Tony Spredeman is one of the best foosball players on Tornado table. Currently living in Florida, Mr. Spredemen is an American master foosball player. He is one of the strongest players in the multi-table format and a multiple world champion.
In the five bar series of foosball championship, he is unique, unparalleled, and unstoppable. The reason why he is a source of inspiration to many is his ability to bring the focus, intensity, and heart to the table while playing.
His love and passion for foosball is infectious that would touch anyone around him. Although he achieved numerous titles, victories, and honors in foosball game, he is a polite, down to earth, and humble person. Tony doesn’t hesitate to give enough time to the young players for improving their skill in foosball game.
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Hunger for Playing Foosball:
In 1996, Tony started playing foosball at the age of 11 years at a recreational center dedicated for the kids. He was better in hand-eye coordination and basic things than other kids. People say that Tony got his natural flow of performance by inheritance from his father who was also a player of the tournament soccer team.
Wisconsin State Championships was his first big tournament. Since his early days, he started defeating adult players who were sometimes 2 to 3 times older than him. These wins against the older players built the confidence in him.
Because he was very competitive from the early age of playing, motivation for improvement started to grow automatically. His father’s presence also catapulted his drive to get better.
Early Day Influencers:
Tony’s dad was definitely his first influencer who taught him the basics of foosball. However, he learned the game style and general attitude from players like Tommy Adkisson and Dana Mar. He understood the dynamics of playing and winning in doubles from Todd Loffredo. He also got the knowledge on the importance of communication and game plan with the partner of the doubles.
With Ron Greenwald he developed more ball control through drill practice. Ron influenced Tony’s belief to play his own way and develop his game system that works best for him. He also learned from Ron that the developed system should follow fun while playing game.
Tony’s another early day influencer was Tommy Adkisson who was a great entertainer on the table and was unique in the crowd. Tommy’s great influence drives him to spend much time with younger players. Robert Mares is another great character whose full-focused and hearty presence in the game influenced him a lot to grow as a seasoned player.
Biggest and Sweetest Victory:
At the age of 18 years, he won the open singles title at Tornado World Championships in 2003. It was his biggest and sweetest victory because he envisioned this moment for 5-6 years before its actual happening. This victory was his most rewarding one since he could win the challenges of tough players like Luiz Cartwright Dave, Frederic Collignon, Terry Rue, and Gummeson.
Nightmarish Defeat:
He lost the open singles final at Tornado World Championships in 2002 where he lost the game against Frederic Collignon. In the game, a mistakenly hit snake shot of Tony went off directly to his own goal. The game was very competitive. But the way he lost it was a great pain for him. However, he revived shortly with damn level of motivation and won the title of 2003 valiantly.
Another worst defeat was in 2005 in open doubles at Tornado World Championships. He partnered with his father in the game. They won over Dave Gummeson and Tracy McMillin but lost the game against the pair of Billy Pappas and Fernando Darosa.
Game Plan, Practice, and Strategies:
Tony’s game plan and strategies are a bit crazy!! He used to practice for hours alone on the foosball table. But what has made him a champ is envisioning himself during practice session in a specific game situation as if his opponent is defending his shots and passes. He felt the emotions as if he was playing intensely on the table. Even when he was in school or doing other work, his brain imagined the real-life game situation.
He imagined himself in every possible situation on a foosball table and he practiced over and over again. It led him to the ultimate success with jaw-dropping consistency!!
Philosophy of the Game:
His general offensive concept or philosophy is to dictate the game and force the opponent to focus and freeze on certain holes by choosing the shots intelligently. If the opponent player is a stubborn one, then you need to switch the point.
For a defensive strategy to formulate for a game, a player should know his opponent very well by watching him plays, watching videos, and finding out the opponent’s strengths and weakness. According to Tony, being offensive is the greatest strategy of defense.
However, the general defense philosophy is to make a game plan and play accordingly. A great defense will work when a player will learn and adapt to the situations. A player must make his defense plan based on when and where his opponent is shooting and passing. He should be proactive to find the tendencies, timing, and patterns of decision of the opponent and act accordingly.
Common Mistakes Made by the Beginners:
- Playing too fast and not taking enough time for the game.
- Making rush shots and not taking timeouts at good moments.
- Letting the opponent to affect the way of playing.
- No focus on conserving energy for deploying it in the right time of the game.
- Starting the match with insane focus and intensity.
- Not giving the best effort while playing.
- Not following the general philosophy of hard work, discipline, and awareness.
Preparation for Important Tournaments:
Before any tournament, Tony used to practice for several hours each day. He used to play on the brand-new tables in the practice sessions for better performance in the matches. He watched almost all the videos of the opponents to find their weaknesses and strengths.
Since any tournament is a matter of stamina, Tony used to eat energetic foods and take proper rest. Having a cup of coffee after meals gave him energy not to fall in lethargy. Before starting the game, he took a five-minute warm-up to get ready for the battle.
Concluding Remarks:
Since playing foosball in the early 2000’s, Tony Spredeman has been evolved as one of the leading players in the American history. With the remarkable consistency and mesmerizing, quick & intelligent sake shots, he has become the master player. In each of the past few seasons, he bagged more than 20 open titles. In the American Pro Tour, his winning percentage is more than 70. Tony is not only a great player, but also an ambassador & a great teacher who always carries the flag of table soccer game.
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