosball.com/content.php?page=3

[bbtuna]

yea, but probably not so much considering your short window...don't want to overload on information so that none of it is useful...you want to concentrate on a few basics, your chances are best that way

i am thinking about offense for you, which hasn't been mentioned yet, considering the time and distance...I will be back in touch

[pinalyzer]

Okay...I have been through tons of these matches and here is my humble advice.

When you are serving the ball, it will start on the middle rod (5 bar).  Try to hit the ball toward their goal when the ball is in front of the goal as hard as you can.  Might be easier right handed if that is what you are.  You might have to wait a second or so until their man is not in front of the ball.

For the 3 rod and 2 rod on offense, you should try to stop the ball and execute a shot, but that might not be possible and I would try the same approach.  Move the ball and shot it hard at their goal as soon as their player is not in front of the ball.  Practicing pushing and pulling the ball and catching the ball would be somewhat important.  Since you are unsure as to what table the game is on, I really wouldn't worry too much about passing or ball control.  For instance it could be played on a table with a ball that does not roll straight.

For defense stay in front of the ball...fakes and a lot of movement will hurt you as they are probably going to just wack at the ball and will score a lot if you are not in front of the ball (between the ball and the goal)

So...stay in front of the ball on defense and on offense shoot it as hard as you can at the goal when they are not in front of the ball.  And practice pushs and pulls and hitting it hard where you want it to go.  To do this from in back put up all the men and fire away (use the videos to get an idea of grip and stance).
Good Luck,
John

[bbtuna]

good advice especially on the 5 bar...

you should know and have some basic rules handy...first is, you start the game after a coin flip and the winner gets to serve...after that, you get to serve the ball after each time the other player scores

learn to drop the ball so that it rolls to your 5 bar...this is legal and is something you can FOR SURE learn in a week

after that, do as John said and hit the ball as hard as possible toward the goal...of course, try and do it when the other persons 5 is not in the way...this may backfire once in a while but it will be much more in your favor than not

you probably don't know what a "push" and "pull" are do you?  these require you get control of the ball on your 2 or front 3 rod and then "do" a shot

based on what you have said, I think you will be lucky if you can stop and control the ball at all let alone shoot...if you can, all the better

yea, always shoot when a guy isn't infront of the ball but if they seem to follow the ball real well and you can't seem to get that open hole, hit the edge of the ball, one side or the other, mix it up, as hard as you can

in the mean time, I was debating trying to teach you how to hit the ball real hard with the shortest window possible

you want to do a "palm roll" - grip the rod like a handshake, lift your thumb, and push your hand down letting the handle "roll" up your palm a bit, and then pull up hard and catch the handle in your fingers

never tired to explain that writing before...I will see if I can find a video...it is much easier than it sounds and nothing will allow you to hit a ball harder (even for top level players)...start with the ball in a stationary position, and practice whacking it forward (lift all men on the table and practice with your 2 bar first)...just line it up and try and hit it as hard as possible straight and then on the edges of the ball

then, when you start to get a little comfortable with that, start 3 or 4 inches away on one side of the ball or other, still sitting the ball still (direct under rod) and then move the man over and do the plam roll at the same time and whack the ball

learn to do this from either side of the ball

you can do this in a week and get to hit the ball pretty hard - this will be very helpful making an offense on short notice

[PatRyan]

I don't have alot of time to elaborate, but I'm sure someone here will.  Or they will just tell you to ignore me

If the ball isn't very controllable (sits still, roll fairly straight when moving slowly), then kickshots might be the best course of action.  They are also pretty easy to learn.  AND, if the kickshots are done with the palmroll, they generate some slop goal opportunity as well. 

Another key thing is making sure you keep the men on your goalie rod, and your 2-man rod down at all times (even when you don't have the ball in your goalie area).  Also try to leave the goalie man and one of the 2-man men in front of the goal, even if you are playing on the front rods. 

Simple things to help keep the slop goals from going against you too much. 


Good Luck!!

[bbtuna]

do you know what a "kick" shot is?

how many games are you playing or is it just one game and how many points are you calling a game?

[bbtuna]

ah ha, video on the palm roll
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cmz5BGw4W_w

it isn't long but you can watch it as many times as you need and it gives you the basic idea...the higher up you roll it, the closer to your wrist, the more downward motion you can create and thus more power

downside of this is it takes long and more motion for people to follow...I am just telling you so you have the concept down and you should do whatever you can get comfortable with... the harder you pull up after the upward plam roll, the harder the shot will be