Freestylin in the Graveyard (Net...)

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 08 Jan 2007 00:04

"Do you play on mats most of the time?"

Rarely, actually. I got some shred mats but on most surfaces they slide around too much and it's a bitch to lug them around so I don't.

Played on concrete today, really tried to work a lot more basic stuff into my runs instead of trying to go completely guiltless and it was VERY enjoyable and successful. Ken Somolinos was in town, so I kicked with him, Jeremy, and Emily. Ken's shred is ridiculously off the hook.. so much fun watching him shred.

there are a lot of runs/combos I can't remember, but these are the ones I can...

a few runs with 30+ contacts, not sure on exact number though,
a guiltless run with atomic osis, atomsmasher, both legbeaters and 1 tapdown
pdx drifter>pdx dlo, pdx drifter>pdx whirl, pdx whirl>pdx drifter
run with bsos toe diving bfly and ducking bfly b2b
spinning ducking clipper, zulu ps mirage (my money 5

)

Can't remember anymore specifics, I played better today than I have in months, though it's aggravating not being able to do flipside whirls and shit. 2nd session in my g-units, I suspect I will play in them exclusively for a while because I really like them.

Currently I am typing at Emily's computer while she is playing 4-square outside with max, dat, and ken..... at midnight. I would play but I'm wearing uggs and left my knee brace at home. I feel like a bitter old man already. Tomorrow I'm going to look into starting physical therapy. Yayyyy!!!!

That sounds sarcastic but I'm actually pretty happy right now because I can play still. Maybe I will try and kick with one leg... gnight footbaggers.

habitat · Post by **habitat** » 08 Jan 2007 00:14

It's lame to hear that you are all skeet skeeted Funk. Just relax and put on some R. Kelly.

Oh, and when I was in Missoula over New Years I shredded with one of your bags, the blue rattler. Pretty nice bag, everyone seems to do well with it except my shins were SUPER painful. Anyways, props, I'll buy one from you somewhere down the road. Peace Funk Doctor.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 08 Jan 2007 10:09

funklovesfootbag wrote:Currently I am typing at Emily's computer while she is playing 4-square outside with max, dat, and ken..... at midnight. I would play but I'm wearing uggs and left my knee brace at home.

The old man ended up playing anyway.

4-Square is fun.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 09 Jan 2007 21:08

Thanks James. I will apply R. Kelly doo doo butter vigorously. Here are some pics from NYJ i forgot to post..

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 10 Jan 2007 20:30

ONE ON ONE SESSION WITH MOXIE THE ICE QUEEN.

It was awesome. Today, I stretched my quad out and I was able to flex my knee for the first time in 2.5 months. I was careful not to overstress it though. What a session...

5 unique tripless finally: legbeater>pdx drifter>pdx whirl>diving bfly><ducking>dropped ducking pdx mirage.... I'm thinking I can hit diving bfly>ducking bfly>zulu bfly>zulu bfly>ducking pdx mirage at the end of the string for 10 unique... Going to make this a 6 month goal.

toe dlo X 7 (crushed old record of 3)> string

tapdown>pdx mirage>RPT>legbeater>bfly>pdx mirage
drilled pixie, hit plo bsos.
tap>atomsmasher>tap
lots of long cool strings and ducking combos (i.e. ducking clipX3>weave>weave>dive>dive>duck>dive>dive>weave)

Very close to spinning ducking bfly, Blazing pdx mirage and Blazing pdx illusion!

Also kind of close to whirr, cleared the 1st dex and had time for the 2nd but smacked it with my foot. I just need to get the blazing set a BIT higher and I will hit it. Tried it a lot and decided I shouldn't overstress my good knee. 6 month goal for blazing pdx mirage and spinning ducking bfly.

Now I'm going to dine with my lady and maybe stitch.

Still need to get myself to physical therapy, my knee feeling better is very encouraging though.. I See the light at the end of the tunnel!

brinard · Post by **brinard** » 10 Jan 2007 21:14

props to that whole sesh. nice tripless string.

just dont over do it, you may need those knees someday.

HG · Post by HG » 11 Jan 2007 05:23

Nice work on the atomic and dexless stuff fletch. Keep it up champ!

PS- I have been working on my style/technique since NYJ also. I'm working on being lighter on my feet, and keeping my hands open and not clenched. Also, exhaling on ever contact really helps run length. What exactly are you working on? Just technique on moves that give your knee trouble? I'm curious

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 11 Jan 2007 16:49

Leading Asshole of Santa Cruz-ish Area and Club Mentor to Newer Players writes:

Not to be a DOWNER but . . . here is one point of view that you may wish to consider when deciding what to skool. Please read every word Fletch:

why skool blazing set when you can't hit:

Sets:
-pixie (consistently)
-quantum
-fairy (consistently)

Basic Moves:
-osis x10

Downtime components you SHOULD be hitting:
-pdx whirls (maybe 5 or 6 consecutive consistently)
-barrages
-blenders
-double downs
-eggbeaters (consistently)
-torque (back trouble?)

There are 2 philosophies of skooling. My philosophy and Nasty Nate's. Nate's: skool the basics until they're easy; logically progress through tricks, concepts, sets, etc from easiest to hardest, concentrating on bothsidesness and consistency.

Mine: skool what you want to learn. Skool in on whatever side you feel like at the time. Skool for the NOW and not for the Future.

I think we all know who turned out better at footbag (Nate).

I guess what I'm really saying is this: by skooling blazing now, when you've already got one BUM knee, you're relegating yourself to developing one good side and one shit side. You're relegating yourself to be a player who has a mastery of a few cool/underused concepts but non-mastery of the important and core skills. You are going to "progress" faster (if your knee/back/body holds up) but you will ultimately "top out" much more quickly than a player who takes the time to learn the basics well and progresses through footbag in a logical manner. Don't really push your spinning ducking until you can hit spinning clipper/butterfly etc. x10 and ducking/diving/weaving clipper/butterfly/osis x10. You are just going to be doing yourself a disservice.

(Im not saying you shouldn't try these moves, just that you probably should not be "skooling" them until the foundation is stronger.) You're free to take my recommendations or not. I'd rather you learn Nasty Nate's way because it'll make you better, but I also understand if you decide you want to play like me.
Jeremy

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 11 Jan 2007 18:46

Thanks Brian.

Henry: Mostly I'm just trying to play on the balls of my feet more, lessen the landing impact of every move I hit/attempt.

Jeremy: you make a good point, but footbag is about having fun to me. I want to get better sure, but if I'm not having fun while I'm playing then there's really no point.. and schooling is generally not fun for me. I do school stuff, but I'm much more prone to just try whatever seems fun to me. Overall I might not get as good but I'm a lot happier with the session I had yesterday than I would have been if I had schooled pixie and fairy for 2 hours.

acxel22 · Post by **acxel22** » 11 Jan 2007 19:29

I agree with Jeremy, even tough he still needs help to go pee. (freestyle battle memory)

even if you don't have fun schooling some stuff, the moment you will understand how to do it correctly, it will be so more fun.. Here's an example based on a real story!

Ive put at least 10 hours to really understand pixie ducking before chicago. I mean I could hit it *sometimes*, but not understand it.
After chicago I spent another 3 hours to understand why my flipside pixie ducking was still bad and unconsistent.

I had no fun while that whole 13 hours.

But I have so much fun hitting pixie ducking midstring on both sides now. I'm happy I spent countless hours of frustration

Please consider having bad time at footbag to make the good times even more enjoyable.

sampotter · Post by **sampotter** » 12 Jan 2007 05:50

You're so much more injury prone playing the way Jeremy plays. I've been playing 3 years the way Nate plays and I've never sustained any injury that was a derivative of poor form. You've been playing how long, now? A year or something? You don't have a shitty body type, but if you keep playing the way you're playing you won't be playing for very long. :p Why do you have back problems? I don't think it has anything to do with your body type, I think it the problem would lie closer to trying paradox torque a few months into your game when paradox mirage isn't 2nd nature. Just some thoughts. You say you want to be happy now, but if you really like the footbag community and having fun in the footbag community then it doesn't seem like sustaining a permanent injury would be very fun.

late,
Sam

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 12 Jan 2007 21:33

I don't think my back injury was due to footbag, my knee injury wasn't due to footbag. The only injury I've had was an ankle injury due to a whirl. But I agree that trying huge moves before I'm ready for them isn't smart.

I will school stuff, I usually school some stuff every session, but devoting a whole session to pixie would make me want to punch myself in the face. I appreciate your concern and thoughts, all 3 of ya.

Had a session with emily and jeremy tonight. I tried no huge insane moves. Except big apple. Bwuahahaha. It was a joke; I was careful not to hurt myself.

At first I felt sluggish and achey all over, but after warming up I hit a few good things, and schooled my BOP, spinning, and pixie some.

ZULU BFLY>DIVING BFLY>WEAVING BFLY>DUCKING BFLY>DUCKING BFLY>DUCKING PDX MIRAGE (6 unique tripless, one-upped my record.)

SPINNING DUCKING BFLY (1st time!)

TOE ZULU LEGOVER>RPT
GYRO MIRAGE BS TWICE *probably first time flip, first time strong in maybe 9 months.
spinning clipper bsos

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 13 Jan 2007 23:33

I just took a shower because I smelled like Cigarettes and Marmoset. No, this is not a freestyle rap. It is a true story. I will post shitty pics from my camera phone ASAP.

Played footbag for 2 days in a row for the first time in I don't know how long. Went up to Steve Goldberg's shred mansion with Emily, and played with 2 new players in the area, Dustin Rhodes, Steve, Pascal from Vancouver/New York, and Brian Fournier. Then played 2 and 4 square, and dropped Emily off for her business trip to Maryland. She will be missed.

Shred highlights: perhaps my longest ducking string ever,
weave clip>dive clip>duck clip>weave clip>dive clip>duck clip>zulu clip>zulu clip>duck clip>duck clip>duck bfly

gyro mirage first try BS but still no BSOS

zulu ps mirage first try, my money 5.
some ok strings, one really long tiltless string maybe 35 contacts.
flip plo, parkwalk, magellan.... I really wish I could post better pixie progress, but FUCK I hate that move. Sigh...

I have decided to stitch 2 bags a week until I go to worlds, so I will have about 50 bags to sell, maybe some at our santa cruz tournament if we hold it, and definitely 50 at worlds. I'm pretty excited about that, it will be a nice fatty paycheck to start off my college graduation summer spectacular. I'd like to take a small trip with it, but I think the funds will end up going towards a laptop for grad school. Bah. ..That's all.

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 15 Jan 2007 10:25

I went to the hotel, and asked about your coat. They didn't tag it with a name (Al Oroza), so I just described it. She went back for like 20 minutes, then came back with nothing. I explained that we were there from December 28-30 again, just in case. She was very final about it not being there - in security or in house keeping. But suddenly she said she remembered something. She was gone another 20 minutes and then came back with nothing. She was thinking of a bomber jacket.

So then I ask, does McCormick center have a different lost and found than the hotel, and she said yes. i go over there, and this guy told me the office was closed until Tuesday. So I will call there then. Did Holly turn it in with the security in McCormick Place or in the hotel, do ya know?

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 15 Jan 2007 12:54

I'm pretty sure she turned it in at the front desk of the Hyatt.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 21 Jan 2007 00:30

The other night I had a session with Jeremy but I felt sluggish and off and didn't hit much worth mentioning.

Today I had a session at Steve Goldberg's with him, Emily, Eric Chang, and some local kickers.

Smoke (first time)
pixie ducking mirage
pixie gyro mirage (first time)
smearX2 twice, plo>plo twice
pdx dlo>dlo>string

More, but I can't remember.. some ducking drills, some bop drills, really close to pixie ducking legover.

Then watched roger rabbit and BOTS for the first time, which was pretty sweet.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 21 Jan 2007 18:35

Forgot to mention last session I hit pixie op pickup and pixie op osis, and that I owe hitting pixie gyro mirage to Ken Somolinos' advice. Thanks Ken!

Played net today and whomped major ass. Played 5 or 6 games of doubles and won them all, batting in 12 points in one game, mostly from serves. Then I biked about 3 miles down the coast and 3 miles back. Today will be my first drug free day in almost a month, and I'm starting physical therapy tomorrow. So.. a healthy injury free lifestyle is on the way. *crosses fingers..

dazza · Post by **dazza** » 22 Jan 2007 05:27

I keep my fingers crossed too - i like your blog very much and its even better with a healthy, pain free Fletch .

Since i already stole a clipper drill that the mighty Grommet passed down to you, i thought, i could step it up a little and request the advice that you got
regarding pixie gyro mirage ...

peace

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 24 Jan 2007 01:41

Pain free is the goal, not the reality. My back felt like shit through 6 hours of class today.. but enough complaining. PMed you about pixie gyro mirage

Kicked for an hour solo because I made a bag and was compelled to kick it. I didn't hit anything big, just drilled some pixie, tiltless, ducking, a few spins, osis>spin clip, symp tapping clipper, atomic legover/pickup/mirage, and toe flicks/insides.

Took it easy because I'm going to play tomorrow. Also I got a postcard from New Jersey today which was exciting. Shout out to Jonathan Schneider. Claudio says "PURO MANG, UH NA NA NA NA," and so on.

AND I started physical therapy yesterday. I'll let you all know when the pain stops/lessens. That should be fun! Going 2-3 x a week.

Watched Saw 3 and Texas Chainsaw Massacre the Beginning today, some girl in my class said that she saw TCMTB and that it was bad. What a moron. It's a great movie; go get it. No one survives. It's a retarded butcher who got laid off and a psychopath cannibal foster father who fuck up hippies and eat them. Awesome. Emily wouldn't watch it with me. I can't say I blame her.

I don't usually write much, so I'm going to stop and keep that up.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 25 Jan 2007 18:08

Had a session last night with Emily and Jeremy, but my patellar tendonitis was hurting so bad everytime I did a flip butterfly it was really frustrating and overall I had a really crumby session.
toe inspinning op toe>toe inspinning op toe

...that's it. well, a run with dlo eggbeater and whirl, but that should be routine for me by now, not a highlight.

bah.