after an hour and a half
i havent been able to play that long for a month. nice work on smear
SandWraith's Footnovel: Now with more footbag!
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
All that's old is new again.
So to begin, the bad news: my Mirken bag has a small hole in it, and thus I must begin in earnest looking for a new bag (I'm hoping for a shredzilla bag).
Onto the good: this session breathed such life into footbag that I'm still excited from it. I played for an hour and a half, being forced to quit at that time because my dad made brats for dinner (so I'm not complaining-- I love brats).
I started by hitting 27 legovers, which is maybe a new record for me, I don't really know. I thought about doing pixies, but decided atomic and fairy both interest me much more than pixie. I spent some time watching the Anz' Trikz videos on atomic and fairy yesterday and put what I saw into practice: minor alterations in stance and set. I hit atomsmasher both sides a bunch, footing it both sides probably 15 times as well. I even hit atomsmasher BSOS (depending on what you define a string as... more like atomsmasher > toe > breathe and think > atomsmasher). I hit fairy smasher strongside twice and footed it both sides a bunch. Both sets look good and make me excited about the prospect of eventual toe shuffle, maybe a year down the road.
I bought new insoles earlier today and playing in them really helped. My knees feel fine, which makes me think wearing the same insoles for over a year is probably a bad thing. I remember that I stopped doing atomics because they hurt my left lateral collateral ligament (behind and on the outside of the knee, connecting the fibula to the femur, as shown in this diagram). I am gonna try stretching that ligament as I have been stretching my patellas. I think this will work in the shortterm by increasing blood flow and making the ligament looser, and will stop the problem in the longterm by making the ligament looser and longer.
Footbag seems exciting and new again.
So to begin, the bad news: my Mirken bag has a small hole in it, and thus I must begin in earnest looking for a new bag (I'm hoping for a shredzilla bag).
Onto the good: this session breathed such life into footbag that I'm still excited from it. I played for an hour and a half, being forced to quit at that time because my dad made brats for dinner (so I'm not complaining-- I love brats).
I started by hitting 27 legovers, which is maybe a new record for me, I don't really know. I thought about doing pixies, but decided atomic and fairy both interest me much more than pixie. I spent some time watching the Anz' Trikz videos on atomic and fairy yesterday and put what I saw into practice: minor alterations in stance and set. I hit atomsmasher both sides a bunch, footing it both sides probably 15 times as well. I even hit atomsmasher BSOS (depending on what you define a string as... more like atomsmasher > toe > breathe and think > atomsmasher). I hit fairy smasher strongside twice and footed it both sides a bunch. Both sets look good and make me excited about the prospect of eventual toe shuffle, maybe a year down the road.
I bought new insoles earlier today and playing in them really helped. My knees feel fine, which makes me think wearing the same insoles for over a year is probably a bad thing. I remember that I stopped doing atomics because they hurt my left lateral collateral ligament (behind and on the outside of the knee, connecting the fibula to the femur, as shown in this diagram). I am gonna try stretching that ligament as I have been stretching my patellas. I think this will work in the shortterm by increasing blood flow and making the ligament looser, and will stop the problem in the longterm by making the ligament looser and longer.
Footbag seems exciting and new again.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Thanks. Played about 2 hours today, which really tuckered me out. All atomics and fairys again, both of which I totally enjoy. My lateral collateral ligament didn't feel at all out of line today, so my stretching must be working for that.
I spent most of the time working on fear and atomsmashers again, because I find mirages to be a hard downtime component that requires a strong, high set. I hit 4 or 5 atomsmashers both sides, but really spent most of the time working on my fairy technique since my atomic form seems pretty good. I hit fear 3 or 4 times strongside and managed to hit it twice flipside near the end of the session. I think I've figured out fairys enough that it will be a lot of fun working on them in the coming days.
I feel like I'm working on the building blocks for an enjoyable and good-looking style.
I spent most of the time working on fear and atomsmashers again, because I find mirages to be a hard downtime component that requires a strong, high set. I hit 4 or 5 atomsmashers both sides, but really spent most of the time working on my fairy technique since my atomic form seems pretty good. I hit fear 3 or 4 times strongside and managed to hit it twice flipside near the end of the session. I think I've figured out fairys enough that it will be a lot of fun working on them in the coming days.
I feel like I'm working on the building blocks for an enjoyable and good-looking style.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
That does sound pretty cool. I think I could get the fairy ss butterfly BSOS, again taking the word "string" very lightly at this point, and I'll take a shot at that rpt drill. Doing an atomic after a mirage component will be the hardest part, but they both sound really fun. Maybe I'll have to revive my decrepit challenge thread once I get these sets down. Thanks for the challenges guys!
Maybe I'll have to revive my decrepit challenge thread once I get these sets down. Thanks for the challenges guys!-
SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Today was... blah. As with most, I tend to stay up far later Friday night and Saturday night than I should, and as a result Sunday night sleep doesn't work out so well. On 5 hours of sleep work wasn't that bad, but shred did NOT go so hot. I yawned more than I dropped-- and that's a lot! I only played a half hour before I decided there was no point to having no fun. I was getting pissy about everything and nothing. My feet were working well enough but I was afraid of a stupid slipup that could cause injury.
Yet within that half hour I hit atomsmasher both sides, tap both sides, fairy smasher both sides, fairy ss mirage both sides, and fairy butterfly strong side (couldn't get flip side). Tap and fairy ss mirage weren't hard at all once I focused on setting straight up. In the past I would always predict the mirage part before I set, and so the set would be way off to the side and impossible to save.
I'm taking off from work tomorrow though. Heh, sounds pretty lazy but Brian and I are gonna watch all 13 episodes of the anime Hellsing, that's 6.5 hours of it, and we're gonna watch it during the day. Even better, we're gonna watch 3 hours, play footbag at the park, then watch the rest. Ohhhh it's gonna be fun (even if my new sets will not be serviceable yet).
Yet within that half hour I hit atomsmasher both sides, tap both sides, fairy smasher both sides, fairy ss mirage both sides, and fairy butterfly strong side (couldn't get flip side). Tap and fairy ss mirage weren't hard at all once I focused on setting straight up. In the past I would always predict the mirage part before I set, and so the set would be way off to the side and impossible to save.
I'm taking off from work tomorrow though. Heh, sounds pretty lazy but Brian and I are gonna watch all 13 episodes of the anime Hellsing, that's 6.5 hours of it, and we're gonna watch it during the day. Even better, we're gonna watch 3 hours, play footbag at the park, then watch the rest. Ohhhh it's gonna be fun (even if my new sets will not be serviceable yet).
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Yes, woot woot indeed. I'm actually taking today and tomorrow off though, as I have noticed in the last few sessions that my left knee is not completely healed. A few times each session I would land and feel a bit of pain in my left knee, a second or two at the most before it would subside. It appears to be at the point where the patella connects to the kneecap, and doesn't hurt, but I can tell it's there. Hopefully two days time will be enough for it to heal itself as it seems minor.
At least that's the hope.
I'm actually taking today and tomorrow off though, as I have noticed in the last few sessions that my left knee is not completely healed. A few times each session I would land and feel a bit of pain in my left knee, a second or two at the most before it would subside. It appears to be at the point where the patella connects to the kneecap, and doesn't hurt, but I can tell it's there. Hopefully two days time will be enough for it to heal itself as it seems minor.At least that's the hope.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Yessir.
Today I had:
-3 bananas
-a half gallon of milk
-a heating pad around my knee*
-a one hour warm bath*
Tomorrow I'm gonna play again and hope I don't get those one or two instances of discomfort. I'm playing so well it's hard not to kick.
*fun fact for the day kids!: while most athletic trainers will advise an injured athlete to follow the R.I.C.E method (rest, ice, compress, and elevate the injured area), this should only be followed for muscular injuries. Ligaments and tendons are largely avascular, meaning they have no blood vessels. Since blood vessels bring the nutrients necessary for cellular repair, one should try to increase blood flow to an injured ligament or tendon. To do this, try to keep the injured area below your heart (not elevated), lightly exercise it or the areas nearby, and heat the affected area. There ya go! Now don't you wish you just had an ankle sprain or something so you could try it out?
Today I had:
-3 bananas
-a half gallon of milk
-a heating pad around my knee*
-a one hour warm bath*
Tomorrow I'm gonna play again and hope I don't get those one or two instances of discomfort. I'm playing so well it's hard not to kick.
*fun fact for the day kids!: while most athletic trainers will advise an injured athlete to follow the R.I.C.E method (rest, ice, compress, and elevate the injured area), this should only be followed for muscular injuries. Ligaments and tendons are largely avascular, meaning they have no blood vessels. Since blood vessels bring the nutrients necessary for cellular repair, one should try to increase blood flow to an injured ligament or tendon. To do this, try to keep the injured area below your heart (not elevated), lightly exercise it or the areas nearby, and heat the affected area. There ya go! Now don't you wish you just had an ankle sprain or something so you could try it out?
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Lucky post 1111! Today I kicked again and am pretty happy with the results. Knee-wise, there was only one questionable moment, and I'm hoping that the bananas, milk, and heat plan will help quell this remnant pain.
I am happy to report that I hit atomsmasher both sides first try. I then hit paradox mirage > atomsmasher one side and spent the next hour trying to hit it flipside.
I think my atomics are decent on their own, in that I can get a decent set every time from dropping it on my toe. Now I want to be able to do atomic after another move, so I'll have to keep trying atomics after stuff. I hit a bunch of atomsmashers each side pretty easily, by the way.
After about an hour and 15 minutes I moved onto fairys, but I was pretty drained by then. The sets still seemed alright given my lackluster condition, but I only managed one fear on my strongside and none flip. If I play tomorrow I'll have to spend more time on fairys. Also, I think I overdid it with atomics today and as a result my LCLs feel a bit tender. That's why I'm not sure about playing again tomorrow.
Oh, and I randomly did 3 or 4 spins each side at one point. They aren't very bad (though my stepping set has fallen into disrepair). I even hit spinning mirage BSOS! I can see myself being pretty happy if I get a fairy/atomic/spinning/something from clipper game going. Oh hope... excitement and happiness entwined.
I am happy to report that I hit atomsmasher both sides first try. I then hit paradox mirage > atomsmasher one side and spent the next hour trying to hit it flipside.
I think my atomics are decent on their own, in that I can get a decent set every time from dropping it on my toe. Now I want to be able to do atomic after another move, so I'll have to keep trying atomics after stuff. I hit a bunch of atomsmashers each side pretty easily, by the way.After about an hour and 15 minutes I moved onto fairys, but I was pretty drained by then. The sets still seemed alright given my lackluster condition, but I only managed one fear on my strongside and none flip. If I play tomorrow I'll have to spend more time on fairys. Also, I think I overdid it with atomics today and as a result my LCLs feel a bit tender. That's why I'm not sure about playing again tomorrow.
Oh, and I randomly did 3 or 4 spins each side at one point. They aren't very bad (though my stepping set has fallen into disrepair). I even hit spinning mirage BSOS! I can see myself being pretty happy if I get a fairy/atomic/spinning/something from clipper game going. Oh hope... excitement and happiness entwined.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Heh. Thanks Tony, that's definitely becoming more and more of a goal and more and more of a task.
My ligaments didn't hurt at all today (yay stretching!), but my right patella did, which I am sure is because I spent a whole hour doing paradox mirage > atomsmasher attempts. As a result, I didn't want to do anything today that involved leaving the ground, so I did spinning instead.
I only played an hour but I think it was a good way to still get a shred session in. I managed op clipper > spinning clipper > repeat both sides, gyro clipper > spinning clipper both sides, and not much beyond that. I have a tendency to jump the gun with my flip spins and thus the bag just drops to the ground before I even spin (like forgetting to do the clipper and starting the spin instead). I guess I'll keep working on spins whenever my patellas feel shitty.
My ligaments didn't hurt at all today (yay stretching!), but my right patella did, which I am sure is because I spent a whole hour doing paradox mirage > atomsmasher attempts. As a result, I didn't want to do anything today that involved leaving the ground, so I did spinning instead.
I only played an hour but I think it was a good way to still get a shred session in. I managed op clipper > spinning clipper > repeat both sides, gyro clipper > spinning clipper both sides, and not much beyond that. I have a tendency to jump the gun with my flip spins and thus the bag just drops to the ground before I even spin (like forgetting to do the clipper and starting the spin instead). I guess I'll keep working on spins whenever my patellas feel shitty.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Played some Oblivion last night and this morning. It'd been 2 days short of a month. Wow @_@
Surprisingly, I had a two session day.
At 1 Brian and I went to the park and kicked for an hour and a half. It was so-so: he hasn't kicked much in the last 6 months (as have I), and I realized my string length is still shitty. Still, I'm have all the downtime single dexes down that I want except reverse whirl and reverse swirll, so I'm gonna focus on fairy, atomic, and spinning for a while and do runs intermittently.
Around 6:40 pm I worked on my butterfly technique, trying to make the hop as small as possible and the delay closer to my support leg, as per the one butterfly that Suderman does in this vid. I also tried to improve my fairy technique and my atomic technique, as per blurry ben's advice in the fairy thread. It worked well (I think), but it was hard to tell since my right knee was kinda hurting. I hit legbeater both sides. Strongside wasn't bad at all, and flipside I footed nearly every time I tried-- but the damn delay evaded me for a long time.
So that was two 1.5 hour sessions. My right patella still hurts, so I think I should take a day off to make it go away. I'm also planning on contacting a doctor on Monday to see if I can get my knees looked at. I've read that if one of your leg muscles is disproportionately larger than the others it will pull your kneecap harder than the others. My quads have always been very large-- both genetically and due to 10 years of soccer-- so I think that might be the problem.
And to end, I'd like to present one of my current favorite songs: Steh Auf (Wenn Du Am Boden Bist) by Die Toten Hosen. The title means, "stand up (when you're on the ground)", and it's a song about not giving up. Whether you speak german or not, I think it's pretty good.
Surprisingly, I had a two session day.
At 1 Brian and I went to the park and kicked for an hour and a half. It was so-so: he hasn't kicked much in the last 6 months (as have I), and I realized my string length is still shitty. Still, I'm have all the downtime single dexes down that I want except reverse whirl and reverse swirll, so I'm gonna focus on fairy, atomic, and spinning for a while and do runs intermittently.
Around 6:40 pm I worked on my butterfly technique, trying to make the hop as small as possible and the delay closer to my support leg, as per the one butterfly that Suderman does in this vid. I also tried to improve my fairy technique and my atomic technique, as per blurry ben's advice in the fairy thread. It worked well (I think), but it was hard to tell since my right knee was kinda hurting. I hit legbeater both sides. Strongside wasn't bad at all, and flipside I footed nearly every time I tried-- but the damn delay evaded me for a long time.
So that was two 1.5 hour sessions. My right patella still hurts, so I think I should take a day off to make it go away. I'm also planning on contacting a doctor on Monday to see if I can get my knees looked at. I've read that if one of your leg muscles is disproportionately larger than the others it will pull your kneecap harder than the others. My quads have always been very large-- both genetically and due to 10 years of soccer-- so I think that might be the problem.
And to end, I'd like to present one of my current favorite songs: Steh Auf (Wenn Du Am Boden Bist) by Die Toten Hosen. The title means, "stand up (when you're on the ground)", and it's a song about not giving up. Whether you speak german or not, I think it's pretty good.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Hmmmm. Things are not going so great. My right patella continues to suck, so I had to take today off. I went to the Y to use this machine my friend Brian says makes you sweat a lot but doesn't really use your knees at all. It's like half NordicTrack and half Stairclimber. After 40 minutes I was covered in sweat and *supposedly* had burned 650 calories. I'm not sure I believe that but I don't care that much anyways. On the way back from the Y I realized that I spend almost half the time I want to be playing footbag just trying to save my body so I can play footbag. I've accepted that I'm slow at getting better, but TJuggles has given me a different track to follow; he's been playing for 8 years and is a hell of a lot better than I am. If I could just progress slowly but keep playing for a long time I wouldn't complain (much... well, I'd still complain but it'd be better than not playing at all is what I'm saying). I really hope that either my patella will feel better soon or that the doctor/physical therapist I will eventually see will be able to help.
In other news, I saw two friends today at the grocery store, which was pretty cool. One is this guy named Eric that seems perpetually stoned, though he doesn't smoke pot. Nice guy but weird. The other is this girl named Amy that Brian and I hung out with a lot 2 summers ago. She's really pretty and super cool. She even asked me out that summer. I don't know why I no but I'm sure it was a stupid reason. Heh. Whatever. She wants to hang out sometime though, and seemed genuinely happy to see me, so that makes me feel good.
No idea what the future holds for me and footbag, but I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep playing. I'll probably try out my G-units again next time I play and see if the added support helps at all.
In other news, I saw two friends today at the grocery store, which was pretty cool. One is this guy named Eric that seems perpetually stoned, though he doesn't smoke pot. Nice guy but weird. The other is this girl named Amy that Brian and I hung out with a lot 2 summers ago. She's really pretty and super cool. She even asked me out that summer. I don't know why I no but I'm sure it was a stupid reason. Heh. Whatever. She wants to hang out sometime though, and seemed genuinely happy to see me, so that makes me feel good.
No idea what the future holds for me and footbag, but I'm gonna do whatever I can to keep playing. I'll probably try out my G-units again next time I play and see if the added support helps at all.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
My knees felt better after a day off. I'm also trying this eccentric muscle stretch I found online (the picture is enough to get the idea). I sessioned today, but first I went disc golfing with Brian, Jie, and Raj. Jie and Raj suck, so we spent a lot of the time wandering through the woods looking for their discs, but it was still fun.
Anyways, I pulled out the g-units today and tried them out. Clippers are a bit easier, but toes were annoying for a while. The way my toe curls when I set a toe stall causes the setting surface to angle outwards, and so the bag shoots forwards a little bit. I tried lacing the shoes differently but eventually found I had to just point my toes upwards to get a decent set. I worked spinning and fairy sets-- low impact stuff.
Spinning was very comfortable, such that I could hit spinning clippers pretty consistently both sides. I like that. I've always thought spinning looked classy. I even hit zooming osis both sides,I think (osis > spinning osis both sides?). Also gyro pickup BSOS and gyro mirage bs. I didn't really try to do anything BSOS because I'm afraid to do runs; I don't want to press my luck with my knee. Fairy was interesting, though. In G-units my flip fairy is now my strong fairy. o.0 Just did sets and didn't try for much else. Park avenue and fairy butterfly look like possibilities in the future though.
But the overall uber-best part of all is: my knees felt fine after the session! No worse than before I had played. I got these shoes specifically for their much-heralded cushion, and I'm glad that they seem to work. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment which hopefully will lead to a referral to a physical therapist. I'm hoping to be instructed on exercises and motions to strengthen my knee.
All in all then, my outlook on my footbag future seems brighter today than yesterday.
Anyways, I pulled out the g-units today and tried them out. Clippers are a bit easier, but toes were annoying for a while. The way my toe curls when I set a toe stall causes the setting surface to angle outwards, and so the bag shoots forwards a little bit. I tried lacing the shoes differently but eventually found I had to just point my toes upwards to get a decent set. I worked spinning and fairy sets-- low impact stuff.
Spinning was very comfortable, such that I could hit spinning clippers pretty consistently both sides. I like that. I've always thought spinning looked classy. I even hit zooming osis both sides,I think (osis > spinning osis both sides?). Also gyro pickup BSOS and gyro mirage bs. I didn't really try to do anything BSOS because I'm afraid to do runs; I don't want to press my luck with my knee. Fairy was interesting, though. In G-units my flip fairy is now my strong fairy. o.0 Just did sets and didn't try for much else. Park avenue and fairy butterfly look like possibilities in the future though.
But the overall uber-best part of all is: my knees felt fine after the session! No worse than before I had played. I got these shoes specifically for their much-heralded cushion, and I'm glad that they seem to work. Tomorrow I have a doctor's appointment which hopefully will lead to a referral to a physical therapist. I'm hoping to be instructed on exercises and motions to strengthen my knee.
All in all then, my outlook on my footbag future seems brighter today than yesterday.