why am i unable to kick?

Wumbo · Post by **Wumbo** » 18 Dec 2006 06:23

im praticing since three years, 2 of it in a circle and one on my own. it never came to a staisfying result. i can doe toe kicks well but the insides are terrible as hell. the toe flicks arent good as well. im quite sorry but it cant be just the practice as i practice every second day, kicking at least 15 minutes. i think my techniqueÂ´s wrong. please watch and help out, its very frustrating and limiting my game very much.

http://fizzied.phasing.org/nokicks.wmv

janis · Post by **janis** » 18 Dec 2006 06:41

perhaps try relaxing your feet a bit more to make a more flowing movement.

mabye play a bit of net if you want to get you kicks really good

jay7 · Post by **jay7** » 18 Dec 2006 07:34

You're not alone - I found it disturbing, after I had not tried to kick the bag after a few months, as to how terrible I was. Try going Tiltless, but without stalling the bag, damn near impossible, but it helps.

I don't think the "maximum" bend in your inside kicks really matters, because that looked good enough for me.

The only thing I could say is practise, but you said you ruled that out...Funky situation...

Wumbo · Post by **Wumbo** » 18 Dec 2006 09:16

relaxing might be key, i use to power the legs up to get more bend. do you make a crank and do you rise the knee to the outside? it feels like i hit the bag on the wrong spot of the shoe when i loose controll of it, eg near the toes or completely on the rubber(=no feel). ill try to do titless kicking stuff in 2 days, though im afraid it will be frustrating as well. can you make a video of controlled conseq kicks please, i dont see it enough in the normal ones. sadly, i dont have a net hacky yet

i dont know if i can bend enough, cause i believe you have to make a flat surface to get the kick straight up, but especially my left is angular.
if its more mental than physically i might not have the right coordination, yet.

jay7 · Post by **jay7** » 18 Dec 2006 11:12

By no means am I the best example, but I made a short video. Fizzied is getting it now, sometime soon I'll put it up I guess..

A few kicks, and then an inside stall just to show how your foot naturally cranks as it gets higher.

I'd also like to add, that I kick it right where the mesh and sole meet, at the front of the instep. I sorta think about my foot being the end of a hammer, and just let it use momentum to flop it's way to hitting the bag.

I'd also like to add X2 : For the tiltess comment, it helps the most because when you use a kick to set the bag, whatever dex you're gonna do you need it to be in the perfect spot.

...waits...

jay7 · Post by **jay7** » 18 Dec 2006 11:31

Quicktime so you can go frame by frame..
http://fizzied.phasing.org/P1010498.MOV

I guess my leg is completely horizontal.

And if you don't have spaceman bedsheets you aren't a real man

mc · Post by mc » 19 Dec 2006 18:37

start with inside kicks. Do hand > inside > hand catch > same inside > repeat. Do this over and over again until each inside kick you do comes right up to your belly button as your kick foot is touching the ground. Then copy with the other foot. Then take out the hands and do the kicks back and forth.

But, focus on getting just one kick at a time, and getting it JUST right, so it comes straight up every time.

You CAN get it, and you WILL get it.

If you're losing control of it too easily, try kicking it just a few inches higher. This will give you more time to prep for the next kick.

also, if you go to the videos forum and check out my TV appearance, I do a LOT of inside kicks back and forth with enough control to not drop it, maybe you can take an example from that.

consistency is key.

Skippy! · Post by **Skippy!** » 04 Jan 2007 15:27

Two things that I can think of that I found really helped me out...it may not make a difference, or you may try and do this already, but I'll mention it anyway:

When doing repeating inside kicks, I try to basically have both of my feet kicking the bag in roughly the same spot. Sometimes you'll lose control or whatever, so grab it, and try again. I found this really helped a lot, like, focusing on not only making the bag go to the same place everytime, but your feet too.

And also, cut a brocka. Now that suggestion is obviously a 'to each their own' sorta thing, and if you don't feel like chopping up your shoes, then so be it. But it'd prolly help, still.

I think that's all I can think of. OH, and also, as always:

Listen to Matt Cross.

MatS21 · Post by **MatS21** » 05 Jan 2007 15:40

I don't think that's a shoe problem, I can get hundreds with any shoes, already got 200 with a pair of work boots with steel toe and sole. Stopped because my legs hurts from getting those heavy boots up. An important thing when just kicking is try to kick straight up and not too far from you. An important thing is don't rush to the kick, do it slowly and relax, set higher as Matt said so you won't have problem doing the one after it because you'll have more time. Always put back your foot on the ground. That's what I can think of for now.

Skippy! · Post by **Skippy!** » 07 Jan 2007 06:37

MatS21 wrote:I don't think that's a shoe problem, I can get hundreds with any shoes, already got 200 with a pair of work boots with steel toe and sole.

Just because you can get hundreds with any shoe doesn't mean that kicking isn't still easier in a pair of modded lavers. I can hit repeating spinning clippers in my etnies skate shoes, but that still doesn't make them any good for shred.

Wumbo · Post by **Wumbo** » 07 Jan 2007 09:46

one reason i loose control is that i hit the bag on the wrong place of the shoe, like skippy pointed out. it seldomly goes up straight in front of me, but sometimes to the right, to the left, on my body or too far away from me. i noticed i have to relax more and go a bit in the knees, as well as keeping the upper body calm. it will take time but i think i can do this one day, my kicks get better. one question, do you look on the bag more from above so it is really close to your body that the bag and head build a line or is it more in front of you?

smokefree · Post by **smokefree** » 07 Jan 2007 22:28

I kick good except for toe kicks. i can keep it for a long time toe kicking but it looks akward. wrong form i think.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 08 Jan 2007 20:12

Definately relax, but at the same time concentrate.
Relax doesn't equal sloppy.

I've started doing this for consecutives of a trick I am trying to get better and I do the trick a lot better and way more in a row if I relax. The hard part for me is trying to concentrate and stay relaxed at the same time. 50% of footbag is in your head.

I was looking up tips for another concept I want better and all the better players all agreed that relaxing is the best thing you can do.

MatS21 · Post by **MatS21** » 09 Jan 2007 11:52

Skippy! wrote: Just because you can get hundreds with any shoe doesn't mean that kicking isn't still easier in a pair of modded lavers. I can hit repeating spinning clippers in my etnies skate shoes, but that still doesn't make them any good for shred.

True, your right, but I do think that any running shoes is good for kicking, I find my running shoes better for kicking than my lavers, maybe it's only cause I don't kick too much with my lavers and I've been kicking for yearsss with running shoes.

DanielWhittle · Post by **DanielWhittle** » 09 Jan 2007 23:54

smokefree wrote:I kick good except for toe kicks. i can keep it for a long time toe kicking but it looks akward. wrong form i think.

I think maybe you do toe kicks like me? You lift at the knee and bendthe knee for the kick rather than flicking.
I find these alot better personally because toe flicks hurt my knees which I have problems with, and i can do kicks rather than flicks for longer and pain free.

I maybe wrong but just a thought.

Wumbo · Post by **Wumbo** » 10 Jan 2007 11:52

my kicks improve but i think i need help in person.
just to let you know, im trying everything you tell me.
tiltess kicking is very hard, almost impossible. i saw that coming

relaxing is good, it seems to gimme more control.
but is it really necessary for play? id say ales does the opposite of relaxing and david has a style id describe as explosively, but theyre both pretty good hardcore shredders. jorden looks quite relaxed though... i think its a matter of style?

and again, do your head and bag build a line or is the bag in front of you? i tend to kick my knee if i try to stay over the bag.

MatS21 · Post by **MatS21** » 10 Jan 2007 19:58

Not for kicking, when I do kicking the bag is slightly in front of me, exactly at the position I'm confortable with when I get my leg high enough.

sNale · Post by **sNale** » 14 Jan 2007 03:18

Hi Benjamin, I would suggest you practice like Matt suggested (Kick > Handcatch) for a couple of minutes each session. Your kicks will improve in no time

Btw. are you going to the Swiss Jam in Febuary? If yes we can kick there together

Max

Wumbo · Post by **Wumbo** » 16 Jan 2007 13:15

not quite sure but if its possible i will come. see ya