modified

Zeke wrote:

More than a year ago I wrote:Spent quite a bit of time practicing aiming for the near corners of opponents squares ... I try getting it as close to the lines as possible. Sometimes it means getting it on the line but I hope to get better accuracy with time.


I guess it's not really a trick shot, just good placement.

In general, my shot placement has improved abundantly since the time of my quote. Just ask anyone who has received the between-the-legs-screen While the front corner shots are still streaky, overall they are landing with more frequency than before. When the bag lands within less than an inch past the line, how much of that is luck and how much is skill?

Front corner shots are much more reliable these days. I'll place them in your front right corner if I see you standing too far away. The shot itself is just good placement. But that's what sets up the trick shots. After a few of those I'll give you an easy pass to that same corner, letting you think you've figured me out - then I double tap a split second after your leg reaches out for the bag, redirecting it towards your back line. You may expect the double tap next time so I'll fake the second kick to change it up again.

I love it! LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!

That photo is awesome. (In the background - why am I hunched over so much? Gotta fix that.)

On topic - my plan for coping with your offense is to stick to sound fundamentals. Keep a central square position. Never over-commit to a single return shot, so try to defend at the last second & keep from shifting all your weight forward on a lunge (for instance) so that you can readjust your body & position for the return. Never give up on defending a bag - you might get lucky.

From my .org gallery:
http://www.footbag.org/gallery/showset/1329
I just made them this morning and didn't have the time to highlight all the bags. I'll add captions later today. Work, work, work.

cooool

In case someone was wandering (lol ) in Wiktor's Christmas video from Zocha Jam 2007 there's a few clips of squarez, including my screened inside kick. It's very effective, especially if you can do it on both sides, because you kick for example with your left inside, but sending the bag to your left side It requires some practice but works wonders. In the video you can also see Wiktor's favourite technique - screened toe kick, in this case also under the other leg, almost impossible to get. I'm visiting SÅ‚upsk for a New Years Jam, I hope to play some 4 Square there, and maybe invent some new attacks

Pozdrawiam
Szymon Kałwak (Ners)

Awesome, thanks for that! That last shot with the slight knee fake was perfect!

I've been using 2 shots for the past couple months that are extremely effective at getting kills (but not winning votes). Both shots use just the bare amount of edit:height to be legal and is the reason for it's simultaneous success and utter failure. I'll explain later.

The first shot, is basically a low arcing, back-screened inside kick (I'll probably refer to it as a Sweep and Screen/Stall and Screen from now on, SAS for short). I approach the line with my back turned and peek over both shoulders to see where the defender is, kicking the bag low and close to me the whole time. When its time to deliver the pass, my left foot kicks the bag slightly away from me to set and my right foot reaches out and taps the bag just enough to peak above the defenders knee and far enough to get behind me and land just past the line. I don't use stalls and pass as low as legally possible for one reason; give the defender as little time to react as possible. Using a kick instead of a stall to save on a split second may seem pointless but that fraction of a second can be the difference between an easy ace or having to counter his defense from a bad position. As mentioned in the post above, learning to change up the same shot makes it so much more effective by keeping defender guessing.

The second shot is pure simplicity. It's an inside kick from my back line attacking an adjacent square's front right corner. I usually set it up by controlling a pass and walking backwards to my rear line. If the defender is playing at a reasonable distance from the targeted spot, I lightly kick the bag so that it arcs in my square just above their knees then goes in to a long shallow descent for their front right corner. It's not a high arcing lob that ends in steep drop. In fact it's, quite the opposite. It's barely high enough and almost a spike. The defender would have to go into my square to be able to play it at a reasonable height and risk an interference call.

As I mentioned before, using the bare minimum amount of height and arc are what makes these shots harder to defend. But that's also what can lead to many spike and low calls against you. It's almost a given that the first time you use it the defender will call a foul and if no other players saw enough height and arc in the pass then, you can't win a vote. On the other hand, if enough players in the court or judge clearly saw the shot as a fair pass then it's an easy kill.

mosher wrote:I like to be doing alternating kicks as I am subtly moving towards my target square, at the right time I 'miss' one of my kicks as the bag lands in thier square. Classy.

Classic. I love how this STILL works when used properly.

Ah yes, the dreaded inverted Buddha Palm technique coupled with the ever popular Infiltrating Toe of Sodom (aka Shaolin Shocker)! Devastating.

I like to catch it in between my thighs, then let it drop and kick it behind one of my legs into the other guy's square.

no trick shots work on me
i accept all challengers.
my favorite trick shot is one where i scuff it with the very tip of my toe almost right after a normal toe kick.
gets some gnarly action and really hard to read.

Pipenberg stands with his back toward you and sets it toward your square and shoots the bag between his long ass legs and it lands in your square. Works all the time, 50% of the time.