Last updated: October 08, 2023Foosball, also known as table soccer Trusted Source Table football - Wikipedia Table football, also known as table soccer, and known as babyfoot in France, Kicker in German-speaking countries, calciobalilla/calcetto in Italian and foosball in North America, is a table-top game that is loosely based on association football (soccer). The aim of the game is to move the ball into the opponent’s goal by manipulating rods which have figures attached. en.m.wikipedia.org , is an interesting game that helps you have some fun during your leisure time. Although it’s also played competitively, you can play it casually with friends and catch up on past events. But can you enjoy the game when you don’t know the common foosball shots and how they are played? Absolutely not.
Luckily for you, we have developed a comprehensive and step-by-step guide that details how you can master the shots and also play offense and defense properly.
How many foosball shots are you familiar with? Not enough, right? You are in luck as this article explains the popular foosball shots to help you play better on different types of foosball tables. It would help if you learned the right tips and rules of foosball to understand the types of shots better.
Once you master the common foosball shots, playing table soccer will be much more fun for you. That’s what we will help you do as we discuss nine different foosball shots below.
In the game of foosball, whether amateur or tournament play, pull shot is a very popular offensive tactic. Players execute shots with the 3-bar (the offensive rod with three men on it) and take them entirely with the middle man. You can take this shot by pulling the ball laterally towards you and shooting in the ball very quickly where you fund a hole in the defense.
If you’re going to play the pull shot, you’ll have to devote a good amount of time to mastering and perfecting your ability. As an amateur, you can easily learn this shot early on before moving to other harder shots.
Pull kick shot is another foosball shot. You can execute it by passing the ball from the far man on the offensive 3-bar to the middle man. You can then use the middle man to kick the ball into the goal quickly. Although not typically deployed in tournament games, it’s a great tactic that can be utilized to surprise your opponent if you see the opportunity during play.
You can count pull kick shot as one of the easiest shots to make. While you can play this shot with varying speed, learning the basics is quite easy. But you should begin with the pull shot before graduating to the pull kick shot.
Push shot is also common among foosball players, especially beginners, because it’s one of the first shots that are introduced to them early on. This shot doesn’t require skilled ball control, underlining the fact that it’s easy to learn. A push shot is taken by the 3-bar middle offensive man and completely the opposite of a pull shot. This shot is pushed from a starting point away from yourself. You can then shoot the ball into the goal through the holes in the defense.
As you might have guessed from the name, a push kick shot is the opposite of a pull kick shot. You can take it by passing the ball from the 3-bar man nearest to you to the middle offensive player who kicks the ball and scores the goal. Having good foosball handling skills can be a huge advantage in learning this shot. With these skills, you find it easier to take the push kick shot.
For maximum success here, you should not take the shot in a rush when pushing the ball, so that you don’t lose the element of surprise. You should act in a flash when taking it so that you can catch your opponent unaware.
Snake shot, also known as the rollover, is one of the more advanced foosball shots. To play it successfully, you need a good amount of ball control as well as a great grip on the rod. The shot is executed by the middle player on 3-bar. Here, you start off by pinning the ball on the foosball table. Spin your wrist with an open hand and have the rod rest on your wrist. Then move your middle player while pulling or pushing the rod and simultaneously spinning the rod in your wrist so you can strike the ball into the goal with the same player.
To master the snake shot, you need lots of practice at the table. But when you perfect it, you can shine during games, getting a good amount of goals.
Bank shot is a bit difficult. It involves kicking the ball against the wall diagonally, so it can bounce off the ball at a certain angle and enter the goal. Sounds easy, right? Not so easy without the right level of practice. The bank shot can be executed on both offense and defense. However, it is typically performed on defense because it’s more effective there. How is this more effective? It is because it is usually harder for your opponent to guess your intention during the setup of your shot.
Just like the snake shot, you must perform the bank shot open-handed. You have to train well to play it well. Before you can call your skill perfect, you must have learned the different angles and also train the shots from various positions.
A spray shot is a bit similar to the snake shot, except that here, you release the ball at a diagonal angle towards the goal or the wall. If you spray on a pull shot, the ball moves at an angle towards you while hitting the goal. But if you spray on a push shot, the ball moves towards your opponent’s end of the table and into the goal.
Most foosball players, as beginners, learned this shot unknowingly. But it doesn’t really matter because without learning the right techniques, the shot placements will not be stable.
Tic-tac shot is another commonly used technique for foosball games. It is executed by simply bouncing the ball back and forth between two players on the same bar, and kicking the ball swiftly to score a goal. The shot is often used as a fake pass to surprise the defense by swiftly turning into a shot. You can make defense more difficult for your opponent by moving the ball at a greater speed between your players.
The tic-tac shot is a difficult technique to master because you have to keep ball moving while still keeping an eye open for available holes in the defense where you can hit. In addition to that, you’ll need to master some other shots, such as the pull and push shots to execute the tic-tac shot. This makes it a more difficult shot to take.
Aerial shot is not allowed in tournament games, but it’s still a nice shot placement to learn. You can take it by using the defensive players to lift the ball between two defensive players, and then flip it up in the air towards your opponent’s goal with your defensive 2-bar. Note that you must hold the 2-bar at a horizontal position before flipping the ball.
Offense tactics are the easier of the two common foosball tactics. All you need to do to improve your offensive game is follow some simple tips that we will provide below:
If you suck at defending, it doesn’t really matter how good your attack is, you’re still vulnerable to losing games. We have developed a few tips to help you up your defensive game.
Foosball is a fun game that requires lots of concentration and skills. Foosball shots are not just taken without any technique, there are many of them. While some are quite easy to execute, others are more complicated and require consistent practice to master them. As a beginner, it’s most likely that you can’t play the important foosball shots. Thankfully, we developed this comprehensive guide to help you out. By carefully reading this article, you can turn a pro in a short time.
Using the right table like the Kick Triumph Black Foosball Table that boasts elegant simplicity and durability or the sturdy and sophisticated Garlando G-500 Indoor Foosball Table can also help you learn the necessary skills quickly.
