| While the origins of the game of foosball, or table soccer, have not been determined, many people believe that the game began in either Germany or France in the 1920s or 1930s. The first German foosball tables were quite sparse compared to the gleaming chrome and Formica tables in the present market. The rectangular boxes of yesteryear had a plywood playing field. The rods were usually wooden dowels, and the "players" were plain rectangular blocks of wood. The goals contained cloth pockets to catch the balls. When Germany began its post-war rebuilding process in 1948 several firms started manufacturing coin-operated "kicker" games. Eventually there were eighteen different firms making the game, all of whom had their own idea of how it should be played. As a result, foosball tables had a variety of shapes, sizes and playing features until the game evolved to its modern form. Foosball tables are built with different kinds of rods with different spacing between the men. In most cases, a foosball table has eight rods, table soccer figures, a ball and some handles. Each end of the table has a goal. The players serve from each side of the middle of the table. You shoot to the right and defend to your left. The players use their handles to move their men to strike the ball into the opposing teams goal. Ball control is the first important skill you should learn when playing at a foosball table. If you have good ball control, you will rarely drop the ball or let it roll away from you. If you are in the market for a quality foosball table, there are a number of manufacturers to explore. Some of the leading manufacturers of foosball tables, accessories, and parts include Rene Pierre, the leading French manufacturer, Harvard, and Tornado. |
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