Foosball is one of those things that might appear weird or plain strange for a lot of people, but for others, it’s something that just fits perfectly. Back in the day before I ever owned my first foosball table, the sole activity of playing table soccer seemed fairly distant. It was something exotic and strange, something I would only see in movies and series.
However, a neighbor with whom I was very close at the time, suddenly proposed to me the idea of buying a football tabletop game. It was being sold on E-bay in a city that was around 1 hour away by car, and just out of a whim, I agreed to buy it. Half and half, we both ended up expending around $12 each.
After I got my first foosball table, the game just entered my life without a warning, and now it is a somewhat essential aspect of my social activities. I just enjoy playing with my friends whenever we get to drink and talk about life, and one of those activities is foosball. Along with Jenga, UNO cards, and vide-games, tabletop football is among the things we enjoy doing the most. Especially when we get competitive and start challenging ourselves to beat each other!
Some Things I Wish I knew
With that said, the world of foosball is fairly extensive and there are just too many things I wish I knew earlier, things that could have saved me a lot of troubles and headaches.
One of the things I wish I knew back in the day was how it could damage my wrists if I played for extended periods of time without gear, or using the table components in the wrong way.
Wrist pain, as showcased over here, can be very harmful to your health and might even cause long-term health, so make sure to be careful when playing if you are not used to regularly exercising your wrists and hands.
Besides that, purchasing the wrong product would probably the most regrettable mistake, but before I get into more about it, let’s talk about foosball in more detail.
Tabletop Football Briefly Explained
Commonly referred to as table soccer, foosball, and tabletop football. It is a tabletop game that imitates soccer and its rules.
The main objective of the game is to introduce a ball in the opponent’s goal (which tends to be a hole) using a set of rods that can be used to move the game’s players, which manipulate the ball both defensively and offensively.
Foosball is one of those things that although a lot of people just enjoy as a hobby, like me, there’s a very competitive scene around it. The rules might change depending on the region, but essentially, the rules I covered earlier are the main ones.
If you want more information about it, you can definitely check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_football.
Regardless of whether you want to play professionally or just enjoy table soccer as a hobby for the very first time, there are some things you should have in mind and one of them is how the product you decide to go to can greatly influence your experience.
Why Choosing the Right Table Matters
As I mentioned earlier, the very first table I purchased was used, so it had its problems. Some of the rods used to move the players around didn’t respond as accurately as others, and the table itself had some imperfections that made the game a little unfair on some occasions.
However, I don’t consider this a bad thing. For my first experience, it was enough to know whether the game was for me or not, and since I didn’t invest too much money in it, I didn’t actually regret the investment.
As time went on, me and my friends got more into it. I started to consider buying a new table. I followed some of the rules I considered when buying things to decide whether the purchase would be worth it or not.According to my circumstances, a new table was one of those things I didn’t actually need, but wanted and could afford.
But I made some mistakes… And the first one was not choosing the right table for me and my friends. Just picking the most popular option available in the market is not enough, since there are some factors that can definitely ruin (or improve) your experience. For me, it was the height of the first product I went for.
I’m a very tall person, so I needed a table that would be comfortable for me. The first one I got was, luckily, tall enough for me and my friends, but it made me think that all tables were similar.
How wrong I was! A lot of tables are actually made for children or people that are average in height, so for tall people like me, it gets uncomfortable very fast, causing some problems that made it impossible for me to enjoy the game!
Some of my friends also had difficulties, so I just wanted to get one table that could satisfy all our needs.
Make Sure to Do Your Research
Here’s where I decided to sell the second table I got and take my time to do some research. Here’s where looking up opinions in the community (especially on Reddit) and checking reviews from foosballkingdom.com/ helped me make the right choices.
Ideally, before even researching, you should have in mind your own circumstances. How tall are you, for example, is something you should have in mind when buying a foosball table. Other aspects include how the table looks, its features, and the materials used to build it.
Thesturdier and good-looking tables tend to be more expensive, but the investment tends to be worth it in the long-term run. The third table I purchased lasted for a very, very long time! And I only changed it because I wanted a bigger one with better looks.
That’s why it is so important to take your time and look up the available options in the market. If you do so, the chances of getting the right table greatly increases, especially if you are looking to buy one online!
How the Game Can be Enjoyed
Ideally speaking, this game is fairly easy to learn and although some people might have difficulties dealing with the rods. But with enough practice, everyone can have fun with it.
For me, tabletop soccer is one of those games I play with my friends. But I make sure that everyone enjoys it before being too pushy, just because I know a lot of people are not into soccer.
Whenever I met new people that might enjoy the game, I get really excited.If they enjoy it as much as I do, I might get a little competitive, just to fire things up.
The best thing I’ve done to enjoy foosball is tournaments. I reunited a bunch of friends, each one purchased snacks and drinks, and while we talked about stuff and drank. We were playing a foosball tournament with a prize, usually created through a prize pool made with everyone’s money. You can check this guide on how to set up a foosball tournament!