1974, year of the Curtain

Keep a diary of what you're hitting, what's frustrating you, and your goals.
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MetZelRio
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1974, year of the Curtain

Post by MetZelRio » 08 Jan 2014 00:07

Figuratively speaking, I'm not the same person or footbagger that I used to be. I'd like to start over when it comes to footbag and being part of the community. A couple of years back, I happened to meet up with Nick Landes and we momentarily discussed why I wasn't really involved with the community too much. I told him foremost it had been my own arrogance. Anything beyond that is irrelevant.

Literally speaking, I'm the same person as before, but I'm going to try to treat footbag and the community as though I'm brand new and I'm hoping to be received as such. My practices will be back to learning the absolute basics correctly this time. I intend My communications to be as a student, encourager, and supporter rather than a know it all, one upper (as if...) and complainer.

Humbly,
Thank you
Last edited by MetZelRio on 17 Jan 2016 06:23, edited 53 times in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 08 Jan 2014 00:10

I'm going to Consecrate this 2nd post to quotes of great advice I've read on Modified.in ~from other players to other players~
C-Fan wrote:One piece of advice: once you've mastered tiltless, don't abandon it. A lot of players are so excited to move on to 3 and 4 add tricks, they assume they've mastered their 2s and don't spend time on them anymore. 2s are the foundation of the game, and its never too late in your game to keep schooling them. I've been guiltless for close to 15 years, and I still start every session by warming up with tiltless.
From Freestyle Footbaggers of Facebook, Zeb Jackson did a deconstruction spreadsheet post:
Nick Landes wrote:Dude! Way to go! That's how I took some of the most important and fundamental steps in my Footbag path. Keep deconstructing and drilling the basics
Last edited by MetZelRio on 19 Feb 2014 22:04, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by F[uns]tylin' Eclectic » 08 Jan 2014 23:34

Hey man, welcome (back?) to modified :) Although, I dont know who you are, I totally accept you back into the community. I dont think others will mind greeting you with a fresh start. As for drilling, yes, I would drill 100 b2b Toe kicks and 100 b2b Inside kicks first. Those should be your first 2 goals if you want to do it right. Next goals should be 100 b2b Toe Stalls then 100 b2b Inside stalls. Those 4 things will give you a fantastic boost into freestyle. Good luck man. And if you have more questions about anything, don't hesitate to contact me :) Hope your run in freestyle is more fun this time around.
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"Yeah dude it's all mental. Then it's physical" ~Evan Gatesman

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 09 Jan 2014 10:29

Advice being heeded. I'm kind of going to work on those 4 perhaps as 4 different things to really drill together until I can hit them all. I want to have the belief for the kicks. My mind is more believing with the stalls because they seem to have more control and less variables or randomness of flight. Honestly, I'm having a rough time with just the belief that I can do 100 consecutive alternating kicks. I totally understand belief has to be there for my mind to act on the belief and accomplish it. As Napoleon hill said, whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve.

I believe.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by C-Fan » 09 Jan 2014 10:39

How about a quick intro? Where you from, what got you in the game, what are your goals, maybe even a video of you playing.

I second Nick in welcoming you back to modified and the community. Sometimes, a little time away is a great thing. I know that my second stint with footbag (after taking 6 months off) was way more fun and had better results than my first stint. I hope the same happens with you.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 09 Jan 2014 15:56

Sincerely,

Thank you. I mean it.

I was a juggler for about ten years when I saw some guys playing hacky sack. I thought it was pretty lame. But watching one player a tad closer because he was able to catch the "hack" on the inside of his shoe sorta behind his back (what I soon learned was a clipper stall). As a juggler that got my attention... I knew that took skills. They invited me in to kick with them and the one clipper guy noticed my intrigue and acted on it. He introduced me to freedom footbags and told me to order some rod laver tennis shoes. That was in 2003. That was my beginning of footbag and unfortunately my mentors end.


I'm from Michigan, living in Manistee and I got into this sport a little late in life. I also am built less for a footbagger and more for a defensive tackle. I'm the size of wreck it Ralph and have only recently realized it. Although i now realize why I wasn't able to hit certain moves, I still love this sport more than my hindrances due to my utter enormousness. lol

My goals? Not sure about goals, but some ideas: I want to be so consistent at osis b2b that I could do it all day and not drop and not be out of control. I want to introduce this sport to others, similarly to how I was introduced. I'd like to hit flail mid string. I'd like to infinity x 100 no problem. I'd like to represent our sport well. I'd like to be able to have friends across the country or world that would like me to visit and shred with them and vice versa. I'd like to be smooth styled. Even if my game was just over tiltless, but it flowed...Those aren't really goals, but things that sound relevant to the desires of my expectations.

The way I used to play footbag was to hit new tricks. Single tricks. Hardly ever did any strings. For example:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kvZTpHveqM[/youtube]

I don't want to do footbag like that anymore. I want to learn strings, endurance, consistency, true growth.

I don't want to put any new videos up. YET. key word yet. Not until I learn how to do this sport "correctly"
Last edited by MetZelRio on 28 Jan 2014 05:42, edited 6 times in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by F[uns]tylin' Eclectic » 10 Jan 2014 00:47

Holy shit! I know who you are! Did you used to be "The Rhino" on modified? I think we used to chat a few years ago?
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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 11 Jan 2014 16:53

Just came back from the Michigan jam.

A quick glance

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utA5y1P4G_k[/youtube]

It's the fourth time I've ever seen footbag live rather than on video . (1st: michigan 07 tourny, 2nd worlds 07, 3rd met Nick Landes in Muskegon, 4th Grand Rapids Jam 2014)

Johnny Suderman was very kind and welcoming. My son Sabastian was so excited to meet him because he likes his style alot, as do I.

Adam Greenwood was there and I asked him if he had a YouTube, and he said yeah, but that it's not really any good. He said he started practicing much differently lately and now is better. Let me tell ya... he ain't bad and that's an understatement.

There were so many welcoming people. So many great shredders. Zach Jahner was there just a bustin.

Seeing footbag in person is so surreal. Thank you guys who put this together and thanks to every person that showed up. Thank you for being so welcoming.

Holy cow what did I just see?

Gotta go. Sorry kthxbai
Last edited by MetZelRio on 28 Jan 2014 05:44, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 13 Jan 2014 11:08

192

I've gotta say... ( but obviously you don't have to read) (TL;DR?)

When I went to the GR Jam, I wasn't expecting one of my top ten favorite shredders there. What gets someone on my favorites list is style. Immense style. not SIMPLY unbelievable skill. Style is what matters to me more than just skill and consistency. Some of my favorite guys in footbag aren't even "big names" if there are even big names in this sport. I guess there are a few. And style is all Relative/subjective as well. Style is all in the eye of the beholder I guess.

ANYWAY

I've been very committed to learning basics, tiltless and stringymabobs. No new tricks, or really even practicing the bigger tricks I used to know.

Also, I have been using my rod lavers, but I've modded them by cutting off three eyelets, removing the mesh from the clipper area, and the doing brocka mod today. The eyelets may not be the most wonderful mod I've read about, but the mesh from the clipper area and ESPECIALLY brocka, has helped me TREMENDOUSLY. OH MY BUSCUIT!

Here are some of the return to basics I've accomplished:

38 alternating inside kicks(thank you brocka mod, without it, I was getting to about three lol)
30 alternating toe kicks(this is getting tremendously easier as I practice, I expect to see higher numbers soon)
100 alternating to stall (thats the goal, so I should just maintain this as a daily drill until I feel I can move on)
10 or so inside stalls (again, brocka mod to the rescue)
Clip>legover>mirage>clip>legover>mirage (a tiltless drill I worked on today, which WAS SO COOL when I did it because, I was filming myself and my less than one year old was dancing to some sweet music on a video Jay Boychuck had put together and I was dancing with my little boy. As he walked away I hit the string PERFECTLY and SMOOTH. the dancing and the string were all caught on video. I would post it because it's so cute, but 2 things are wrong. 1. I'm the size of wreck it ralph -9 feet tall and 600 some odd lbs- and 2. the house and the camera literally shook as I did the string lol.

which brings me to my next thought.

The one thing that has held me back from doing really well in footbag is all this extra weight I carry around. Honest to goodness, I never knew why some footbag moves were SO SO SO SO DANG hard for me to accomplish. As ignorant as it sounds, I didn't ever figure out my extra weight was the reason for that until relatively recently. The one thing that would ABSOLUTELY REVOLUTIONIZE my game is to not have all this extra body in the way. it's too hard to turn this ship around when I need to go from one clipper to the other. Paradox moves are nearly unattainable. All of the advice I've been given in this game is virtually irrelevant UNTIL my body is ready. =P the advice that I have gotten from the best sources is all correct advice, no doubt about it, and I am following it the best that I can. HOWEVER, the sources I received the advice from are all slender non overweight or non obese rippers, and I'm sure if they even DID think to tell me, "hey brah, you're a fat frickin frick, you neeeeeeeeeeeeed to do something about that if you want to be a better shredder", they certainly wouldn't tell me that. 1. because most everyone is so kind and 2. because it seems like it would be self evident. (but it really wasn't) :oops: I've been doing some serious work on that now as well.

EDIT:

I bought my ten year old some roddy rod rods today. He's really interested after seeing live footbag.
Last edited by MetZelRio on 28 Jan 2014 05:49, edited 3 times in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by Cass » 13 Jan 2014 11:40

Hey! It was nice to meet you this weekend!

The good thing about footbag is it will help solve the weight issue if you keep at it.

It's really awesome to hear that your son is interested. Getting into it at that age would be crazy! Hope he keeps at it.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 14 Jan 2014 05:49

The iconic Cassy Taylor! You and everyone that walked up and introduced yourselves to me made me feel very welcome =) I saw you on the floor when you hurt yourself and I was really concerned, but then you shot up and walked out, I figured you'd be okay and it sounds like you are and I'm happy to hear it.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 14 Jan 2014 19:28

Image

My Son Sabastian is getting into footbag because of this Jam, and specifically this run which Sabastian, my Daughter and I were captured watching in this vid.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KELI_t1wSO4[/youtube] See the excitement of the look on his face! Apparently after he left, he went with mommy and the rest of the Fam and he couldn't stop telling everyone about what he had just seen. My daughter as well is saying "I wanna go to Grand Rapids and see footbag" and I've gotta tell her it's not happening anymore. For Sabastian, It would be so exciting to point back to this video - years from now and say "this is what started it all for him" and shoot, maybe potentially for her too! :)
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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 15 Jan 2014 09:35

started off the sesh with some juggling, and I was very pleased with the results. not one single drop.

100 catches of five ball reverse bounce cascade
100 catches of five ball cascade


tiltless drills:

I half accidentally / half intentionally did a new drill:
clip>legover>near mirage>RPT (The first near mirage was supposed to not be near, so when I did the RPT, i remembered, hey, you better make this one near too)

clip>legover>mirage>rpt about four times. alternating how i started between flip and strong (I'd actually like to train to the point where I don't have a flipside, both sides are just sides) I sealed one of these with a ducking clipper>osis and then another one I intentionally sealed by setting the bag straight up into alternating toe kicks/alternating inside kicks then just kicked it up and caught it... THAT felt cool.

so i guess that makes my tiltless record 8
Last edited by MetZelRio on 28 Jan 2014 05:52, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by C-Fan » 15 Jan 2014 10:47

How about some video of the juggling/footbag?

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 19 Jan 2014 18:11

Yes sir Ken. I will work on that. In the meantime, here are my son's newly acquired and modified lavers

Image

Image

Toe stalls both sides, good job Sabastian. The clipper was just a pose I had him do =P

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by F[uns]tylin' Eclectic » 19 Jan 2014 19:29

Nice! Welcome to the community, Sebastian! Bummer you cut his toe walls off already, though :/ Keeping toe walls on until you get the hang of the basics and Pixies is always a good idea. I'm sure he can overcome it though :) Looking forward to seeing your progression and your son's! :D

Oh also, where did you buy his Lavers? They're becoming extremely rare these days... like nonexistent :/
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Re: MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 19 Jan 2014 22:52

I wasn't going to cut them but I read matt cross commenting on his rod laver mod video to cut the first eyelets.

Adidas.com had them on sale for half off, but I see what you mean because the only sizes they had were US 4, 4.5, and 18 or something like that.

If Rod Lavers are virtually impossible to find, What shoe is the go-to for people now? I couldn't find quantum or G unit or climas either...

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Re: MetZelRio

Post by F[uns]tylin' Eclectic » 20 Jan 2014 07:50

MetZelRio wrote:
If Rod Lavers are virtually impossible to find, What shoe is the go-to for people now? I couldn't find quantum or G unit or climas either...
WE... DON'T... KNOWWWWW!!!!!! 8O

Adidas is releasing another wave of Lavers sometime in the future. We just have to wait it out and scrape up the rest of the Lavers. It sucks, but hopefully it wont be for much longer.

And his Lavers won't be useless now that the eyelets are gone, it just will be a bit more challenging for him to learn toe stuff, because the walls keep it from falling off while learning them. Maybe it will make him better though! Interested in finding out!
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Re: MetZelRio

Post by Asmus » 20 Jan 2014 09:14

I learned toe stall without toe walls and (even though I had no point of refence) I didn't feel toe stall was hard to learn or that I dropped because of it. It made my pixie sets sloppy though.

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Re: Tales of MetZelRio

Post by MetZelRio » 23 Jan 2014 13:30

782

Once again I did some juggling to start the sesh
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMQE68hJahc[/youtube] Here you go Ken =)

Because I've been focusing on drills and strings, I've been noticing some very interesting things. For one, I can feel my dexes getting quicker and more accurate. Secondly, I can tell what height the bag needs to be set at for certain tricks, AND I can set it where it needs to be, even mid string. This is making it feel like I am actually playing footbag, and gaining new skills that I didn't actually have before, even though I was able to link some stuff together years ago, but in no way did i ever truly practice strings or drills. For example:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-58pIjxo3zA[/youtube]

If you are wondering who "Kevin" is, it is Kevin Crowley, the man with the most stylish osis, and I wish to emulate them one day.

Now, when I am intentionally practicing strings and drills... I occasionally get a little bored with it, so what I have been doing is trying to do a trick, just above tiltless level INTO the drills and tiltless strings I'm practicing. Such as:

Swirl>String
Magellan>tiltless string
Paradox Mirage>tiltless string
PDX mirage BSOS>string
stepping pickup>drop lol

Also I have been trying to do the drills I've been practicing, then not stopping when I complete them, but continue on with random tiltless stuff:

Clip>mirage>near mirage>rpt>tiltless string
clip>LO>Mirage>rpt>tiltless string

I was able to partly Complete some challenges today for beginner footbag players too. I did the ATW challenge, which is the absolute first drill Anssi Sundberg and Jay Boychuck do in the basic drills video ... However, since my philosophy on completing challenges is "video or it didn't happen", it "didn't happen" the first time it happened. lol but I was FINALLY ABLE to do it again after about an hour or so. I know, its so lame, its the first drill and I had so many problems with it. and not only that, but for some reason the video was zoomed way in and it looks bad, but you can see it nonetheless.
[youtube]url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UppQNwcCOYY[/youtube]

I also did ten tiltless [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjtlszFKELs[/youtube]

thanks for stopping by
Last edited by MetZelRio on 28 Jan 2014 05:59, edited 2 times in total.

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