ACADEMY
RULES OF THE GAME
The game of foosball has official rules which have been created and published by the International Table Soccer Federation. The full rules can be found here: OFFICAL TABLE SOCCER RULES
Starting a Match
The winner of a coin toss chooses either to kick-off first or to pick side. The other team gets the remaining option.
Kick Off
The kick-off is a serve from the middle of the midfield (5-bar). The ball is placed in position and not thrown into the playfield. Subsequent kick-offs go to the team conceding the last goal
Serve – “Are you Ready?”
To serve the ball, first ask if your opponent is “ready?. When they say “ready”, you can begin. The ball must touch two players before you pass or shoot.
Ball Off Table
The ball is ‘out’ if it leaves the playfield, defined as inside the cabinet or directly above it. Restart with a serve by the defender of the team that did not shoot the ball out.
Dead Ball – Never lift the table!
A ball is ‘dead’ if it can’t be reached by any player figure. If the ball goes dead between the 5-bars, restart with a kick-off by the team which conceded the last goal. If the ball goes dead behind a midfield bar, restart with a serve from the nearest defender.
Time Out
Each team is allowed 2 time outs per game of up to 30 seconds each. A time out can only be called by the team in possession of the ball and then only when the ball is not moving. Either team may call a time out when the ball is not in play (e.g. between balls or when the ball is dead or out).
Scoring a Goal
You can score a goal with any player figure on any bar. If the ball enters the goal and bounces out it counts as a goal.
Change of Positions
In doubles, the players in a team may only swap positions between balls or during a time out.
No Spinning
The penalty for spinning is a kick-off (5 bar) for your opponent. It’s a spin if the bar rotates more than 360˚ before or after striking the ball.
Time Limits
You can’t keep the ball for more than 10 seconds on the midfield bar, or more than 15 seconds on any other bar. The goalie and defence bars counts as one bar.
Jarring
It’s illegal to bang the rods or move the table. The ball is given to the other team on the nearest rod forward from where the ball was when the jar occurred.
Reset
If the opponents cause the ball to wobble while it’s in your possession (e.g. by aggressive shaking of their bars) then your time limits start again.
Reaching into the Playing Area
It’s illegal to reach into the playing area without permission from the other team. If your team had the ball, the penalty is a kick-off to the other team; otherwise a goal is awarded to the other team.
Passing
If the ball is not moving, you can’t pass it from the midfield to the forward or from defence to midfield without first touching a second player figure.
Foul
Unless otherwise stated, if you break a rule then the other team has the choice of a kick-off or to continue play from the current position. Other fouls include distracting an opponent and using bad language.
How do I learn to play like a Pro: techniques and shot codex
Find out how to pass the ball from your midfield (5 bar) to your
attack (3 bar) and choose what is your best shooting strategy. Learn
what the best setups are and keep control of the ball.
Link:
https://britfoos.com/guides/beginners-guide/
What is the British Foosball Association (BFA)?
The BFA is the national governing body in the UK for the International table soccer federation. The BFA organizes national tournaments on different official competition tables and gets to select the Great Britain national team at World Cup competitions. Link: https://britfoos.com/
What is the International Table Soccer Federation (ITSF)?
The ITSF is the equivalent to FIFA in the football world. ITSF accredited 5 of the best table football manufacturers across the globe and created a World Championship series circuit on all tables in various counties and hosted by different National Federations. Every two years a “World Cup” tournament is held where every registered National Federation is eligible to present a selected team in the biggest sporting event in the Foosball calendar. Link: https://www.tablesoccer.org/
Where can I watch more pro foosball tournament videos?
European competition circuit:
https://www.kozoom.com/en/table-soccer/
USA competition circuit:
https://www.youtube.com/c/insidefoosTV/
Foosballers documentary:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKBun3fsE1g
