foosball.com :

INSIDE FOOS Newsletter NO. 15 July/August 2004
Published By Inside Foos Productions Huntington Beach, California http://www.insidefoos.com
DO NOT REPLY: PLEASE SEND ALL EMAIL RESPONSES TO: newsletter@insidefoos.com

CONTENTS:
The 2004 Nationals
National Championship DVD Listings
Nationals Results
Inside The Pro Tour
Toro's Corner
Tom's Tips
The Zone
Inside Foos Special Offers
Upcoming Events
Foosball Sites

THE 2004 NATIONALS: Young Guns Provide 4th of July Fireworks as Classy Tour Veterans Go Back-To-Back

For the second year in a row the Hyatt Regency Hotel in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota played host to the second major stop on the annual pro foosball tour, the $60,000 National Championships. This five-day-long Independence Day spectacular always seems to showcase some of the year�s most competitive action, and the 2004 version would prove to be no different. This year�s Nationals would provide foosball fans with a glimpse into the future of our sport as the game�s two brightest young stars put on an amazing show in the Open Singles event, while also offering us a lesson in good old fashioned, high-percentage style foosball from a pair of classy veterans who made history in Open Doubles.

Nineteen year old Billy Pappas of Massachusetts, who broke through with a second place result in Open Singles at this season�s opening event in Las Vegas, continued his rise to the top in Minneapolis. Just as he had done four months earlier at the Hall of Fame Classic, Pappas rolled through the winner�s bracket and defeated Terry Moore in a semifinal match to secure a spot in the winner�s bracket final.

On the other side of the bracket, the dynamic Tony Spredeman powered his way through the competition and faced the talented Nathan Winter of Iowa in his semifinal. In one of the weekend�s most entertaining matches Tony and Nathan went back and forth, using their prodigious foosball skills to create one seemingly-impossible, eye-popping play after another, to send the match down to one final game. In that fifth game the two players alternated points to even the score at three apiece. But it was the 2003 World Singles champion Spredeman who would score the match�s final two points, making him five for six shooting the ball in the game, to reach a winner�s side final showdown with his good friend and rival Billy Pappas.

Continuing his excellent all around play, Pappas took it to the world champ in the winner�s bracket final, outplaying the aggressive Spredeman to defeat him in four tough games to reach a second straight Open Singles final on the major pro tour.

Now in the loser�s bracket, Spredeman faced the hard-charging Rob Mares, who had lost an early round match to rising young Californian Adam Gilson. Mares had then avenged the loss with a rousing, come from behind five game, final ball win over Gilson before defeating Terry Moore and then fourth place finisher Nathan Winter to reach the loser�s bracket final.

Coming into the event�s final day with fire in his eyes, Spredeman put together one of the most amazing single-match performances of recent years in the loser�s side final, defeating Mares in three straight games in overwhelming style to earn a slot in his second career Open Singles final.

In the highly anticipated final, with the stands jam-packed with spectators Spredeman jumped all over Pappas in the first set, using his amazing far-wall passing series and overpowering �walking snake� shot to win in three straight games, 5-3, 5-2, and 5-3 to send the match to one final 3-out-of-5 set.

In set number two it was Pappas who came out hot as he jumped ahead 4-1 and then held on to win game one, 5-3. But Tony Spredeman came back to pull out a tight game two, 5-4, and followed that up with another closely-contested win in game three, also by a score of 5-4.

Now just one game away from his second career major tour victory, Spredeman again came out aggressively in game four, surging ahead 4-2 before once again holding on for a 5-4 win and the 2004 national singles title, the second major title of his young career. After being dispatched to the loser�s bracket by Pappas in the winner�s bracket final, Tony �The Tiger� played absolutely incredible foosball down the stretch, winning 9 of his final 10 games against Mares and Pappas to come back and win the title.

In the Mixed Doubles event at this year�s National Championships 47 time tour champion Terry Moore teamed with Semi Pro player Tommie Bagley of Colorado to defeat tour veterans Dave Gummeson and Cindy Head in the championship final.

Gummeson, the 2000 National Mixed Doubles champ and Head, who has won three of the last five world mixed titles, got on the scoreboard first, winning game one, 5-3. But the remarkably consistent Moore brought his team back, using his high percentage 5-row and strategically-smart roll-over to claim game two, 5-2.

Hoping to send it to a second set, Gummeson and Head surged ahead 3-2 in game three. But Cindy Head mistakenly called an illegal third time out, and Terry Moore converted the technical shot to tie it at three. Gummeson answered with a split pull shot to give his team a set point, but Moore again responded, picking up a loose ball and quickly scoring it to take the set down to one final ball. At 4-4, Moore advanced it to his 3-row and put away the final point to win the National Mixed Doubles title for the fourth time in his career. For Moore it was his 48th major open win, while for his partner Tommie Bagley the victory represented the first major title of her brief career.

In the Women�s events, Vancouver�s Moya Tielens, who over the past couple of years has become far and away the best lady-forward on the planet, continued her streak of pro tour success by winning both the Women�s Singles and Doubles titles in Minneapolis, making it eight straight major events that she had won at least one major title.

In Women�s Doubles Moya paired with her World Championship partner Joy Steward to win for the third straight time on the major tour, defeating Chicagoan Tiffany Moore, who was returning to the pro tour for the first time in more than five years, and partner Gena Murray. Coming from the loser�s side Moya and Joy won the first set, 5-2, and 5-2, and then followed that up with a 5-2, 5-3 win in the second set to earn the victory and add the national title to their list of recent accomplishments.

In Singles, Tielens won the winner�s bracket, and then held off 2003 national doubles champion and singles runner-up Stayce Fowler of Iowa to win her second title of the weekend and fourth major championship of the 2004 season.

In the weekend�s other major event, 2003 National Open Doubles champions Dave Gummeson and Tracy McMillin became the first team to ever win the U.S.T.S.A., National Championship two years in a row, utilizing their high-percentage, ball-control style of play to defeat 1996 world doubles winners Rob Mares and Tommy Adkisson in a very exciting final match.

Gummeson and McMillin, who, in contrast to the young freestyle artists Spredeman, Pappas and Winter, play foosball the �old fashioned way�, won the winner�s bracket in impressive style, defeating the 17th seeded team of Nathan Winter and Phil Nelson in the bracket�s final to advance to the championship match for the second year in a row.

Since permanently pairing-up at the beginning of the 2003 season Dave and Tracy have finished in the top three in four of their five appearances together, and had reached the finals at this year�s season opener in Vegas before succumbing to the great Collignon and Loffredo.

Meanwhile, in the Open Doubles loser�s bracket, Rob Mares and Tommy Adkisson, who had lost earlier in the semifinals to Gummeson and McMillin (after leading two games to nothing) began to work their way back into the mix. First they defeated a highly-motivated Louis Cartwright and his partner Steve Rogge, and then followed that with a win over fourth place finishers Tom Yore and Bob Diaz to reach the loser�s bracket final and a showdown with the weekend�s Cinderella team, Nathan Winter and Phil Nelson.

After playing amazing foosball all weekend long, Nathan Winter, who had a breakthrough weekend with two top-4 finishes, and Minnesota pro player Phil Nelson found themselves up against a buzzsaw in the loser�s bracket final as former world champs Mares and Adkisson defeated them in four impressive games, 5-1, 1-5, 5-2, and 5-2 to advance to their first open final in almost five years.

Looking to become the first team to ever go back-to-back at the National Championships, Minnesota�s Dave Gummeson and Tracy McMillin of Texas won game number one of the 2004 National Open Doubles final by a score of 5-3 to grab the early momentum. Dave and Tracy then continued their strong early play, moving ahead 3-1, on their way to a 5-2 second game win, and a two games to nothing lead. But Mares and Adkisson weren�t finished yet. �Rapid Rob� and �Two-Gun Tommy� stormed back, using their versatitlity and experience at both forward and goalie to get themselves back into the match. They counteracted the slower, methodical style of Gummeson and McMillin by picking up the pace and using a well-timed switching strategy to earn a 5-3 win in game three, with Adkisson firing home the final point from goal.

With momentum now on their side, Mares and Adkisson really started to heat up. Rob Mares scored on his first three 3-row possesions while Adkisson began to find a defensive answer to Dave Gummeson�s pull shot, as the two-time world finalists pulled out game four, 5-2, to take the first set to a fifth and final game.

In game five, Dave and Tracy once again began to control the pace of the match. McMillin took 10-15 seconds on each goalie possesion, while Gummeson methodically moved the ball from his 5-row to 3-row, and scored on three of his first five shots, after patiently waiting out Adkisson�s defense, to give his team a seemingly-insurmountable 3-0 lead. But Mares and Adkisson again answered the challenge, scoring the next three points to even the game at three apiece. Gummeson then surprised the goalie Adkisson with a rolling long pull shot to put his team ahead, but a defensive block by Mares made it 4-4.

With the national title on the line, the defending champs proceeded to come up huge when they needed it most. Gummeson hammered a solid pass through the lane, called time out, and then sat on the ball for a full eight seconds before exploding to the long hole to win the match and the title.

With the victory Dave Gummeson and Tracy McMillin became the first team to ever win the U.S.T.S.A. National Doubles Championship two years in a row and have put themselves firmly into position to contend for the world title this Labor Day weekend in Dallas. As for the dynamic duo of Rob Mares and Tommy Adkisson, they too have worked themselves back into the World Championship picture after Tommy�s recent return to the pro tour after a four year absence.

This year�s worlds is shaping up as one of the most competitive in recent years with the exciting rise to the top of the sport�s young stars Tony Spredeman, Billy Pappas, Brandon Moreland, and Nathan Winter, among others, along with the continued excellence of names like Gummeson, McMillin, Mares, Adkisson, and Moore. And of course let�s not forget about a couple of guys named Collignon and Loffredo.

2004 Nationals DVDS: Remember, you can enjoy all the excitement of the 2004 National Championships by going to http://www.insidefoos.com. To aid in your decision I have printed the listings from each of the three Nationals DVDs below.
ALSO: If you were in the finals of any event at the Nationals, your match was recorded on DVD. Please contact us at info@insidefoos.com for ordering information.

New Column: Four-time tour champion and Inside Foos commentator Tom Yore debuts a new monthly column, "Tom's Tips", in this issue. The esteemed Mr. Yore will provide beginning and rookie players with some of his insights into what they'll need to do to become successful tournament players. Welcome to the newsletter Tom.

Next stop on the major pro tour: Dallas/Fort Worth Airport and the sport's biggest event, the $135,000 World Championships, being held for the ninth time in the last ten years at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. This year's event should be extra special with the sport's new young stars battling former world champions Loffredo, Collignon, Mares, Cartwright, Moore, Gummeson, Adkisson, McMillin, Wydman, and others, for 2004 world honors. It should be a lot of fun to watch and even more fun to commentate!

We'll seeya there,

Jim Stevens
Christina Fuchs
Inside Foos Productions

2004 National Championship DVD Listings

DISC 1
TONY SPREDEMAN VS. STEVE MOHS
BILLY PAPPAS VS. TOM YORE
NATHAN WINTER VS. TONY SPREDEMAN
TONY SPREDEMAN VS. BILLY PAPPAS WBF
DAVE GUMMESON/TRACY McMILLIN VS. SCOTT WYDMAN/MIKE BOWERS
BILLY PAPPAS/BRANDON MORELAND VS. TREVOR PARK/STEVE TELLAS

DISC 2
NATHAN WINTER/PHIL NELSON VS. TOM YORE/BOB DIAZ
LOUIS CARTWRIGHT/STEVE ROGGE VS. GREGG PERRIE/GARRETT SCHERKENBACH
NATHAN WINTER/PHIL NELSON VS. DAVE GUMMESON/TRACY McMILLIN WBF
TOM YORE/BOB DIAZ VS. ROB MARES/TOMMY ADKISSON
ROB MARES VS. NATHAN WINTER
TONY SPREDEMAN VS. ROB MARES
NATHAN WINTER/PHIL NELSON VS. ROB MARES/TOMMY ADKISSON

DISC 3
OPEN SINGLES FINAL TONY SPREDEMAN VS. BILLY PAPPAS
OPEN DOUBLES FINAL DAVE GUMMESON/TRACY McMILLIN VS. ROB MARES/TOMMY ADKISSON
MASTERS SINGLES FINAL ROB MARES VS. TERRY MOORE

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AVAILABLE NOW AT http://www.insidefoos.com:
2004 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS
2004 WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS (pre-order)
2004 TEXAS STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
2004 HALL OF FAME CLASSIC
2004 FULL SEASON PACKAGE (HoFC, Nats, 10 hour World Championships)

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2004 NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS

Masters Singles

1st    TERRY MOORE
2nd   ROB MARES
3rd    TOMMY ADKISSON
         GREGG PERRIE

Open Singles

1st    TONY SPREDEMAN
2nd   BILLY PAPPAS
3rd    ROB MARES
4th    NATHAN WINTER
5/6th DAVE GUMMESON
      TERRY MOORE

Open Doubles

1st     DAVE GUMMESON & TRACY McMILLIN
2nd     ROB MARES & TOMMY ADKISSON
3rd     NATHAN WINTER & PHIL NELSON
4th     TOM YORE & BOB DIAZ
5/6th TONY SPREDEMAN & BUD SPREDEMAN
     LOUIS CARTWRIGHT & STEVE ROGGE

Open Mixed Doubles

1st    TERRY MOORE & TOMMIE BAGLEY
2nd    DAVE GUMMESON & CINDY HEAD
3rd    BILLY PAPPAS & CHRISTINA FUCHS

Womens Singles

1st     MOYA TIELENS
2nd    STAYCE FOWLER
3rd    CINDY HEAD

Womens Doubles

1st    MOYA TIELENS & JOY STEWARD
2nd    TIFFANY MOORE & GENA MURRAY
3rd    CINDY HEAD & CHRISTINA FUCHS

PRO DOUBLES BRIAN TURMAN & JIM McKENNEY
SEMI PRO SINGLES REID ABEL
SEMI PRO DOUBLES CHAD BENESH & JONAS DRURY
ROOKIE SINGLES MICHAEL SHERROD
ROOKIE DOUBLES CHRIS HESANO/WAFIR HALAWI
3500 LIMITED DOUBLES BRIAN TURMAN & CHARLES MOORE
WEDNESDAY DYP QUINN BEALE & A.J. ADELMAN
WOMEN'S ROOKIE/SEMI PRO DOUBLES MELISSA KEGG & TOMMIE BAGLEY
WOMEN'S ROOKIE SINGLES SARAH DALESANDRY
WOMEN'S ROOKIE DOUBLES MELISSA KEGG & AMY BOEHM
35 AND OVER DOUBLES STEVE MURRAY & MARK DAVIS
PRO/PRO MASTER DYP TOM YORE & ROB ATHA
NO PRO DYP STEVE ROGGE & JEFF KIMMERLING
STATE DYP DON PFLEIDERER & STEVE MOHS (Minnesota)
VIFA DYP DAVIS PATTERSON & SCOTT PIERSON
FORWARD SHOOTOUT DAVE ROSS
GOALIE WAR JOHN GREENGO

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INSIDE THE PRO TOUR...

Clearing out the National Championship notebook...

Tony Spredeman's performance in Minneapolis this year was somewhat reminiscent of his dominating run through the Open Singles field at last year's World Championships...

Tony lost only 2 total games at the 2003 Dallas event on his way to the world title...

In Minnesota, Tony "three-straighted" Steve Mohs (5-0, 5-4, and 5-2) and Gregg Perrie ( by a total score of 15-3) in the winner's bracket, and overwhelmed the defending champ Rob Mares in a truly amazing three game performance (5-4, 5-2, and 5-2) in the loser's side final...

However Spredeman did need five games to get past the talented Nathan Winter in the semifinals, and lost a winner's final showdown to Billy Pappas in four games, before coming back to beat "Billy the Kid" 6 out of 7 games in the finals...

For the seemingly-effortless Mr. Winter his two top-4 results represented the best major finishes of his career...

Nate's Open Doubles partner Phil Nelson also played very well despite having never traveled so far in an open bracket at a major championship...

Dave Gummeson and Tracy McMillin gave us a lesson in good old fashioned, high percentage foosball in winning the national title for the second year in a row...

Gummeson's offensive 5-row is still one of the deadliest ever...

Billy Pappas continued his rise to the top in Minneapolis, competing in his second Open Singles final in two 2004 major tournaments...

Sandwiched in between was a win in Texas in the singles event...

Vermont pro fooser Brian Turman proved once again that he is one the best non-Pro master forwards around, winning both Pro Doubles (with Jim McKenney) and the 3500 Limited event (with Chuck Moore)...

Four time World Champion Tommy Adkisson, who continues his return after a four year absence, looked great in Minneapolis...

Tommy finished third in Masters Singles and second in Open Doubles, and enters this year's worlds playing as well as he ever has...

TRIVIA TIME: Who were the only two Open Doubles teams to win both the Nationals and World Championships in the same USTSA season?

We Love the 80's: The 35 and Over final at the Nationals featured two of the greatest forwards to ever play the game in Steve Murray, who has 7 career world titles, and 6-time world champTony Bacon...

Murray and his partner, Mark Davis, outlasted Bacon and Howard Burns to win the title in a tough two game match, 5-4, and 5-3...

Another future star? Semi Pro player Adam Gilson of California broke-through with his best performance ever, finishing 7th in Open Singles...

Adam, whose father Terry worked on the old Tournament Soccer tour of the 1970's, beat Rob Mares in the winner's bracket, and then took Mares down to the final ball in the match for 5th place or better...

Terry Moore returned to the winner's circle for the first time in nearly 16 months at the Minnesota event, winning the prestigious Masters Singles title while also capturing Mixed honors with Tommie Bagley...

Big Terry's last win was at the 2003 Hall of Fame Classic with Rick Macias in Open Doubles...

We know that the sport's young stars, Spredeman, Pappas, Moreland and Winter, are going to be major factors at the upcoming worlds, but watch out for the talented veteran Louis Cartwright, who enters the Dallas event playing with a tremendous amount of heart and desire...

Louis reached the finals in both major open events at last year's world's before falling short against the steamrolling Spredeman in singles, and Adrian Zamora and Eddy Gartman, who really caught fire on the event's final day, in doubles...

Don't forget Mary Moore's exciting Kentucky State Championships coming up August 5-8 at the Holiday Inn North in Lexington...

This $25,000 tournament, which is held midway between the Nationals and Worlds is always one of the most well-attended stops on the annual regional tour...

See the "Upcoming Events" section below for more info on this event...

TRIVIA ANSWER: Todd Loffredo and Scotty Wydman in 1995, and Frederic Collignon and Todd Loffredo in 2002 are the only teams to win world titles after also claiming the year's national title...

After yet another outstanding series of radio reports from Minneapolis, Table Sports Radio's Brad Anderson will broadcast his daily internet shows from the World Championship ballroom beginning the evening of September 2nd and continuing through the event's conclusion...

Go to http://www.natsa.org/tsr for all the details...

There really is nothing quite like a World Championship event...

Dallas here we come...

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TORO'S CORNER by mark torres

Coming Of Age?

The future of foosball�. Is it here yet? We sure have been waiting for it for a long time haven�t we? Let me see, the 90�s kind of look like this: Todd, Terry and Bobby win EVERYTHING. Rico came in during the last half of the decade and proceeded to embarrass the rest of the tour. Interspersed in there were a few great finishes from Tommy, Robbie, Scotty and Gummy. Swan burned bright for a little while and Adrian snuck a few in there somewhere. But for the most part, it was the same handful of usual suspects over and over. 1st place through 9th place was the same old hodge-podge of masters with few exceptions (generally some totally random pro or blazing hot semi-pro with a few upsets under their belt that found their way into the deeper portions of the bracket). In the end, there were never any real surprises about who would be in the finals or eventually win the tournament. Ho-Hum�

Can you name all of the guys that were supposed to be great? There are quite a few guys that should have won something, and countless more that were super-talented but just never really put it all together. How many of you have that guy in your local bar that can do anything from anywhere at anytime: DEADMAN PUSH-KICK **BAM** DEADMAN PULL-KICK **BAM** LIGHTSPEED WALLPASS_ DEADMAN PULLSHOT **BAM**?? And with all those weapons, he/she just froze like a deer in headlights when the pressure was on and couldn�t get it done? We all have that person in our local area. If you don�t know that person, then YOU ARE THAT PERSON!! So, no disrespect to the great players that have dominated the tour for the past decade plus, but for crying out loud� for entertainment reasons alone we sure did need a little parity.

I think those days are finally behind us. Sometimes it takes a player or two to blaze a trail and shift the perspective of the competitive community that we all participate. I won�t say any names, but there are a couple of younger foosers out there leading a new generation that has been taking it right to the old guys and challenging them to bring it� or get ready for the old folks home. What has been the difference? One word: Passion. Passion for winning, passion for fighting every ball tooth and nail like it is their only reason for living. Passion for being the best they can possibly be. And finally, it is a passion for never giving up, ever.

It is the type of fearless passion that every competitive spectator longs to be a part of. It is the type of energy and vigor for the game that incites all who are watching to want to practice their tails off so they can execute and perform the way those who I am referring to have under the bright lights of tension thick pit matches. It is the type of ambition for greatness that awakens ancient fires in Todd, Terry, Adrian, Tommy, Robbie, Gummy, Swan, Louis and others to remember the competitors they could be, and bring their OEA� games back to the table. It is something foosball has needed for a long time.

Let�s all hope for some more parity. Let�s hope Todd gets a little angry, Rico feels a little heat, Tommy starts barking again, Robbie throws his rod a little more, and Louis keeps pumping his fists at his opponents. It will be the best thing to happen to foosball for a LONG time. Meanwhile, the young guys will go for the jugular, and I can sit back and enjoy the show.

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TOM'S TIPS by tom yore

Practice, Practice, Practice. This is what we have all been told as we seek to improve our skills in the various interests in our lives. Whether it be golf, pool, tennis or even the guitar the same holds true for foosball; you must practice in order to reach the next level.

What most people are seldom told is exactly what to practice or even how to practice. Numerous regimens can be followed or created with individual styles, but few techniques will produce the success that can and will be achieved by good old-fashioned repetition.

It is the repetitive process which makes the fast wall pass automatic or the inside snake shot easier to time under pressure. When the mechanics of executing a pass or shot are grooved into a natural stroke the mind becomes more focused on reading or timing the defense and less focused on how to perform the action. Practicing the basic shooting and passing options through repetition will allow you to learn any additional options more easily.

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THE ZONE with kevin munro

This month in The Zone, I'll turn the column over to my good friend and tour pro Jim McKenney, who'll give his views on what it takes to be consistent & successful on tour...

Assuming that the mechanics and mental aspects of the game are already in one's possession, the best advice for good performance in foosball is rest, solid nutrition, and proper warmup time. I will give my take on these aspects as applied to participating in a major.

Rest- Above all, rest is paramount in achieving optimum performance in any endeavor, foosball included. This doesn't just mean the night before the tournament or at night during the weekend event. I mean that in the week prior to the event one should be rested. Lot's of people practice before a major and many play right up to the tournament time. I'd suggest putting your time in on the table a few weeks before, playing if possible, in long endurance sessions. This will obviously condition you to the physical drain (including long periods of intense mental focus) of extended bouts of play which certainly will be a requirement during any major foosball tournament. All table work should be completed the week prior to the tournament because if you're not ready by then you won't be ready AT the tournament.

I further suggest NOT PLAYING the week prior to the tournament. If anything maybe some very limited 5 row work but that should be it. This gives you time to physically and mentally recuperate and attack the game with a fresh exuberance. You'll find yourself amped up all weekend because you'll be itching to get on the table. Last minute endurance sessions running up until the day before the major will only serve to hurt your game because fatigue will start to set in during the early portion of the tourney, or physical limitations or old injuries can crop up due to stress exerted in the shoulder/wrist joints or the back, for example. Your body will reward you with peak performance if you give it ample physical rest and sleep.

Nutrition- Eating properly during a tournament can be the difference between first place and going out in two. We have previously discussed the need for rest prior to a major foosball tournament, but getting enough rest is just part of the equation. Eating the right foods will also help one's physical performance. I find that if I eat some sort of high carbohydrate meal (pasta or bread-based) one day prior to a tournament I'm pretty well fueled up with energy for an event by the next day. By taking in carbs, I'm refueling my glycogen stores. Gyclogen is the energy stored within muscle cells that provides the go-power to do physical activity. Carbs also provide the media to transport protein to build and repair muscle tissue damage occurred during strenuous physical activity.

During a long tournament, it is desireable to eat smaller, more frequent meals to maintain a steady energy level. Try no to eat large multi-course dinners if you are expecting to play matches soon afterwards. Most likely, many of you have felt sleepy after a large meal. This is due to two things:
1) a large fat and protein based meal. This is not what you want to perform well. Balancing carbs, fats and proteins in each meal would be the best plan of attack.
2) The volume of food can take enormous amounts of energy away from other processes and are redirected towards digestion. Smaller more frequent meals will free up that energy for accute physical and mental performance while maintaining consistant levels of blood sugar and energy throughout the day.

Drinking a "Red Bull" or "Monster" can bring up the level of one's physical and mental accuity but it's not the type of thing that you can uptake consistently throughout the weekend. With all stimulants, there is the inevitable "crash." You never get something for nothing because it all balances itself out in the end. You might perform energetically from these drinks but when you come down off of the caffeine or sugar, you will be worse for wear, so to speak. Your body will try to make up for the demands that the energy drinks put on it by feeling sleepy or weak. This yo-yo effect is not a good thing for an extended bout of physical activity. Another thing that should be noted about most high energy drinks is that their main compenent is caffeine, which is a diruretic. A diruetic makes one lose water as opposed to maintain hydration. It would better instead to be hydrated throughout the day, as it helps ensure smooth muscle contractions and helps to prevent injuries such as muscle tears. Think of caffeine laden drinks more as a last resort when you need the quick pickup in the early evening.

The better alternative to energy drinks is to achieve a steady energy level by eating something during the tournament like natural peanut butter and jelly on wheat bread, tunafish sandwiches (again on whole grain breads), small amounts of pasta, fresh fruits such as apples, bananas, grapes, etc... Other good foods or snacks that require minimal effort to digest while providing high energy without the sugar spike would include nuts, oatmeal, raisins, some type of barn cereal, a good meal replacement powder (MRP) such as from Nectar, Myoplex or Optimum Nutrition protein shake with bananas and/or berries, etc...

Eat something about every two to three hours regardless of hunger level. It is easy to lose track of eating when playing in a multi-day foosball tournament. So by eating small leals often, you stannd to fulfill the proper energy requirements that your body will need. Supplements such as creatine can also help your body sustain prolonged effects of physical activity. Regular creatine monohydrate powder is relatively cheap, contains no calories and should be taken on a daily basis on the morning of and afternoon during the tournament. Don't worry about "loading" phases and crap like that. Just take in 5 milligrams twice each day because your body only processes that much at a time anyhow. Anymore than 10mg is just voided from the body through urination and you've wasted your money. You can mix the powder in some gatorade, apple juice or grape juice. There is no need to "load." Don't mix it in grapefruit or any other type of highly acidic juice because it will break down the creatine and make it unusable in the body.

Warmup- Probably the best preparation that you can do before a big match is to warmup properly. This means what it sounds like: warming up the muscles for optimum performance and minimalizing the chances of muscle injury. Warming up is especially important in the early morning and after long breaks between matches. I like to start out slowly by shooting a few racks at 1/2 speed or so and eventually building up to full speed. Something that really works out well is to play a goalie wars or 1 ball rollerball to get the reaction times up to snuff. These types of games can get the blood flow circulating and oxygenate the muscles for increased performance. The side benefit of playing these types of games is that you'll find that you will exhibit greater ball control and you tend to pick up more loose stuff rolling around the table. More possessions = higher winning percentages.

Stretching your back, shoulders, arms and even legs will limber you up to execute your game more efficiently. Use smooth and steadily progressive stretches and not "bouncy" type movements to avoid muscle strains and sprains. Tight muscles are slow muscles and will have a tendency to make you misexecute more frequently because the opposing muscle groups (chest and back/biceps and triceps) cannot enjoy the full range of motion necessary for proper passing and shot execution. Relaxed muscles can perform smoother and quicker than tensed up muscles. You'll find that shot speed increases when the arms/shoulders are relaxed as opposed to having a "death grip" on the handle and loading up for the shot. Tells will be less evident as well. Once you are warmed up, stop playing. You have achieved your optimum playing condition and anything more becomes a waste of valuable playing energy. Lots of people I see are constantly playing pickup games early in the tournament and burn out well before the late stages of an event. This comes back to the issue of resting your body. Conserve your energy and use it all out in actual matches. You can always play pickup games at the end of your event after you pick up your trophy and jacket.

I hope this stuff helps some of you out there who want to perform better over a long foosball tournament. Just remember; rest, nutrition and proper warmup are all you need to do to outlast your opponents who don't follow this regimen. For the other competitors that do follow this regimen, I say buy them lots of beers before your matches. (LOL).

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Foosball Sites...

http://www.vifa.com    For info on the major pro tour and VIFA leagues. The Official Site of the U.S.T.S.A., V.I.F.A. and Table Talk Magazine.

http://www.natsa.org   For complete schedules, results, and Table Sports Radio.

http://www.foosball.com   For anything and everything pertaining to foosball.

http://ocfoosball.com Orange County, California foosball site.

http://foosballworld.com/ifp.html   Independent Foosball Promotions.

http://foosworld.com/site/default.aspx FoosWorld.com events, results, interviews

http://home.swbell.net/dradack Dallas/Fort Worth foosball

http://www.dfwfoosball.com     More Dallas/Fort Worth foos

http://pub86.ezboard.com/bfoosball6358   Foosball EZ Board newsgroup.

http://www.sdfoos.com   San Diego, California Foosball site.

http://www.nwfoosball.com   Northwest Foosball site.

http://www.ottawafoos.com   Ottawa, Canada site.

http://www.britfoos.com   U.K. foosball site

http://www.atlantafoosball.com

http://www.tulsafoosball.com

http://www.foosballohio.com

http://members.shaw.ca/vancouverfoosball

http://www.newenglandfoosball.com

http://www.tischfussball.at   Austrian Fussball site

http://NYMetroFoosball.i8.com   New York City foos

http://www.csfoosball.com    Colorado Springs foos site

http://www.cnyfoosball.com   Central New York site

http://www.FoosBars.com    global, online foosball locations directory

http://www.FoosManchu.com Foosball site featuring a foosball animation short titled "The Adventures of FoosManchu"

http://www.bonziniusa.com   Bonzini Table Soccer U.S.A

http://www.warriortablesoccer.com

http://www.MinnesotaFoosball.com

http://www.torontofoos.ca

http://www.ontariotablesoccer.com

http://www.canadafoos.com

http://www.tafelvoetbal.nl    Awesome Netherlands foos site

http://www.foozen.com     Iowa's Foosball website

http://www.flatheadfoos.com Montana Foosball site

http://www.foosballhk.com Hong Kong Foosball site

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