Kankeri Japan

[Tjuggles]

Had another kick yesterday. Fun stuff. It feels great to kick everyday. I have been trying to focus on different things each day, to mix it up. I also brought my shred30 from 2017 Worlds, to start thinking about that. Don't like the combos so will have to work it out differently.

7 July 2021
osis > gyro osis x5
osis > p mirage > Parkwalk x4
drifter x12 first try
left foot set whirl x10 bs. I don't do whirls that much, and notice I am rushing both the delay and the set, on both sides.
p drifter x4 and x2, first try on left and right foot set, respectively. I noted that my right foot setting leg is rubbing my left calf. the rub happens on the inside, about 5cm above the ankle. I think that means I am setting the bag too far forward...
fairy ss mirage > smear x 2.5. I couldn't do this the last time I tried (either this week or last). This was probably the highlight of the session.
PLO > PLO > pixie op pickup > pixie op pickup > pixie ss mirage x 3

For the next session, I made a note to do blenders.

TOP-POST PAINTING!
I recently went to Te Papa and checked out Chiharu Shiota's new installation there, titled The Web of Time: https://www.tepapa.govt.nz/visit/exhibi ... a-web-time. This is the picture on the website. It is a web of numbers. The web is made using string, and the installation itself is pretty big; a big room full and spanning multiple floors. The blurb at the installation mentions that Chiharu-san created this with the idea that people assign important events in their life to certain dates. She made this with that idea in mind.

Looking forward to the 5-days worth of footage and the one-shot, haha. I should do another of those, but I'm scared I'll have to post another 1 contact string.

If you did do one of those, it would make this one seem slightly better:

[Tjuggles]

The days keep moving, and prep for worlds seems to be happening slower and slower. At least I haven't set any goals so won't be disappointed. I am just happy to be able to compete even at this ripe age.

13 July 2021

PLO x8 with good form, then x4, then x6
fairy op legover x 4 first try, then x4, x3
fairy op pickup x2. This is a weird trick. It definitely feels foreign.
little toes 2-bag (alternating toe stalls, but set really low) x14

My next shred I will work on stepping; today was almost all toe stuff (pixie and fairy)

There is an open day coming up at uni and I have a chance to put on a performance. I think I will take advantage of this and do my routine during it.

[Tjuggles]

Have been kicking regularly. That means at least twice a week. However, for about the 3-4 weeks leading up to Worlds, I have been kicking about 4 times a week. It feels great.

Just wanted to pop in here to say that today I managed to record a safety routine and sick 3. That is a relief. They are nothing special, but glad to have at least something that I can submit. I will continue to try for some better things, but until then it feels relieving that I have something.

I went into today's session thinking that everyone was in the same boat. I know that Ken is in a similar situation, and Mathieu as well. Surely like half of us are thinking the same thing. That line of thought made the session more enjoyable, and less stressful than last year. That being said, I probably won't do as good as last year, but my goal wasn't to try to beat everyone anyway (although the competitor in me is still there). I think just participating and getting something together is a goal in itself. It is also a nice break from the shred that I normally do. I have been pushing myself harder than normal, which I should do more often.

[Tjuggles]

Well, looks like Routine results have been sent out. Surprised to seem some of the people that scratched. Unfortunate that I didn't make it through, but am not too upset; I went in to Worlds without any goal really other than to compete. So far, I have managed to submit for all events (Sick 3, Routines, shred off) and feel that my routine was at least on par with what I did last year, if not better. I would say that is a success.

Maybe next year, if I can attend Worlds, my goal will be to make it into finals...

Have started thinking about shred30 (with only a few days left!). Will get some shots at it tomorrow, Wednesday, Thursday, and maybe Friday. Just need to memorize it and should be good to go...

[boyle]

Interesting with so many people scratching out. I also didn't make it through and wasn't really expecting to. With Vasek at the top, I wasn't expecting too much, though then I had Pawel and Wiktor both scratch. I don't think the timing was working so well for many people, I really struggled myself.

[Tjuggles]

Interesting with so many people scratching out. I also didn't make it through and wasn't really expecting to. With Vasek at the top, I wasn't expecting too much, though then I had Pawel and Wiktor both scratch. I don't think the timing was working so well for many people, I really struggled myself.

Yeah those two for sure were surprising. Like Ken mentioned, it is hard to compete well in all events. I hope they were prioritising other events, and not injured.

Yeah I didn't expect to make it too far this year. That being said, I feel like I did at least as good on a personal level as last time, so in the end I win.

[Tjuggles]

In a surprising turn of events, all of Aotearoa has gone into a level 4 lockdown, our highest level. We have 10 cases in the community within the last 24 hours, and there will likely be more. Level 4 means work from home, no travel, and only essential movement like for groceries and walking for exercise.

Among other things, this means I won't have an indoor spot to film my shred30. I have a narrow garage but don't think that will cut it; shred 30 has me move around a lot. To make matters worse, I don't have the camera I have been using to film since it is at uni. That means I will need to use my phone. THAT means no music for shred 30 because I can't record and listen to music at the same time. On top of that, it rained all day today so I couldn't get footage. I think it is supposed to be fair tomorrow so I will likely have some goes at it, but it is just as likely that I succumb to Murphy's Law and scratch given the circumstances. I would be mildly upset, but not so upset that I would necessarily care. What a world. Still don't even have the shred memorised. I could just go for a 34-contact string, hit as many uniques as I can, an call it a day. That way I would have at least submitted SOMETHING. Let's see how I go. Crazy times.

[boyle]

We're in lockdown too. Sounds like yours (and ours) came from Sydney. I'm sure you can get something in. I'd like to improve on what I have already but I'd like a bit better playing area. Stopping dropping it all the time would come in handy too.

[Tjuggles]

We're in lockdown too. Sounds like yours (and ours) came from Sydney. I'm sure you can get something in. I'd like to improve on what I have already but I'd like a bit better playing area. Stopping dropping it all the time would come in handy too.

You have been in lockdown for like 8 weeks, is that right? Crazy. Today is day 3 for us, and we here whether or not there will be an extension. I feel like there may be since it is early days regarding really knowing how far the virus has spread. Auckland is in lockdown for at least a week, the rest of the country until today (with no extension, that is).

Yeah I am leaning towards just filming anything, submitting, and feeling satisfied that I was able to compete in as many events as I did. Incidentally, this will be the last worlds I will attend in my 30s!

[boyle]

I'm in Canberra, we're only a few hours away from Sydney but we just went into lockdown with our first case in over a year last week - we're one week in here. Sydney's been for about 7-8 weeks but there don't look to be many improvements there, the cases are still climbing up. We are down for 2 weeks and I imagine there'll be at least 2 more weeks for us as there are cases in many schools which is really making things spread. Though now we're into remote learning etc.

I'm hoping today I can boost up my score but I have a safe enough one to submit but I would like to improve on that.

[Tjuggles]

Ah, right. Canberra for only a week so far. I have mixed feelings about lockdown. I like how it is more relaxed since I can work from home, but the work seems more monotonous since I am at the computer all day. Surely I am not the only one...

Nice that you have something to submit. It is raining today so not sure I'll get a chance to film outside. I may opt for the garage and see what I can do. I may also just wait until tomorrow and film. Or, I may do something like Rory did and do like 80 contacts of 2s, and go with that. Not too concerned at this stage. That was Rory right?

[boyle]

That sounds like something Rory would do, and I think you are right that's exactly what he did. Well I got in an extra session today and improved my score by 2 points... Was hoping to bump it up by 20 or so, but what can you do!

[Tjuggles]

Nice work on the points, even if only 2. 2 is infinitely more than the 0 that I have so far. I will likely get something recorded tomorrow, we will see. To be honest not sure if I even will; not particularly motivated with the snap lockdown that we have had. Just found out there are a few cases now in Wellington, and some of the locations of interest are places that I frequent. I wasn't at any of the places at the same time, but just the thought that the virus is back is pretty disheartening. On the other hand, footbag will likely reset me so better to at least have a kick. I haven't kicked in a week! My lower back feels a lot better though so that is good.

[Tjuggles]

Nice work on the points, even if only 2. 2 is infinitely more than the 0 that I have so far.

I can now say that is not that case; just submitted a shred 30! I had went out a couple of hours ago and managed two that I was happy with. I came back in, started doing chores thinking that I would get to them afterwards, total the points and upload the higher one. As I was doing things, I realized I hadn't included the code! I mulled over what to do for about 5 minutes, then figured I was already committed, so went back out with the code, and got another in like 20 minutes. I think half of the tricks are butterfly, but whatever. I was desperate to get one, what with the sun setting too. When I got the one I ended up submitting, I just called it.

Glad I got something in. This means I competed in Routines, Shred-Off, Sick 3, and Shred 30! It is so true that competing well in all of the events is tough stuff.

I may celebrate with some homemade apricot sake.

Finally, one good thing about fucking up the earlier shreds is I can upload those to youtube.

[Tjuggles]

Been a minute since I posted. World's recordings are finished, and the final show is in 3.5 hours from now. 2am is when it starts in NZ. I don't think I will be able to make the live viewing, unfortunately.

Been kicking recently, and had a great session today, in fact. I have been pretty much restrained to my garage. It is slightly slanted and just narrow enough to keep me focused. This is not so much a complaint, but merely a statement. I managed to take some notes recently, too.

Ser asked me about the Footbag dictionary app, specifically if it was available for ios. I said I would get on it; I have been working on another app for ios, and have managed to get things under control with it, so hopefully in the next couple of weeks/months I will have those released, too. There is a free version and the full version.

26 August 2021
gyro pickup > PLO > Pixie op muted clipper x 2

30 August 2021
ss mirage x 30

1 September 2021
op toe stall for about 4.5 minutes (listening to Aretha Franklin's song Think, twice).
2 minutes of op legover
short run to magellan > PLO x4
gyro clipper x10 first try
gyro legover > pixie muted ss osis <- note: routine combo?

3 September 2021
op toe stalls for about 2.5 mins (listening to Aretha Franklin's Think)
left-foot-set i-o ATW x 25
swirl x10 bs
pixie ss mirage x 3
step ss clipper x10 bs
atomic op toe > atomic ss toe x2
quantum op toe > quantum ss toe x2

4 September 2021
op toe stalls for about 2.5 mins (listening to Aretha Franklin's Think)
left foot i-o ATW x10
magellan > PLO x10
pixie ss mirage > fairy ss legover x2 <- note: routine combo?
drifter x12 first try
swirl x10 bs. Been watching Penske footage recently thinking how stable his clipper sets are, likely due to being so damn good at swirls.
gyro legover > pixie op osis x2 <- note: routine combo?
gyro legover > tap bs


Note: throw more toe mirages; need more practice with left toe!
I'd like to start prepping for Worlds next year by incorporating the events into my own practice. This is why I have added some notes for me above. I may develop a better system of keeping track of this, but let's call it a start for now eh?

Also, should get onto sorting video footage! I have some still do get through.

[boyle]

Midnight here, so it's a little bit more reasonable. Looking forward to watching. I'm interested to see how many people are online in the chat, I feel there hasn't been as much of a build up this year. Will be interesting to see if we are back online next year.

[Tjuggles]

Unsuprisingly, I didn't watch the live show. I think they did a great job.

A couple of things that stood out:

1. Ken's final routine.
- Crazy how time moves. Ken has had such a good career, achieving what many of us will likely never achieve. He has also scripted at least some of it througout the years in his blog (and youtube, with video). It has been an honor watching him. I wonder how much will change, outside of competition. I assume Ken will still be posting, videoing, kicking, but who knows if 'final routine' means just that, or if it means less/no footbag altogether.

2. Peter talking about the Czechs.
- As Peter mentioned, the Czechs have been dominating this sport for 2 decades. That is just incredible. The way they were mastering everything back then, in their earlier, foundational skills part of their career, must have been second to none for them to continue to be top-tier. Surely that is one reason they continue to triumph.

I have had a few sessions since the last post. Today just before lunch I got bit with the kick-bug and got a cheeky 40-min sesh in.

5 September 2021
Stepping ss osis > gyro osis > rpt --> Routine?

8 September 2021
alternating and ss toe stalls for 4:19 (to Eve's Satisfaction)
ss mirage for 1 minute
clipper set far legover > PLO > pixie muted op clipper x 8.5
magellan > PLO x 7
pixie op pickup x 2 > PLO x2 > pixie ss mirage x2 > (right-foot set) magellan > PLO > drop

9 September 2021
op toe stalls during verses, and ss toe > op toe during choruses for Eve's Satisfaction
pixie ss mirage x6
gyro legover > op osis x3
gyro legover > pixie op osis x2 -> Routine
Tap > PLO x2
I also worked on stepping and some blenders a bit. Good session.

[Tjuggles]

This week flew by. Can't believe we are starting to head into the end of 2021.

I have been kicking pretty consistenly for the past week, Tue-Fri. I am enjoying the time I am dedicating to toe stalls. Continuing to feel stronger.

14 September 2021
op toe stalls during verses, and ss toe > op toe during choruses for Eve's Satisfaction (about 4:19)
left foot set ATW i-o x5
PLO x11
osis > step ss clipper x3 (right foot set) and x6 (left foot set)
pixie ss mirage x11
blender x3, starting from both sides. I have been trying to incorporate more of these in my sessions; I want more variety of tricks in my repertoire.

15 September 2021
op toe stalls during verses, and ss toe > op toe during choruses for Eve's Satisfaction (about 4:19). I noted one left foot drop in here somewhere.
left foot set ATW x24
stepping ss clipper > stepping op clipper x3. I have been trying to incorporate more of these in my sessions; I want more variety of tricks in my repertoire.
Pixie op pickup x 2 > PLO x3 > smear > rpt
blender x4 first try.

16 September 2021
op toe stalls during verses, and ss toe > op toe during choruses for Eve's Let This Go (about 4:13).
left foot set i-o ATW x10, with pauses in between each one.
osis > xbd sole > ss clipper x6
stepping ss clipper > stepping ss osis x2
Atomsmasher x2
Quantum mirage bs

17 September 2021
op toe stalls during verses, and ss toe > op toe during choruses for Eve's Satisfaction (about 4:19).
left foot set i-o ATW to ss inside delay > ss pickup x5
step ss clipper > step op clipper x2
gyro osis > stepping osis x2
quantum mirage bs
I wanted blender x5 and quantum mirage x2, but didn't happen today. My left foot set quantum sets are feeling deep.

Additionally, I have been spending time porting the apps I have developed for Android, to iOS. I have finished all of this, and also managed to update the Footbag Dictionary app. I redesigned the logo and tweaked the UI. I have updated the Footbag Dict app on the Google Play Store, so it should be available. At this stage, I am not sure I will be updating the free version of the app. It takes a long time to tweak and test these apps, and as the number of apps I develop increases, I feel like it would be more beneficial to focus on the full version of the Dict. The free one will still be available, but just won't get any updates. I have some more things I want to add to the full version, mostly facts and more information I found in these forums, and also through word of mouth. The full version is only $0.99 NZ dollars so isn't expensive. Additionally that small amount will help me be able to continue to develop this app by (eventually) removing the need for me to have a 9-5 at a company. https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... icktionary

[Tjuggles]

Just a quick update.

Additionally, I have been spending time porting the apps I have developed for Android, to iOS... I have finished all of this, and also managed to update the Footbag Dictionary app. I redesigned the logo and tweaked the UI. I have updated the Footbag Dict app on the Google Play Store, so it should be available. At this stage, I am not sure I will be updating the free version of the app. It takes a long time to tweak and test these apps, and as the number of apps I develop increases, I feel like it would be more beneficial to focus on the full version of the Dict. The free one will still be available, but just won't get any updates. I have some more things I want to add to the full version, mostly facts and more information I found in these forums, and also through word of mouth. The full version is only $0.99 NZ dollars so isn't expensive. Additionally that small amount will help me be able to continue to develop this app by (eventually) removing the need for me to have a 9-5 at a company. https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... icktionary

During Worlds I got an email from Ser about the footbag dictionary app. He was surprised he had just seen it, despite it being available for a while. He asked if it was available for iOS since that was all he had. I told him not yet, but was in the works. Well, it is now finished and available on the app store too! Here is the link: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/footbag-d ... mpt=uo%3D2

Thanks for the support. I would like to keep on working on this. I have some more data to add to it. Getting myself into a position where I can support my family from endeavors like this is my goal. I would appreciate any and all support. Thanks!

[cammel]

Bought the app for iOS! Nice work, its fun to have this so handy.