Footbagging : Improv?

[Johnny]

I've often wondered this. When you guys shred do you think about what you are going to hit beforehand? Or maybe while you are already shredding you think of moves midstring? Or does it just come out of nowhere?

More times than not, I like to plan out what I'm going to do before I get the chance to. Seeing as I have short runs, it isn't that difficult.

[HackingGanesh]

I hardly ever think about runs before hand. Now that I think of it, I probably should, seeing as I have to bail to butterfly when i cant get a good set off like every four moves. But basically what I do is hit combos over and over, then combine them into a string, so I don't have to think about hitting moves but rather do them naturally.

[Panda Licker]

sometimes both. like if im trying a new trick, i'll be like "ok, im gonna hit a pickup, then right away try a atw." . It helps me improve that the new trick, and be able to link it. but if not, i just do a trick, then depending on how well i control it, will help me decide on the difficulty of the next trick i want to try

[qphox]

Well, as of now, I usually think about what I'm going to do just before I begin the string. Then, if I pull it off, I usually go to strings that I'm comfortable with, and of course, they appear alot in my shred. I'm taking mesaures to fix this issue.

This is how my practice has worked as of late. I'm trying to make my shred so that hitting any move out of any move is comfortable.

Right now, I'm pretty much Strong Tiltless, so for practice sessions, after I drill all my fundamentals for about 30 minutes, I'll do this:

Mirage >
- in-out ATW
- out-in ATW
- ss Butterfly
- opp butterfly
- Mirage
- Illusion
- Pixie
- Fairy
- etc... I've got a chart for this, so I can keep track.

I do this both sides, 5 times for each combination, and then I do it again, but starting from a different trick. Do it all enough, and everything becomes comfortable. I've been doing this for only about a week and a half now, and even with that, I'm stringing so much better than I was in June. I'm averaging around 7 contacts a run.

It's just like Improvising in Jazz. You practice licks, in all keys, of all varieties, so that you're completely comfortable with them, and they become part of your playing style. Then, when you're actually Soloing, you whip out lick after lick after lick after lick, as you've practiced, and there's not a ton of mind-work required.

So yeah, I used to do: Smear > Dimwalk > far Legover ALL the time. Not anymore!

[ImaginaryDemons]

Well I'm not good enough to link tricks consistantly yet, but I think I would do both planning before hand, and making it up as I go along.

[hacksterbator]

on the spot. i have a warm-up routine i follow, but when i am shredding i just make it up as i go along. I really don't even think about it.

[Panda Licker]

strong tiltless? no bails to clipper I guess?

but a clippers 2 add, so how could you bail to it if your only going for tiltless?

[qphox]

Seeing as you're all wondering...

What I meant was like...Guitless with like one third of the tricks 2-add. So, it's not quite guiltless, because I'm still doing 2s, but it's not like it's only 2s. Hence, Strong Tiltless...hah.

And Yeah, I know it's not really the same idea as Strong Guiltless. lol

[Tha Big D]

I used to think of combos and stuff to hit before I go to sleep. You know, when you're lying in bed thinking, "I'm gonna eat cheerios tomorrow, then make a trip to the can, then sit down for 15 minutes, blah blah blah"
Well instead of thinking of that, I used to think of combos to hit in my next session. BUT I geuss I'm not as obsessed anymore. Now I usually improvise and while improvising I might think of something to do on the next pass of the bag. It all works out in the end.

[Rob]

When I'm in a circle I'll see someone do a couple moves I havn't done for a while then I think "Hey, I'm gonna do ____>____ in my next run." but then I forget usually. I try to plan on my way to a session what things I want to do. Most of it is on the spot though.

[carl winslow]

I usually do both. I dont have to much controll in my strings so i wind up bailing a lot. But i try to plan out what i want to do at least before hand and than i just go as big as i can till i drop. I try to be able to hit everymove i can do into every other move i can do before i learn new things.

[MJK]

I usually plan my runs, because if I don't, I end up doing nothing but the same 8 or 9 tricks in different combinations.

[Muffinman]

i usually plan ahead like a single move or teeny combo. and then make up the rest as i go along. the problem i have with improv is i usually only end up doing moves that i do all the time. like i never do illusion moves like blizzard or smudge. but if i plan ahead to do a run with a bunch of illusion moves then i will. and improv other illusion moves midstring. stuff like that. but i usually think of something as the bag goes around the circle. and then i usually forget and remember as soon as i pass it on again.

[ShredNJ]

evry time i kick i try to pick a trick that id like to work on, like torques, and hitt that on both sides, and in different combos, and so on.

while the bags on the way around the circle i'll usually see someone go big and that trick will trigger a thought in my head. and i'll be like, " ahh blurry drifter, maybe this time?"

[FootbagginBum]

Exactly what Chan and Rob said.