The Rollover Shot

The rollover is one of the most terrifying shots in the game of foosball. This shot literally terrifies most goalies, and this may be the sole reason why this shot is so popular among foosball players. I must admit, when I first saw this shot being done back in the early 80s, I thought it was just another gadget shot. I would have never thought it would stand the test of time like it has. What is really astounding, is the popularity of the shot. Not only do a lot of players want to master this shot, but it has become one the primary weapon of choice in tournaments today.

One of the reasons why I thought this shot would eventually fade away was because of the degree of difficulty that is involved in doing the shot. The rollover is one of those shots that breaks away from the traditional manner at which a shot is executed by the shooter. What is unique about the rollover, is the manner at which the shooter is controlling the rod during the time the shot is being executed.

Unlike most shots where the shooter has his or her hand on the handle of the rod during the whole time the shot is being executed, the rollover is executed with the shooter's wrist controlling the rod and not the hand.

The rollover shot starts out with the wrist on the rod handle

The concept behind this is to first pin the ball in a forward pinned position. Then, the shooter positions his wrist on the handle. Then, while applying pressure, the shooter moves his wrist upward along the handle which causes the rod handle to rotate and revolve around its axis in a counter clockwise direction. As a result of this, the man pinning the ball thus rotates around the rod axis as well.

The man pinning the ball rotates around the rod axis

If this is done correctly, the man pinning ball would have completed one complete revolution, thus in so doing, hitting the ball forward and hopefully scoring to conclude the shot.

Now, I will attempt to explain in greater detail how the rollover is done.

STEP 1


Pin the ball in the forward position
The first thing you want to do is to set the ball up in a front pin position. Make sure that you are comfortable with the ball position and the degree of control. To some, getting the ball to a pin position may be the most challenging part. There are a couple of ways to getting the ball into a pin shot position. One way, is to roll or move the ball around with the man until the ball is out from underneath the rod, and is at a safe distance to where to ball can be pinned. Another way, is to gently tap on the top of ball with the feet of the man until the ball is at a desirable location.

STEP 2
wrist positioning
After the ball is set and ready, position your wrist along the handle of the rod To what degree and location along the rod you may wish to place your wrist, is totally up to you. What matters, is what is ever comfortable to you in order to make the shot score.

The rollover shot starts out with the wrist on the rod handle instead of your hand

As you progress with this shot, you will determine how and where to use your wrist in order to execute the shot the way you want.

STEP 3
Look over the defense
After the ball is set and ready, look over the defense and see what is there. When you see an opening and confident with your degree of control, then you should be ready to execute the shot.

STEP 4


Hitting the ball after it is in position
In order to hit the ball in, you raise your wrist upward along the handle of the rod. You keep doing this until your hand catches the handle. The upward motion of the wrist causes the rod handle to simultaneously turn counter clockwise around the rod axis which eventually hits the ball after the revolution has been completed. This process is usually done in one quick powerful motion.

The rollover shot starts with the wrist coming upward along the rod handle

This process ends with the rod handle in the palm of your hand. This will also end the revolution of the man around the rod axis.

The shot ends once the handle is in the palm of the hand

Which direction you may want to shoot the ball will effect how you go about executing the shot. If you decide to just hit the ball straight in at its current location, then the only mechanics being done is just rotating the man one revolution around the axis of the rod and hitting the ball forward. On the other hand, if you decide to move the ball to a different location for whatever reason, then you will have to move the ball and then hit the ball, all in one single move.

Hitting the ball straight in
If you do decide to just hit the ball straight in, then the only mechanics being done is just rotating the man one revolution around the axis of the rod and hitting the ball forward. This is very easily done once the ball is pinned and your wrist is properly positioned against the handle of the rod. The only drawback is that most of the time the defense is set up directly in front of the ball.

straight in rollover

If the defense is set up in front of where you have the ball pinned, then you will most likely want to move the ball and shoot at a different location.

moving and hitting the ball
If you decide to move the ball to a different location for whatever reason, then you will have move and hit the ball, all in one single move.

moving the ball to shoot around the defense

When moving and shooting a rollover, more mechanics need to be factored in. With your wrist firmly pressed against the handle of the rod, you now have to move the ball and rotate the man one revolution at the same time in one single motion.

shoot around rollover

With one single motion, you are moving the ball around the defense in order to score. A good shooter can shoot away and towards, as well as straight in. A good shooter can easily move the ball to another location while rotating the man.

As you might imagine, this shot takes a lot of practice to master. I would suggest, first practice hitting the ball straight in. If you have your own table, then just practice for a long time hitting the ball straight in until you get comfortable with the shot. You may wish to do this long before even considering using this shot under serious circumstances.

Once you are at a point where you feel comfortable and confident with your ability to do a straight-in rollover, then you should practice moving the ball and hitting it. This part of the rollover is perhaps the hardest part. It may take you a long time before you are able to control the ball well enough to move and hit it in one single motion.

Finally, when you do get to a point where you have mastered the art of doing a moving rollover, then you should master shooting the ball in various ways. Though this shot may not be as versatile as its cousin the pin shot, it still has enough variations to make it a lethal weapon. Most of the time, the rollover is done with the ball starting out in a forward pinned position. Once the ball is set, the shooter usually has the option to either go straight in, towards, or away. If you use this approach, then the defense will always be guessing where you will go next. The more variations you can do with this shot, the harder it will be for the goalie to stop you.