Jeremy Mirken's Footbag Blog

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 28 Aug 2006 09:35

Move on up to Santa Cruz this year and get yo' stretch on! I love it now! We could be stretching buddies

. . . maybe that is PM material

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 28 Aug 2006 20:41

another singles net session today:
2 games (won one, lost one)
30 minutes of rallying (practiced control and setting for controlled offensive shots)
30 minutes focused spike practice (toe reverse, shtitaff, mousetrap, inside sweep (standing and flying), flying kenny, scissor sunback, standing toe jam)

most happy w/ mousetraps and flying inside sweeps today. About 50% on toe reverse and 50% on flying kenny's. Felt soo good to fall hard today. I actuyally saw stars once when i jumped, tried to change body positions mid-air and landed chest first, followed by my legs about 1/2 a second later

Singles (maybe doubles?) with Angel on Thursday.

max · Post by **max** » 29 Aug 2006 01:10

props on your net progress!
Do you still freestyle though?

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 29 Aug 2006 07:40

Over the summer, the entire Santa Cruz crew of Freestylers (there were 4-5 reg members) either moved or got injured. Now that Summer is ending, two who had moved are coming back and one formerly injured player is starting to play again. I stopped playing primarily because there was no-one else to play with, not because I stopped enjoying it. Instead, I started to play net because there was a healthy crew of about 5 guys who were having 2 kicks per week.

Since Ive begun to play net the 5-man crew has turned into a 9-10 man crew (not all b/c of me) and our kicks have been much more frequent, 4 times per week or so. It has kept me busy and I really love it. I think of net like this: all footbaggers love to kick footbags, and all kicks are better when performed with a greater degree of amplitude, intensity, and style. When you play net, you not only get to kick a bag, but you get to jump as high as your body will allow you, you get to compete, you get to try to hit people with the footbag, and you can become fairly acrobatic. These things make it waaay more fun that just kicking a bag over a net.

Bottom line, when freestylers come back I will definitely kick freestyle again, but maybe not with the emphasis on progression that I once had. I have so much to improve at with net and not so much with freestyle. Net is like new territory never before explored and so the challenge is tempting.

Good that you asked. It made me think.

Jeremy

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 29 Aug 2006 20:58

Another day, another net session:

-tatooed Joel in the Chest with a flying sideways sole push
-kicked some fucking ass at mousetraps (focused practice: about 19/25)
-rallied for 30 minuntes, imparted mad knowledge and drills on my two net partners today (ex: taught new drill where player W feed 6 bags to player X who spikes to player Y, who tries to dig; then rotate after two sets of 6 attempts)
-stretching like a madman pays off. In about 4 weeks, I have doubled my flexibility, which means i have improved about 6 inches of max stretch ability, which =6 more inches of height on spikes!

mohkale · Post by **mohkale** » 30 Aug 2006 03:56

Wow, all the stuff you've said about your net game really impresses me. 19/25 mousetraps?!? I wish I could do that well, and I've been playing only net since '99.

And you got to train with the Oakland Fairies? Just kidding, I've got nothing but respect for Chaos guys.

I hope I'll meet you on the court in Orlando.

Keep spiking,

Matti

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 01 Sep 2006 07:43

Thanks Matti. Just when I think that net has taken over my soul, I have a freestyle session. Freestyle is still fun

, especially when passing cars stop to watch, when casual hackers call me a "playa," and when older women gawk and tell me that I'm like "poetry in motion." Where all the young ladies at tho? In any case, net is what's most important to me right now.

About net: If I didn't like 90 minutes drive from Oakland, I'd be kicking with the Chaos crew 4 times per week. Unfortunately, that is just too far to travel, so it seems like once every 2 weeks or so will have to be the pattern. Every time I kick with them though, I learn something new, either about strategy or form.

At yesterday's net session, I got tattoo'ed twice in warmups and never got to deliver any of my own. I did have some high flying spike attempts though, which felt good. I need to get more consistent with flying toe jams, and I need to learn a flying shtitaff.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 04 Sep 2006 21:05

another 2 days, 2 more net sessions (2 freestyle sessions the two days prior for all you shredders out there whos till bother reading my blog).

On Sunday, I met Chris Young, a good player from years past, who is starting to kick net again. There were about 6-7 players and we held it down for about 4.5 hours before we decided to head to the Malibar for dinner.

Today, I played singles with Angel and once with EJ (RunAmuk), and then doubles with Angel, EJ, and Sage. I didn't partner up with Sage though.
In singles I played the best I've played probably ever. I was setting and spiking everything, pulling off standing shtitaffs and all with very good control. When doubes rolled around, I started to play less well because there are too many variables besides your own play that influence how the game goes. I was generally completely and utterly dismayed, maybe pissed is the right word, with doubles this afternoon. I do have to admit, however, that Angel was setting me perfectly for about a game and a half. It was great.

Right at the end of the day, I hit my second ever roll spike. It wasn't during a game, just when I was practicing hand-tossing the bag to myself. Everything about it was perfect, including it landing IN the court. I don't think anybody saw it except Angel though. Speaking of Angel, he actually made contact with a front flip kick today- the bag landed just outside of the court and it was kind of bloopy, sweet-ass though.

Ill update this post with some recent pics soon.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 05 Sep 2006 15:57

2 freestyle sessions the two days prior for all you shredders out there whos till bother reading my blog).

So where's the highlights suckah? All I see is net stuff, where's your PROOF you're freestyling?

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 05 Sep 2006 21:15

there were no "highlights" per se, at least not the standard Mirken highlights(i.e., mind blowing combos and orgasmic single tricks). I just felt like freestyle was natural again, which was not how it felt at the US Open.

Anyhow, another day, another net session . . . this time with Joel, who is fast becoming my favorite net opponent. He is so intense and tries hard for everything. It is inspiring. Anyhow, we rallied for about 20 minutes, practicing sets, spikes, and control. Then we played 2 games of singles, which were both fairly close. Although I ended up winning both, he had a great showing. I had about 6 spikes in the first game and 4 in the second game, including a standing shtitaff from about 3 feet outside of the court that went back throught the poles and clipped the net to win me the point. I tattooed him once.

getting so good at net it is ridiculous. I wish my freestyle progression had been this fast! After 7 months of hardcore play, I am already at the level of a lower open player.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 08 Sep 2006 17:10

About to "camp" for the first time in a while to Celebrate Angel's b-day. Should be fun, although I have no real gear at all besides a tiny swiss army knife

bringing:
1 backpack
sleeping bag
hooded swearshirt (rolled w/ sleeping bag)
thin hooded jacket
thin gloves
1 beanie
2 cans soup, 1 can chili
3 bananas
3 nectarines
2 oranges
7 snack bars (Clif and Powerbars)
1 pair pants
2 pair shorts
1 t-shirt
1 underarmor shirt
1 pair shoes
2 pair socks
digi camera
deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste

anything else I might need?

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 08 Sep 2006 19:28

Bear repellant.

QuantumBalance · Post by **QuantumBalance** » 08 Sep 2006 23:15

I think he means beer propellant.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 10 Sep 2006 13:57

back; will post pictures w/in hours. Fun time!

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 12 Sep 2006 21:33

too lazy to copy and paste the pics so far, will happen this week i hope.
Oakland net session for me today. Did not play particularly well today but still had a good time. I got tatooed twice in the right shoulder and had a few digs. Also had a few good aerial battles, but didn't win any of them. Only one spike today, and the other team dug it. I played 9 games, but only started playing well the last4 or 5 games . . . I guess I was a lilttle bit rusty from 5-6 days of not playing.
total miles traveled in car today: 180
total miles traveled specifically to play net: 158

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 21 Sep 2006 07:05

Within the last week, I played singles against:

Alexis Deschenes . . .

and got my ass handed to me every game. He taught me some good things though: if you have the choice btwn conservative play and aggressive play, be aggressive. Lean in to your serve more for increased power. Practice more outside scuffs and toe reverses!

I also had a freestyle session in Capitola. Highlights:
jani>bl whirl>bl whirl>ps whirl
some goods tripless
some nice symp combos
symp torque (bs), but uncontrolled, unsealed

back to work

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 01 Oct 2006 19:16

Hey man great having you in Austin this weekend

You are always welcome back any time. Thanks for all the tips with dexercising and drifters. I'm really hoping to hit drifter soon. Hopefully you came up with some more good rhymes on the flight back to CA. Take care,

Ben

RunAmuk · Post by **RunAmuk** » 02 Oct 2006 20:35

WB air grom.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 04 Oct 2006 20:41

Whats new?

well . . . I tatooed a net opponent in the face for the first time, that felt pretty good

Yesterday, I tatooed Julie Symons in the chest apparently. I say apparently because my back was turned and I didn't see it. I hit my first symp blinks this weekend. Today in a freestyle session with funk and Emily I hit gravedigger>whirling swirl, whirling swirl x3, and mullet and mobius on both sides. I guess that's about it.

I would like The Santa CRuz Footbag Club to throw a net jam within the next
few months (4-5 ish?). I think we have the number of people to do it, but I don't know if we have the enthusiasm to pull it off. I think we could attract quite a few players though, about 6-8 players from Oakland, 2-4 players from Portland, 3-5 South Bay players, maybe some L.A. net players . . ., plus the 8 or so net players we have here in town. That makes enough to have a fun time.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 06 Oct 2006 22:25

OMG . . . shred highlights

big apple 4 times, sealed once
atomic dlo>atomic whirl
jani>blurriest>ps>ps
jani>pdx torque>ps>ps
symp rev swirling toe (twice more)
barroque (midrun)
pig beater (bs)
5 or 6 toe blurs
fusion (bs) (first in a while)
zulu clip> spin clip>rpt (not my type of combo)
(clip set) miraging pdx flail
dod swirl>torque (first geniune seal?)
flip swirl practice too

Played net for 2.5 hrs today also: was undefeated in 6 games. Offensive placement shots improving. Stretching for a solid month every day has improved my active flexibility. I can mousetrap fairly well now (a front sole push down spike, non-jumping). My most consistent spike is probably a flying side kick (contacting the bag with the sole). I almost took someone's head off today with one . . . luckily he pulled a neo and avoided the facial. I had a couple of crushing serves today, but oh so many poor attempts. Overall, harder serves are comoing along slowly. Thanks for reading.

Total work hours: 7.4
Total footbag hours: 4.75
Total work: 12.15 hours