Zen and The Art of Foosball: A Beginner’s Guide to Table Soccer 0595217052

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Civic Center

^ttm^

Books

796. 334 Lee Lee^ Charles Chulsoo Zen and the art of

foosball a beginner's guide to table soccer , '^3 31111023713108 :

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Z

DATE DUE

DEMCO,

INC. 38-2931

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t

A Zen Games Book

Zen and The Art of Foosball

A Beginner 's Guide to Table Soccer

Charles C. Lee

with David Richard and Attma Sharma

Writers Club Press San lose

New

York Lincoln Shanghai

Zen and The Art of Foosball

A Beginner's Guide to Table Soccer All Rights Reserved

No

part of this

©

2002 by Charles Chulsoo Lee

book may be reproduced or transmitted

in

any form or by

any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system,

without the permission in writing from the publisher. Writers Club Press

an imprint of iUniverse,

Inc.

For information address: iUniverse, Inc.

5220

S.

16th

Lincoln,

St.,

NE

Suite

200

68512

www.iuniverse.com This book does not guarantee enlightenment.

ISBN: 0-595-21705-2 Printed in the United States of America

f:f:'^v

This book

is

dedicated to Monty Dady Gracey friendsy fooserSy

teacherSy LloydieSy

and various other organisms

in the

Milky Way.

Knowing others

is

wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment

— Lao Tzu To secure ourselves against defeat

lies

but the opportunity of defeating the

within our

enemy

lies

own

hands,

within the

enemy himself.

—Sun Tzu Some

days you eat the bear,

some days

the bear eats you.

Mr.T

1

Contents

Preface

xiii

Introduction

xix

Part

I

—The Ancient Art of Foosball

Chapter —History of Chapter 2 — Game 1

the

Game

II

—

Let's Play Ball:

The Fundamentals of Playing Foosball

9

— Things Chapter 4— Taking Stand Chapter 5— Get a Grip Chapter 6— with a Smile

21

Chapter V^Pinning the Ball

23

Chapter 3

First

First

a

Service

Chapter 8— Take Control

Part

3

5

Tables

Part

1

III

— From Here

The Passing Game

— The Importance of Passing Chapter 10— Passing Through — Chapter One Good Deserves Another — Chapter Takes Two Tango

Chapter 9

]ust

12

Part IV

It

Chapter

— General

18

29 31

34

Pass

37

to

42

—Creating an Unstoppable Offense

Chapter 13

15

26

to There:

1

11

Strategies for Offense

14— The Snake Shot

47 49 52

IX

Zen and The Art of Foosball

— The Push and — Kick Chapter 16 The — Chapter 17 The Back-Pin Chapter 18— The Front-Pin Chapter 15

Pass

Series

V— Building an Impenetrable Defense Chapter

19—-The Role of Defense

—Defensive — Chapter 21 from Defense — Chapter 22 Forward Defense Chapter 20

Strategies

Shots

Part VI

58

.^

Series

Part

55

Pull Shots

7.

60 64

67 69 71

75 78

—When the Unstoppable Force Meets

the Impenetrable Object: Techniques for Advanced Play

—Stepping up Chapter 24— Strengthening Chapter 25— Chapter 23

the Offense

81 83

the Defense

88

Practice^ Practice, Practice

91

Chapter 26— The Mental Side

96

Epilogue

101

About the Author Appendix I Official Rules of Foosball Appendix II Additional Resources

103

105

Glossary

133

— —

131

of Illustrations

List

Figure 2.1 Figure 3.1

Figure 4.1 Figure 5.1

Figure 5.2 Figure 5.3 Figure

6.

1

Figure 7.1

Figure 9.1

—The Tornado Table Soccer Table —The Layout of —Four stances used —The Power Grip —The Golf Grip —The Palm Grip —Serving the with backspin — Manipulating the —Areas controlled by playing —The —The Turnaround Passes —The Brush Pass —The Tango —Targets of the goal —The Rollover —The Snake Shot

a typical foosball table in foosball

ball

ball

figures

Figure 10.1

Slide Series

7 12

17

19 19 19

22 25 32

35 38

Figure

1

1.1

Figure

1

1.2

Series

47

Figure 12.1

Pass Series

44

Figure 13.1

50

Figure 14.1

53

Figure 14.2

53

15.1— The Pull Shot The Pass Kick Series Figure 17.1 The Back-Pin Series Figure 18.1 The Front-Pin Series Figure 20.1 The Defense line-up and

56

Figure

Figure 16.1

Figure 21.1 Figure 22.1 Figure 23.

1

Figure 25.1

— — — — — Shots from defense — Forward defense —Two-finger —The learning curve drill

59 61

65 race defense

73

76 79 85

94

XI

'•"'1.

Preface

Zen and

the Art ofFoosball represents the culmination of several years of

playing and learning about the sport of foosball. This sport has pro-

many hours

vided us with

of pleasure and excitement. The

moments

spent at the tables with good friends and worthy adversaries remain a constant source of entertainment.

Now

comes the time

for us to give

something back to the sport.

may be those better qualified game of foosball. However, there

In fact, there

account to the

new book on

now

to offer a beginner's

has not been a single

the subject since Johnny Lott's seminal work, which

out of print and out-dated.

We

offer this as

is

our contribution for

others to hopefully expand upon.

This project started several years ago

was beginning sional foosball

to

make

its

had been waning. We

where foosball has

a strong

beginning to see

American levels.

its

foosball, with

the Tornado Soccer Table

some

time, profes-

most others were

excited to see

appearance. For quite

the resurrection of a sport that

just

when

we

like

personally cherished. Unlike Europe

and proud

tradition,

history flourish.

American foosball

Now

is

a

is

golden era for

tournaments and competition reaching record

We hope the new initiates to this sport will discover all of the rich

pleasures and challenges that

lie

ahead for

foosball.

Happy foosing! Charles Lee

David Richard

Attma Sharma

xiu

We

thank Tornado Soccer and the USTSA.

I.

.^4r\?M

Contributing suggestions were kindly provided by John HabUy Jack Prater, Anatole Faykin,

and Jordan Hague.

Introduction

Welcome

to the exciting

world of foosball! This book

guide for the beginning player interested in learning ball. In

how

is

intended as a

how

to play foos-

the following chapters, you will learn the basics of the game,

to pass the ball, shoot the ball,

also learn

and defend against

shots.

You

will

advanced techniques for improving your game. Advanced

players will also find useful information for increasing their level of play.

Before long, you

ment! In

fact,

when

may this

find yourself playing in a professional tourna-

book was

first

written, the United States Table

Soccer Association monitored approximately ten thousand individuals

ranking system. This number represents a four-fold

in its national

increase of the player base within a five-year period. In addition, the

USTSA

conservatively estimates that as

many

play the sport outside the professional circuit, ational players

may be

as half a million people

and the number of recre-

several million.

So, get ready to join the legion of players discovering a sport that

now

in

enjoy.

its

golden age. This

And,

this

is

is

a sport that the

a sport that

we hope you

young and old

will

alike

is

can

continue to enjoy for

years to come.

XIX

Parti

The Ancient Art

of Foosball

3^

Chapter History of the

In the late 1800's, table soccer or foosball (the

was developed

in

Europe

German word

as a response to the

1

Game

for soccer)

widespread love for the

The development of the game has roots in traditional puppetry, woodwork, and fine craftsmanship. Indeed, the renowned passions of the Old World Europeans for sport and art sport of soccer.

field

blended and found unique expression through the invention of foosball. all

The game enjoyed popularity amongst

a

wide range of people of

ages and remains an established pastime to this day.

Around

the turn of the century,

grants brought the

widely

game

to America.

unknown and unplayed

Peppard designed

a

it is

believed that European

immi-

However, the game remained But in 1970, Lee

for over half a century.

brand of table that quickly became the standard

table of play for over a decade.

Its

popularity spread internationally and

was fueled by the World Table Soccer Association's Million-Dollar Tour.

It

was during

popularity.

this

time that foosball gained

Tournaments brought contestants from

its

all

highest level of

over the world as

top purses reached values as high as a quarter of a million dollars. But

almost as quickly as foosball begin to flourish, technological forces were casting an

ominous shadow over the

future of foosball.

I Zen and The Art of Foosball

During most of the

1980's, the

to replace foosball as a

WTSA

dissolved

major source of indoor gaming recreation. The

and the Million Dollar

duced. However, the enthusiasts

advent of arcade video games began

game continued

and cheaper model

tables

were no longer pro-

to maintain a loyal legion of

tables continued to

until 1988 that professional foosball

be

sold. It

was not

was revived when the United States

Table Soccer Association was formed, utilizing the Tornado Soccer table as the official table of play. Since then, the tour has

expanded

to

become the North American Table Soccer Association and has grown to over 20,000 members together with sales of foosball tables. The rapid appearance of game tables in arcades, bars, college recreation rooms, and community centers demonstrates the renewed interest in a sport with a remarkable history.

Chapter 2 Game Tables

Initially,

foosball

you may be amazed is

played, but

if

at the array

of different tables on which

you consider the evolution of the game and the

craftsmanship employed in the design of the tables, you can begin to appreciate the diversity and special characteristics of each table. believed that the

around the

first

game

late 1800s.

tables

It is

were designed and built in Germany

These tables were generally poorly constructed

by the modern player's standard. However, the basic layout of the table has remained largely unchanged since then. Foosball tables were thought to have been introduced in the United States as early as the turn of century,

perhaps by emigrating Europeans.

Manufacturing of foosball tables continued throughout the century, but the models were of widely varying styles and were generally poorly constructed. This was the state of the sport until Lee Peppard designed his

Tournament Soccer

tables

made from

line

materials of the highest quality. Because of this, the

popularity of the sport grew,

more

of tables. His goal was to build durable

more

players began to use this table

interesting styles of play were developed.

became the standard

As

table of play during the 1970s

The Tournament Soccer woods and smooth durable

table

a result,

and

it

and

quickly

early 1980s.

was constructed of high quality

plastics.

This permitted a controlled yet

Zen and The Art of Foosball

fast-paced style of play without fear of the table giving

However,

as

more

way or breaking.

aggressive styles began to develop, it»was

when

common

The tables came in different sizes, different colored playing surfaces, and tailored for different markets. Among these tables, the one that became most prominent was the brown-topped million-dollar table. A prominent feature of this table was the sloped corners near the goal. And, it is this table which was the official table of the WTSA Million Dollar Tour. As a result, the design of this table has since been widely copied by several other manufacturers. The efforts of the Tournament Soccer Company to provide highfor playing figures to break

quality, low-cost tables

suitably stressed.

succeeded for a time. However, the demise of the

company was brought about by

the appearance of electronic video

games, which quickly began to replace foosball tables in tions. Still, the

Soccer

game

many

loca-

refused to die, and in the late 1980s, the Tornado

Company began producing

high quality tables of their own.

new professional tour was itself is made from higher quality

This created a renaissance in the sport, and a

formed

that used this table.

woods and high

The

table

tech synthetics used for the surfaces and figures. In

addition, the overall appearance reflects the sleek,

game. (Figure tables

modern

style

of the

Tournament Soccer tables, the Tornado on the goalie rod as opposed to sloped cor-

2.1) Unlike the

employ three

figures

ners. In addition, because of the high tolerance, precision-machined parts, the

modern game

control the

Dynamo,

these tables

very fast-paced and requires greater

skill

to

ball.

Apart from these two tured by

is

is

tables,

you may

also encounter tables

Bonzini, and Garlando, to

generally

tables can generally

good and

styles

name

a few.

The

manufacquality of

developed on one of the major

be used on them. However, since tables vary in terms

of their speed of play and other unique characteristics, some adaptation

time should be expected. Since the major table in use today is the Tornado

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

Figure 2.1

-

A Tornado Table Soccer Table.

This

is

Sharma

one of the most used types

of tables in professional table soccer.

Soccer Table, techniques presented here will be demonstrated with this table in

mind, but can be adapted to other

tables as well.

¥

Part

II

Let's

Play Ball: The

Fundamentals of Playing Foosball

v^«:;

^4ji'

Zen and The Art of Foosball

36

When

executing this pass series, you should concentrate on main-

same speed for both the wall pass and the lane pass to guarantee that your opponent will not anticipate which option you will take.

taining the

Finally, tell

with attention to detail and regular practice, you will be able to

your opponent that you re "just passing through."

1

Chapter One Good

Although

it is

possible to

1

Pass Deserves Another

know just

the slide series, the chances of the

defender anticipating the wall or lane pass becomes greater with each successive pass. This

is

because the wall and lane passes are inherently

different in the distance the ball

even though

it is

must

travel before

possible to disguise the initial

five-man, there will always be

some

being struck. So,

push from the second

small difference between the passes

that can be detected in order to block the intended pass.

limiting yourself to

two passes makes

it

Simply put,

easier for the defender to figure

out what youVe going to do.

One way to create unpredictability in your passes is by adding several new passes to your arsenal. In this respect, there are three options that you can add to the slide series. These passes are collectively known as turnaround passes, and individually are the wall bounce-pass, the laneangled pass, and the five-man turnaround. Alternatively, one can attempt to retool with a completely different arsenal of passes. This

brush pass series and if done mask the direction of the pass. First, we will consider the advanced turnaround

arsenal

is

called the

correctly can

com-

pletely

series.

passes for the slide

These passes are called turnarounds because they

start

moving

towards one hole and turnaround towards another. The basic turnaround

37

Zen and The Art of Foosbal

38

option for the wall-slide pass exactly the

same fashion

is

the wall-bounce pass and

as the wall-slide pass.

the ball at the wall, allow the ball to

is

executed in

However, instead of passing

bounce off the

wall. Simultaneously,

bring the near five-man off the wall and pass the ball through the lane. (Figure ll.la,c,d) Similarly, the

turnaround pass for the lane

pass, the lane-angled pass,

and turns around into

a wall pass. Beginning like

starts off as a lane pass

a lane slide pass, contact the ball instead

shot at an angle towards the wall.

The

on the

ball will

far

corner so that

rebound off the wall

an angle so the three-man must be brought off the wall it.

Figure 11.1

same as B.

-

The turnaround

The setup

is

the

the slide series.

The lane-angled pass

is

similar to the lane pass

except the ball

is

angled

towards the wall.

C-D. The wall bounce pass wall and

is hit

ball is first

is

similar to the wall pass except the ball bounces off of the

through the lane. E-F. The five-man turnaround

is

unique

passed to the middle five-man before being passed forward.

at

in order to catch

(Figure 11.1b)

passes. A.

it is

in that the

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

Finally, the

five-man turnaround

involve either the wall or lane pass.

initial

setup

is

like the start

the slide series, but instead the second five-man quickly passes

middle five-man which

in turn passes

39

turnaround that does not

a

is

The

Sharma

it

to the

it

of

to the

middle three-man

The trick in this turnaround is to create the impresinitial movement around the ball looks like the beginning

(Figure ll.le-f). sion that the

of a slide series pass. All of the

above turnaround passes require timing

in order to ade-

quately misdirect the defender. For instance, in the wall-bounce pass,

moving is

off the wall too early can signal the intent of the pass.

essential to all of the

turnarounds and varies

among

Timing

players. So,

experiment with timing the passes differently to see what works best for you.

Now, we

approach from the

different

relying

shall consider the

on

a quick pass

brush-pass

slide series

series.

This pass series takes a

and turnarounds. Rather than

from the second five-man, the brush pass uses

slow moving pass to the near five-man

who

then quickly passes

a it

through either the wall or lane from an intermediate position using a

brush stroke.

The brush pass begins by loosely back-pinning the ball with the second five-man. The ball should be in a position such that it is on the verge of slipping out of the pin. Slowly set the ball in motion toward the

near wall by pulling the rod slowly towards you. (Figure

motion, move the near five-man

ball is in

the ball as

it

moves. At

this point,

1

1.2a)

slightly off the ball

you must begin the brush

As the

and follow

stroke. This

moving the five-man back and forth behind the ball. The brush stroke covers less than half-an-inch behind

involves rapidly

(Figure the ball

1

1.2b)

and should

When

oscillate very rapidly.

the ball has reached a position between the wall and lane,

time to pass the

ball.

To execute

five-man into contact with the

it is

a wall-brush pass, bring the oscillating ball

and make

near wall in order to impart spin on the

ball.

a final pull

towards the

At the same time, apply a

Zen and The Art of Foosball

40

small

amount of forward

pressure,

and the

ball will spin

along the wall

A lane brush-

where

it

pass

executed using a brush stroke towards the far wall while'applying

is

a slight

where

it

can be caught by your three-man (Figure 11.2

amount of forward

can be caught. (Figure

The brush pass stroke

is

pressure. 1

The

c).

ball will spin off to the lane

1.2d)

requires a great deal of practice, since the brush

However, the advantage

difficult to master.

motions behind the

ball

combined with the

is

that the brushing

fact that the ball

can be

passed to either the wall or lane from the same place makes the pass ficult to predict

With

all

you

an interim

results in

an especially powerful pass.

of these passes added to your arsenal, you

culty deciding

passes

and

feel

which pass

passes, since

to use.

This

is

may

have

diffi-

As always, you should work on the

most comfortable with, and

basis.

dif-

resort to the other passes

on

not to say that you shouldn't practice the other

you never know when you might need one. After

good pass deserves another.

•^^:^^^£M^

all,

one

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

Figure 11.2

-

The Brush Pass Series. A. The

five-man and passed to the the ball. C.

Applying

the wail. D.

a

Applying

first

ball is

five-man. B.

The

setup first

in a

back-pin on the second

five-man oscillates rapidly behind

brush stroke towards the wall will cause the a

Sharma

brush toward the lane will cause the

ball to

ball to spin

toward

spin toward the lane.

41

2

--•,•-»!

Chapter It

So

we have concerned

far,

to the trol

Takes

Two

to

1

Tango

ourselves with passes from the five- man rod

three-man rod. However, you can not expect to always have con-

of the ball on the offensive rods. In

fact, it is

more

likely that as a

beginner the ball will be in your possession on the defensive rods. From the defense position, you have two options, either to shoot the ball or to pass

it.

As mentioned

before, the highest percentage shots take place

from the three-man rod. Consequently, passing tive in

team

play.

This

is

a

more

the preferred alterna-

not to say that you should never shoot the

from defense. For instance,

may be

is

in singles play, shooting

ball

from the defense

viable option. Nevertheless, an effective pass

from the

defense to either the five-man or three-man rods can set up a higher

percentage scoring opportunity.

same

It is

rules that apply in five-man to

Most importantly,

important to note that

many of the

three-man passing also apply here.

a stopped ball can not be directly passed

from

defense to the five-man rod; oddly, this rule does not apply to a pass to the three-man rod.

42

Charles C. Lee with David Richard

The Tango Pass Series

is

a useful series

and Attma Sharma

43

of passes from defense has the

options of passing to either the five-man rod or the three-man rod. Simply, the pass series

is

set

up

as follows. Position the

three-man rod

snugly against the far wall, and place the far five-man, far two-man, and far

goalie-man two ball-lengths from the

front-pinned by

up the

ball

the far

using the near wall.

Of course,

it

12.1a)

the set

up

this series

with the ball loosely

It is

important to

is

is

line

able to

of passes can also be done

The advantage of using

opponent's line of sight

before

far wall

such that only the opponent's near three-man

cover the passing area.

From

two-man. (Figure

the far wall

is

that your

obscured.

position, the ball

must be passed

can be passed forward. This

back to the goalie rod. From here,

it's

is

to another defender

accomplished by passing the

ball

possible to pass the ball forward to

the waiting five-man. (Figure 12.1b) However,

if

the three-man

is

guarding the lane, then the ball should be passed back and forth

between the two-man and the goalie rods bling. If the lane

opens up, then the

rod as before. Alternatively,

it

ball

in a process

known

as drib-

can be passed from the goalie-

can be passed from the two-man by

first

slowing the ball down, then sliding around to the back of the ball and passing

it

forward. (Figure 12.1c)

Zen and The Art of Foosball

44

Figure 12.1- The Tango Pass Series. A. This pass series begins with the ball set

ball is

behind the

far

two-man. The

passed back to the

far goalie,

in order to satisfy the two-figure pass rule. B.

The

ball

can then be passed

back to the two-man, or to the

five-man

if

there

blocking the shot. C.

If

it

is

can be passed

no

figure

the ball

is

passed back to the two-man, then the ball

can

still

be passed to the five-man,

or the ball can be pushed to the wall.

D. From the wall, the

ball can

be passed

to either the five-man or three-man,

depending on the position of the opposing five-man rod. to signal the

It is

important

pass to your team mate, so

that they will be prepared to catch the ball.

Naturally, the lane will not to the pass,

when

and

the ball

is

this

second option

slide the

a

push pass

a

two-man around

second option

to the wall. In effect,

down

moved

ball

and pass

it

with the

the ball to the near side

ball to the far wall to trap the ball. Slide the

around the back of the neously

is

is

dribbled to the two-man, slow the ball

two-man. Then, and push the

open up unless there

to the five-man that

two-man

is

simulta-

against the wall to catch the pass. (Figure 12.1c-d)

It is

Charles C. Lee with David Richard

and Attma Sharma

45

important to make both the lane and wall pass from the two-man

seem indistinguishable when the

The three-man rod comes

ball

is

being passed by the two-man.

into play during the wall pass,

notice that the defender's five-man

is

if

you

not guarding the wall. In this case,

rather than catching with the five-man,

lift

the five-man and

let

the ball

way to the three-man. (Figure 12. id) Similarly, a lane pass to the three-man can be done if the defender's five-man is not in the lane. However, this pass requires some skill to catch because the speed and distance the ball is traveling makes positioning the three-man travel all the

extremely

difficult.

Since you will usually be attempting to utilize this pass series in doubles competition,

it

is

important that you signal your teammate with

information about which pass to expect. Obviously, any hand or vocal signals can

be intercepted and decoded, so an obvious choice

to

is

develop a signaling scheme that involves tapping each other's foot. For instance,

one tap could

signify a lane pass to the five-man,

a wall pass, three taps for a shot opportunity, etc.

developed, perfect pass

make is

for

Whatever scheme

is

sure that the signals are easily interpretable, since a

useless if

it is

teammate pay attention

Remember that as you work on make sure that both you and your

not caught.

the mechanics of passing the ball

tango.

two taps

to the footwork. After

all, it

does take two to

i

Part IV

Creating an Unstoppable

Offense

.^•H

3

Chapter

1

General Strategies for Offense

Some

foosball players

might argue that passing

most important

the

is

element of foosball, because without a good pass you the opportunity to score. And, the

some

ultimately the

game. While these

game boils down

to

never have

players will argue that defense

most important part of the game, because

cost a player the

will

a

weak defense

facets of the

who can

game

score the

is

will surely

are important,

most

goals.

And in

order to score proficiently, you need to develop a strong offensive shot.

Learning to develop a good offense involves

first

learning

how

to

spot an open hole in the defense, then learning the techniques for

shooting the ball into the open hole. The

first

part

is

easy. In general,

there are three zones of the goal that need to be covered, the pull hole,

the middle hole, and the push hole.

(Figure

defender can only cover two of these zones

which hole

is

open

is

their perspective

The next

step

is

at a time.

However, the

Learning to spot

simply a matter of seeing which zone

ered. Often, defenders will leave

from

13.1)

it

seems

to learn

following chapters outline

not cov-

is

an unusually large pull hole, because

partially covered.

how to shoot some of

the ball into the

the most

open

hole.

commonly used

The

shots in

foosbalL As a beginner, your shots will initially lack a great deal of speed, so

it is

important to learn a shot that enables you to shoot into

49

Zen and The Art of Foosball

50

any open hole from the same starting position.

some degree of

sented here have

flexibility for

All of the shots pre-

shot making, but

some

are specifically tailored as speed shots designed to beat your cTpponent in a race to kick,

an open hole. These shots are the push shot, pull shot, pass

and snake

shot.

The

shots used as option shots are the snake shot,

back pin shots, and front pin shots. Without a doubt, the two most

commonly used As learn.

shots are the snake shot and the pull shot.

a beginning player, the snake shot It

offers the advantages of

is

probably the best shot to

speed and multiple options. The snake

shot will allow you to develop a competitive shot in a short time.

As your

overall skills begin to develop,

either the pull shot,

push

shot, or pass kick.

shots while using the snake shot until they

At

this point,

its fullest

amount of

you should then learn

Continue to develop these

become

viable speed-shots.

continue to concentrate on developing one single shot to

potential. Naturally,

you should

select the

one that

is

the most

comfortable for you. Tips for developing your primary shot are given in the tips for advanced player's section of the book. (Chapter 23)

Figure 13.1

-

Illustration of different targets

on the

goal.

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma Shartna

An important is

to avoid

fast

shot

point to keep in

becoming speed

is

useless if

it

crazy.

mind when

51

learning any of the shots

Do not sacrifice precision

for speed.

A

misses the goal. Always practice at a speed that

approaches the limit where you lose control of the shot. You that this limit will steadily increase without exerting too

will find

much

effort.

Overexerting yourself will only lead to frustration and strained muscles.

So play with control and the speed Finally,

remember

that

will

develop naturally.

you are not playing

in a

vacuum, so pay

attention to the defender. Learn to spot the holes that are

left

close

open.

And

learn to spot any patterns in the defense. This can only be learned

through experience. However the more you ties will

become.

Just take

the score will read 5-0.

it

one shot

at a

play, the greater

your

time and before you

abili-

know

it,

4

:.i-/^'''K!^'^J

Chapter

1

The Snake Shot

As one of the most used shots its

special attention.

elegant

tournament

The speed and

play, the

snake shot mer-

fluidity of this shot renders

and unstoppable; from one position the shooter can

hit every

shots,

in

open

it is

hole. Despite the fact that

relatively easy to learn.

With

it is

it

both

potentially

one of the most powerful

practice a competitive shot can

be developed in under a month, though mastering the shot requires effort

and dedication.

Simply, the shot begins with the ball front-pinned in the center of the

^•'^.

table.

From

pull, or

this position, the offense has the

option of hitting the push,

middle hole. (Figure 14.2a) Unlike other shots, the

advanced into the goal upon striking

it

ball

is

with a counterclockwise rota-

tion of the middle forward. (Figure 14.2b-c)

Once your

the ball

is

secured in the front-pin position, you must change

grip. Position

(Figure 14.1 a)

your inner wrist such that

From

it

cradles the handle.

here you are ready to start the shot. In order to

do not worry about moving the ball laterally. Concentrate on simply hitting the ball straight. To do this, quickly raise your arm, letting the handle roll down your wrist, into your hand, and first "feel"

catching

it

the shot,

hard with your

this rollover

is

FAST

fingers. (Figure 14.2b-c)

imperative that

yet terminate in a snapping fashion, resulting in

the ball rocketing off of the playing figure. 52

It is

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

Figure 14.1

-

I

he Kol lover. A. The grip

begins by cradling the handle in the wrist. B-C.

To shoot

hand around

the ball, rotate the

the handle

in the fingetips.

and catch

it

Figure 14.2

-

IIu-simm

Sharma

-ipu

,'\.

53

i

m.

setup begins with the ball back-pinned

on the center three-man. B-C. Executing a pull

snake shot involves pulling the

toward the

around

ball

wall, while the figure rotates

to strike

it

into the goal.

Zen and The Art of Foosball

54

After

you

feel

laterally to the

move your

comfortable with the straight shot, try moving the ball

push or

pull side

WITHOUT

the ball as fast as possible while

lateral

motion

moving

still

not consistently

is

striking

fast,

you

it

will

it.

Always try to

perfectly lateral. If

never win the race

against your opponent.

The culmination of your motions into one flowing shooting the

ball.

comes when you combine the two Begin by rolling, pausing, and then

practice shot.

Though slow at first, the pause time will decrease with

continual practice and the three motions will quickly blend into one

powerful shot. Eventually, the shot will

feel effortlessly natural.

After having developed the mechanics of the shot,

begin optimizing

use.

its

stant contact

will

want

to

An important technique is the rattle. From the

starting position, rock the ball

between the

increase your feel for

you

ball

how

shoot, explode to one side

from

side to side while maintaining con-

and the middle forward. This action

the ball will

and smoke

it

roll.

When you

will

are ready to

into the goal. In addition, vary-

ing your stance can improve the performance of your shot. Especially in

doubles play, make sure your partner

you

is

leaving

you enough room

to take a comfortable stance. Also, with continual practice,

should experience a whip-like

feel to

the shot. This

is

for

you

a result of the

shoulder moving in the direction opposite of the shot. To perfect a truly devastating shot,

it is

important to pay close attention to developing

this recoiling action.

Now, your snake

is

ready to inject

its

venom.

'5^^

5

Chapter The Push and

Sometimes the best things shots are

in

life

are the simplest.

no exception. These shots movements.

reflect the caliber

of the shot. In spite of

foosball arena.

it,

As a

Pull Shots

The push and

pull

are the easiest to learn because they

require the fewest

haps because of

1

Yet, their simplicity its

should by no means

rather basic stroke, or per-

the shot remains one of the most popular in the first

offensive shot to learn,

it is

perhaps one of the

best candidates.

The push shot and pull shot are symmetric shots, with the push developing away from you and the pull developing toward you. The pull shot begins with the wall

and the

15.1a)

three-man rod pushed against the opposite

on the

ball sitting

Your opponent

will

The

is

front of you.

object

inside of the middle three-man. (Figure

most

to

likely

move

have his defenders directly in

the ball around these defenders and

shoot the ball into the open goal with the center three-man. Set the ball in

motion by pulling the rod toward you. Next,

and position him behind the

ball in

to shoot the ball. (Figure 15.1b) ers,

raise the

middle figure

order to prepare for the wrist

By the time the

ball

is

past the defend-

you should have the middle three-man centered behind the

(Figure 15.1c) Just snap the wrist to send the ball into the

When you

have mastered the shot,

it

flick

will feel like a fluid,

open

ball.

goal.

whip-like

55

Zen and The Art of Foosball

56

motion and the ball

is

always in contact with the center three-man. The

ball clings desperately to the playing figure before

oblivion.

The push shot proceeds

in the

being launched into

same manner, except

in the

opposite direction, away from you.

Figure 15.1 is

-

The

Pull Shot. A.

The

ball

setup on the inside of the middle

three-man near the Tlie ball is set in ball

toward the

far side of the goal.

motion by pulling the

wall. B.

The middle

three-man moves behind the

And

rolling. C.

finally,

ball as

it is

the middle-three

man strikes

the ball into the goal.

push shot

executed in the same way,

is

The

except the ball starts on the near side of the goal

and

is

pushed

to the far side

of the goal.

There are a few points worth noting. Remember to

three-man rod

as close as possible to the

position will leave you with

more space on

start

with the

edge of the goal, since that the goal.

front of the middle of the goal, there will be

between the defenders and the edge of the

If

little

goal.

the ball starts in

space remaining

Of

course,

if

your

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

opponent chooses not

Sharma

57

to cover the goal directly in front of you, don't

waste your going around him, just

SHOOT! When working

with both

may find that one shot feels more natural phenomenon is common, use your best as your

the push and the pull, you

than the other. This

gun

big

Remember

behind the shot

that the idea

with the use of sheer speed. stationary defense, goal. In the event ily

you

entails beating the

his

will gain a feel for

between

his

will

to put the ball in the still

rely heav-

men. As you develop

this

how long it takes to move and shoot the ball

moving defense, since have a "sixth" sense about whether or not you will have time to

into a hole. This will greatly help in shooting

you

men

he adopts a moving defense, you must a hole

defender

your opponent presents you with a

you must race around

on speed while picking

shot,

When

on

a

place the ball in a hole that suddenly opens in the defense.

With

practice, the

favorite shots.

push and pull should quickly become one of your

6 :^-\l-^i^

Chapter

1

The Pass Kick

Once you

are comfortable with the basic

push and

proceed to add options to your repertoire. kick.

The motions

are simple, as in the

and coordination now become more As with the push and direction

the exact

same

steps

you can

A good candidate is the pass

push and

pull shots, but timing

critical.

pull shots, the pass kick can develop in either

—away or towards the

describes a shot that

pull shots,

shooter.

moves away from the

may be

used in the

The following explanation shooter. Keep in mind that reverse direction. The shot

begins with the ball resting against the inside of the three-man closest to you. (Figure 16.1a) ball crosses in front

goal. (Figure 16.1b)

Push the rod away to

of the goal, hit

With

it

this shot

set the ball in

motion. As the

with the center three-man in to the

you have the option of where

in the

goal you want to shoot. As the ball moves across the front of the goal,

you can

hit

it

with the three-man

at

any point

of the goal, in the middle, or on the far

A

work

in front of the near side

side.

tandem with the pass kick is the angle shot. The shot begins from the same position as the pass kick. However, instead of moving the ball in front of the goal and shooting with the nice shot to

in

center three-man, shoot the ball with the outer ball.

58

After

you

start

man

resting next to the

moving the ball with the outer man, angle

it

into the

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

Sharma

59

near corner of the goal. (Figure 16.1c) Because the pass kick and the angle shot have the

shot

is

coming

next.

same

They

setup, your will

will

not

know which

be forced to either guard the near corner

against the angle or protect the middle kick.

opponent and

far corners against the pass

Maintaining a good mix between the two shots

will

keep your

opponent off-guard. Keep practicing the pass

kick,

and you're guaranteed

to leave the

defense guessing.

Pass

Figure 16.1

-

The Pass Kick

on the inside of the the rod

toward the

Anqle shot

kick

first

Series. A.

Ihe setup for the push pass kick begins with the ball

three-man. The bail

far wall. B.

The pass kick

is is

passed to the middle three-man by pushing

completed when the middle three-man shoots

the ball into the far side of the goal. C. Alternatively,

if

there

can be angled into the goal by striking the ball off-center.

is

a

gap

in the defense, the ball

7

Chapter

1

The Back-Pin Series

Although speed and accuracy are important

factors in developing a

stunning offensive shot, most beginning players usually lack this skill.

level

Consequently, most shots will end up either stopped by the goalie

or wide of the goal. These difficulties can often be overcome with cient practice; however, the beginning player could benefit

a

of

wide variety of shots

Not only

is it

in order to confuse

from having

and disorient the defender.

important to have a wide variety of shots, but

important that the defender

is

suffi-

it is

unable to anticipate which shot

is

more com-

ing from a given setup. It is

in this respect that the

back-pin series

the snake shot and front pin series,

it

ball

The fundamental

back-pinned

especially useful. Like

uses one position to initiate a wide

variety of shots. However, unlike these two,

from having the

is

all

shots in this series start

in the center position. (Figure 17.1a)

shots from this position are the back-pin-push and

The execution of both shots is essentially equivalent with the exception that the ball is moved in different directions. The back-pin-pull is executed by initially placing a slight downward pressure on the ball followed by pulling the rod towards the body. The

back-pin-pull shots.

ball will

As

60

it

begin to travel on a slightly angled path towards the near wall.

does

so, position the center

three-man on

a line perpendicular to

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

the near-edge of the goal. Wait until the ball

and

hit the

comes

Sharma

into striking range,

near half of the ball in order to counteract the

motion. This should result in the

61

on

ball traveling

ball's lateral

a straight path

towards the goal. (Figure 17.1b) Note: striking the ball on the far-edge the ball spraying wide of the goal since additional lateral

will result in

momentum

is

added.

Reverse double pass

"miP: tz t

Reverse-push Figure 17.1 Series. A.

-

'^'

The Back-Pin

The shot begins

with the ball back-pinned

by the center three-man. For the back-pin ball is set in

i

pull, the

i

motion by

pulling the ball toward the near wall. B. is

When

it

aligned with the near side of the goal, the centir thni -man strikes

the ball can be reversed towards the far hole

of the ball and then pushing the center strikes

by the

far

it

it

toward the opposite

into the goal. E.

three-man strikes

it

wall.

D.

As another option from

three-man back to the center three-man.

goal, the center

it.

C. /Mlim.iliMl)

by bringing the center three-man

into the goal.

F.

When

When

it

,

to the side

reacht»s the far side,

C, the ball can be passed yet it

reaches the near side of the

Zen and The Art of Foosbal

62

The back-pin-push pushed towards the ball.

executed in the opposite fashion,

far wall

i.e.

the ball

is

on the far edge of the and become more adept, the individual

and the

As you practice these shots

and become

shots should blend this

is

ball

is

struck

important to develop

less defined. It is

degree of comfort before attempting the slightly

more advanced

shots in the series.

The ultimate strength of the backpin series lies in the ability to "fake out" your opponent by quickly changing the traveling direction of the ball. Such shots are called reverses. The reverse push, for instance, is initiated in the same way as a back-pin-pull, i.e. by applying a downward stroking motion toward the near wall. Now, instead of setting the center three-man up for a shot on the near side of the goal, move the center three-man along the direction of the incoming

down

by following

slightly

it

and slow the

ball

along the direction of

ball

travel. Quickly,

before the ball stops, execute a standard push shot to the far side of the goal. (Figure 17.1c-d) Similarly, a reverse-pull

a back-pin-push

Some players

find

side of the ball gives If

away the

and reversing into it

is

executed by starting as

a pull shot to the near side goal.

easier to simply "roll" the playing figure

and then execute the push. However,

this

around the

motion often

intent of the shot.

you begin to find that the reverse

is

anticipated, the direction of

the ball can be altered again by executing a pass-kick with the outside

playing figure back to the center figure. In since the ball

is

fact, this is a

double-pass kick

passed from the outside figure and then passed back to

the center playing figure. For example, the reverse-push-double-pass

kick starts like a reverse; but instead of pushing the the far-side three-man then pass finally hit

it

men

indefinitely,

your opponent with each

pass the ball to

back to the center three-man and

into the goal. (Figure 17.1 e-f)

between your

Finally,

it

ball,

but the shot

Of

is less

course,

you can pass

effective at deceiving

pass.

you must always be mindful of a defender leaving an open mid-

dle hole. If this persists, subtly

move the ball into a back-pin position such

Charles C. Lee with David Richard

that goal.

it

will easily slip out.

The trick

pin. Like

all

ing, fluidity,

is

Then, quickly shoot the

of course io

ball

make it appear as if the ball

of the other shots in the

and gamesmanship

to the finer points of the series, ing.

and Attma Sharma

series, this requires a

63

forward into the is

in a tight back-

good

deal of tim-

to pull off successfully. But, with attention

you should

easily

have the defender guess-

8

Chapter

1

The Front-Pin Series

As mentioned

in the previous chapter, players

ate sufficient speed

who

and power need shots with

are unable to gener-

several options. Here,

same advantages

the front-pin series of shots have several of the

as the

back-pin series with some minor tradeoffs.

As the name

implies,

all

of the shots in the series

start

with the ball

front-pinned in the center position. (Figure 18.1a) The basic options

from

this position are the front-pin-pull

maneuvers are

slightly

and the front-pin-push. These

more complicated than

the corresponding back-

pin shots. As an example, the front-pin-pull starts by applying a slight

downward

pressure to the pinned

ball.

Next, pull the figure towards the

near wall. Circle the figure around such that

Once

man

it

winds up on

a line

up with the near-edge of the goal, strike the ball into the goal. (Figure 18.1b) The front-pin-push can be executed in the reverse fashion by moving towards the far wall. In addition, many of the same reversing techniques can be accom-

behind the

ball.

the

plished with the front-pin series.

same manner

From

ball,

reverse series

is

initiated in the

but instead of swinging the middle

the figure

is

swung

in line of the

oncoming

here, a push, a pass-kick, or a double-pass-kick can be exe-

cuted. (Figure 18.1c-e)

64

The

as the front-pin pull,

three-man behind the ball.

lined

is

Sharma

Charles C. Lee with David Richard and Attma

One of the drawbacks of the front-pin

series

is

that the

push and

65

pull

take longer to execute, since the three-man has to swing behind the ball in

order to strike

it.

Granted, in the hands of an expert, the difference

may be a few milliseconds, but even

that can

make a difference against a

strong defense.

Back-pin

Reverse shots

pull

Reverse double pass

.^-^ t

Reverse-push Figure 18.1 Series.

-

The Front-Pin

A. The shot begins

with the ball front-pinned

by the center three-man. For the front-pin ball

is

set in

pull, the

motion by

pulling the ball back toward the near wall. B. is

When it

aligned with the near side of the goal, the center three-man strikes

the ball can be reversed towards the far hole of the ball

and then pushing

the center strikes

by the

far

it

it

toward the opposite

into the goal. E.

Series,

however

it

starts

it

C. Alternatively,

When it reaches

wall. D.

As another option from C,

three-man back to the center three-man.

goal, the center three-man strikes

it.

by bringing the center three-man

F.

When

it

into the goal. This series

from a front-pin instead of

to the side

the far side,

the ball can be passed yet

reaches the near side of the

is

a back-pin.

similar lo the Back-Pin

Zen and The Art of Foosball

66

Most son.

players are not inclined to use the front-pin series for that rea-

As explained

in the previous chapter, the back-pin series confers

of the same advantages as the front-pin advantage that series?

it is

fundamentally

but with* the additional

series,

faster. So,

all

why

Despite the drawbacks, the front-pin series

learn the front-pin

is still

useful in catch-

ing your opponent off guard.

Used

in conjunction with the snake shot, the front-pin can

snake shot begins with the ball front-

cially devastating. Since the

pinned, the

initial

grip change

is

setup

is

indistinguishable except for the fact that a

required to use the snake shot.

shot and sense that your opponent

then this

is

be espe-

If

you

are using the snake

relaxing during the grip-change,

is

the perfect time to quickly execute a front-pin -push or

front-pin-pull. Similarly, if

to

you constantly use the back-pin

maneuver your

may be

ball

from

series

and take the time

a front-pin to a back-pin, your

Once

relaxing during this interval.

again, this

is

opponent

the time to

quickly execute a front-pin-push or front-pin-pull.

One

final situation that

Usually, the ball will right, a

In It is

occurs frequently

end up trapped

is

in passing the ball.

in a front-pin. If the situation

is

quick front-pin shot can score a quick extra point.

summary, the front-pin

series

is

a

good source of secondary shots.

important to have a wide variety of these secondary shots in addi-

tion to your

main shot when developing your

offense.

improve your main shot, you may not have to

opponent off-guard with improvised forget these goes.

little

shots, because

when

rely

tricks. Still,

the

game

is

it is

As you begin

to

on catching your important not to

on the

line,

anything

PartV

Building an Impenetrable

Defense

'v&