Do You Actually Try To Get Better

Splint · Post by **Splint** » 11 Apr 2007 10:17

All I do anymore is watch videos. After a second back surgery my body has gotten to the point where playing isn't an option.

I have to say that I am disappointed in alot of videos of people who have been playing for YEARS and have been members of this forum for almost as long as they've been playing, yet haven't gotten any better than they were after a few months. String length is at a minimum and maybe you can hit a few single big tricks.

I always consider activities such as this one to be somewhat like martial arts. If you go to 2-3 classes a week and practice at least half an hour a day, you become a black belt after 4 years. For footbag, it's more like 1-2 good sessions a week and a little practice every day. Certainly, it's easier for some and they progress more rapidly, but that's the same with anything in life.

I don't know, maybe the passion in the sport is gone and too many people spend time here rather than trying to actually progress within the sport.

DanJohnHarris · Post by **DanJohnHarris** » 11 Apr 2007 10:45

Nahh people definitely get better. Anytime you play, you get better. As far as your situation, no one will see progress if they don't play.

I think what stops people up is only sticking to tricks they know how to do. While it's always good to do anything with a footbag, trying new tricks is how we all started, and it should be continued. Doing a hundred mirages in one session is unnecessary. While it's good to have something to fall back on to show off your game, it's also just as good to try (and land) new tricks as well.

What always motivated me was thinking back on my skill level from a couple of months before. When you realize how much more you can do, and how much you would have paid to be able to BUY the difference in skill between then and now, it's a good feeling. In a few more months, you will realize how limited your game is NOW. Well, maybe not you.

Don't give up on the community, there is much more to be done in the sport. Vasek's legs will fail eventually. After a long, long time, but they surely will. There is more to be hit. It's an endless sport, limited only by the human body and mind.

HG · Post by HG » 11 Apr 2007 10:52

I sure hope you arent talking about me

sanuke okumatzu · Post by **sanuke okumatzu** » 11 Apr 2007 13:04

Having only recently gotten back into footbagging, and just getting into freestyle. I have already seen tremendous growth in my skill and endurance. I practice at most 4-7 hours a day and at least 20 minutes. Practicing to me is a mind over matter kind of thing. You have to will yourself to get better. If you practice for an hour with no intent on trying to get better, then odds are you've just wasted an hour. The key is to be willing to improve, practice and get better. Even if you have limited time, the best thing you can do is footbag for just a few minutes a day at least.

funklovesfootbag · Post by **funklovesfootbag** » 11 Apr 2007 13:55

I sure hope you arent talking about me Sad

Yeah.. that seems kind of harsh to call people out about sucking for years haha...

Different people play for different reasons though... personally, I play because it's fun and it's good exercise. Getting better makes the sport more fun in my opinion, so I try to get better... I feel like I get better every session because I hit new combos every session.

Nathan · Post by **Nathan** » 11 Apr 2007 14:28

i've been playing 3.5 years and for a lot of that time i've been schooling hard. i stopped once i realized i wasn't getting as good as i thought i should be, and wasn't having fun. now i just shred.

james · Post by **james** » 11 Apr 2007 16:24

OH I try mofo, I try

The Actual Sized E · Post by **The Actual Sized E** » 11 Apr 2007 19:42

[sarcasm]

Yeah, I'm with Brad. All these people posting lame videos should quit wasting their (and my) time on modified and practice their ass off. Then, if they can manage to stop sucking so much, come back and post the better videos. I'll just chill here in my computer chair refreshing the vids page until you guys are ready

[/sarcasm]

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 11 Apr 2007 20:53

I realised after a couple of years that i would never be any good at footbag, so stopped trying to get good. I dont see how that means i shouldnt post here or make any other contribution to the community/sport?
Some people dont play to get really good or to blow peoples minds. They play to have fun and hang out with like-minded people.

shredzilla · Post by **shredzilla** » 11 Apr 2007 21:27

professor · Post by **professor** » 11 Apr 2007 21:27

This may not be entirely on topic, but...

I personally think people give up too easy. They practice on and off for a month and see no progress so they give up. Footbag isn't something you can practice a few times a week and see constant progress. You have to shred hard almost everyday for a long while to begin to see consistent improvement. If you're not able/willing to give the time necessary, then don't get frustrated when you aren't at the level you think you should be.

If you're not seeing the improvement you want, then play more, be happy where you are, or quit. I wouldn't suggest the latter, but those are the options.

Moxie · Post by **Moxie** » 11 Apr 2007 21:43

I like this topic because I think it might bring up some good responses.

Splint wrote:I don't know, maybe the passion in the sport is gone and too many people spend time here rather than trying to actually progress within the sport.

Brad, do you feel that the number of high ranking players in the footbag community has dropped over the last several years?

max · Post by **max** » 11 Apr 2007 23:52

I've been playing for what seems like ever (6+ years?). I'm now a ripe 28 years old. I work 45+ hours a week and live in a big eauropean capital.

I also have a social life and a full-time live-in g/f. While I'll admit that I have felt jealous by getting spanked by 14 year old poles who've been playing for 2 and a half weeks, there are several reasons why I'm not really progressing in my game anymore.

- First of all I just simply don't have the time.
- Secondly I don't really have an open all night well-lit, warm, indoor space I can kick in whenever I want (people in big European cities do not live in houses and hence do not have garages / decks / patios etc)
- Work is tiring. Yeah, you get home it's 8 pm. my first thoughts aren't "gotta get my stuff together and go and footbag".

I love playing, but "practicing a little everyday" is simply not an option anymore. I'm happy when I get 2-3 sessions in a week. Usually I'll only get one or two though.

And that's why I'm not really progressing anymore. Although I must admit that I still have a lot of fun and still hit new tricks / combos rather regularly

CIC flurry · Post by **CIC flurry** » 11 Apr 2007 23:53

Sometimes you project what you yourself are feeling. I'm not trying to sound like a jerk. If you have lost passion for footbag it seems everyone has. Just a suggestion to ponder, not a statement of fact.

As for people not getting better - I somewhat agree. I think a lot of people learn a lot in a year or two. You can slowly progress if you play infrequently. But you'll only get significantly better if you train lots. Most people who get really good, were pretty good within their first year (unresearched fact).

Blue_turnip · Post by **Blue_turnip** » 12 Apr 2007 00:14

Footbag takes a lot of will power, accept it.

People get out there and play for fun. Just because they're not increasing their abilities at a rate you deem acceptable doesn't mean the "passion in the sport is gone". You're not playing footbag, but you still have passion for it(you watch vids on modified), so how can you think anyone who plays and posts videos on modified doesn't have passion?

I don't even know who you're referring to and I really don't watch many vids on modified, so this statement is general, but maybe they're passion in footbag just isn't really directed at getting better. Maybe thats not their goal. And thats fine, its their game, not yours.

RawSko · Post by **RawSko** » 12 Apr 2007 05:56

Blue_turnip wrote:Footbag takes a lot of will power, accept it.

In a way I agree with this quite stongly. The lack of money, glory and fame even if you do become the best in the world is less than an incentive. The voice of the people who don't play footbag is sometimes discouraging.

But... I recently saw an old episode of the Twilight Zone called "A Game of Pool." One of the lines that stuck with me the most was:

"I'm a pool player. There's probably not a less important thing on the planet... but I'm the best at it."

That got me thinking that maybe I play JUST because nobody else in my area does. I used to play soccer, and although I don't think I was ever the worst on the team, I was certainly close to being that way. Same with basketball, baseball, hockey and all those sports. Obviously I'm not actually the best footbagger

, but there's not much footbag in my community, so I'm the best in Simcoe County (

) by default. That's not much. But it feels good.

so. maybe I'm using footbag as a way of squirling away from everything that I'm not the best at. It sounds kind of cowardly (and I'm still undecided as to whether it is or it isn't) to do something that nobody else does, just so that I can be the best at it. I'll bet that alot of people on the forum are "the best" in their community. Is that why you play? I'll admit that it has alot to do with why I play... Maybe I'm vain for it.

Anyway, I suppose that's not relating directly to this thread.

I train my ass off (almost literally) as much as I can though. I try my very best. I want to be, an I plan on being, really really good some day.

yes, I try. I know of lots of players that also try. I can't say that I've noticed a lack of effort, really. Maybe I don't watch enough videos...

Guest_1 · Post by **Guest_1** » 12 Apr 2007 11:07

I only play every once in awhile and I just hit a new move for the first time last week

You always get better every time you play

Z on the rocks · Post by **Z on the rocks** » 12 Apr 2007 11:40

I some what degree with the statement and other parts I don't

I agree that I have lost passion for the game.

I disagree that all the other people have.

I rarely play because I don't have a footbag and the weather here is horendous. The weather probably has a big hand in a large group of peoples play. I live in the Midwest US and we have three inches of snow on the ground and it is April. I refuse to play inisde so I don't play at all.

Maybe people aren't getting any better because of Modified maybe not.

Someone should try an experiment on whether they improve away from Modified or if they will achieve the same amount of improvement by visiting Modified regularly. Though I doubt it would work because your improvement is in relative terms, and won't be effectively measured.

-z

slapdash21 · Post by **slapdash21** » 12 Apr 2007 13:54

honestly, i dont give a shit about any of you. i play a shitload, all for my ego. haha ok mostly a lie, i do like the social aspect, but i didnt play with any footbaggers for at least the first year i was playing.
i kind of think people who play hack for a long time before finding freestyle appreciate it a lot more. i could be wrong.

david · Post by **david** » 12 Apr 2007 14:36

If you dont give a shit about any of us why do you post highlights? You could write them in a binder.