Spanish-Style Table Construction
Common Name
In Spain, the game of table soccer is referred to as futbolin. Spanish Playing Style The style of play in Spain is completely unique compared to any other country of foosball. This is all dictated by the unique qualities that go into the manufacturing and design of the table itself. Spanish style is a skill game that takes concentration and great hand-eye coordination due to the curved playing surface. This causes the ball to move back towards the middle and makes it harder to set up your shot. Spanish play style is known to have a lot of back pins to trap the ball and maintain possession, rather than a lot of passing back and forth along the same rod. |
Spanish Foosball Table Design Characteristics
Sure, we all know there are some tables made with 3 man goalie rods and others with single goalies and sloped corners that keep the ball continuously in play. However, some Spanish table designs depict a more accurate soccer formation with where men are mounted on the rods. Instead of always having 1 or 3 goalies, 2 defensive men, 5 midfielders and 3 on offense, they sometimes build tables with have 1 goalie, 3 defense, 3 midfielders and 4 on offense (1-3-3-4). This can definitely take some getting used to as the rod movement range is completely different on a Spanish model. Spanish tables also have heavy metal players each with two feet spread apart rather than a single toe, another design aspect that better mirrors the sport of soccer. Perhaps most unique of all, some of their futbolin tables actually have a curved playing field surface so the ball rolls towards the center line. This makes it difficult to keep the ball in front of the player; most of the movement is done with the ball behind the player. Their playing surface can also sometimes be made of glass or acrylic surfaces and played with wooden balls, making an extremely traditional style of game play that is truly unique. |