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Personalized advice Football table tips
To show off in bars and arcades, you better know the rudiments of football table techniques. Beginners will find hints in this section on how to significantly improve the quality of their game.
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Player positioning To play football table, it is essential that you adopt the right posture. We can distinguish numerous positions, including the following: - the standard position: it's a natural and relaxed position and also the best way to pass a ball to midfielders. The left hand works to pass the ball. The right serves to intercept and shoot towards the goal. - the improved forward position: it's a compromise between attack and defence. The left wrist is bent while the right arm is somewhat tense. This configuration allows you to make quick shifts from attack to defence postures. - the improved back position: this position consists in using the left hand on the 2-bar and the right hand on the midfield or striker bar. It's a good position to defend in case of a counter-attack. |
| The shot You can always improve your shot! There are three main ways to shoot a ball: - the impulse: it consists in giving speed and direction when shooting. You start by giving direction and power to the ball and then you launch the player and shoot. It is the widest used technique, but the most predictable (you have to let go of the bar). - the slide: you give speed and direction to the ball by sliding on it. Although it is much more difficult to achieve, it can allow you to surprise your opponent - the crush: a more aggressive variation of the slide, the crush, as its name indicates, consists in crushing the ball (and not softly sliding on it) in order to give it more force. A powerful shot but much more difficult to hide! |
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The midfield rod The midfield rod is considered the most important part of a football table. Clearly, to put pressure on your opponent, you should play with the front! One of the main errors consists in frequently raking the rod in order to block your opponent’s ball. It is unsportsmanlike, annoying for your opponent and it takes away your control of the ball. The other main error is trying to shoot with a lot of power to destabilize the other player as this makes it hard to recover the ball... Basic passes include (in order of difficulty): - the pass along the wall: the ball moves forward along the wood. To recover it, think about placing your 3 man rod in a self-stopping position. - the crossed pass: a classic in football table that consists in hitting the ball on the ridge of the midfield rod players. To recover the ball, you have the choice between self-stopping or cutting the trajectory with the 3 man rod. - the straight pass: this move consists in passing the ball between the opponent’s midfield rod in parallel to the table walls. To recover it, you have no other choice but self-stopping. The deflection with the strikers only works with crossed passes... And for shots: - the straight shot: a basic shot from the center of the midfield rod. Hard to hide! - the crossed shot: the most popular shot with the midfield rod. Just like with the crossed pass, you hit the ball on the ridge of the player (in the opponent's direction) in order to give it an oblique trajectory. |
| The 3 man rod The control of the ball is essential. We suggest you to block it under the foot of the player, by slanting it in the direction of the opposing goalie. To complete the shot, you have to be precise, don't hesitate, and always keep in mind that speed is a key factor! A violent shot does not necessary have a better chance to score. Shoot lightly! A winner is a player who performs straight shots, dummies and crossed shots. There are two movements that you must absolutely know and learn to control when you play with the 3 man rod: the Pull-Shot and the Snake. The first is a hidden shot that consists in positioning the ball on the side of a player and move it using the flank of the player. It's an easy technique that even beginners can use! For the Snake, place your wrist against the 3 man rod handle then complete a Spinning by sliding the bar along your hand. It is a very powerful move that requires little training, but is worth it! - the wall shot: it is a very complicated move. It consists in hitting the ball on the ridge of the midfield player to then have it bounce against the wall and finish its course in the goal. If you succeed with this shot, don't forget to take a look at the shock on your opponent’s face... As you've come to understand, when playing with the midfield rod, you have to show technical skill and patience. |
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The 2 man rod You must position your goalie and your 2 man rod in order not to leave a big hole that could tempt your opponent. With more experience, this hole may be used as a trick. Football table techniques are also about strategy! Your defense must remain mobile and evolve throughout the game. You can either look for the weakness in your opponent's defense and complete corresponding shots (for experienced players) or choose a shot and wait for the right moment to take it. The best strategy is to mix the 2 techniques together! Finally, we suggest you to keep the players crossed, the goalie leaning forward, the players leaning backwards. This offers you a better defense, especially against crossed shots. And above all, don't stare at the opponent's players; keep your eye on the ball! |
| Shots from the 2 man rod When you intercept the ball with the 2 man rod, you have 10 seconds to analyze your opponent's reaction (to see what they are trying to block) and act in consequence. You have 3 main choices: - shot: it's an excellent way to put pressure on the opponent. We can identify the straight, the targeted and the powerful shots that are frequently used in football table and consist in shooting the ball slightly on its side to give it an angle, or make a side shot, also known as wood shots in football table as it consists in striking the ball against the wall. - midfield passes: these are the first passes that you need to learn. The problem is that you have to pull the bar to the maximum, which is not very comfortable. There are three ways to proceed: along the side (the base), the folded pass (crossed shot in the direction of the midfield player set to the extreme limit) and the more difficult crossed pass (crossed shot in the direction of one of the central players on the midfield bar). - passes to the 3 man rod: these are passes mainly used when playing in team, as they are easier to recover when being two. Just like passes to the midfield rod, you can complete it by passing along the side, shooting straight or on the sides. |
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| To conclude, always think about improving the quality of your game, it is essential to play against new opponents. Playing frequently with the same people will only help you to develop bad behavior and will not force you to develop both your defense and attack. A good football table player is above all a player who has experience playing against others. Football table techniques are learnt over long and arduous periods, but which are also an adventure! |
