Welcome to Foos-U

Ball Control-Basic Level

Defined/Explained
"Ball Control" is how well you handle the ball while it is on your rods or in your possession !f you ha"e #ood ball
control$ you will rarely drop the ball or let it roll/slip away from you We are #enerally tal%in# about un-forced errors or
the ability to control the tempo of the #ame by how well you can %eep and &u##le the ball
'urpose
Ball control is (!)*+ in the respect of not loosin# the ball !f you ha"e the ball on your ,-bar and you #et ner"ous then
accidentally %ic% the ball to the #oalie$ you ha"e &ust lost an opportunity to score$ that is death -n the other side of the
spectrum$ if you ha"e such wonderful ball control you can tic-tac the ball around and watch how your opponent reacts
to what you are doin#$ you will be able to pass or score at will on him/her Ball control is clearly the first s%ill you must
master$ without it you may as well spin the rods because the ball is of no use to you E"ery player of any le"el of s%ill
will ha"e #ood ball control .ou could ne"er ad"ance in play s%ill if you %eep loosin# control of a ball on your men
Basics
Understandin# the foot of the man /o to a table and stare at
the foot$ the area where the ball and the man come in
contact 0otice the 1ides of the man are F+*) and the
front/bac% of the man are rid#ed$ an#led$ cur"ed and co"ered
with little lines or di"ots )he tip of the front is rounded and
the most difficult part is the outer 2mm of the front and bac%
of the man ha"e a rid#e$ this alone can cause you to lose
control3

+earn to "tic-tac" the ball )he best way to learn ball control
is to learn to bounce the ball bac% and forth 1ounds
easy434 0ow do it faster$ now slower 0ow do it while
loo%in# at the next rod o"er$ now the #oal$ now with your
eyes closed )his is li%e a 5en nin&a s%ill *D(!CE6 Do
not o"ercompensate$ if the ball is mo"in# a bad direction$
#ently coax it bac% to where you want it

)ry to pull and push the ball$ don7t smac% it While you are
tic-tac7in# or when you are settin# up for a shot or pass
)hin% more about pullin#$ rollin# or sho"in# the ball rather
then hittin# it * hit lea"es a brief moment of contact with
the ball$ therefore less directional control * sho"e #i"es
you a #entle acceleration of the ball$ much more control
1trate#y of Ball Control
1hoot or pass well Did you %now there is a time limit
in the rules 8sec 99: to pass or shoot a ball4 +et7s say
you #et the ball on your ,-bar and want to shoot it .ou
only ha"e ;< seconds$ if you waste ;= seconds #ettin#
the ball ready to shoot$ you surely do not want to run out
of time so now you ha"e to hurry *nd how much #ood
is a hurried shot4 >ow about passin#$ you only ha"e ;=
seconds to pass$ if you waste ;= settin# it up you are
screwed

1low ad&ustments$ thin% about spin$ )>!0? )he ball is a
tric%y suc%er !t wants to slip away ! ha"e watched
championship matches worth @;=$=== where the score was
2-2 and one player had the ball on the ,-bar ready to score
)hat player lost control of the ball and cou#hed it o"er to the
other players ,-bar )hat player turned ri#ht around a
#oofed it up and lost it to the other player 0e"er hit the ball
so hard it will lea"e your control unless you are shootin# or
passin# 1low deliberate actions are the way *nd always
be away of any spin on the ball

Be ready to shoot or pass at any time !f you ha"e
complete and confident control of the ball$ you will be
able to shoot or pass at will !f you don7t need to stare
at the ball to %eep control of it$ you can loo% at the
defense and loo% for holes and wea%nesses Which
would you rather be$ the player with their eye on the
#oalie or the one starin# at their own men to %eep
control of the ball4 !f you feel comfortable$ you will
play better and be less ner"ous 'A*C)!CE$
'A*C)!CE$ 'A*C)!CE

Do 0-) try to "control" the ball with the front or bac% of
your man )his is a throw bac% to loose ball control$ or "ice
"ersa Use the sides of the men or the toe to control the ball
Do not use the faces$ the front and bac%$ you will &ust lose
control ?eep the ball relati"ely under your rod$ not too far
bac% or forward !f it starts to #et away$ pin the ball with the
toe Do not smac% at it with your man
/-+DE0 AU+E1 of Ball Control6 ; 0e"er ser"e the ball to your opponents <-bar 9 0e"er lose the ball from your
<-bar bac%wards to the opponents ,-bar and , 0E(EA$ 0E(EA$ 0E(EA +ose the ball from your #oalie to the
opponents ,-bar .ou mi#ht as well score a point for them if you do that3
Ball Control-;=; will be a"ailable soon$ for now learn these techniBues
Loose Balls-Basic Level
Defined/Explained
"+oose balls" are considered when the foosball is rollin#$ rattlin#$ or bouncin# around the table out
of control *nother "loose ball" time is durin# a <-bar battle between the two <-bars where the ball
is not under the control of anyone in particular and is #oin# bac% and forth
'urpose
We want to tal% about loose balls because of the "alue they play in a #ame of foosball !f you watch
a #ame between two teams you will notice somethin# about loose balls .ou will note only ;=C of
the balls which are ser"ed$ are score without a period of free action or without bein# a loose ball for
at least a short period of time 0ow thin% about that$ if D out of ;= balls become loose balls at the <-
bars or between the ,-bar and the #oalie or somethin#$ that means you could #ain control of D=C of
the balls at a minimum !n fact$ #reat players *++ share an ability at pic%in# up loose balls
Basics
*s with e"erythin# in foosball$ there are , main thin#s you can do to influence the ball
Be in the ri#ht place at the ri#ht time with your
men at the ri#ht an#le$ this means )>!0?
*>E*D Who do you thin% has a better chance of
#ainin# control of this loose ball and why4 Blac%6
>is men are an#led bac% and he has the wall
co"ered for if the ball comes off yellow on the
wall

.our hands need to react to the ball$ li%e a baseball
#lo"e would close on a fly ball$ this means
AEF+EEE1 and AE*C)!-01 8.es$ this can be
trained3: 0ote how the fi#ure to the left is bac%
already$ then "absorbs" the impact of the ball about
;<cm )his is a #ood rule of thumb

.ou need the proper techniBues and "habits" to
impro"e the chances of your reflexes helpin# you$
this means ?0-W+ED/E and 'A*C)!CE
0otice in the enhanced dia#ram on the left$ see
how the blac% fi#ures are mo"in# side to side in
short motions and the fi#ure is tilted bac%$ but not
too far bac%4 )he reasonin# here is to #et a man
on the ball$ stop if from #ettin# by you and to #et
the ball mo"in# laterally under the rod )hen you
can pin or control the ball with the side of your
fi#ures )his is the #oal$ redirect$ capture$ "scuff"
the ball !t is "ery hard to &ust #rab the ball with a
fi#ure
1trate#y of +oose Ball Control
)rap the ball whene"er possible * ball pinned to
the wall is one of the surest ways of ?0-W!0/
you ha"e the ball stopped Either trap
demonstrated here is #ood .ou see if you catch a
ball in the middle of the field$ it mi#ht ha"e a spin
on it and #et away from you

1ide to side motion !f you ha"e a #ood side to
side motion$ and we do not mean ban#in# the
walls as that is called Farrin# and is not le#al$ see
the rules$ section ;2 .ou want to crouch down
and mo"e your rod side to side without sha%in#
the table Guic%$ short motions seem to be the
best

'in the ball with the toe of your man Either
from the front or the bac% )his is a nice way to
remo"e any spin on the ball and #ain positi"e
control *D(!CE6 Do not raise your you man
abo"e the hei#ht of the ball$ it may slip throu#h
)ry to be perfect li%e a sur#eon .ou should try
to hold the ball at the perfect hei#ht$ then pin the
ball firmly$ so it does not slip away )his is a
s%ill you need to practice3

Do 0-) try to catch the ball with the front or bac%
of your man )ry to B+-C? the ball instead then
#ain control with a pin or #et the ball mo"in# side
to side and stop it with the side of your men !f
you use the front or bac% of the man to #rab loose
balls$ you will lose control yourself far more then
you #ain control
+oose Balls-;=; will be a"ailable soon$ for now learn these techniBues
Shooting-Basic Level
Defined/Explained
1hootin# is what you do from the ,-bar When you shoot from the 9-bar out of #oal$ that is
considered clearin# the ball We will explore that in another area
'urpose
)he a"era#e player shoots ,=C-2=C from the ,-bar )hey pass H=C-I=C from the <-bar to the ,-
bar !n a #ame to < points$ ,< of the points are scored from the , bar on a"era#e !f you could raise
your shootin# percenta#e &ust <C$ that would be amaJin#333 )hin% about how often you score from
the ,-bar$ is it e"en 9=C4 0e"er$ ne"er for#et rebounds$ if you can #et a rebound after a shot you
miss$ you #et another ;/, chance to score3 We are #oin# to discuss the basic %inds of shots Choose
one$ and #et really #ood at it Don7t waste your practice time on lots of shots
Basics
'ull 1hot6 .ou set the ball up next to the middle
man far away from you and sli#htly behind the
rod .ou pull the ball towards you and snap it into
the #oal )he best part of the pull shot is you ha"e
supreme control o"er the shot *nother #reat
thin# are the rebounds you #et with this shot
Because your hand is on the rod and you are in
control )his shot is tied for the Aollo"er for the
K; spot on the tour3 )his is the first shot you
should learn 1ee the mo"ies

Aollo"er or Lon%ey6 )he ball starts under the
front toe$ you place your WA!1) on the handle and
you mo"e the ball to one side or another then pull
up on your wrist$ this causes the ball to shoot into
the #oal )his is the easiest shot to #et Buite #ood
at )his shot is tied with the pull shot for the K;
shot on tour (irtually e"eryone shoots this shot
because it is so F*1)3 1ee the mo"ies
/oalie Defense-Basic +e"el
Defined/Explained
?eepin# balls out of the #oal 1ounds easy enou#h but remember this$ there are more the < foosball
wholes in the #oal and you ha"e only 9 men you can #et in front of the #oal at any time !f you
bloc% e"en half of the shots on #oal you are doin# a #ood &ob Consider this$ if you consider a
#oalies &obs in order of importance$ they are li%e this6 ; Clear the ball bac% down field if you ha"e
it in your area 8do not #i"e it to the other teams ,-bar: 9 ?eep slop 8loose bouncin# balls$ rattlin#
balls and that stuff: out of the #oal , Bloc% shots 0otice bloc%in# shots is third on the list3
'urpose
>elp you feel better about what you are doin# on defense
Basics
Clear the ball6 1o$ you ha"e the ball in your #oal
area and you want to do somethin# with it Well
you ha"e already o"er thou#ht it >it it hard$ don7t
be afraid to use a craJy an#le$ and a"oid the other
teams ,-bar li%e the plaBue .ou simple must clear
the ball Do not let the other team #et it bac% on
the ,-bar 1mac% it hard$ down field !f it e"en
#oes towards the #oal that is a bonus )ryin# to
score all the time from the #oal is "ery dan#erous
)he other team will steal the ball way more often
then you will score

?eep the "slop" out of the #oal )he ball will
come at you strai#ht$ and it will come at an#les
and sometimes it will come at you bouncin#
around craJy !f you can %eep these balls out of
the #oal$ you ha"e a "ery #ood chance of
winnin# >ow to do this$ first$ tilt your man bac%
and slide it a#ainst one of the ed#es of the #oal and
lea"e it there 1econd$ use your 9 man bar to try
and bloc% the ball "away" from the #oal !f the
ball is comin# from the ri#ht$ try to bloc% it bac%
into the corner Fust a touch with the 9 bar can
mean the difference between a #oal and a bloc%

Bloc% shots Do yourself a fa"or$ D- 0-)
+E*A0 )>!1 1>-) Fust s%ip ahead ;9 months
to the pull shot$ you will switch to it sooner or
later E"eryone starts with the push shot because it
is easy$ then the re#ret it because it is worthless
E"eryone can bloc% the push shot "ery well 1ee
the mo"ies 80e"er mind$ there is no mo"ie
because this shot is worthless:

'ull ?ic%6 1tart the ball on the far man of the ,-
bar 'ull the ball rapidly to the middle man and
shoot it *lso there are se"eral din%s you can
add to it )his is a "ery powerful shot$ but it is so
"ery hard to master E"en if you master it you
can still ha"e trouble bein# consistent We do
not recommend this shot 1ee the mo"ies

'ush ?ic%6 1tart the ball on the near man of
the ,-bar 'ush it to the middle man and slap
it home )his shot is e"en worse the the 'ull
?ic% )his shot is harder and slower then the
pull %ic% But you can see the #oal/wholes in
the defense "ery well4 We do not recommend
this shot 1ee the mo"ies

Euro or Front )oe6 1tart the ball under the front
toe With a whip motion you shoot the ball to one
side or another )his shot is "ery hard to learn
)he pull side is "ery natural$ but the push is hard
to learn 0ow in Europe most e"eryone shoots it$
hence the name !n the U1* we use the pull shot
.ou need to learn more about the different table
styles and rules of play to understand why We
ha"e no mo"ie

)ic )ac% 1hot6 Bounce the ball bac% and forth
between your men on the ,-bar at random then
"slap" the ball into the #oal )his is a #reat shot
"style" !f you learn to shoot a tic tac% you will
#et better at foosball "ery rapidly ! still feel a
pull shot or a rollo"er will score more often$ but
you will be better at foosball and ball control if
you shoot a tic tac% 0o mo"ie$ ! am sure you #et
the idea about this shot style
'ush 1hot6 D- 0-) U1E )>!1 1>-)333 )his is
the first shot people learn because it is so natural
and easy 'roblem is this shot has many problems
and it basically suc%s .ou start the ball next to
the middle of the ,-bar men .ou push the ball
rapidly and slap it into the #oal Do yourself a
fa"or$ D- 0-) +E*A0 )>!1 1>-) Fust s%ip
ahead ;9 months to the pull shot$ you will switch
to it sooner or later E"eryone starts with the push
shot because it is easy$ then the re#ret it because it
is worthless E"eryone can bloc% the push shot
"ery well 1ee the mo"ies 80e"er mind$ there is
no mo"ie because this shot is worthless:

'ull ?ic%6 1tart the ball on the far man of the ,-
bar 'ull the ball rapidly to the middle man and
shoot it *lso there are se"eral din%s you can
add to it )his is a "ery powerful shot$ but it is so
"ery hard to master E"en if you master it you
can still ha"e trouble bein# consistent We do
not recommend this shot 1ee the mo"ies

'ush ?ic%6 1tart the ball on the near man of
the ,-bar 'ush it to the middle man and slap
it home )his shot is e"en worse the the 'ull
?ic% )his shot is harder and slower then the
pull %ic% But you can see the #oal/wholes in
the defense "ery well4 We do not recommend
this shot 1ee the mo"ies

Euro or Front )oe6 1tart the ball under the front
toe With a whip motion you shoot the ball to one
side or another )his shot is "ery hard to learn
)he pull side is "ery natural$ but the push is hard
to learn 0ow in Europe most e"eryone shoots it$
hence the name !n the U1* we use the pull shot
.ou need to learn more about the different table
styles and rules of play to understand why We
ha"e no mo"ie

)ic )ac% 1hot6 Bounce the ball bac% and forth
between your men on the ,-bar at random then
"slap" the ball into the #oal )his is a #reat shot
"style" !f you learn to shoot a tic tac% you will
#et better at foosball "ery rapidly ! still feel a
pull shot or a rollo"er will score more often$ but
you will be better at foosball and ball control if
you shoot a tic tac% 0o mo"ie$ ! am sure you #et
the idea about this shot style

'*11!0/-;=;
)his is standard freshman/entry le"el course3
!n order to learn to pass$ you will need to learn what you are focusin# on while passin# Consider
dri"in# a car as a comparison$ the #oal is to #et where you want to #o But$ there is an o"erridin#
priority not to crash We would ar#ue it is more important 0-) to crash then it is to #et where you
are #oin# )he same notion applies to passin# in foosball 1ure$ you want to #et the ball to your ,-
bar$ but you sure as hec% do not want to loose the ball bac% to your opponents ,-bar or ha"e it stolen
to his <-barWith that we present these %ey concepts of passin#$ some lin%s to s%ills and some
concepts which are #ood$ but not as important as the ?E. concepts
<-bar defense
?ey Concepts of 'assin#
; 1trate#ically impro"e your chances of scorin#
the ball )herefore if you score from you ,-bar
better then from your <-bar$ we want to #et it to
our ,-bar
9 ?eep the ball away from the opponents best
scorin# location !f your opponent is a #ood
shooter from the ,-bar$ 0E(EA let the ball roll
bac% to the opponents ,-bar
, ?eep possession of the ball We would rather
call timeout then force a pass or rush to action
!f you ha"e the ball$ you are less li%ely to be
scored on
2 ?eep your confidence and concentration up
* #ood pass always helps to ma%e a #ood shot$
the opposite seems to be true as well 'layin#
well feeds on itself !f you are patient and pass
well from the <-bar$ you are more li%ely to be
patient and shoot an intelli#ent shot from the ,-
bar

1ome 1%ills to 1tudy and +earn
Brush 'ass

1tic% 'ass
Catchin# the Ball
<-Bar Defense$ stoppin# a pass
'assin# ")hou#hts"
)hin#s to thin% about and implement if they help your #ame
; When you catch a pass$ don7t #et slac% or laJy -ften the ball has a spin or is bouncin# a bit and
can #et away from you !f you stay alert E(EA. time$ you can stop the ball from #ettin# away
9 Be patient when "#rabbin#" control of a ball )ry to use the sides of the fi#ures or the toe to
control the ball )he front and the bac% of the man should be used for brushin# or shadin# the ball
in a direction !f you try to catch a ball with the front or bac% face of the fi#ure$ you could easily
loose control of the ball Either stop it with the side of the fi#ure or pin it
, *"oid lettin# the ball bounce off the wall on its own !f a ball has a spin and it hits the wall$ it
could &ump away from you !f you can control a ball before it hits the wall$ do so 0ow don7t #et
hasty and smac% at the ball$ but if you ha"e a choice$ control the ball when you can *s in soccer$
"#o to the ball"
2 Be deliberate in your actions Do not swat laJily at the ball !f you are #oin# to learn to pass
and to catch$ then learn to pass and catch #ood$ solid$ Buic% passes Why learn to pass or catch a
slow$ wea% pass when any defense in the world would steal it away4
< *s in all thin#s in foosball$ be confident .ou are the foos-master Confidence is amaJin# !f
you are sure the ball is comin# to you$ you are more li%ely to #rab at it if the pass is deflected *s
the #reat foosball coach said$ don7t act li%e this is the first time you ha"e e"er made a pass3
We are de"elopin# this area We are #ettin# articles and comments from 'ro 'layers and we will
continue to e"ol"e this section3
)he "Catch" of a Foosball
!n my opinion the Catch is more important then the pass )hin% about it$ you can catch balls from
anywhere$ you can only pass the ball when you already ha"e it on your <-bar6-: +earnin# to catch
and control the ball can ma%e you a foosball machine
-ur #oal in catchin# is to %eep the ball in
control under the next rod Aemember the
loose ball lessons4 We want to use the bac%
of the man to slow the ball only ; time$ thin%
of it as a 7chest trap7 in soccer .ou wouldn7t
see a soccer player try to use their chest
more then one time on the ball ri#ht4 .ou
ha"e no control with the chest so you try to
#et the ball down and use your feet !n
foosball you want to use the sides of the man
and the toe
1o the ball is comin# to your rod$ does not matter where from but let7s say a pass for ar#ument
; )rap the ball6 *#ainst the wall or in the middle of the table it is the
same )rap it and ta%e as much of the force off the ball as you can$ but
ne"er let it #et away from you
)wo schools of thou#ht here$ absorb and an#le
-)he absorb the impact theory6 1ome people thin% you should use
your hand to "ta%e" the ed#e off the speed of the ball by actually #i"in#
to the balls direction While most #ood players do this$ ! find it Buite
challen#in# for newer players
-)he an#les of the men theory6 'hysics would say that there is an
an#le that you can set your fi#ure so that the ball comes into the foot
and all the ener#y is directed down and the ball stops .ou need to
adopt this in #eneral because you want the ma&ority of the ball ener#y
to #o into the table
-Unified Theory of Catching: Lan that sounds impressi"e Due to
spin and the ball bein# lifted off the table a bit$ neither the "absorb" or
the "an#le" theory wor%s perfectly$ so we use a combined theory We
want to start with the foot in a #ood position$ then when the ball hits
the foot of your man$ you absorb some of the ener#y 1ome of this
absorption is down automatically by your #rip and some is done in
your mind
-/rip on the handle6 .ou need to ha"e control of the handle$ but you
need to be soft .our hand needs to be able to manipulate the rod and
the men$ while at the same time bein# soft when the ball comes in
contact with the foot
CA!)!C*+6 D- 0-) B-U0CE -0 !L'*C) !f your hand is
"limp"$ you mi#ht bounce when the ball hits your man$ meanin# the
ball will #o bac%wards Either learn to a"oid this$ learn to pin the ball
as it rolls away or become a #raceful loser
-Fin#er tips on rod6 )his is a tric% some people use )hey actually
pinch the rod with their fin#er tips )his allows for nice absorption$
with no bounce
/i"e it a try
-Control the ball6 1o you trapped the ball$ now if it is not stopped
either pin it to the wall or #et it rollin# side to side under the rod D-
0-) U1E )>E FA-0) -A B*C? -F .-UA L*03 Use only the
sides or the toe where e"er possible .ou must brea% the habit of usin#
the front/bac% of your foot on the ball3 -nly use them when you shoot
or pass
)his is a #ood start for you Aemember to learn the loose ball s%ills