Foosball

Players and equipment

Two players head to head, or two pairs with one player on defence and one on attack. A foosball table with four rods a side, a ball, and a couple of spares for the ones that leave the table. From your own goal outwards your four rods are the goalie, the two-bar, the five-bar and the three-bar, named for the men on them; the goalie and two-bar are your defence, the five-bar is your midfield, and the three-bar stands in front of the other goal. Tables differ in whether the goalie rod carries one man or three.

SquareScores keeps the score: a row on the sheet is a game, a column is a player or a pair, and the finish line is ten goals unless the host moves it.

The deal

Toss for the first serve; after a goal, the side that conceded serves. Serve by dropping the ball through the hole at the side of the table, or by placing it at the midfield five-rod and touching it to both walls before playing it, whichever your table does. Ask whether the other side is ready before you serve, and wait for the answer. A ball dropped through the hole is anyone's the moment it lands.

Play

Play the ball with the rods. Spinning a rod through a full turn before or after striking the ball is not allowed: the goal does not count and the other side takes the ball. A ball that stops where nobody can reach it is dead: drop it back in at the nearest five-rod, or serve again if it died between the goalie and the two-rod.

A goal counts however it goes in, off a wall, a figure or your own player, unless your table plays that the goalie rods cannot score or that a ball which bounces back out of the goal is no goal. Agree it before you start.

Banging or lifting the table to move the ball is a foul, and so is reaching into the table while the ball is in play: the other side takes the ball. You may hold two rods at once, switch hands between rods as the ball moves, and let go of a rod entirely.

Pairs

Positions

One on the goalie and defence rods, one on the five and three rods

Switching

Partners may swap rods between points, not during play

Serve

Alternate serves, or the side scored against serves

Scoring

Goal

1

Add one to the side that scored

Own goal

1

Counts for the other side

Game

The match

First to ten, or to the line the host set

Enter each goal as it comes, or the final score once the game is over: the columns add up either way, and the sheet shows how far each side is from the line.

A worked game

Alice plays Ben head to head, to ten. Alice wins the toss and serves.

Goal 1

1–0

Alice drops the ball through the hole. Her five-bar wins it, passes up the wall to her three-bar, and a pull shot goes in at the near post

Goal 2

1–1

Ben conceded, so he serves. He loses the ball at midfield, Alice's three-bar shoots, his goalie blocks, and his two-bar clears the length of the table into her goal

Goal 3

2–1

Alice serves. Ben spins his two-bar to clear and the ball flies into her goal, but a goal off a spin does not count and Alice takes the ball at her five-bar. This time her shot beats him

Goal 4

2–2

Ben serves. The ball dies between Alice's goalie and two-bar, so it is served again, and Ben's three-bar scores with a push shot

Goals 5 to 12

6–6

The serve keeps passing to whoever conceded. Alice's two-bar and goalie hold every straight shot but Ben's pull shot finds the gap three times; at 6–5 Alice deflects a clearance into her own goal, one to Ben

Goals 13 to 17

10–7

Alice scores four of the last five, two from the three-bar, one from the five-bar and one a long clearance from her two-bar that runs the length of the table

Alice wins 10–7. On the sheet each goal is entered as it comes, or 10 against 7 once it is over, and End match banks it. They play a best of three.

Game 1

Alice

10–7

Game 2

Ben

8–10

Game 3

Alice

10–6

Alice takes it two games to one, and the leaderboard counts games won: Alice 2, Ben 1.

Ending

A game ends when a side reaches the target. Tap End match to bank it, and the leaderboard counts games won. Play best of three or five, then end the session.

The pull shot and the push shot

Most goals come from the three-bar. Set the ball still in front of your middle man, then in one movement pull the rod towards you so the ball travels across the face of the goal and strike it as it reaches the gap. That is the pull shot; the push shot is the same movement away from you. The point is that the ball moves sideways faster than the goalie can follow, and you hit it into whichever side has opened up, the near post or the far. Learn one of the two until it is automatic before you try the other.

The two-bar and the goalie

In singles keep one hand on each and move them together, never in a straight line behind each other: one covers the straight shot and the other the angle, so that whichever way the ball comes there is a man in front of it. Keep the pair moving a little, because a still defence is a defence being aimed at, and never lunge: a man swung out of the way is a gap. When you win the ball at the back, look up the table before you clear it; a long shot from the two-bar can score.

Passing from the five-bar

Possession on the three-bar is where goals come from, and the five-bar is how it gets there. The wall pass runs the ball along the side wall to your three-bar's outside man; the lane pass goes through the gap between the wall man and the next one along. Their five-bar will try to block both, so tap the ball back and forth between two of your own men to hold it, watch which lane they leave open, and pass the moment it opens. Do not simply hit it forward and hope.

Never spin

Spinning is against the rules, and it is also bad play: a spinning man is not on the ball, the ball goes wherever it happens to be struck, and half the time that is straight back at your own goal. Control the rod with a snap of the wrist, and for the pull shot open the hand and roll the handle across your palm rather than gripping it. Every shot you can aim is better than a lucky one.

The serve

The serve is possession, so do not waste it. A ball dropped through the hole is a scramble; if your table serves from the five-bar, pass at once rather than shooting from midfield, because a shot from the five-bar has two rows of men to beat and a pass to your three-bar has none. When you have conceded, take a moment before you serve.

Spinning allowed

The children's rule and the pub rule: a rod may spin as fast as it likes, and a goal from a spin stands. It makes the game a lottery and a noisy one. Agree it before you start, or the two sides are playing two different games.

Singles

One player a side, all four rods yours, both hands busy. You switch hands as the ball moves down the table: goalie and two-bar when defending, five-bar and three-bar when attacking. It is the game the sheet is set up for.

Tournament serve rules

Under the international rules the side that has just conceded serves from the five-bar, having asked whether the other side is ready, and the ball must touch two men before it is passed or shot. A side may hold the ball for ten seconds on the five-bar and fifteen on any other rod before it must move it on, or lose it. Games are to five, and a match is the best of three or five.

A goal from the goalie counts double

A house rule on many tables: a ball that goes the length of the table from the goalie rod and scores counts two. It rewards the long clearance and gives the defence something to aim for. Enter it as two on the sheet.

Goalie war

Only the goalie rods are used, and on some tables the two-bar as well; the middle rods are lifted or left alone. The game is all about the long shot and the block. Play to whatever line you agree.

Is spinning allowed in foosball?

Not under the rules. A spin is turning a rod through a full turn before or after striking the ball, without touching the ball in between. A goal from a spin does not count and the other side takes the ball. Plenty of pub tables allow it as a house rule, so ask before you play.

Who serves after a goal in foosball?

The side that conceded, on most tables and under the international rules. Some tables alternate the serve instead, whoever scored. Either way the server asks whether the other side is ready and waits for the answer before the ball goes in.

Can the goalie score in foosball?

Yes, unless your table says otherwise. A goal counts however it goes in, and a long clearance from the goalie or the two-bar that runs the length of the table is a goal like any other. Some tables play that goals from the goalie rods do not count, and others that they count double, so agree it first.

What happens when the ball stops where nobody can reach it?

The ball is dead. If it stopped between the two five-bars or anywhere the attack cannot reach, drop it back in at the nearest five-bar; if it died at the back, between the goalie and the two-bar, it is served again by the side that served last.

Can you switch hands or rods during play?

Yes. In singles you have four rods and two hands, so you move between them as the ball moves. In doubles the partners keep to their own rods while the ball is in play and may swap positions between points, after a goal or a dead ball.

How many goals is a game of foosball?

Ten on most home and pub tables, five in tournament play, and the host moves the line to whatever your table plays. A match is usually the best of three or five games.