Functional Training

full nelson · Post by **full nelson** » 13 Sep 2005 07:27

In every sport, players will train to reach maximum performance. They don't just play their sport for 2 hours a day. I was thinking what kind of sport footbag is and came to realize that it's a speed and power sport not an endurance sport. Players usually use short bursts of speed and power for 5-60 seconds. I've met some shredders that will run 5 miles a day to help their endurance for footbag. Considering what we do, that's not very functnional. In soccer, trainers use many sets of short sprints in training. While they are notorious for long distance running, that's not actually what they do and not how they train. In a game they'll sprint, walk, jog, walk, sprint etc. It's never continuous running. Functional training is pretty much like using execise progressions that are similar to movements commonly used in your sport. Working the muscles we really use.

I think some functional things for footbag would be in the areas of leg and core strength, speed, and balance. So exercises like sprints, squats, phsyioball work, balance board, and vertical jumping type stuff would be functional.

Only very serious athletes would do this kind if thing. This is just my unfinished thoughts and opinions, but I was just wondering if anyone has thought about it: training for footbag and how to do it.

HooD · Post by **HooD** » 13 Sep 2005 09:26

Yeah, sounds logical to me. I'll just give some input in before I have to run back to class. I believe the key components for more functional exercises based towards footbag would be more dynamic exercises that focuses on explosive balancing movements.

So one leg exercises would be key to gaining better balance/proprioception as almost all movements in footbag are one leg stalls and such. Using dynamic surfaces such as foam/rocker boards/balance boards would really help reinforce strength throughout your ankle and put major steps towards better balance/proprioception. When you break down the general movements in footbag it is single leg partial squats, fast movements, for short durations. When thinking about which muscle fibers to train, it is difficult to say which muscle fibers we use more; fast twitch or slow twitch fibers. Fast twitch is for high intensity, short burst movements such as body builders or sprinters, and then there are slow twitch fibers which are geared more towards endurance and being more efficient in the use of energy. Footbag...in my eyes is in the middle. We need to train our endurance to where we can go to events and play for hours and keep up with pros or train solo for certain lengths of time without being beat, but we also are in circles to where we take turns doing 10 sec. - 60 sec strings (sprints). So in cross training, I think it'd be important to focus on both what you say Brad, more core strength, speed, and balance, and what other players do such as endurance training.

For my training, footbag is my endurance training. While I leave other cross training to upper body, core muscles, squat exercises, and a few single leg exercises.

jon · Post by **jon** » 13 Sep 2005 09:58

squats and jump rope are both good ideas, they help leg strength, core strength and stability, and increase vertical jumping height along with endurance

full nelson · Post by **full nelson** » 13 Sep 2005 12:39

Thanks for your input John and Jon. I agree with the dynamic exercises that focus on balance. In my opinion, I don't really see endurance as being of much importance in our sport. It is much more geared toward explosive movement. There will always be breaks because of how we play. That's what I was trying to get at with the soccer players example. It's not considered an endurance sport like biking, swimming and running. Players in explosive types of sports don't usually test well in endurance sports and vice-versa. How many times do we sit down and prepare for another run when we session? It's never a continous release of energy. We pass the bag and let our heart rate slow down and bodies cool off before our next turn.

Or maybe I'm completely wrong

I'm working on it though.

DoctorJay · Post by **DoctorJay** » 13 Sep 2005 13:28

I am a tennis coach and there are tons of similarities in tennis and footbag.

one of the most important:
average ralleys are about 8 seconds - I guess that fits into footbag too
I think that clay/ slow hard court tennis players training should be very suitable to footbag when it comes to conditional critirias.

also footbag is a very technical sport and in tennis you need some motoric skills too - I try to exercise as good as possible that is my main goal in creating some kind of a training schedule .

I guess it is always a good thing to look around at other sports and try to find some useful things for your own sport too .

Good topic!

ptaku · Post by **ptaku** » 14 Sep 2005 07:04

Training that 800 or 1000 metres runners do + balance training + strenght workout with weights that let you do about 20 repeats of each exercise in 2-4 series.

Exercising with too big weights would affect your co-ordination negative. Sprinters training wouldn't be very good. But some interval training would be good for endurance and speed. And, as I know, football players (you call it socer, but it's still the true football) do interval trainings.

It's not so easy classify footbag as some type of sport, exertion. It's so easy to find here so many similiar things with other sports, which are so different from eachother...

I hope you'll get what I mean, because I'm not sure how to write everything, what I want to say, in english.

Bander87 · Post by **Bander87** » 14 Sep 2005 17:00

Definatly sounds good, I was kinda starting something simular myself with leg excercises and calf raises and such. I also posted this kind of training in the "future of footbag" thred. I think jump rope would be a very good excercise. And jump rope and footbag would definatly be hardcore at the same time.

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 15 Sep 2005 13:22

This sounds really great. That'd be cool if you could update as your findings become clearer....

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 15 Sep 2005 13:34

Calesthinics work well. You get a great stretch out of your stretches, develop your core muscles and enhance speed, strength, endurance, and stamina. Too bad I don't do them anymore.

crazylegs32 · Post by **crazylegs32** » 18 Sep 2005 20:58

It seems like riding up and down hills on a bicycle would be good exercise too.

mahhkohh · Post by **mahhkohh** » 24 Sep 2005 08:56

yeah but when riding bike uphills remember too have the biggest possible gear on it,then u will train your muscles,i wanted too go too work on bike this summer,but i´m defenatly too lazy since i have my car...i need too change that,riding bike in winter is realy fun!

EDIT:i do some training for my legs,dont know how they´re called in english,but we used to make this kind of things in pe in the 1st grade,using some weights for it makes them still good exercises for knee´s and upper leg muscle!and i think the exercises at hood´s website are helpfull too!

WiGeek · Post by **WiGeek** » 24 Sep 2005 09:18

For me, footbag is just for fun. Training just doesn't fit the bill for me.

Sergey · Post by **Sergey** » 24 Sep 2005 09:24

WiGeek wrote:For me, footbag is just for fun. Training just doesn't fit the bill for me.

Training leads to more fun.

hacksterbator · Post by **hacksterbator** » 24 Sep 2005 21:37

Sergey wrote:
WiGeek wrote:For me, footbag is just for fun. Training just doesn't fit the bill for me.
Training leads to more fun.

word. i love training. if i didn't train the way i did i wouldn't be as good, and thus probably would spend more time saying "man, i wish i could hit that trick" instead of hitting the tricks.

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 24 Sep 2005 23:08

WiGeek wrote:For me, footbag is just for fun. Training just doesn't fit the bill for me.

Say hello to shin splints and bunk knees.

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 19 Jan 2006 18:53

I did wind sprints today....

11 laps at 1/11 of a mile each, with a 1 minute break in between each lap. Cooled down with a walk until I caught my breath, and then a few laps of easy jogging.

professor · Post by **professor** » 20 Jan 2006 15:51

I think there's no better training for footbag than actually playing footbag. So, that being said, if it happens that you are unable to play footbag one day for whatever reason, functional training would be great. But, if you can, I'd say don't both training other ways if you can footbag instead.

brian relly · Post by **brian relly** » 20 Jan 2006 16:27

Sorry, but that is ignorant, and the kind of words that get people injured. Do you think athletes in any other sports play just their sport to train? No. The repetitive stress is very harmful to your body, and will eventually lead to various repetitive stress injuries; I can guarantee it. After a few consecutive days of hard sessions, you can practically count on your joints, shins, and lower back aching in some way or another.
At that point it's very important to rest for a couple days, and to cross train in another activity. This is essential to building up strength in the other supporting muscles that you don't get out of footbag. Core exercises, along with this, are extremely important to improving your balance, back pains (!) and overall strength.

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 20 Jan 2006 16:34

f it happens that you are unable to play footbag one day for whatever reason, functional training would be great.

professor · Post by **professor** » 20 Jan 2006 16:39

Sorry, but I would watch what you call ignorant.

If you read my whole post, you should have read:

professor wrote:if it happens that you are unable to play footbag one day for whatever reason, functional training would be great.

I would consider soreness and aching a reason to be "unable" to play. In this instance functional training is great...like I said before. If you feel like you can play footbag, I think you should play footbag instead of functional training. Why give up a day of footbag if you don't have to?

Jeez, read more carefully.

EDIT: Haha, you're quicker on the draw than me.

modified

Functional Training

Sound logical?

Functional Training