no improvement

Troyson · Post by **Troyson** » 20 Oct 2005 18:46

i have been playing a lot as of recently really trying to make my strings better but i dont seem to get any better. I can hit all of the 2add and some 3s but i always mess up after i hit one or two tricks bsos. Idk why but I always fuck up my string after like 3 or 4 contacts by doing something stupid like missing a toe stall.for example ill hit mirage>legover rpt and then miss a toe stall, or ill hit illusion>pickup rpt and then miss a clipper or something. Ive been this way now for maybe two or three weeks, and my strings just arent really improving in length.

anyways, are there any drills or whatever i can practice so that i can get my strings longer? or should i just continue practicing the stuff im doing now and ill eventually get better? any help would be good because its starting to get frustrating because i know i can have longer strings but i just dont.

pips · Post by **pips** » 20 Oct 2005 19:20

It takes time, buddy. Be patient and keep practicing, and it should come to you. I've been playing for over a year, and I still can't hit super consistently like people who have been playing and practicing for years are. That sounded a little discouraging didn't it? Umm...I felt the same way you did when I first started. Don't get me wrong; I have improved a whole lot from when I began. Just keep working at it.

Tsiangkun · Post by **Tsiangkun** » 20 Oct 2005 20:04

Maybe you should work on strings that excite you, rather than bsos.

My runs are a lot longer when I hit whatever I feel like hitting, instead of working on stuff I think other people might like to see me hitting.

jon · Post by **jon** » 20 Oct 2005 20:39

I would try hitting really long strings but much easier strings for a session and then try going back to the harder 2/easier 3s for the next session, see how that works and then repeat.

cd · Post by cd » 20 Oct 2005 21:05

Think back to when you were just starting. You would probably be pretty impressed if you could have seen your progress now. I mean, I remember when I thought mirage was totally impossible and going tiltless for a few contacts would be the greatest thing ever, but I still feel like I suck sometimes. The truth is, you ARE making progress, even if it doesn't feel like it. Because footbag is always hard no matter how good you get.

As far as your second paragraph, you will get good at whatever you practice as long as you stick to it and don't get discouraged. How many times did you have to drop mirages and legovers before you could finally hit mirage>legover repeat? It's the same way for everyone. Practicing now will pay off big time.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 20 Oct 2005 21:24

Find a set of bails -- easy tricks.
Once you have an arsenal (one or two will do...) of bails you should work on linking those as much as you can. Keep the bag off the ground, even if you have to toss in toe stalls -- have fun and pretend you are doing a routine. Try to keep the bag off the ground for 2 minutes!

Do repeating drills, and count each rotation of the drill as a single move -- this will trick your head into thinking you're doing less than you actually are. So when I was trying this I would do the butterfly > pdx mirage [repeat], and count every four moves as one -- I hit, like, 12 contacts, which was about my average string length, but it was actually, like 60 moves!!!! It took me, like, 4-5 years to get the consistant string length I wanted!!!! FOUR TO FIVE YEARS!!!! I understand your frustration, believe me! Just keep at it.

KEEP AT IT.

SlashC · Post by **SlashC** » 20 Oct 2005 22:29

drills drills and more drills! One thing that helps me stay motivated is by keeping a records list. Then I can see how I improve over time! And you will seeeeeeee.

Here is my record list: (fill in the blanks with your own records and try adding your own drills too!)

Kicks -

Toe Stalls -
Inside Stalls -

In ATW (right) -
In ATW (left) -
Out ATW (right) -
Out ATW (left) -

Legovers -
Pickups -

Mirages (left) -
Mirages (right) -
Illusions (left) -
Illusions (right) -

ss Clippers (right) -
ss Clippers (left) -
Clippers -

op clipper > ss toe > rpt x
mirage > legover > rpt x
illusion > pickup > rpt x
ss clipper > mirage > rpt x

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 20 Oct 2005 23:59

PLAY SOLO.

Troyson · Post by **Troyson** » 21 Oct 2005 10:33

thanks alot everyone..ill try and work on everything u have all said, and hopefully it will all work. ill just shred harder and longer until i can hit everything that i want...i have the determination so practice is all i need.

Slowsis · Post by **Slowsis** » 21 Oct 2005 10:36

Troyson wrote:thanks alot everyone..ill try and work on everything u have all said, and hopefully it will all work. ill just shred harder and longer until i can hit everything that i want...i have the determination so practice is all i need.

Once you play for longer, you'll relieze that you will never be able to hit everything you want......thats part of the beauty of footbag!

pips · Post by **pips** » 21 Oct 2005 18:59

Tsiangkun wrote:Maybe you should work on strings that excite you, rather than bsos.

My runs are a lot longer when I hit whatever I feel like hitting, instead of working on stuff I think other people might like to see me hitting.

Ah...I wouldn't do that all the time, unless you don't care about making progress on your flipside. I agree that the runs are longer, but I notice that I usually only end up doing the easy stuff on my strongside and never or barely hit anything on my flipside when I do that. To me, doing that never challenges the flipside to get better.

Bander87 · Post by **Bander87** » 21 Oct 2005 20:12

Setting goals might help. Write down stuff you want to hit and certain strings, then go out and do it. You'll be more commited to achieving your goals when they are physically on paper rather than just a thought. Write down dates that you've hit your goals, so you can go back and acuatly see your improvement.

Try new things, have fun.

Drill stuff that is hard for you.

KEEP AT IT

Blackend · Post by **Blackend** » 22 Oct 2005 17:22

Here's one thing that might help your mental state:

Fuck however good others are. Pretend that other footbaggers have only the same skill level as you and don't care what they focus on, only what you yourself are doing. That might help.

Aside from that, drill, drill, drill.

Illusion>pickup rpt
Mirage>legover rpt
clipper>clipper

Those will help build up on the foundations on which other moves are based (well, for the most part).

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 22 Oct 2005 18:40

Yeah!! Like Rory and Ben said!! Keep a list of drills/consec moves you are working on or want to work on. As long as you can beat at least one record every day you will feel good about your progression.

I do this all the time, and it feels sooooo good to beat your own records, and to keep beating the same records day after day! Even if it's by one move. And if you reach a point where it's uber hard to move past the record you've made, you still have a huge list of other things to work on. What I did was work through my list item by item and spend a certain amount of time/number of attempts trying to beat a record, then I would move on. If I wasn't satisfied I would come back to some after.

It's seriously REALLY fun and makes solo shred something to really look forward to every single day

It can even be with simple moves. I was skooling my inside stalls and outside kicks, because I can't do them on my weak side. I made up drills, like, clipper > op foot inside [repeat], and op outside kick > same toe kick > same inside kick > op inside > same toe > same outside [repeat]. Drills like this, as simple as they are helped me feel good about keeping the bag up for a long time, while working on move elements that aare really difficult for me.