The coordinator lady at the YMCA sent me this:
Tom,
What I require is background to the sport of footbag, and outline of what the program would look like ideally, number of participants, ages, equipment required, length of session, frequency of the program, etc. As well as safety considerations, why the program would be a success, other examples of areas where similar programs have been met with success, and so on.
Unfortunately it is too late to add this program to our spring offering, but we do have some openings for day-time drop-in programming during the summer months.
Anja Cahill
Director, Health, Fitness & Recreation Programs
Kingston Family YMCA
To which I just replied: (at length)
Hello Anja,
I did my best to address the questions you had, I appologize if this came out rather lengthy.
The Sport of Footbag:
Footbag is a sport that is played worldwide and enjoyed by people from a plethora of backgrounds. The act of kicking objects around was never really invented, but the current forms that footbag take today were pioneered in the early 80’s by a few extremely influential individuals. Today there are several forms that the sport can take.
You are probably familiar with the brand name Hacky Sack, most people are aware of the activity of kicking a ‘hacky sack’ around in a circle with friends. Nearly every kid knows about hacky sack and most have even tried it to some degree, however nearly all of them are unaware that what they know as ‘hacky sack’ is really just a subset of the sport of footbag and that it extends far beyond simple circle kicking.
There are two very different popular forms of the sport of footbag. Footbag Freestyle and Footbag Net.
Freestyle is the form of footbag that is currently enjoying a rapid growth. As opposed to just kicking the bag around each player takes a turn with the bag and executes a string of tricks linked together via catching the bag with your feet (‘delaying’ the bag) and circling the bag in a myriad of ways. You will be amazed what can be done! There are several ways in which freestylers compete at tournaments, there are routines that are performed much like a figure skating routine with attention paid to choreography and presentation, there are also competitions to see who can hit the most impressive trick or combo of 3 tricks. It’s all very exciting to watch and participate in!
The very important thing about freestyle footbag is that you are completely free to make up your own style. There are 1000’s of tricks that can be performed that range in complexity and difficulty covering the whole spectrum. With so many tricks available everyone is boundless in choosing the tricks they wish to hit and as a result every player has a completely unique style that is entirely their own. Falling in line with the idea of it being a very free and open sport there is no pressure to compete and the atmosphere at events is not that of a battle or rivalry, more of comradery and appreciation of time spent with new and old friends playing the sport we all love.
Footbag Net is played much like volleyball but played on a court that has the same dimensions as a badminton net, along with the same net height. It is generally played on grass and players compete in 1-on-1 and 2–on-2 categories at tournaments. Over time footbag net and freestyle have been growing apart and few players play seriously at both forms simultaneously. I do not have an extensive background in net, but this summer my club will be getting out in the sun and giving it more of a try. The few times I have played have been quite exciting!
Equipment:
There is no current official shoe for either forms of footbag. There are several very popular shoe choices, though nearly every freestyle player worldwide plays in the Adidas Rod Laver classic tennis shoe for it’s excellent surfaces.
Freestyle
- freestyle bags come in MANY forms, every size and weight and number of panels and fill choice and stitching technique has been tried. The current most popular bags are hand made 32 panel bags that look much like small soccer balls. They are all made by stitchers around the world who are also often players. I myself am a bag stitcher and I use it as a source of income should I ever need it. Freestyle bags are generally rather small and heavy but very soft and plush. A hand stitched 32 panel footbag is a true masterpiece!
Net
– a badminton net is used, though not required.
– Net is played with bags that are packed full to keep them uniformly round
Ideal Program:
The number of participants could vary greatly without losing any of it’s merit. One of the beauties of footbag is that it is enjoyable in any sized group, even alone!
I am a very active player and I could picture anywhere from 1-3 or 4 regular scheduled weekly meeting times being entirely feasible. No one would/should be required to show up for any meetings, I would like it to be entirely voluntary, you can’t force someone to love something, right?
I truly believe that a footbag program could blossom if properly fostered and led. I have experience with teaching many players, I am the founder of Kingston’s only footbag club! I have watched my own club grow from where it started with just me and a lot of enthusiasm to today where it is a fully established club with dedicated players and even more enthusiasm!
There are several reasons why the people that choose to stick with footbag enjoy it so much. It is absolutely addicting since you receive such obvious tangible feedback and progression when you invest time practicing. The simple foundation tricks can be quickly grasped and players enjoy an exponential progress rate as the foundation concepts are combined to create more complex tricks. There are so many new tricks to learn that exist at every possible level of difficulty that a player is constantly rewarded with the feeling and knowledge of their progression by the direct feedback of hitting new tricks or playing with more confidence.
There is no upper limit to what can be done with footbag, new tricks are being hit and concepts pioneered daily, in fact I invented a new trick two days ago!
Safety:
Footbag is a high energy sport that is quite physically demanding. The act of drilling and playing has the secondary effect of being an incredible cardiovascular workout that strengthens the entire body. You make use of your legs obviously, but the upper body also plays a very large role in balance and movement around the bag.
There are not many injuries that are directly related to footbag playing. I have suffered several twisted ankles from tangling my feet. Some players suffer from shin splints from the repeated stomping that can occur, though pains are more related to poor form and inadequate footwear.
In sessions I would stress the importance of proper stretching and the related benefits.
An example of a successful program exists in Edmonton Alberta, a pair of footbag players run a program at local YMCA. They were my inspiration for contacting you, their program is running well with a group of enthusiastic kids that regularly come out for sessions.
I would run my sessions in a very open fashion. My current club meetings normally last 2-3 hours and consist of a mix of playing solo for practice and playing in groups of various sizes together. I do my best to apply my experience to answering the questions that arise, I love seeing a person get overwhelmed with excitement at hitting something for their first time! That feeling is so easily achievable that it’s quite addictable!
I have no requirements regarding age, it has been shown that players of all ages can take to footbag whole heartedly.
Here is a brief background of my experience with footbag:
- I have been actively playing footbag for almost 2 years now
- I am a very active member in the worldwide footbag community
- I organized and held a tournament in Toronto in February
- I am the founder and organizer of the Kingston footbag club
- I am very passionate about footbag and all it’s various aspects
I am a 22 year old student at Queen’s University and I am currently nearing the end of my Mechanical Engineering program.
I am extremely motivated and I hope to apply my engineering degree towards a very unique opportunity that I have. I hope to get a junior engineer job at a large shoe company with the intent of eventually creating the ideal footbag shoe that the world craves. It is a long term dream but I would love to see it brought to fruition.
I hope I haven’t gone overboard with my description, I have a lot to say when it comes to footbag.
I am eager to work out something that can work, I am sure lots of people would be interested in the club, everyone knows about hacky sack, they just need to have their eyes opened to the unbelievable possibilities available to them.
Here is a link to a video I edited that is of my friend Derrick Ogden and I playing some footbag to give you a better feel of what it is like:
http://www.footbag.org/media/344/KFM%20 ... 202005.wmv
I would be willing to come and talk about this in person and show you more if you are interested.
Thank you for your time!
Tom Mosher
Cross your fingers!!!!
