FOOSBALL RULES
Spinning Is Illegal!
While tempting, there are only three cardinal rules in foosball:
- thou shalt not bump or lift the table.
- thou shalt not spin.
- thou shalt not put your hands in the field of play.
Why is spinning illegal?
Spinning takes no skill, and prevents other players from using their skills to control the ball, outwit the opposition, and try some tricks.
Beginners often spin like crazy, in the hope of smashing the ball towards the goal–hence turning the game into a frantic, uncontrolled carnival show.
As defined by the ITSF, spinning is: “the rotation of any soccer figure more than 360 degrees before or more than 360° after striking the ball.”
Starting The Game
In USTSA competitions, the ball is “served,” or put into play, through the service hole in the middle of the table’s side wall.
These rules also state that the server can spin the ball through the hole in order to influence its entry onto the field of play.
A coin toss determines who starts the game, with each subsequent restart being taken by the player scored against.
Scoring
The winner is the first player to score five goals.
According to the ITSF foosball rule book, “A ball which enters the goal but returns to the playing surface and/or leaves the table still counts as a goal.”
If a player strikes the ball into his own goal by accident, a point is awarded to the opposing player.
If using the USTSA service rules, the ball must first be touched by a player for a goal to be awarded.
A goal is not awarded if the ball somehow goes straight into a goal from the service.
Dead Ball Situations
A dead ball occurs when the ball stops in a position where it cannot be reached by any of the players.
In this situation, a player can reach into the field of play to remove the ball for a restart using the chosen service method.
Reaching into the field of play is illegal at all other times.
USTSA also emphasizes the importance of asking the opposing player if he/she is ready before putting the ball into play.
