Playing in hack circles

janis · Post by **janis** » 17 May 2006 05:26

Today I played in a random hack circle, a very good one too

, and was discussing with one of the guys about the appropriateness of freestyle in hack circles. We were of the opinion that long freestyle strings are definately out of place in hack circles, especially when the emphasis is on "hacks", and that more circle style tricks are in order (flying clipper/butterfly/dragonfly pass, pincher passes, broadway, etc.). Essentially every trick I did was a pass or had a pass immediatly after it, and never did two tricks in a row. What do you guys do in random hack circles, do you play differently? please share your opinions on this issue

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 17 May 2006 05:32

At first, I tend to overdue the hack circle and go for a string, but recently I've learned to cut back and loosen up. Just some consecutive kicks and a pass, pinch, clipper, Jester/Dragony Fly Kick, etc.

akalazou · Post by **akalazou** » 17 May 2006 06:48

IMO Hack circles are boring because there is no chalenge to kick it, even more if its a BIG bag. its just a good way to warm down, you kick in a circle about 5 min and you r ok. and normally, peeps in a circle drop all the time or they are "inside kickers" on their strong side only, like a lil kid.

but i agree that freestyle should be there. clippers, pendulum, rake or any "people's most impressive tricks" are ok. nothing to slow the game. its actually very slow haha

freestyle > net > circle

jon · Post by **jon** » 17 May 2006 07:04

I never join hack circles.

mc · Post by mc » 17 May 2006 07:05

Janis,

I agree that one or two tricks at a time is best for hack circles. Respecting the group focus is an important part of joining any activity. Jumping into a hacky circle, and doing long freestyle strings all the time (unless it's been requested because they're intrigued by your single legover) would be like joining a circle of people tossing the frisbee around and suddenly you start playing keepaway and running around with the frisbee. They wouldn't like that, not because keepaway is a stupid game, but because that's just not where they're at.

I like hacky circles, it's a great opportunity to bust out weird kicks, like front sole kicks and cloud kicks and ass kicks. And big, way-out-behind-you osis snags are always a hit.

hackeysnacker · Post by **hackeysnacker** » 17 May 2006 07:51

yeah 2-3 tricks (that u won't drop on) is the most appropriate for a hack circle, flyers and pendulums are always appreciated since they're easy passes. People who don't freestyle will just see someone going off on their own long tangent as a 'ball hog' or a show-off. Without hack circles there would be a lot less potential freestylers for sure. It's totally relative what level of footbag play is fun.

Larson · Post by **Larson** » 17 May 2006 08:03

I'm always incouraged by circle kickers to keep doing "crazy shit" as they put it. I really try hard not to drop it though, and pass after a short string. I love hack circles, because it's my roots. I don't mind a crochet bag every once in a while, and I like showing off.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 17 May 2006 08:34

I LOVE hack circles. Each circle presents their own unique challenges because of different skill levels and various states of sobriety. I'm into the flashy martial art-esque kicks, flyer combos and funy funky moves (really fast pinchers, sole kicks & forehead> big freaking legover) while I'm hacking. And I always try and get as many hacks in a row as possible.

andr00 · Post by **andr00** » 17 May 2006 09:04

This is a great thread! Especially because on my campus there is almost always a hack circle RIGHT outside my dorm (have to walk through/around it to get to class), and I sometimes jam with them but it ends up with a few kids actually sitting down on the adjacent benches because they dont want me to pass it to them.

but yeah, i never stick around long, and generally just do some good consecutive butterfly > infinity strings, with some pdx mirage or far legovers and then ill leave them be... jaws dropped.

it really is the reason i started playing footbag - to bust out in hack circles - but now i really dont even think about joining up (usually just cause im not wearin lavers tho).

hack circles kind of suck.

Wasabi · Post by **Wasabi** » 17 May 2006 09:13

Just recently, the usual hack circle that I partake in in front of my college has developed a small game to make it more intense. We play "Numbers," I think it is called, and how it goes is that once the bag is served to someone, he/she hits it once, then another person should go and hit it twice, the next thrice, etc. without dropping the bag. It definitely increased the focus of the group and made kicking that much more enjoyable.

Plus, the basic kicks is the foundation of freestyle I believe. It's definitely cool to branch off from advanced tricks in freestyle and move to simpler ways of having fun.

smokefree · Post by **smokefree** » 17 May 2006 12:05

I think hack circles are great, they are often used to get new people to start playing. In circles my friends and I do a few a tricks then pass, showing off, or teaching tricks. For me the circle is a place to learn something new or bust out with friends. I know people hang out and freestyle together, whats the difference except for passing it around?

sampotter · Post by **sampotter** » 17 May 2006 14:26

I can't stand hack circles.

Flipsider · Post by **Flipsider** » 17 May 2006 15:39

hack circles where everyone is really into it can be more fun than shred circles.

I wrote an article about this very topic on Flipsider long ago, called "Recruit the Right Way". http://www.flipsider.com/know/advice/recruit.php

Read it. It's good advice.

habitat · Post by **habitat** » 17 May 2006 15:57

I agree with Eli. I played in 2 different hack circles yesterday, didn't hit anything big or any long runs, just kicked it with friends. I had a blast. If you can't enjoy a hack circle, you are truely missing out on something awesome!

janis · Post by **janis** » 17 May 2006 22:00

yeah, I love hack circles

probably cause I love net

Ettiquite is important when joining hack circles, some guys in circle I played in were pissed off when a freestyler turned up and hit a 30ish contact string, as they were going for "hacks", it wasn't like they were bad players either, they were playing with a different goal in mind.

IMO a great thing to do is freestyle hacks, so if you have 3-4 ppl or a bit tired or want a change or something, it can be really fun to go for hacks. Start off with easy stuff like a mirage hack (everyone does a mirage then passes along) and move on to harder stuff like dlo's or plo's later for a challenge, it's good fun and it a good group feeling to it.

smokefree · Post by **smokefree** » 18 May 2006 17:14

They ARE great for recruiting man, a bunch of my cousins, friends, family, who never hacked were totally getting into it after 1 hack session. Everyone likes joining, and I do mean everyone, from kids to adults, we even shredded with a kid with down syndrome for an hour or two. This is the importance of hack circles.