Josh M. Getting back into the kick of things!

[zeroman13]

Been doing some barefoot stuff lately. Working basics and trying to get back to playing on my toes. No real highlights. Surprised myself when I hit flip smear barefoot. Don't think I have ever tried flip pixie barefoot. Hopefully that will move over to shoes as well. Looks like I will be making plans to go to Vegas the week after my birthday, 15 - 17, for the Vegas Jam. Will be nice to kick with others. My work schedule is changing this week so I will have Saturday's off, so maybe the crew and I can start up a normal Saturday session. I am still so out of shape it's unreal. Hopefully I'll be able to start getting my strings back soon.

[zeroman13]

Woot! 30 pages! Though I should be well past this part in my footblog. I will say that gaming is what originally took me away from footbag, and then work. I am now figuring out how to balance the 2 hobbies I now have, gaming and footbag. It's not easy, as all I do on my time off is game. This will be interesting.

Just had a 25 minute session. Everything is slowly coming back. I need to work on my flip clipper form, it seems that it has digressed the most during my break. Swirls use to be easy at one time, now they are a little difficult on that side. Strong is still the same, can still ripstein easily.

Highlights (if you want to call them that);
Ripwalk bs
Ducking Clip bs
Dimwalk
Fairy ss Clip
Fairy ss Osis
Osis bs
Swirl bs
Butterfly bs

I went into this little sessions to mainly work spins and ducks. It's hard to play inside any more since we put in wood flooring. It is way to slippery to really try anything. Slipped on a couple butterflys and the last one almost planted me on my ass. So next time I kick I will be playing in my garage, so I will have better flooring and more room. In other news, I will be going to Vegas for the Vegas Jam. So stoked for that. I am also looking at a new camcorder. I'm thinking about getting the Sony HDR-CX160 (http://www.frys.com/product/6546713?sit ... IN_RSLT_PG). If I do get it, it will be with me for Vegas. I may also test it out before Vegas if the crew ever gets together, or by myself. Now to just get some video editing software that I actually like, wish I still had my copy of Vegas. Maybe I'll try out Adobe Premier or whatever it is from them.

Until I kick next time...

[zeroman13]

Just did some more barefoot drilling.

Mirage bs
SS Mirage bs
Illusion bs
SS Illusion bs
Atw i-o bs
Atw o-i bs
Legover bs
Pickup bs
Clip Near Mirage bs
Bubba bs
Clip ss Legover bs
Clip ss Pickup bs
Clip far Legover bs
Clip far Pickup bs
Toe Ducking Toe bs
Toe Diving Toe bs
Ducking Toe bs
Swirl bs
Rev Swirl bs

I really need to get outside and play so I can break in my lavers more..... I just need to play more in general.

[C-Fan]

What video games do you play?

Too bad I won't see you at Vegas jam.

[zeroman13]

I play lots of different games. Primarily first person shooters like Battlefield 3 and Crysis 3. Though I have lots of other games I play as well. Do you have a steam account? I think I have TF2 installed on my home computer. Had to remove it from my laptop, took up too much space. I'm getting back into games like Arma 2 with the release of Arma 3. If you have a steam account, you'll be able to see the couple hundred games I have, haha.

[zeroman13]

Vegas was awesome! Though there was a low turnout, we all still had fun. Let's see, Evan and I kicked for about an hour or so before Kam from SD showed up. Then about 45 minutes later Big Add Chad showed up. It was surprising how little time it took to get back into the feel for the game and little things start to come back after not trying them for 2 years. Evan is a great guy and even though he said he was "out of practice" he still looked as if he played at least once a week if not twice. Lots of triples, some quads and great variety. Got some pointers that I will try to remember when I start working those concepts again. I just need to get my legs back before trying a lot of what I was working on before my "retirement." Big Add was doing alright. Looks like the transition from millenniums to regular lavers is taking a bit of time. Though he was still able to hit a lot of his usual combos and runs. It just didn't look like the usual Big Add without the millenniums, in my opinion. Kam is a cool guy from SD. Evan and I give him some pointers on double's and he started hitting paradon a little more easily than before. I guess he would still be primarily a tiltless player, but I can see him becoming a guiltless player once he learns to hold stalls a little longer and not rush them.

This was the first time I really played in quite awhile. Had a lot of fun. Stepping was still there, as well as atomics. Hit a couple of quantum tricks both sides, but those took the most effort out of all the sets. Pixies still suck and my strong fairy was showing signs of returning the 2nd day. Did hit a few 5's, quite a few of my 4's and a lot of the basic 3's. Spinning, ducking and diving were working really well the 2nd day, DLO's and eggbeaters felt a little off both days but I was able to hit a couple of the both sides. My runs weren't that great, timing was off but was slowly returning. The 2nd day was better for runs as I was forced to slow down due to the soreness in my legs. This was what I needed to get back into the game and want to play it. Now I will need to start playing 2 - 3 times a week, like I use to, and get myself back into decent shape were I will be able to at least be a little bit of a competition at Worlds.

Laterz.

[C-Fan]

Glad to hear it was fun. I'm still bitter at Congress for the sequestration, as that's the only reason I couldn't go. Cool to hear Chad showed up! See you in Montreal.

[zeroman13]

3/30/2013

It has been 13 days since I have kicked a footbag with shoes on. My legs have been itching to kick since they recovered from their ordeal in Vegas.

I have decided that all or nothing I will kick this day. I found my discarded shorts and lavers and got ready this fine overcast morning. After 10-15 minutes of warmup, my initial thoughts were to work runs. After 4 runs of 4 contacts each I noticed that just about all of my osii were rolling off. Hence forth of this revelation I started to work BOP and proceeded to hit a 20-25 contact run of a random mix of butterflys, osis and pdx mirage/illusion (though illusions were rare). I was quite winded after that amazing run that I decided to work links that I had previously tried at Vegas. Far swirl > ripwalk was one of those fun links, although I hit strong side fairly quickly I did surprise thyself with footing flip first try. After that initial try I was no longer able to successfully hit another flip far swirl. I then proceeded to hit torque > ripwalk on strong and again footing flip first try. After that try I started rushing the torque and was not able to get a decent landing to have a remote chance at stepping out of it. I did hit some minor tricks as well as foot some others that I have not tried since I was playing frequently. Rev swirling symp whirl after the 2nd try as well as hitting strong ripped warrior and footing flip. After the couple tried I did on that I was pretty much done for. Although it has been nearly 2 weeks since I kicked, my legs still felt really fresh. I shall need to push thyself to play more every week. On a side note, I need new shoes. Although my lavers are basically new, they are too tight for thy feet. I have found a couple places online that are still selling the camo mesh g6's, and I think I will be ordering me a pair soon.

Until next time thy fellow footbaggers...

Josh (Zer0)

[zeroman13]

Been sick for the last week, so no footbag. Been wanting to, but also haven't wanted to because my lavers now hurt my feet when I play. Honestly I don't know how replacing the stock insoles with sport insoles, that are thinner than the stock, have made my right foot laver so much tighter and uncomfortable. Ohh well. I have 2 pairs of the mesh g-units on the way and that should last me quite awhile once I get them.

Now the big question. Do I go to Worlds or US Open? I can make it to either, but only one is within budget.

[C-Fan]

I have 2 pairs of the mesh g-units on the way and that should last me quite awhile once I get them.

Where did you get them? I'm down to my last backup pair now, and am panicking cause I can't find them online anywhere. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Now the big question. Do I go to Worlds or US Open? I can make it to either, but only one is within budget.

I'd make this decision based on a few factors.

1. Have you been to either Seattle or Montreal before?
2. Do you have a passport? You'll need one for Montreal, so factor that into your costs.
3. What are your goals? If you're looking to get a good placement, your chances are likely better at USO where it will be a smaller turnout. If your goal is to play a lot of footbag and have fun, either is probably a good bet. If your goal is to meet a bunch of new people and play with international superstars, then its Worlds.
4. How much vacation time do you have? You can probably make USO work without taking any time off school/work, but Worlds is going to require some days for travel and it's also more spread out. Something to consider, though I don't know your current work/school situation.

I'll be at both, so I look forward to seeing you at either.

[rjadamson]

As one of the Seattle crew you already know my answer. But honestly Worlds is going to be fantastic. Unless you see yourself with more economic mobility in the coming years (i.e. the ability to go to Worlds in Madrid or wherever next year) I would not miss this opportunity to meet the best players on the planet.

[zeroman13]

Well, due to some arising situations at work, it looks like USO is going to be the best bet for me to being able to make a tourney this year. On that note, last week I found a pair of size 10 g-units on ebay and bought them. They came in yesterday and trying one on feels like I made the right decision. Now I need to mod them and start kicking. I will be making my arrangements for USO this coming week, with my flight and where I will be staying. Yay for footbag!

And by the way, if you haven't seen Jay's new video of David Clavens, go see it. It's awesome!

Josh

*QUICK EDIT* Just got done modding my new goonits and I have got to say they feel awesome. I have already done some light kicking in them.

Swirl bs
Rev Swirl strong
Whirl bs
Toe Whirl bs
Paradon bs
Osis bs
Duck Clip bs
Pdx Illusion bs
Pdx Mirage bs

And that's all. My stamina is extremely bad, but that is my fault for not keeping myself in good cardio shape. Hopefully I can start kicking at least once if not twice a week now and be in better shape than I am now for USO.

*END EDIT*

[zeroman13]

Hello again blog. It's been a couple weeks. Got my plane ticket set for getting up to USO. Still need to make reservations though.

Last night Mike Jauss and myself got together and we had a session. I am so out of shape that I might have kicked a total of 1 hour out of the 2 1/2 hours we were playing. It was cool seeing Mike again, it's been just about 4 years since we last kicked together.

Got to get some ADDs on the the new g-units, which felt awesome. Though I pushed myself a little hard instead of trying to really get back into shape. Even though my stamina sucks, my average run length was probably around 15 contacts, which is pretty good for not playing a lot. Now I just need to work on breathing so I can lengthen my runs by at least double. Hit a lot of my old tricks and most of them bsos.

Highlights;
Torque bs, almost bsos. Flip needs a lot of work.
Drifter bs, bsos
Pdx Drifter
Eggbeater bs
Muted ss Egg bs
Pdx Egg bs
Side > Rip rpt
DLO bs
Stepping ss Mirage bs
Blur bs, bsos
Swirl bs
Twirl bs, I think bsos as well
Rev up off both toes
Duck Clip bs, bsos
Diving Clip bs, bsos
Spin Clip bs, bsos
Gyro Clip bs
Whirl bs, bsos
Toe Whirl bs
Toe ss Whirl
Blurry Whirl, footed bs/bsos. Only 5 I tried.
Spin Osis bs
Blender bs
Dyno bs

Towards the end of the session I was trying sick 3's that I use to be able to do all the time, only hit one just because the other one had one trick that I rarely did;
Drifter > Ripwalk > Torque bs
Toe Whirl > DLO > Muted ss DLO, this one was tough. My DLO's were a little off all night when I would try them, and adding muted ss to the mix just didn't help any.

All in all it was a good kick. I'm going to start kicking at least twice a week to hopefully be a little bit of a challenge at USO.

Time to rest, my legs are still a little sore from last night, hopefully I can stretch them out and kick in the morning.

Josh

[zeroman13]

Hey all. Kicked a couple mornings ago and it felt good to play. Warmed up and was able to get some ok runs. Mainly worked on getting some of my sets back, Atomic primarily.

Highlights;
Atomsmasher bs
Legbeater bs
Tapdown bs
Tap bs
Stepping ss Mirage > Toe Whirl > Ripwalk bsos
Spinning Clip bs
Spinning Osis bs
Swirl bs, started getting flip easier

Worked tiltless to try and help get my stamina back, lots of mirages, illusions and clippers. Tried to throw in legovers and pickups and they were hit n miss. It was a good session. Hopefully I'll be able to hit some of the stuff I use to be able to hit soon and consistently. Might play this morning after I get home.

[zeroman13]

Had a good 2.5 - 3 hour session with Mike today. Ate before the session and actually had energy, go figure. Had fun, worked on some sets and run, mainly played to have fun.

Highlights;
Mobius bs
Vortex
Blurriest, probably pretty the
Torque bsos
Drifter b2b x2 with one Pdx Drifter, got stuck in a Drifter > Dyno loop
A couple of good shuffle runs
Spinning, ducking and zooming in a run
Swifter, footed flip
Most runs that I had fun with were probably 20+ and consisted of shuffle, spinning, ducking and downtime like whirls, drifters and torques
DLO > Egg, footed bs
Blurry Egg off my toe
Pdx Whirl x4 > Paradon
Toe Barrage
Footed Ripped Warrior
Footed Blurry Whirl bs
Toe Blur, footed bs
Quantum Butter, can't remember name, bs

It was a good session. Helped Mike with some issues with his flip clip and some ideas on how to go about doing certain tricks. Go figure, been out of the game for 3+ years and can still give some solid advice. Most of the 5's that I hit were late in the session, like I had already started to cool down but decided to do a couple more runs. We had a couple of kids come by and sit and watch us, that might have been the reason why I got back up. But it was fun, definitely a lot more stamina than last time. Too bad my symposium moves aren't coming back yet, besides symp mirage.

[zeroman13]

So I haven't posted since before USO. USO was a lot of fun. Met a lot of people that I have only talked with on here. Roomed with Rory and had a blast. Justin is a great guy and did a good job running the event. Although I really don't know how hard it is to run an event such as this, but it has to be quite an undertaking to do. I competed in Circles, and looking back I probably should have played intermediate rather than open haha. But it was fun playing with Ken and Chris Dean. Didn't make it to finals, but I wasn't expecting too much for really only being back in the game for a little over a month. The second day was fun even though I mysteriously injured my right ankle while playing basketball to warm up. I was able to play a little, but I couldn't push myself, and when I did I tweaked it enough that I had to stop. I was able to play with Alex Zerbe before ending my day, and watched him hit Blurry Drifter. It was awesome.

I had to take about a 3 week break to let my ankle heal. Still not sure what I did to it, but it seriously took that long to heal. I have played 4 time in the past 2 weeks. 3 times solo, once with Mike Green. We had an early morning shred Tuesday the 13th. Started at about 6:30 or so and went until 8:30. It was the first time meeting Mike and we had a good time talking about other footbaggers and games. I gave him some advice on clipper form and some drills to work the basics. He asked me for some advice on DLO's and other tricks and I told him it was all about the basics and how well those have been tuned. I hit some good runs and some tricks that I honestly didn't think I would hit again, particularly PS Whirl. Hit it strong side and somewhat footed it on flip. Hell, I even footed Janiwalker, which surprised the crap out of me and made Mike nearly flip! Also got a couple of good Blurry Whirls on my strong side and even a Ripped Warrior, bsos'd DLO in one run and in the next run bsos'd Bubbabeater. For some reason my flip Pdx Whirl was acting weird. I'm going to need to work on it to get it to be more consistent. One thing that I have noticed with my form is that after awhile I start to bend over when doing tricks, putting a lot of stress on my lower back. I need to start focusing on standing straighter when doing tricks, not only will this help with my form, it will also help with breathing and trick execution.

Today I kicked after work for about 30 minutes. Warmed up quickly and started working 5 - 8 trick runs with some of the stuff that I use to do and that I'm trying to get back.

Highlights;
Swifter, strong side only, footed flip
Gyro Whirl mid-run, strong side, a run later hit flip 2nd trick in
Gyro Swirl > Ripwalk, dropped on flip gyro swirl, footed flip gyro swirl and had one look at stepping out of it
Spin Clip > Spin Butter bs
Toe Whirl bs
Toe Ss Whirl bs
Gyro Whirl out of Zooming bs
Gyro Swirl out of Zooming strong side

It was a decent little session. Will probably have another session Sunday night or Monday morning. Need to continue working the basics and what I mentioned above, standing straighter and breathing.

Laterz,
Josh