Hey, this is my first post here so hello to all you guys. My name is Justin, I've just finished 9th grade, and I live in New York, USA. I've been snooping around on modified, flipsider, and footbag.org for awhile now and I'm really gaining alot of interest in Footbag. For the past week I've been attempting to keep the bag in the air in my room barefoot with an old sandmaster I had.
Today I decided to go out and pick up some lavers and I'm getting them on Thursday (its Tuesday right now over here) since they had to get my size from a different shop (big feet get harder and harder to deal with ). I'm also ordering a Mr. Sandbag or two.
I just wanted to know what practice techniques I should use to start learning. Currently I find it hard to keep the bag up over 3 kicks but I've read that it can be normal to experience such difficulty at first. I know I'm going to have to learn the basics first so I want to make sure I learn them correctly. Thanks.
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Anyways. I would suggest working on kicks for a little while. A good number to strive for is 50 (the guys I first started with suggested this, and by the time I had 50, I had okay control over the bag) but a lot of people start freestyling before they learn kicks, and that is okay too. After you feel comfortable with kicks, work on stalls. Learn the two most fundamental stalls: toe stall and clipper stall. You will most likely drop a lot but focus on stalling the bag by moving your foot down at the same speed as the bag to slow it down. Like catching an egg! Only with your foot, which makes it SOOOOO much cooler. Good luck! Glad you chose to join us!
Where in New York are you? There are many good kicking scenes in the Empire State (appropriate for a new Jedi, to be in the Empire State, no?). Rochester and Buffalo each have a large and very regular contingent of good kicker. New York City, though, is really where its at (in so many ways). If you live around here (NYC) you should let us know. Our club has been meeting very regularly for years, and consists of some very experienced freestylers and some very new beginners and some people in-between. Anybody here can tell you: the best way to learn is to learn from other experienced kickers, and in person. We welcome everybody. Check it out: http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/nyfootbag
"The time has come to convert the unbelievers..."
Jonathan Schneider --- sometimes showers with his Lavers on (to clean them)
The Ministry of Silly Walks
NYFA
BAP
I wish I lived in NYC (open spaces with lots of people would make great places to show off once I learn some cool tricks ) but I live in Baldwin in Nassau County (Long Island). Its a cool place but if I said Footbag everyone would look at me like WTF? I go to private school which is a little better then my town with it but even there its limited to circle kicking with a croched bag that is reffered to as a "hacky sack" and used to play "combat" (kick it around and don't drop it or you get an out).
EDIT: My parents are divorced and have split custody so on the weekends I'm at my mom's house in Lido/Long Beach if anyone is in that area.
Nassau county is not that far from the big city. You can probably just hop on the LIRR somewhere near your home, take that train right into Mahattan and come kick it with us soon. You can find out when and where we play by keeping your eye on that yahoo group I linked to. Every week we trade a few e-mails through that group to decide when and where to play. Its almost always in Union Square (14th Street, between 5th and 4th Avenues, Manhattan) on Saturday afternoons starting around 2:00 pm. Sometimes we play on Sundays instead, and it looks like we'll all be playing on the boardwalk at Coney Island in a few weeks to catch the free Siren Fest concert. Thats Saturday, July 16. Personally, I'm psyched to ride the Cyclone again.
"The time has come to convert the unbelievers..."
Jonathan Schneider --- sometimes showers with his Lavers on (to clean them)
The Ministry of Silly Walks
NYFA
BAP
). I'm also ordering a Mr. Sandbag or two.
) but I live in Baldwin in Nassau County (Long Island). Its a cool place but if I said Footbag everyone would look at me like WTF? I go to private school which is a little better then my town with it but even there its limited to circle kicking with a croched bag that is reffered to as a "hacky sack" and used to play "combat" (kick it around and don't drop it or you get an out).