I lost interest in playing footbag because I live in an area where no one plays seriously and those who I found quit after one or two sessions. I was also frustrated with the state of the scene at the time because honestly everyone just seem like a bunch of nerds and pussies and that's coming from someone far from the hetero-normative tough guy. Also, I've always had issues with my hips not allowing me to perform certain moves of, but couldn't accept that it was the cause of my weaknesses. I used to practice at least four hours a day for years and watched in humiliation as I was eclipsed by all of my contemporaries. Even newer players quickly passed my skill level with ease. The disgust towards myself and others became too much for me to bear and I happened to pick up another hobby during that transitional period, music.
As I began to take music more seriously, and around the time it was announce that they were changing the names of moves to some dumb ass bullshit, I completely lost interest in footbag. The initial learning curve of music proficiency was much more enjoyable than the stagnancy of my footbag game. It was similarly enjoyable when I started playing footbag, but that feeling was long gone. It's funny to me now because as I'm writing this I'm starting to feel the same way about my music as I did with footbag back then; I feel like I've lost any meaningful sense of direction and question the possibility of becoming better.
The only time I've played footbag in the past 7-8 years is whenever Kevin Crowley and I get together. He is the only friend that I've kept since quitting and he's a great player and friend. I bought a Hania bag about 3 years ago in a naive attempt to jumpstart my footbag game after hanging out with Crowley for a weekend, but that lasted about a week before the nostalgic feelings faded and the soreness became.
Pics of this time
Fast forward to now: I still live in Spokane. I went to school and graduated with a philosophy degree. I own a music studio business and have also taken up photography/videography. I've always been into filming and someone who reads this may have seen an old footbag video of mine, but now I suppose I have better equipment. I also deliver newspapers on the side for extra cash which is dope because I don't have a boss or customers to deal with. I also gained about 60-70 pounds since I last played. Without footbag, I didn't really exercise in any other way and still do not exercise. My weight has steady increased and my body type went from skinny to stocky to thick to just kinda fucking fat.
But I suppose the whole reason I'm even returning here is that my girlfriend that I've been with for the past 6+ years and I broke up recently. I'm living in my studio and it fucking hurts. The whole thing is confusing and has put in me in a mode of existence that I haven't perceived in many years; I'm single and I'm lost. It reminds me of how I was around the time I was playing footbag when all I did was smoke/sell weed and jack off a bunch. Now without my partner that I based my entire life and future around, I don't know what to do with myself. Friends have come and gone throughout the years and right now none surround me. It's lonely.
So, I've decided that I'm going to starting playing footbag again. What better time to start playing with your sack again then during a bout of depression? This time around I'm not going to get sucked into the mentality of eternal progression. I'm not going to be the best, or even a good player, and that's something I need to finally accept. I also need to accept that my body doesn't work the way other bodies work. I can't do explosive hip movements required for uptime sets like atomic or stepping. It hurts my body and they feel like shit no matter how hard or how many different ways I've practiced them, so fuck 'em. Another reason I need to start again is my health. I'm 220 pounds and I should be at 170. I will always have those thicky thick tree trunk type thighs, but I don't need this gut to go with it. Footbag will be my exercise because I'm not going to start running or training in any other way probably ever. I also want to do it for my mental health because staying still for too long makes me want to melt into myself.
If you read this entire thing, thanks, I guess. I will post updates from my training. I'm starting from the very beginning, so expect kicks and tiltless.
I didn't know you were in Spokane. I'll let you know the next time I'm out that way for work. Whenever I visit Grand Coulee dam I usually fly in/out of Spokane. I didn't think any footbaggers were there, but based on your post I guess you weren't really playing in the past few years.
