Table football technique: learn table football techniques - Mister Babyfoot

The foosball player's stance for beginners

The standard position for easily learning to play foosball

The standard position is a natural and relaxed position and also the best way to pass a ball to the midfielders. The left hand is used to pass the ball. The right hand, on the other hand, is used to intercept it and shoot into the goal.

The improved forward position: the perfect trick for combining attack and defense

This position is a good compromise between attack and defense. The left wrist is bent while the right arm is slightly extended. This configuration allows you to quickly switch from an attacking position to a defensive position to be prepared for all possible opponents' situations.

The Improved Fullback Position: Attack and Defense Technique

This position involves using your left hand on the halfback or forward bar and your right hand on the halfback or forward bar. In case of an opponent's counterattack, this is a good position to defend your own half.

And since a good shot requires hard work, here are 3 of the best known ways to shoot the ball straight into your opponent's goal: A shot requires practice! There are 3 main ways to shoot a ball: Impulse: this involves adding speed and direction by hitting it. First, you give direction and power to the ball, then you lift the player off the ground and then touch it again. This is the most practical technique, although it's also the most visible (it requires lifting the crossbar). The Slide: you give speed and direction to the ball by sliding over it. More difficult to perform, this technique has the advantage of being able to surprise your opponent and therefore gives you a chance to score a goal quickly thanks to the element of surprise. The Squish: a more aggressive variation of the slide, the squish, as its name suggests, involves squishing the ball (rather than gently sliding over it) to give it more force. A powerful shot, but more difficult to disguise and still requiring some practice before being mastered and used during a miniature football match!

Halfbacks in table football, not so easy to play

Halfbacks are considered the most important part of table football. Logically, to put pressure on your opponent, it's best to hit the ball up front!

One of the main mistakes is constantly raking to block your opponent's balls. This is, of course, an unsportsmanlike practice which, in addition to annoying your opponent, deprives you of all control over the ball. It should therefore be used sparingly!

The other big mistake is to shoot very hard to destabilize the opponent. Recovering the ball afterward becomes more complicated... because the ball has gained a lot of speed and therefore requires a little (or even a lot) of agility on your part!

Among the basic passes are (in order of difficulty):

• Passing along the boards: the ball passes up front along the wood of the foosball table. To recover the ball, remember to put your forward player in a self-block.
• The cross pass: a foosball classic that involves hitting the ball on the midfielder's side. To recover the ball, you have the choice between self-blocking or cutting off its trajectory in the forwards' zone.
• The straight pass: this shot involves passing the ball between the opponent's midfielders, parallel to the wood of the foosball table. To recover the ball, there's no choice; you have to self-block. Deflecting with the forwards only works for the cross pass...

Foosball, shooting moves and techniques

And for shots:

• The straight shot: the basic shot to be taken at the center of the midfielders. Difficult to hide!
• The cross shot: the most used shot in the halfbacks. As with the cross pass, the ball is hit on the player's side (towards the opponent) to give it a diagonal trajectory.

Forwards in foosball

Ball control is essential! It is therefore advisable to block the ball under the player's foot, tilting it towards the opposing goalkeeper. To succeed, you must be precise and not hesitate, always keeping in mind that speed is a key factor. A lightning shot doesn't necessarily have a better chance of scoring a goal. So shoot lightly! A winning player is, above all, a player who takes clear shots, feints, and cross shots.

There are two shots you absolutely must know and master when playing forward: the Pull Shot and the Snake.

• The first, the Pull Shot, is a hidden shot that involves positioning the ball to the player's side and shifting it using the player's flank. It's an easy technique that even beginners can perform!
• For the Snake Shot, place your wrist against the forward's handle and then execute a roulette shot by sliding the bar along your hand. It's a very powerful shot that requires a little practice but is well worth it!

The Cluster Shot: This one's very complicated! It involves hitting the ball on the halfback's edge to bounce it off the wood of the goalpost and finally land it in the goal. If you succeed with this shot, don't forget to watch your opponent's head...

As you've probably understood, when playing halfbacks, you need to be both technically adept and patient.

Backs: The Best Advanced Techniques

You must position your goalkeeper and defenders so as not to leave too large a gap that could tempt the opposing player. With experience, this gap can also serve as a trap. Table football technique is a matter of strategy!
Your defense must always remain mobile and evolve throughout the game. You can either look for the gap in the opposing defense and take the corresponding shot (for experienced players), or choose a shot and wait for an opportunity to take it. The best strategy is to mix the two techniques!

Finally, it is recommended to always keep the players crossed, the goalkeeper leaning forward, the players back. This provides better defense, especially against cross shots. And above all, don't stare at the opposing players; focus all your attention on the ball!

The guards' pass

When you intercept the ball with the guards, you have 10 seconds to analyze your opponent's reaction (to see what they are trying to block) and act accordingly. There are 3 main options available to you.

Straight shots

This is an excellent way to put pressure on the opposing forwards. There are straight shots, on target, powerful, and difficult to block for opposing forwards; cross shots, the most commonly used in foosball, which involve shooting the ball not straight down the center but slightly to the side to give it an angle; and cushion shots, i.e., against the woodwork.

Passing to the halfbacks: the goal in several stages

These are the first passes you should learn. The only drawback: they require you to pull the crossbar as far as you can, which isn't very comfortable. There are 3 ways to do this:

• Along the boards (the base),
• The cut-back pass (cross-shot towards the midfielder positioned at the far end)
• The more difficult cross-shot (cross-shot towards one of the central players on the midfielder's crossbar).

Passes to the forwards

These are passes mainly used in doubles because they are easier to recover when there are two of you. Just like passing to the midfielders, you can perform them by passing along the boards, shooting straight, or to the sides.