21 Ways to Become a Better Shredder

dan the man · Post by **dan the man** » 30 Jun 2008 09:16

with regards to the drinkin and eating thing... can pop be drank when not shredding, like at the movies or something, or do you mean that it will always dehydrate you. like obviously i wouldn't drink it while shredding, but like on off days etc.

and another question, (prolly doesn't belong here but it goes under nutrition) i heard that taking calcium-magnesium or somthing like that helps cure shin splints? is that true because thats the thing that made me quit footbag before.

danetrain · Post by **danetrain** » 22 Jul 2008 08:47

Everything that jorden wrote is true, but in regards to the soda thing, not drinking soda really helps. Since i cut down drinking soda i feel a lot better during sessions. And i feel a lot beter in general without all the caffeine in my system.

Baller Buddy · Post by **Baller Buddy** » 08 Oct 2008 16:45

This thread could use some more publicity. These are great tips for a beginner like me.

P.S. I figured this was the right place to post my first post

TroyN · Post by **TroyN** » 14 Oct 2008 13:11

I've been playing with a 12 panel for a long time now, would it make a differance or help at all to move to a 32?

Baller Buddy · Post by **Baller Buddy** » 14 Oct 2008 13:56

TroyN wrote:I've been playing with a 12 panel for a long time now, would it make a differance or help at all to move to a 32?

32 Panels are a more advanced bag that ables you to set the bag more true (it is more rounded). If you are able to kick the bag for 50+ times consecutively, hit all the basic stalls, and can do some 2 ADD+ tricks, it may be worth while for you to upgrade bags.

In response, it would not make a Huge difference to switch bags, but it will help for more advanced tricks.

moparman · Post by **moparman** » 14 Oct 2008 14:47

When it comes to switching bags, I personally have noticed that when I was using my Mr., I could hit a lot of stuff (simple stalls and dexes) rarely or not at all, but now that I am using a Streetfighter (14 panel), I can do them much more often. A lot of what you can and can't do is in your head, because I noticed that when I switch back to a Mr., I can do them great.

(PS, no, I didn't just practice, it was like one day, couldn't do anything, get my streetfighter the next day, and do a dex. Completely out of nowhere...)

TroyN · Post by **TroyN** » 17 Oct 2008 16:26

alright thanks. Also i've got my left side clipper down pat, but im having some issues with the left and and I want to make sure I can go both sides before I try anything more difficult, any suggestions? I've already got a few tips from jay and mosher but more are always good, also any drills for someone just getting use to 2 to 3 adds?

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 13 Nov 2008 21:35

The self serve thing really only applies to people in some parts of North America. Pretty much everybody else in footbag self serves, and whether you do or not is irrelevant to how good a footbagger you are. Vasek self serves, and I don't think it makes him worse.

I'm also not convinced that "focusing on whole grains instead of white bread" will make much difference to your game. The same goes for eating a variety of fruit and vegetables. While there is some evidence to suggest long term health benefits of these things, there is absolutely no evidence to suggest that your fitness is at all effected by eating white or whole grain bread, or eating just a few types of fruit and vegetable, or lots of different types. I'd also say that milk and juice are poor choices to drink before or during practice, but are probably fine afterwards.

There's heaps of good information about diets on the internet. Of course not only is everybody different and have different dietry requirements, but your aims in footbag also effect what you should be eating. If you really care about those kinds of details I'd suggest you see a sports nutritionist (or a regular one), otherwise just make sure you eat enough food, with a good balance of carbs and protein and enough fruit and vegetables, and stay away from food that makes you feel bad (like high fat food), especially before playing. When going to a tournament it's also good advice to eat a lot of carbs before the event (and after your last session for the day) but to not eat too much on the day of playing (recent studies have shown that people who are hungry perform better in sport and on exams than people who are not, which is a little counter intuitive, but works in my experience as well).

I'd also suggest that you should always warm up before stretching.

The rest of the tips are great advice.

bryan732 · Post by **bryan732** » 12 Jan 2010 10:05

wow jorden your the man, your advice is priceless.

Chelsea Dagger · Post by **Chelsea Dagger** » 11 Oct 2010 17:14

Great advice! Thanks. Good call on the sticky. This is the first thing I went to check out, and I am definitely going to apply this to my practice.

matt_bailey · Post by **matt_bailey** » 26 Dec 2010 10:35

I just returned to this after a while and although I dont have much experience there are a couple of things that I expected to see. I know these are maybe more specific form tips not general practice tips but I am constantly seeing/hearing the general points:
- STALL the bag - dont kick or rush finishing a trick and starting the next
- Keep straightposture - I always find that if I'm dropping on a new trick if
I concentrate on posture I'll hit it

One more general point which I've been finding recently is:
- Be comfortable with your own style and form

I think the culture of learning from videos and idolising good players lead to trying very hard to have form or style like other players. I think this is great if it is teaching good form to help consistency and injury free form, however I think sometimes fighting against your own natural style to look like someone elses could be detrimental as everyones bodies are different.

Anyway, just some thoughts

21 Ways to Become a Better Shredder

Mentality