(Redirected from
Babyfoot)
Foosball (from the German Fußball = soccer) is also known as table soccer, table football, babyfoot, or gettone. It is a table-top game based on soccer invented by Alejandro Finisterre, an editor and poet from Galiza.
Origins
Alejandro Finisterre was injured during one of the fascist bombings of Madrid during the Spanish civil war. Seeing many children injured like himself in the hospital (i.e. unable to play football), he thought of the idea, which was borne from the concept of table tennis. Finistere credits his friend Francisco Javier Altuna, a Basque carpenter, for making the first foosball following the directions he gave him. Although the invention was patented in 1937, Alejandro Finisterre had to escape from the fascist coup d'etat to France, and he lost the papers of the patent in a storm.
The Game
Players attempt to use figures mounted on rotating bars to kick the foosball into the opponent's goal. A foosball may travel at speeds up to 35 mph in competition. The sport requires quick reflexes and fine motor control.
A winner is determined in foosball when one team scores a predetermined number of goals, say 5 or 10. A two goal victory is often required.
A foosball table can vary in size, but is typically about 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. The table usually contains 8 rows of players, which are plastic or wooden figures mounted on horizontal metal bars. Each team of 1 or 2 human players controls 4 rows of figures.
The arrangement of foos-men is standard. Looking from left to right on one side of the table, you see:
| Row 1 |
Your goalie |
1 Foosman (sometimes 3) |
| Row 2 |
Your defense |
2 Foosmen |
| Row 3 |
Opponent's attack |
3 Foosmen |
| Row 4 |
Your midfield |
5 Foosmen |
| Row 5 |
Opponent's midfield |
5 Foosmen |
| Row 6 |
Your attack |
3 Foosmen |
| Row 7 |
Opponent's defense |
2 Foosmen |
| Row 8 |
Opponent's goalie |
1 foosman (sometimes 3) |
Foosball is often played for fun in pubs, bars, workplaces, schools, and clubs with few rules. "House rules" often include a ban on spinning your foosmen, so one's hand must maintain continuous contact with the handle.
A Garlando style table with a game in progress
Foosball is also played in official competitions organized by a number of national organizations. The two main table types used in official tournaments are "Italian-style" Garlando and "American-style" Tornado.
Garlando tables have ramped sides and use smaller, thinner foosmen with blocky feet, which leads to an open, flowing style of play.
Tornado tables use bigger foosmen with wedge-shaped feet. This allows balls to be pinned to the surface of the table, before skill moves like the "snake" are executed.
Foosball strategy varies greatly. With teams of one human each, it is impossible for each person to control all four rows of foosmen simultaneously. Some players keep the left hand always on the goalie or defensemen and move the right hand among the other three rows. More aggressive players may take up an attack with the offense and midfield, leaving the goalie unattended.
With practice, it is possible to learn very fast "set-piece" moves, including the "snake", "pull-shot," and "tap-bang."
Robots
Robots designed to play foosball by roboticists at University of Freiburg are claimed to be able to beat 85% of casual players. It uses a camera from below a transparent table base to track the ball and an electronic control system to control high torque motors to rotate and move the foosmen. Currently an expert player can beat the robot 10 games to 1. [1] http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99996346
See also
External links
- foosball.com - rules, tricks, results http://www.foosball.com/
- List of soccertables from all over the world http://www.classen-kicker.de/tables.htm
Last updated: 05-03-2005 02:30:17
