Becoming better, Practice, Training...
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1. I want to get better at foosball and beat my friends, what should I do first. (practice)
Jeff.

2. Hello
First of all I'd like to thank you for this site. (Thanks!) I decided one day I wanted to take foos to a new level and I started here and have been able to learn alot. My question is... Does physical training help? (Mixed bag) As in, can strength training of the wrist for example improve your play or hurt it?
Thanks again
RF

Answer

1. Get repetitive. The best foosball is doing the same thing over and over again! Practice a pull shot, practice a fast wall pass and practice catching the ball. If you do that hard for 2 weeks, you will torch your friends!
2. Physical Training: This is a tough question and you could get different answers from different people, I will give my opinion. Strength training is likely worthless for a guy, and very good for a girl. Men's upper bodies are plenty strong to play foosball. Girls could use more arm and wrist strength to shoot a quick shot. Notice the word quick, not fast. In the beginning levels of competitive foosball, having a consistent shot is the first thing, then you want to learn to see and shoot/pass though openings. Quickness and Accuracy are far more advantageous then a powerful shot. In higher levels of the game the defense is so good you need to anticipate openings then execute great passes and shots. A good goalie would block a fast shot all day long. As you get better, it will be more important to shoot accurately and less importance on power.
Now, being limber and flexible is of great value. Also, you need to shoot hard in practice, so when you play in a match, you will not over stress your wrist or back. That is a good point, many people hurt their lower back and knees playing foosball. To avoid this, do some sit-ups in your life and don't let your body weight get out of control. But this is good advice for your daily life anyway.
To sum up my rambling, curls will likely not help out a guy, but stretching and lots of pull shots with your eyes closed will help. Shoot and pass until you can do it blindfolded. And don't just shoot on an empty goal, set the defense up and shoot on a particular hole. Quick, accurate shots/passes are the ticket!

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