Foosball Tactics: How to Play Better

Defence: stop the ball first

Good defence is not about hitting the ball at once but about getting it under control. The goalkeeper and the two defence figures cover the goal together: slide the rods to the side the ball is on and do not leave a wide gap between them. Keep the rod ready level with the ball before the other player shoots; once the shot is away, it is almost impossible to get there in time.

When you win the ball, do not just hit it forward blindly. You can trap it under a figure, drag it sideways, see how the other team is lined up and release it at the right moment. You cannot hold it for ever, though: there is a 10-second limit on the midfield rod and 15 seconds elsewhere, and the last five seconds show on the scoreboard.

Passing: bring the ball to midfield

Hold Shift when you pass: the figures move slowly and softly and the ball stays under control. Safe passes from defence to midfield and on to attack lose far fewer balls than long shots. The five-man midfield rod is both your distributor and a second shooting line.

• Do not shoot straight from defence; pass to midfield first
• Look at where the other team's rods are before you pass
• Hit softly with Shift; if the ball escapes the foot, touch it even lighter

Types of shot

For a hard shot, pull the figure back (S) and swing it forward fast (W): the power comes from how quickly the figure is swung. If you shoot while sliding the rod, the figure gives the ball sideways speed too and it goes off at an angle. Do not always shoot the same shot from the same place: shooting against the way the goalkeeper is sliding beats power more often than not.

• Straight hard shot: wind up, then swing forward
• Angled shot: shoot while sliding the rod
• Soft shot: with Shift, when the goalkeeper is not ready

Attack: be patient and vary the timing

When you get the ball, do not shoot at once: wait a moment and look at where the goalkeeper is. A player who always shoots at the same speed and the same moment is easy to read, so hit softly sometimes, with full power at others, and sometimes while sliding. The slow-motion replay after every goal is a good chance to see where your shot was caught, or how the other goalkeeper got there.

Choosing rods: automatic or manual?

With automatic selection the rod nearest the ball is the active one, which is comfortable for beginners. With manual selection you pick the rod yourself with keys 1–4 (goalkeeper, defence, midfield, attack) or Q/E, which is more predictable and faster once you are used to it. Change it under Settings → Controls. Rods you are not using lift out of the way by themselves so your own passes coming from behind can get through.

Team play and communication

In 2v2, usually one player takes the goalkeeper and defence and the other the midfield and attack. One-tap quick messages ("Pass!", "Nice goal!") let you talk without interrupting the match, and the room's host can share the rods out differently.

If the ball gets stuck, shake the table

If the ball trembles in a corner where no figure can reach it, a Shake the table button appears after about two seconds (the space bar does the same). Each team has three shakes a match, and if nobody shakes, the table shakes itself after five seconds.

A goal scored right after a shake does not count: it is called back until a figure touches the ball, and the team that would have conceded serves.

Questions about foosball tactics