Having a foosball table is one of the best indoor sports game table you can have. It is a fun and addictive game that you may play a lot. But overusing the foosball table or playing it a lot may cause your foosball player to break. Now, should you replace the whole table just because one component is broken? No!
Broken foosball players are easily replaceable. You can do it yourself at home. In this article, we will tell you how to replace foosball players - step by step guide.
Table of Contents
Tools You Need To Replace Foosball Players
Primarily you need two things to get the job done.
1. A regular hammer
2. A pin punch
You can absolutely replace a broken foosball player using these two tools at home. But there are a few optional tools that can help or ease the process of removing foosball players. These optional tools are:
- A plastic zip-lock bag
- A screwdriver
- A wooden block
How Do You Set Up A Foosball Player?
After acquiring the required tools above, you are ready to replace or set up a foosball player. We have prepared a step-by-step guide, follow it, and you won't have any problem replacing your foosball players.
Step 1: Remove pins from men
First, make sure the bumper is pushed against the far wall, then place the pin punch and place in the center of the men and hammer the pin punch gently. This pin attaches foosball men to the rod.
Hammer it until the pin punch goes halfway through men. Then tilt men and hold it in a way so the pin can fall into your hand.
Continue to hammer the pin punch until the pin falls onto your hand. This way, you won't damage the tabletop.
You can place the wooden bracer block between the rod while you hammer to prevent it from warping or bending.
Step 2: Remove the rod from the table
The second thing you need to do is remove or disassemble the rod which has broken men. It is not difficult at all.
To disassemble the rod, untwist the bearing on both sides of the rod; you don't need any equipment to untwist it. Simply untwist it with your hand and pull the rod out of the table.
There are quite a few kinds of foosball tables out there, so there is a possibility your table has a different method to remove the rod. Make sure to read the manual before you get started.
Step 3: Remove bearing, bumper and men
After taking the rod out of the table, remove the bearing, bumper, and men.
One by one, keep removing men until you reach the defected or broken men. Now you have to remember or mark the rod from where you remove the broken men. Because later you will have to put a new man in the exact same place.
Failure to put new men in the same place will disrupt your gameplay.
Step 4: Replace men
After removing the broken men, insert new men on the same spot on the rod. Many professional foosball players suggest replacing the pin because the pin on the broken men is most likely defective.
Step 5: Slide bumper and bearing back on
After successfully replacing the men, slide the bumper and bearing back on.
Step 6: Insert rod
Now insert the rod back on the table and tighten both bearings just like it was before.
At this point, you can use the wooden bracer (the optional item we talked about) so that the rod doesn't bend while you insert/install it.
If the rod somehow bends, you can't use it and will have to get a new rod. A wooden bracer gives support to the rod and makes sure the rod doesn't bend.
When to Replace Foosball Man?
If you just want to move your table, and you want to replace man for that purpose alone, it is entirely unnecessary. You can take off the legs of the table to move. After taking off the legs, you can carry the table sideways to get through doors and narrow spaces.
It would save hours of your time, and you won't have any potential risk of bending the rod or damaging the table.
Replacing a foosball man should be done only when you have a broken man.
Where Can You Find a Replacement Foosball Player?
Many ask where they can find a replacement foosball man and pin. Thanks to the many online e-commerce sites we have nowadays, it is not that difficult. You can order foosball men and pin from any renowned e-commerce site.
Or you can do it old school by taking a tour of your nearest sports shop. Any significant sports shop would have it.
Now you know where to find a replacement foosball player and how to replace a broken foosball player. What are you hesitant about? Get going already!
The Benefits of Playing Foosball
There are plenty of benefits of playing foosball regularly. Some of them are mentioned below:
- It increases hand-eye coordination
- Keeps you active
- It is a good rehab sport
- Doesn't let the joints be static
- Improves reaction time
Final Words
We believe our guide on how to replace foosball players will help you to replace your foosball players with ease and without damaging the rod or the table. It may appear to be a scary task if you haven't done it before. But with the help of this guide, you can do it just like baking a cake!
Foosball is a simple yet fascinating sport. Anybody can play it! Don't let a mere broken foosball man prevent you from playing it.