foosball.com :

Lumps wrote:
Okay heres the deal!!!! I don't understand the brush but i go by what the FAq says and here is what i get out of it..... You almost back pin the ball. Then you push up on the rod then quickly down. Right? I've tried this on the 5 bar and don't understand it, but when i do it on the 3 bar i get a weird response from the ball. I push then pull on the rod and then ball flys out but then curves in due to the spin put on it.

     ==Q====== (goal)
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----.-O-------O----- (2 bar)
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---0-----0-----0---  (3 bar mine)>>

First let me say...groovy diagram, I'll copy that. You are almost there, here are some things that might help you get the total feel for it. When you brush the ball, you are only brushing the ball to pass the ball from the 5 bar, to your 3 bar. It is a way to pass, not to shoot....it is not like "english" on a cue ball. Let's pretend for a moment that you can pass while the ball is stopped. Take the ball and put it 3-5 inchs away from the wall closest to you, and place it so it is slightly behind, or slightly to the left of your 5 rod...so it is almost in a back pin, but not quite, and it is almost in a squib, but still a little further forward. So behind the man, but not so far as to pin. This is where you brush from. Remember the ball is one inch off the wall, so now place the #1 5 bar man, right behind the ball. Now place the opponents 5 bar rod straight in front of the ball, with its foot forked forward, so if you hit the ball straight, it will come spiking right back at you.

So what can you do from here? The defender is blocking you. You could try and attempt to angle or chip the ball at an angle to the left or right to try and miss the defender....not a bad idea, but it is difficult to hit, and hard to catch. Players needed away out of this situation, so they invented the brush. Now, remember your man was right behind the ball, close, but not touching. Move this man back and forth, about one half inch forward, then one half inch back. So you are centered on the ball, but you are hovering behind it. Guess what, you've completed half the brush...not too hard so far. Now, when your ready, try to lower the man just slightly on one of the passes and brush the ball either toward the wall, or toward the lane. It is like you are hitting the ball at 5pm for the wall, and 1 am for the lane. The key motion is the down or up motion, secondary motion is the flick of the man forward.

This is a difficult pass to learn, but well worth while. The brush carries the ball about an inch and avoids hitting the defender. Practice with No defender for 1-3 months or you will become frustrated. As you get better, place the defender first in front of you, but angled back. Then as you get better, start to angle the defneder forward, until you can eventually get around the defender totally forked forward. I personally feel this drill can be practiced for 1-2 years before you introduce motion into the pass. Just practice with a stationary ball. After you get good, then start practicing with the ball moving. I still practice with the stationary ball 90% of the time.

If this doesn't make sense, grab a great foos video from Jim and Chris (insidefoos@aol.com), and watch the big guys do it. It si a pass that takes feel. You are sweeping the ball, you are not whacking it. You cannot here the ball hit the ball. You hear only the catch.

Downhill Brush Pass Note: I've noticed these diagrams look right only about half the time due to font selection and newsreader selection, so if they don't make sense, don't have a coniption.


                ---0-----0-----0---  (3 bar mine)>>
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---0-----0-----0----0-----0-.  (5 bar bad guy)
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                         .
-0-----0-----0----0-----0--  (5 bar mine)



Uphill Brush Pass

    ---0-----0-----0---  (3 bar mine)>>
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---0-----0-----0----0-----0-   (5 bar bad guy)
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                         .
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---0-----0-----0----0-----0--  (5 bar mine)

Hope this info is helpful, email me if you have any additional questions A.D.

#22 Regarding Brushing

Brushing....it's all in the feel