Jeremy Mirken's Footbag Blog

David Morawski · Post by **David Morawski** » 13 Nov 2006 15:28

You don't know this....but I gave you the ability to hit that ayatollah for your birthday. Yeah, I'm that good.

...

Happy birthday!!

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 13 Nov 2006 21:06

HBD yo.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 17 Nov 2006 22:40

blurry whirl x4
run with ps whirl b2b, spin whirl, ducking op whirl, pdx whirls, pixie ss whirl etc
mid 30s length mostly geniune run
whirling ss torque
ps egg eeeeeasily on one side

left hip hurts intermittently, making cool tricks like superfly, usually, ps egg, sometimes atomic sets, impossible to try right now.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 17 Nov 2006 22:40

blurry whirl x4
run with ps whirl b2b, spin whirl, ducking op whirl, pdx whirls, pixie ss whirl etc
mid 30s length mostly geniune run
whirling ss torque
ps egg eeeeeasily on one side

left hip hurts itermittently, making cool tricks like superfly, usually, ps egg, sometimes atomic sets, impossible to try right now.

Post by **Zac Miley** » 18 Nov 2006 16:21

Senor Grommet wrote: whirling ss torque

Way cool.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 19 Nov 2006 05:45

Here's how SaturDay went:

Wake up at 11:00AM
Call EJ
Get egg bagel sandwich
Pick up EJ
Pick up Sage
Meet Alexis in Santa Clara
Play 4 hrs of Net
Eat good Mexican food
Stop at Sage's house
Head to EJ's
Hot Tub
Fast Eddie's billiards
Drink
Stay up too late
Hang out with and get felt up by 40 yr old woman at 3:30 AM
Not having slept, Make omellete breakfast w/ EJ and Sage at 5:50 AM
Prep for 630 AM morning net session
Kill time until 12PM afternoon net session with SCFC
12PM net session turns into 1PM net session due to no sleep conditions
Haven't gotten this far yet b/c its still only 545AM

Jeremy signing off . . . but stay tuned

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 20 Nov 2006 09:27

Thanks to Fletcher Funk, my freestyle skills are again on display in the videos section in a 6 minute movie called "Showdown." Maybe in about 2 more months, we will do a second installment of this video, maybe turn it into a series documenting the rise of the newer skool SCFC kickers vs. me (the "old man" of the freestyle club).

This weekend was crazy. I played 11 hours of net on Saturday and Sunday, without sleeping even one minute. Had the first ever morning net session from about 7am until 11:15am- quite an experience!

Played some fair doubles yesterday. Had a discussion with AJ about how we should be backing into the net aggressively after bumps and "going on three," assuming that we would set eachother precisely, instead of "going on 2" or waiting to find out if the set is on target before attacking. In the end, I think I managed to convince him, not that my point of view was right, but that we DO have the skill to play doubles with the strategy that the best doubles players use, which is backing into the net and almost always going in 3.

I played one game of singles with AJ on Sunday and I won 11-5. I played the whole game, which lasted about 20 minutes, without making a single unforced error. I did not have any spikes in that game.

I learned how to hit a flying mousetrap, but I haven't successfully hit one without net fouling.

Thanks for reading.

janis · Post by **janis** » 20 Nov 2006 16:23

Senor Grommet wrote:This weekend was crazy. I played 11 hours of net on Saturday and Sunday, without sleeping even one minute.

great to see there are still people playing both net and freestyle

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 01 Dec 2006 11:42

Love reading about your Net progress. I bet that helps you to be a monster defender playing 4-square...

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 01 Dec 2006 15:07

On Tuesday, Alexis Deschenes and I beat Eric Wulff and Patti Shreckel (current open doubles net world champ) in net twice. But they weren't playing their best because it was the first two games of the night. Anyway, it was still fun.

The coolest thing about net, besides being able to blast hard footbags at people, is being able to play with awesome ex-freestylers that 99% of new players will ever get to know. I hang out with the Ironman and the Disco Ninja once, sometimes twice a week

Its great to beat them every once in a while and then tell them maybe they should start thinking about freestyle again if they've just been beaten by a newbie net player like me.

On a sad note, while trying to dig a spike yesterday, I jumped and flailed my legs only to get hit in the nuts with the net bag. I had to take a minute.

Soon, I'm going to kick so much ass at net. Just wait.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 03 Dec 2006 21:28

Sometimes I get really frustrated playing net. I guess thats because I really want to be great. It makes me angry when I miss a kick, especially a spike I know I should have hit.

Right now I am playing net with two different clubs: Chaos club of Oakland and the Santa Cruz FC. It is difficult to switch between the two because the intensity is so great up in Oaktown and so lacking in Santa Cruz. In Oakland, the calibre of players is top-notch so that every game I'm in is a heated rivalry. Every point is a must win, every spike is the potential game-breaker or game-winner. But down in Santa Cruz, the environment is more laid back. There is more casual play. There is less hustle, poor fundamentals, and less drive to actually improve one's abilities. Now, I'm not talking about every member, but for about half of the club, the idea is just to have fun. Well, I want to have fun . . . but I want to improve and be the best player in the world. At the current stage of MY game, I am not satisfied with hitting the easy "bat-back" in order to win a point or a game. That does not thrill me at all. It is like a cop-out. I want to win by playing a flawless strrategic game. I want to have excellent execution of the bump-set-spike, or the set-spike. Anything less is unsatisfying.

I always have the desire to kick through the bag as hard as I can (when spiking). When I do not get the opportunity to spike or to spike with full force it frustrates me to no end, especially when I know that in Oaktown, I get a spike attempt basically every point or every other point.

It seems like I'm the only person who ever wants to drill something to get better at it (except for EJ sometimes). One person said today that drilling is too tiring but that he wanted to play a game. I can't understand that. I need a player that can pus me to get better. Right now, I have two players at my level or slightly better in SCSF, but one has no time, and the other has no transportation. WHere does that leave me? Shit out of luck trying to improve on my own. I want some fucking club members to step up and raise their games, to start practicing what they need to practice in order to feel like a net player and not a poser. I want a club with as much intensity as I have. Unfortunately that is in Oakland.

I guess that is why I drive 240 miles round trip every tuesday, sometimes on Thursday, in order to play with the best. I need footbag net and I need other players who need footbag net. Right now, I am thankful for the sole Santa Clara net player with whom I carpool up to Oakland, because he has the ability I desire and he has a desire that is equal to or greater than my own (and he's been playing for 15 years!). He is like my mentor.

This Saturday, Ill be playing net with Jonny Leys, PT Lovern, Eric Wulff, Jack Harris, Alexis Dechenes, Patrick Keehan, Sage Woodmansee, and other top-notch players. I hope I can play my best.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 04 Dec 2006 20:53

freestyle session tonight in the ole shred garage. Emily, Max, EJ, and myself. Fletch status: on the I.R. . . . we miss you

lowlights for me:
-cool tricks>gimpy left hip
-whirr>whirr
-swirlx5>rev swirlx4
-alternating woodchopping osi
-triple pickup, most likely the'd again
-whirls and rev whirls mixed for 18-ish contacts
-flip whirl x23
-taught many a lesson to newbs

mrjauss · Post by **mrjauss** » 05 Dec 2006 00:48

I feel for you man but I played net a handful of times in about 4 years so be greatful you are still playin. At least I can freestyle & my game is slowly getting better. If I was there I would work on spike drills with you as much as we can. ahhh.... That would be the life to play NET & Freestyle as much as I could. To bad though.

One day we need to make a road trip so you and your guys can kick my ass in net! I may go to LA in Jan. 07 sometime. I know to far away. Anyway take it easy & keep up the good job on your net & freestyle game!!

later...

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 12 Dec 2006 10:09

Since my last post, I crushed somebody's zygomatic arch (cheek bone) with a spine-tinglingly sweet flying sole push. I won't mention his name so as not to bring dishonor upon him and his clan.

Other than that, I had 3 poor performances in net (as far as I'm concerned) culminating in losing 5 straight doubles games on Saturday. It was still fun getting beaten down though.

I'm driving up to Oakland today to play some more net . . . hopefully Alexis will be there too so we can crush some fools.

I had 2 frestyle sessions recently, went well, but no highlights. EJ's skills are starting to pick up. Soon he'll have a left inside kick

I also had a solo net skooling session where I hit my first sweet-ass, crushing scuffs that went straight down (from hand-tosses).

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 12 Jan 2007 10:35

I actually had a freestyle skooling sesion by myself That hasn't happened in a while. It produced some favorable results.

Skooled gyro bs.
double downs bs.
diving osis bs.
pdx barrage bs.
no stepping!

outcomes: barfly>down double down>repeat for the first time

(even at my peak I never hit this combo, prolly b/c last time I tried i twisted my ankle.)
also,
I managed pdx barrage>padaron>repeat

; was very pleased about that one, although the cleanliness of one trick was questionable.
gyro whirl bsos
gyro butterfly bsos (no planting variety)

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 12 Jan 2007 12:17

Yay! happy to see your blog my friend. It's been a while.

Send me or post those pics from New Year's Eve. I really wanna see em.

Booyakasha

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 14 Jan 2007 21:15

gyro eggbeater>string

made me so happy.

flurry bsos, flip flurry getting better

PegLegHolly · Post by **PegLegHolly** » 14 Jan 2007 21:57

hey, props!

oh yes, and it was great hanging out with you at nyj. needless to say im getting better with all the tips i got. but anywho... get some bubble tea and enjoy!

bigdirtyfoot · Post by **bigdirtyfoot** » 15 Jan 2007 03:30

Hey Jeremy - just wanted to say that it was really cool meeting you at NYJ last year and that I hope to see you soon (World's maybe?). I can lay down the beats and you can supply the phat rhymes in time.

Later

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 15 Jan 2007 22:07

another freestyle solo session in the grotto. Seems as if I'm getting back into the freestyle mode as of late, not so much playing less net, but rather feeling more drive to hit combos and tricks I never did as a freestyle-only player. Freestyle feels good again. Only 2 weeks ago at NYJ, playing freestyle made me dislike freestyle even more. It was punishing my body and it felt as if I was starting all over again. Doesn't really feel that way anymore. Interestingly, when I told my net mentor, "After 8 years of playing, I finally hit a new trick I've been trying for many years now," he replied, "Wasting your time with freestyle again, huh?" I laughed and said no, that it felt great to hit that trick. It was gryo eggbeater. I hit it again tonight, but it was from too high of a set and was a bit sloppy.

results:
gyro illusion bsos
gyro butterfly (bs)
flurry bsos
flurry>diving clipper>op flurry>diving clipper ( this repeat combo in homage to Funk, who currently does quite a bit of toe ducking/diving)
pdx torque>reverse swivel>ps whirl (new 5>5>5)
triple pickup controlled and sealed w/ small run
mantis (gyro eggbeater), flip footed
flurry>dbl illusion (sketchy)

modified

Jeremy Mirken's Footbag Blog

Freestyle Session