Foosball players are one of the most important parts of the foosball table and one of the most used parts of the foosball table.
Every foosball man has a special purpose and that is to defend his own goal or to attack the opponent’s goal. Their design, material and even characteristic will improve your game in a matter of seconds. Foosball table players are a crucial feature of almost every foosball table and that is why I decided to introduce you to different types of players and every other information you need to know about a foosball player.
Before we start talking about the foosball players dimensions, layout or setup, let’s focus on basic questions:
How Many Players on a Foosball Table?
The full-sized foosball table comes with 26 or 22 players on the foosball field. They are divided into 2 teams, which means that each foosball player team has 13 or 11 players. The number depends on the foosball players configuration and I will talk about it later in the article. The foosball men direction depends on the location of the player. Each team is turned towards the opponent’s goal and you can’t replace the direction once you set the table football players on the field.
How to Set up Foosball Players?
There are two goalie configurations you can use on the table. The 1-man goalie configuration requires 11 players (22 in total) and it is made so the last player, a goalie, is alone. The second configuration is made with 13 players (26 in total) and it is made so the goalie has two more players, one on each side. The goalie configuration determines the pace of the game. The 1-man layout is slower while the 3-men layout is much faster. When it comes to the foosball players dimensions, the most important part is that they have to spin without hitting the playing field or hitting the other foosball player.
Materials Used For Foosball Players
Plastic – the most common material used in making the foosball players is plastic. Plastic can be made especially to withstand force like the ABS plastic, or basic plastic used in almost every product on the market. The low-quality players are made from basic plastic because they are light and they can’t hit the ball with huge force. The best players are made from the ABS plastic, which is indestructible and they can hit the ball pretty hard.
Wood – wooden foosball men were used in the past and today they aren’t that common. Wood is more expensive than plastic and that is why they are replaced with the plastic ones. Most foosball tables made in some specific style like the antique or vintage foosball tables have wooden foosball table players.
Metal – just like the wooden players, metal foosball men are tied to the specific style of foosball tables. Most foosball table metal players are on the designer pieces, limited editions and other special types of foosball tables because having a metal player requires money.
Design of Foosball Players
Traditional players – are foosball players that look like real people. They are used since the beginning of foosball and there are two main types of traditional players. The first type is a player with the round foot, which isn’t good. The main problem is with foot shape because when you hit the ball, you have no idea in which direction it will go. The second type is players with rectangular feet. Those are improved traditional players because it is easier to control the ball with straight feet’s surface, but they still aren’t the best.
Tornado players – are among most common Tornado foosball replacement part. They have a robotic style which is pretty popular today, but the thing that makes them interesting is the foot. The foot has a cross-hatch design which is important because it helps during pining the ball, picking up the ball and everything else you want to do to control the ball. Also, the cross-hatch surface is bigger than the rectangle on the traditional players and the surface is slightly tilted so they are considered best foosball replacement players.
Robotic players – robotic players are very similar to the Tornado foosball men in design. They are made without any details, everything they have is leg, body and one rectangular foot. They look pretty much the same as the Tornado men, but they are made by other companies. Also, there are versions where they don’t have a cross-hatched surface. Considering the price, most foosball players for sale are cheaper than Tornado players.
Style of Foosball Players
Counterbalanced – the only style of foosball players which can really affect the game is the counterbalanced style. Counterbalanced foosball men are men who stay in the same position you leave them and it is considered the best foosball player style.
So, if you leave your players in a horizontal position, they won’t drop their feet. Another term for counterbalanced foosball players is counterweighed men, which means that the head and the toe are in a balance.
Today they are must-have features in most foosball tables so if you are looking for a high-quality foosball table, pick foosball tables with counterbalanced players.
Do I Have To Get Foosball Replacement Players?
The answer to that question depends on a foosball table you have. If you have an average foosball table with players which aren’t durable, I would suggest the replacement as a part of the foosball table upgrades.
Also, if the football table players have round feet you can also replace them because round feet will cause the ball to go in a different direction. So, as you can see, you don’t have to replace the players only when they break. You can replace them to improve the foosball experience.
Today, there are many foosball men for sale which have rectangular feet because it is easier to hit the ball with the straight surface and send it where you want it to go. The best replacement players (players overall, not just replacement) are the robotic style players, introduced by Tornado. Those players have slightly tilted rectangular feet. It is specially designed to help perform tricks and to control the ball.
Which Foosball Replacement Players Are Good?
There are many replacement table soccer men and how can you know which one is really good? Simple, you go with well-known brands. That way you can’t go wrong because famous brands are famous for their great quality. Their foosball replacement players for sale are as good as the original. Also, most brands today use ABS plastic which makes them practically indestructible.
Even though Tornado foosball replacement men are the best, they may come with a high price tag. If you can’t afford a Tornado foosball table, don’t worry, there are many similar players with half the price. I must admit, most of the time when people buy foosball men and other parts by Tornado, they are paying for the name as well. If you don’t mind if the players aren’t Tornado, you will find awesome players on the market. I know I don’t mind. I would rather pay for quality than for quality and the name.
How to Replace Foosball Players?
The most important thing you have to do before you make the foosball players replacement is to make sure you have correct foosball players. Check out the offer of parts for the table you have. That means if you have a Sportcraft or Halex foosball table, check the offer of Sportcraft or Halex foosball replacement parts. If there aren’t good players in the offer, then you can look for universal or custom foosball players but they have to fit perfectly to your table.
Now that you have the right foosball players, you have to replace them. If you aren’t sure how to do it, find the manual and look there because every foosball table has something different and the easiest way to replace them is by looking in the original manual.