Topic: How come pool is so popular and foosballs not?

[foosin joe]

Just wondering that when I was at the bar last night. they probably have 5 pool tables, and one foosball table. The pool tables are always packed with people waiting in line to play, while the foosball table acts primarily as a coat rack for the people playing pool. Any thoughts on why this is? I don't know what the foosball scene was like in the 70's cause I wasn't alive and Ive heard that when video games were invented, foosball declined. How did pool manage to stay a popular game with plenty of good players at every bar, while foosball kind of faded away. I get excited when I go out and someone wants to play that actually dosen't spin the rods. Any thoughts on why this is, and what we can do to make foosball more appealing?

[JimWaterman]

Once challenge to foos "growth" and "player retention"... is the head to head competitive in your face nature of the game.

In billiards you can still look cool leaning against the wall drinking you beer as your opponent breaks and runs out the table.

In foos... as you step up to the table - thinking you have game... only to find out that folks actually practice with that middle 5-bar... and use more than 2 seconds on the 3-bar... and after the 9-0 butt whooping with you never getting a shot on your 3-bar.... and your spectators looking at you like you are not very cool...    hmmm....   that's tough!

How to overcome this?   If you are the 9-0 VICTORY on occasion... try not to recoil so hard on you dead-man pull shot... and heck, drop  5-ball pass back to their 3-bar on occasion. 

One goofy idea i had was to REMOVE the middle 4-rods on 1 foosball table in every multi-table location should you be fortunate enough to have one nearby.     Push goalie wars more, and with younger kids, try to have an alternate shot format for goalie war,  let the kids line up and take 10 shots from their 2 rod against your goalie D.    Once they get a taste of success controlling the 2-bar a bit, maneuvering the ball, and getting a little pace on a shot - they'll be looking for a game elsewhere where they can whoop up on someone!

[B,inSA]

 I think people dont realize how competitive it can be. And alot of those who do realize what you can accomplish dont have the skill set to want to play someone good. Its like anyone, and i mean anyone can THINK they are good at pool and knock the balls around and get dominated and they still had fun. However they look over and see a foos table and the initial thought or conatation is "thats that game where you try and hit the little ball and spin those things around real fast"  I dont think the majority is thinkin " damn , push, pull,backpin,reverse ,snake.....YES! lets play foos" I have to admit months ago when i got my table i really didnt know what i was gettin myself into. then, luckily , i had friends with closet-foosball skills and it erupted from there. Also i had to learn alot about the game myself, on this forum, from very nice people. I just dont think the average person knows what they themselves , could do on a foos table. And they all know they can whack the cue ball around and maybe get lucky. One thing i have noticed is that there are NOT videos online that are tutorials made by good players, aimed at total beginners. Nobody is out there giving simple , basic step by step instructions on how to be a better player. Im constantly improving so maybe one day i could make one. I have had friends over that had never played or cared to play, and i gently coax them over to one of my tables and say "look- this is what i want you to try......" and 15 minutes later we are playing a game,that i could dominate, but they are shooting a push and a pull and just lovin it. And while we're playing im teachin them how to pass and catch. before you know it , we have another foos player for my ever so classic   Foos n' Booze parties. If someone like yall who have seemingly infinate foos knowledge could make a video aimed at making an 8 year old better, alot of folks could learn alot.....IMHO

[Rios]

Pool is more popular than foosball simply because it is easier to play.

I see people that have no idea what they are doing, playing foosball just spinning the rods as fast as they can and then after they get done.... someone ALWAYS says "that was stupid" 
I think more people like pool because the concept is pretty easy.  Granted professional pool players have incredible skill, but it is just easier to learn how to play pool.  not many people have the coordination in their right and left hands to play foos.

[Old Meister]

I agree with Rios. Most people don't think that they can play 'that' game. Skill is tied in with being incredibly fast and controlled to the casual observer, which is true. But the difference from a beginner to even a novice is pretty evident. Many of us had the opportunity to learn with others of the same basic skill levels so it was fun. And those who had some inherent skills took up the game more seriously than those who struggled. Pool is somewhat the same except the skills are not about being fast and fine motor control. Once you learn to bridge your hand and how to stroke the cue you no longer look bad and can start learning the game quietly. In foosball you might not even get the ball as a beginner should you play someone who knows how to play. Today I see alot of tables being sold on Craigslist and advertised in fliers. While they may not be the best tables it still is the driving force to introducing people to the game.

[chance37]

All good points....Jim the problem I see in my area is there are NO kids playing.......I work in a billiard store selling pool tables and we sell a few mid rnge foosball tables..no tornadoes....but when kids come in with their families the first thing they pick up is not a pool cue....its the foosball and they play all the time until their parents leave with a receipt for a 3k dollar pool table.....I started playing at work on a good time novelty table...then went online and found a local tournament...thought i was good, but did expect to get killed.....There were a few people that took me to the side and told me my strong points and told me what to work on....I'm 27 thank god i can get into a bar where theres a table.....too bad for the kids...

[JimWaterman]

Chance37... yup... "access" to foosball tables is a key piece of the puzzle.   This is one of the areas that foosball promoters can brainstorm about to see what works in their areas.     Get a few local foosers in your area that also "SEE" this "Access Challenge"  and consider doing a few things to help improve access to tables for youth in your area.

Consider...
... taking your table OUT in public somewhere where kids can toy around with it... and see the BIG KIDS do something amazing on the table to WOW some of those kids into badgering their folks to get a table!
... keep on the lookout for a "youth center", "school", "daycare", "church" or whatever with a kids recreation area, or a recreation coordinator.   find the manager of those places and see if they HAVE foosball, or would want a foosball table.    poll your local community for "abandoned foos tables" being used as coat rack in someones basement, offer to accept it as a donation and move it to a "youth center" with a need!
... get a few locals to "schedule appearances" at the youth center to show off a bit.. and do a little skills training.
...

Hmmm.. if this is something you (or someone reading this) wants to discuss further, perhaps coordinate youth foos development projects locally or, research and document what folks are doing nationally.  PM me and drop me your phone number.   This is one of the committees of USTSF that will hopefully get more attention this year.   Jim

[chance37]

Juim I do plan on trying to do something like you suggested, but i'm moving within the next few months to texas and from what i hear the playing there is much more inviting than central florida....I really love the game and will do what I can to get the youngins introduced to the game....

chance

[WimZer]

           I know this thread is quite too old, but I am really interested on this topic. Foosball is also a foreign term to me also, but as I come to my wide readings, foosball is a kind of game in which there are rods which serve your arm to shoot a ball into opponents goal. It is similarly to a football. Foosball in addition is a tricky game so players must have to practice. On the topic posted why pool became so popular nowadays and the foosball is left behind, simply because in pool games you are moving your whole body and mind to shoot the balls in the four corners of the table. You are opposing with one or two persons and your main goal is to shoot all your balls at a definite time.

[jinhopark]

.....too bad for the kids...

(I too am intrigued by this "old" thread)

I agree I think that youth development is the key for foosball growth, but there are a few issues working against the sport.

Unless you have a quality table with telescoping rods, then safety is a main concern with me.  Having 4 children at home all under 10 I constantly have to remind them about the rods.  Naturally young kids want to run up to the table and see what all the fun is all about, and when you are playing aggressively and focused on the game it's hard to keep track of the kids.  A 2 bar to the forehead, eye socket, teeth, etc...would not be fun.

Also, a "full-size" table is physically hard to play on for small kids...  In my house we get over the height issue with a bench that the kids can stand on, but other issues come into play.  Their arms and hands are usually not long enough in many situations.  For instance my daughter nearly falls off the bench when trying to get at a ball that is near side on her 2-bar...and doing a roll-over on with little arms/hands is nearly impossible.

That would be pretty neat if there was a scaled down version of a Tornado table...like in pool they have various size tables that everyone can enjoy...6 ft, 7ft, 8ft, etc...  Or in basketball they have smaller balls to use and height adjusted baskets.

[Hollywood 1]

Foosball is a much harder game to learn and to excel at.  I have seen it so many times people feel stupid and intimaded when they play foosball once they quickly see they have no chance to compete.  Most people do not want to put the time in to get better. 

Playing pool at a very high level is very hard to achieve just like foosball.  The BIG difference is you can play pool decent very quickly and be able to make a few balls.  Pool is not a in your face game like foosball is.  Bottom line is people don't like to look stupid.

[Tyler Foos]

Friends,

Great topic. One of the reasons I am proud to represent Bonzini USA in my community is because of the importance and impact of the kids here. With it's telescoping rods, the 2 rod to the head scenario described above isn't an issue, and the cork ball is less of a threat if it hits an eye or any other area. Therefore, the ability to have tables available for children to play has almost none of the liability issues a single rod setup brings with it. Bonzini may not have anywhere near the penetration that Tornado does (actually it's better for us that way!) but getting kids to have the comfort and confidence levels to WANT to play more foosball is a long term contribution to the game that the Bonzini table does offer.

Right now I have a B-90 home model in COOKIE CUTTERS (haircuts for kids) and MaggieMoos ice cream and treatery, and both businesses are glad to have this child safe activity available for the families they rely on as their customer base:
http://www.maggiemoos.com/visit_a_treatery/maggiecommunity.cfm?UID=466&SID=9234

Take care................................Tyler

[jinhopark]

Friends,

Great topic. One of the reasons I am proud to represent Bonzini USA in my community is because of the importance and impact of the kids here. With it's telescoping rods, the 2 rod to the head scenario described above isn't an issue, and the cork ball is less of a threat if it hits an eye or any other area. Therefore, the ability to have tables available for children to play has almost none of the liability issues a single rod setup brings with it. Bonzini may not have anywhere near the penetration that Tornado does (actually it's better for us that way!) but getting kids to have the comfort and confidence levels to WANT to play more foosball is a long term contribution to the game that the Bonzini table does offer.

Right now I have a B-90 home model in COOKIE CUTTERS (haircuts for kids) and MaggieMoos ice cream and treatery, and both businesses are glad to have this child safe activity available for the families they rely on as their customer base:
http://www.maggiemoos.com/visit_a_treatery/maggiecommunity.cfm?UID=466&SID=9234

Take care................................Tyler

Tyler:

Hmmm....Bonzini....looks family friendly.  Not very many for sale here in the states though, and the last one listed has been donated:

http://www.foosball.com/forum/index.php?topic=3113.0#quickreply

Where might I find more info on the tables, and what models do they offer?  We like coin-ops in our house to match our coin-op Tornado, Pinball machines, etc..

Thanks.

[Alan Cribbs]

Check out www.bonziniusa.com.

You can see our events schedule, makes and model, and other info concerning Bonzini tables in the U.S.

[jkhFoos]

Structure determines function & vice versa. The B-90 design leads to great playability & safety for variable size,skill & age of players.