Football is a game which vast majority of people enjoy watching and fantasize about, with the population currently at over 3 billion people with a certain percentage of an annual increase.
From the premiership, the La Liga and the Bundesliga and also the seria A and French league 1; the viewership is simply amazing and very emotional. At least the feeling of a champion’s league night can simply describe what football actually does to people. It just captivates its audience, simply!
But the feeling of an actual game only ends after 90 minutes or depending on the intensity of the game, it will basically last for 130 minutes with penalties and the frenzy afterwards. Still, the game doesn’t go as far as 3 hours or more. Yet, fans, spectators and passionate supporters want to continue with the experience a beautiful game leaves them with after each play.
And that basically was the reason why Harold Searles Thornton in 1922 patented the game of foosball, to give users a remedy to a short game memory. Foosball is basically a game played on a custom made table for just the game alone. It is often referred to as table soccer, fuzboll or table football and can be played by a minimum of 2 persons or a maximum of four people.
History of the Game of Foosball
Originally, there were several attempts to patent the game of foosball by unknown persons as far back as 1890s when the game of football began to gain viewership. But, it basically didn’t become a fully accepted support and for that reason failed to get patent until in 1922 when Harold Searles Thornton became the first to get the fully accepted patent for the game of foosball.
Thornton an avid supporter of Tottenham FC back then, had been to one of her games, and afterwards the memories he got from it compelled him into thinking of replicating the game in his own way and that was when he conceived the idea of foosball. He got his inspiration from laying out matches across a box, and suddenly, foosball was then invented.
Before the foosball game became quite as popular as it is today, it had hit different loopholes and survived. Much of its history can be found online, just in case you might want to give it a shot.
Foosball Table
It is a table with 8 rods and table soccer pieces or robots, with a ball positioned at the centre prior to a game. The rods are used to control the pieces by their insulated handles. There are actual markings on the table itself, two goal posts and a centre field from which the ball is passed from. The aim of the game is to try as fast and as many times to get the ball from the centre field into the opposing team’s goal post, concede less or not even concede at all.
The players at both ends use the steel rods by their edges to control the soccer piece; experts say that you should go to your right but defend at your left. Basic game advice, I literally know little about that, but the experts sure know their words.
The table is pretty easy to play on, as you need only be concerned about the pace of your hands on the rods and the degree with which your professionalism gives you the advantage over your opponent. No need to worry about the controlling the table as it is poised by the leg on which it rests on.
Some manufacturers make it pretty much easy by using leg levellers to keep it even more balanced. But the truth is the only concern you should have on the table is for heaven’s sakes! Your opponent shouldn’t make a jest out of your wobbling hands.
There are standards on how the game is played, most times the setup manual should give an indication of a “how to play” on it asides the basic setups. It is said that the game is played to 5 points, sometimes 7 and others 9 points. But, as long as it’s not a professional game where people play for a cup or some prize, to what extent the game is played to solely lie with the players.
Rules of Playing on a Foosball Table
Foosball table can be simple or a little complex, depending on the kind of game played on it. An example of one simple rule is this: Hit the ball into the opponent’s goal post, your goal is on the left hand side while you try to score on the right hand side. And one complex rule might be this: you are not allowed to spin, not once and not even to make an attempt; if you score the other team takes the serve.
Basic Steps to Playing on the Foosball Table
SERVE: This might need some practice before one gets it; the aim is to simply push the ball to the nearest piece or soccer robot on the table.
Hit the Ball: Spinning is never advised, so you don’t cause an injury to the player peradventure the ball runs out of the table. Just a little flick might do the magic. More Information can be found online or from some foosball tutorial on YouTube.
Other steps required are how to pass and shoot, maybe a “ticky-taka” like Barcelona, how to defend and do some tricks. You can get more information online.
Conclusion
The foosball table has several manufacturers, as much as the feeling or passion might be strong, if there are no good foosball tables, the game might as well die before it is actually played. A good foosball table keeps its players feeling excited and attached, such that they would want to play another time. But, the only way to feel the vibe is to get the experience.
And to get the experience one has to own the table or be close to the person who does. So my conclusion would be the advice a good friend would always leave another friend, go get a foosball table now.
