G's Footlogger

[innersmile]

15 September 2004

MY LAVERS FINALLY ARRIVED!!!! BUYA!!!

So white, clean, and new; not for too long. I still have plenty of modding to do to them but I have them. They really make a difference and I think it'll take about a week to be fully used to them.

Short shred last night really. I was just trying out the lavers and I was impressed. I hit another 10 consecutive leg overs and clipper stalls were good. I must say that Lavers are very kind to toe stalls esp. I can now just stick my foot out pretty much anytime and get the stall. Wicked!

Going to have a long sesh tonight. 'till then...

[innersmile]

20 September 2004

Well, I'm back after a great long weekend. I had several good 1.5hr sessions over the break and I really feel I made some progress.

Basics
Toe stall- so easy with Lavers
Inside stall- I worked them loads, still getting there.

Clipper Stuff
Clippers- good, getting better height and straighter sets.
Clipper Stalls- these were really consistent throughout the weekend.
Consecutive Clippers- I'm now on 3 bs. respect.
Alternating Clippers- left alone

2 Adds
ATWs- also really good bs, both directions.
Leg Over- I got it down... hit another 10 in a row.
Dragonfly- flipside got the hang of it, I rarely miss it now.
Pick up- landed the flipside, still needs plenty work bs.

3 Add
Butterfly- so much improved since last week. I really worked this bs and I'm getting close to owning this one.

Osis
Still mainly schooling from the toss. I landed 6/10 with my left over the weekend though I'd be lying if I said I managed close to that again. sometimes I get it, sometimes I'm hopeless. I am trying them from the
toe stall more often and have landed a few but it is going to take some time. I reckon I'll get it by Dec.

Spins

need work, but not nb for now.

General
I finally enjoyed 2 great shreds with my twisted bag. The Laver's make a world of difference. They are still too clean...

It's my 25th Birthday today, sweet!

much love,

[B_Man]

Happy birthday Greg!

Some tips on Osis:

I usually do mine from a clipper set, but I guess it doesn't really matter. Try watching the bag for as long as you can - I usually watch it until I can see that the bag is directly over top of (how Erik Chan described in his blog) the sweet spot. Once you know that the bag is right over it, simply look to the other side of your body and your foot will follow through!

It's basically the same thing that Erik said in his blog. He stated that Osis gave him a hard time and Derek gave this advice to him and he said it worked. It's also how I got to learn them really well, even if it took forever. Anyways, I hope it helps

[innersmile]

21 September 2004

Only had a couple of minutes to shred yesterday but I was stuffed from a lovely corporate lunch with the office fam, and a little drunk too.

Anyway, everything seemed to be ok. I'll have more time tonight to work on stuff.

later,

[innersmile]

22 September 2004

Warm Up
204 cons' inside kicks on the first go!

Basics
Toe stalls- 50 1 drop
Inside stalls- 50 3 drops BUT a little later I hit 44, my highest ever!

Clipper Stuff
Clippers- not great but ok
Clipper Stall- strong

2 Adds
ATWs- have been better
Leg over- good
Dragonfly- so so

3 Add
Butterfly- still needs work

Osis
sigh. no love from the toss but I tried setting it from a clipper and it's a little easier (thanks Byrin).

Misc.
Bag- blue/white/grey sandmaster, got him yesterday.
Time- 35 mins
Stretch- 10 mins

I need to focus more on pick ups, cons/alt clippers, fairy/pixie. I'll set some time aside tonight because they have been kinda neglected.

It was good sesh last night and I was satisfied afterwards. Stretching is ok but I'm not doing enough of it to improve, I'm just maintaining right now.

give thanks,

[mc]

greg,

osis tips...

assuming you'll do the osis with your right foot, set from your left toe straight up to about hip height. start to turn your body as soon as you set so that as the bag falls, it goes past your right butt cheek. the proper catch position for osis can be acheived easily by cranking your ankle all the way in as you'd do an inside stall, and then pointing your knee inward towards your support leg knee. as the bag goes past your butt, turn just a little more, and sit / bend the support leg a little bit to cradle the bag as it hits your foot.

the trick is to get it so you don't actually have to see it come into contact with your foot. get familiar with it so you can turn away a second sooner and make the move that much smoother.

make sure you're not trying to snag and whip the osis. that will make it fly all over the place, and doesn't lend itself to control. it should be a very easy, subtle little sit / spin.

good luck.

[innersmile]

23 September 2004

Before I begin, much respect to Matt, Byrin, Kobus and all who've offered advice and tips! I appreciate all the help I can get because, as you know Osis has been eluding me for too long. Also, I mainly shred alone and don't really have anyone to correct me during my play so things take a little while longer for me to get. Keep the faith, if you book them, they will come...

Warm up
200 cons inside kicks, 1 drop.
50 Toe stalls (64 actually!!).
50 inside stalls 4 drops.

Inside stalls started really weak but I was playing with a Twisted and not a Sand Bag. I switched to a Sandbag later and hit 76! 50 has been a goal of mine for ages now and I am so happy I've gone well past it, my inside's total is higher than my toe stall total. Pretty cool huh?

Clipper Stuff
Clipper Kicks- not great yesterday.
Clipper Stalls- slightly below par.

2 Adds
Leg Over- been better.
ATWs- so so.
Dragonfly- ok, need more height.
Pick up- still teething

I landed a few pick ups bs but with no regular consistency other then landing 1 each side in the same string/run. My balance is dodgy sometimes from the clipper but I am working clipper stuff regularly.

And now the section we've all come to love/hate:

Osis
I did land a completely smooth one and managed to continue kicking last night so I suppose that's a good thing. I have been doing the set from the toe stall wrong though (thanks Matt) because when I set the bag with my left foot, I do the Osis with my left as well. I'm going to try the other way out tonight. I wasn't actually going to shred tonight due to the 2 full days of shredding at the market I have over this long weekend; but, 30 minutes couldn't hurt now could it?

3 Add
Butterfly- better last night, landed some real decent ones.

Misc.
Shred time- 1 hr
Bag- Twisted / Red Sandbag
Stretch- 10 mins after

I was happy with last night's sesh having finally broken 50 inside stalls. Most of the other stuff could be better but it wasn't a bad shred by any means.

Ooo, I almost forgot, last night I tried a genuine Mirage for the first time. No luck landing it but the bag rolled off my foot a few times. Gotta be quicker.

That's about it,

[innersmile]

27 September 2004

Hmmm, I had a great footbaggin weekend but my prev. post didn't go through. I don't have time to write it again but here's a short summary of what went down.

Friday:
Met Kobus (kaos) and 2 other dudes at the market. Seeing people do stuff on videos is amazing but 2 feet away from you is another story. Props Kobus, you got some serious skills man. Got me super motivated.

In total I must have shredded for + 5 hours the whole day and I was dead afterwards.

Saturday:
Short sesh. Spent it schooling basics, clipper stuff and Osis (mailny from inside set). Had a great stretch after, 'bout 20 mins.

Sunday:
Market was cancelled. I went out on Saturday night and was in no condition to shred the entire day.

peace,


Almost forgot: I landed an Illusion both sides for the first time. Sweet.

[innersmile]

30 September 2004

I haven't had a shred in the last 2 days due to an insanely hectic Monday night involving way too many cocktails, a long lost lover, a titty bar (her idea, not mine!) and uber strong weed... I have been a shadow of my former self (I had to call in sick on Tues) but I think I'm slowly coming right. Yay.

Anyway, this post is for the sesh I had on Monday eve (sorry for neglecting you lately blog)...

It was a pretty long shred, about an hour and 20 mins and all I worked on the entire sesh other than the basics was, guess. Come on... Yup, Osis. I seriously made some progress though and the set from the inside stall is really getting results fast. I also worked it from the clipper stall a bit.

I managed to land ATW>Leg over>ATW>Legover at least 2 full times, maybe a little more but I only worked it for a few mins.

I so almost landed 3 cons. Clipper stalls. So close, so close! It will come soon.

If I have time tonight I'll have a little sesh but there's extra training for us senior kung fuers early this eve so I may have to wait until tomorrow (Friday is sure taking it's time) to get those Lavers even dirtier.

much love

[innersmile]

1 October 2004

Warm Up
200 inside kicks- 1 drop
50 toe stalls- 2 drops
50 inside stalls- 4 drops

A bit rusty from not playing for 2 days.

Clipper Stuff
Clippers- good, hit about 8/9 in a kicking run
Clipper Stalls- ok
Alternating clipper stalls- So close to landing 3

Osis
Not the best last night. I'll work it over the weekend. Set from both inside stall and clipper stall. Landed a few goodies but I want it better.

General
Worked some ATWs last night and they seemed ok. Same for Dragonflies.

Misc.
Time- 35 mins, so no real time to work everyhthing
Bag- brown/tan/white Sandmaster

I wasn't too pleased with last night's sesh, I just felt a little out of sync. I've got an open weekend though and I plan on getting in some decent shreds.

------ > it's Friday!

peace,

[innersmile]

5 October 2004

Over the past weekend I had a few unsatisfactory shreds due to poor performance, mild hang overs, and small, crowded shredding spaces.

We were doing a demo at a skate shop and met up with Kaos to do some mid-mall shreddin'. Well, we started out in this tiny little shop full of skater stuff. Warming up took ages cause the circle was pretty big and I seemed to drop everything.

It took about an hour to get going though and then I was playing ok. I did witness my first ever 5 add (phoenix) trick though beautifully executed by kaos. So cool man! It just makes me want to work harder.

I went home and did some moding. I am proud to say that I no longer have side walls! I took a few hours to get used to it but I'm happy with the mod.

Sunday: The Market aka HELL FOR SHRED. We used to have this really big, open stand but it was a little far back so we missed alot of traffic. Anyway, it ruled. There was ample space to shred, even with a 5 man circle. But now it's all changed. We have a much better spot (businesswise) but it's just too crowded to do anything much. I had to stop with the footbag on my foot and wait for the people to pass countless times and got moaned at by the grumpy furniture guy opposite us. I managed to pull off about 440 consecutives though and worked small clippers so it was ok, barely.

We had a really good day though and must have sold close to 30 bags. Instead of pay I chose to take a Tangent Facile (14 panel, blue, black). It's soooo soft but really needs a good 2 weeks of handrolling before it's playable.

________________________

Last night:

Warm Up

200 Cons Inside 2 drops
Toe stalls- ok
Inside stalls- not the best

I gave my Tanget it's first kick today and I liked what I felt/saw. Good, straight sets and uber-soft facile make a big diff. It's still far from broken in and inside stalls were a little tricky (no sidewalls either...).

Clipper Stuff

I NAILED 3 ALTERNATING CLIPPER STALLS!

Seriously, wow. I worked these for the majority of the sesh and it payed off. I need to work on my rythm but I feel that 3 is a big break through. It was so almost 4...

Clipper kicks were good. Getting better height and can put about 7/8 in a 60 kick, um, run, I suppose.

Osis

I think I found the secret to it last night. Set from inside stall (right) and when the bag starts to drop, just turn and sit on the bag (left foot in obviously in position to catch). I don't know if this makes sense but when I do it I can feel it. This really seemed to work well and I was landing like 50% of them.

I'm also now pausing after I stall the bag with an Osis, not just turning through and setting it straight up. This needs work.

General

My dexes need work and I need to stop moving my leg so much and thus fucking up my hip. I think I'm lifting my knee too high as well. I am so ungraceful at times (more often than not). Will dexercise each sesh.

Little things

Bag: Tangent Facile and Blue Mr Sand.
Time: 1 hr 25 mins
No stretch...

peace,

[mc]

props on your osis progress, greg. remember to stand up straight so you can maintain your balance, and try and get them nice and smooth back and forth. keep up the good work~!

[innersmile]

6 October 2004

Matthew: Thanks man, I really will be soo pleased when I have it down. I'm starting to stand straighter with Osis as I work it, and in other stuff too.

Last night:

Warm Up

200 inside kicks- 3 drops... that sucks
50 toe stalls- 4 drops...that sucks too
50 inside stalls- 4 drops...and that

Yeah, pretty shitty warm up but I was kicking the Tangent which is far from choice. Inside stalls were with a Mr Sand. Can be better.

Clipper Stuff

Clipper kicks are ok. My strong side has a good set but my flip is dodgey. The bag doesn't go straight enough often enough so I'm going to give it special lovin until it's better or the same as my strong side.

Clipper stalls: Good. I still drop a couple but land then with a decent 70% consistency, if not better.

Alternating Clippers- I have been working stalls mainly, not kicks. I landed 3 again last night but only once. 4 looks far... I'm going to work on alternating kicks as well from now on because I noticed how weak my flip was last night.

Osis

Yeah, coming along, little by little. It takes me a while to get back into the rythm of the move but I started landing them again after a few minutes. The sitting thing really helps but I keep bailing to a toe stall or a kick after the Osis, I gotta work the pause more.

Setting from inside stall is getting better, clipper is another story. I'm going to work them both eqaully from now.

2 Adds

ATW>Leg over>ATW>Leg over

I got this a few times but no more than 2 complete cycles. My right foot's dexes suck big balls more often than not, more dexercise. Getting the movements smaller and I'm not putting my foot down (or trying like hell not to) too often in between the moves.

Pick up
I don't work this as often as I should. It's there but just needs some attention.

I don't work Pixies/Faries enough.

Misc.

Venue: At home, on the porch. One of my fav places.
Bag: Tangent Facile, silver/green Sandbag
Time: 1 hour
Stretch: 10 mins after

Ok sesh last night. Nothing in particular stood out but I felt good afterwards.

much love,

[innersmile]

7 October 2004

Warm up

50 Inside stalls- 2 drops, dropped on 49, ARGH!
50 Toe stalls
296 Inside kicks

I tried doing stalls first today because my legs always feel heavey and uncoordinated at the start of a sesh and I drop kicks too easliy. It seemed to work, I only dropped on the inside stalls and by the time I started kicking my legs were light and ready.

Clipper Stuff

I worked my flipside cl.kick quite a bit and got some better sets. This will come but I'm not completely happy with it yet.

Alt. clipper stalls are really improved since last week. I landed 3 a number of times last night and the bag rolled off my foot for number 4 once or twice. The motion is starting to make sense to my legs now. Alt. Kicks aren't great, the sets are too low but they'll be mine soon.

Osis

I really started working it form the clipper set last night. It needs some getting used to 'cause the turn is a little smaller than with an inside set. I landed some good, clean ones a couple of times but I need to work on the pause after the stall. I seem to be setting it wrong... Worked the inside set as well, I'm slowly getting the hang of it but I still drop too many.

I have to focus on Osis > Osis rpt.

2 Adds

I did a few last night, nothing amazing. I focused on Mirage/Illusion but I didn't land 1. Need to be a little more graceful and quick.

Leg overs are good, ATWs can be better. I need to work on my balance / dex motion.

Dexes still strain my hip so I do them until I feel the slightest twinge and then I stop and go back to clipper stuff.

I laned a few pickups bs as well.

Misc.

Venue- kung fu school parking lot
Time- 1 hr 10 mins
bag- Black/red/yellow Mr Sand

If I had the time I would have shred for hours last night. I was really enjoying myself.

The back of my left knee (the inside tendon thingy) started to hurt a little and is still a bit sore now. I've never had this before and I hope it's nothing too serious. I'll take it easy today cause I only have about 30 mins of time to play. I've had a good run lately, 7 days in a row of shredding and I'm not keen to stop now.

EDIT: I forgot to add my footbag goals, so here goes...

By 1 December 2004

10- Alt Clipper stalls / kicks
10- cons cl. kicks/stalls bs
10- Osis > Osis

Have pick ups down
Be decent with Mirages and Illusions
Learn another 3 add

That's about it

[innersmile]

8 October 2004

I only had 30 minutes to shred last night, but, the way I was playing it could have been 25 minutes shorter. It was bound to happen sooner rather than later, it's been a while since I had a shit sesh. Last night's was really shit. Nothing seemed to be going right from clipper stalls to Osis; which felt like the first time working them.

Anyhoo, hopefully I'll get some good shreds over the weekend; I'm glad to have the bad one out of the way.

peace,

[innersmile]

11 October 2004

Another Monday, another weekend of shreddin gone by.

Had a short, shit sesh on Friday. I made a special trip to the dam by my house to go and show my skills on the bridge, which is a lovely area for playing. Other than me being completely off it was really windy. The bag would swirl in mid air and just made the whole deal a tad tiresome. I only lasted about 30 mins.

Met up with Kobus on Saturday afternoon at his place for a really enjoyable sesh. We played for a long time and I learned a ton of stuff. It's really great to have someone point out your mistakes and help you along the way. Kobus really knows the game well and shares all his knowledge freely- thanks dude, it's really appreciated.

I also saw the Vasek Raw video for the first time. OMFG!! He is just amazing. It borders on ludicris (sp?)....

Sunday, the market shred. I wasn't working but I really enjoy Sunday's at the market so I went anyway; once I had recovered from a late Saturday night. I couldn't do much stuff other than kicking around and a few clippers due to the insane amount of human traffic swarming the isles of the market. Still, t'was a good sesh. Too many lovely summer dresses walking by to count, or focus much on footbag- yay summer!

Looking forward to my solo sesh tonight where I can finally work on some of the tips Kobus gave me- ad nauseum.

much love

[innersmile]

12 October 2004

Warm up

200 cons inside kicks- 2 drops
50 toe stalls- 5 drops
50 inside stalls- 5 drops

Sigh. I wasn't too pleased with that warm up but it's probably the worst it's ever been.

Clipper Stuff

My flip clipper kick is really coming along well. getting a much straighter set with good height most of the time.

I spent most of the sesh working left inside stall > left clip as well as my flipside. I usually do my clipper stalls from right set to left clip. Anyway, Kobus said the same set same clip was a good way to learn the hop. It was a bit frustrating because it took a while to get but I'll have it down this week. It'll help loads with cons/alternating clippers.

Osis

One day, you will be mine. Maybe not soon, but I will own you. Awful last night.

2 Adds

ATW- both sides getting better
Leg over- trying to plant my setting foot before doing the legover thus avoiding the magic hop; a bad habit I got into earlier on. Will take some getitng used to.
Pixie- these have really improved although my flip needs more attention.
Pick up- slowly getting there, must give 'em more lovin'.

Misc

Venue- kung fu school parking lot
Time- 50 Mins, no stretch
Bag- Blue / Red Mr Sand

This was a shred that needed patience to get through it. Hopefulyl things will be better tonight.