Rubber footbag mats??

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 18 May 2007 23:38

Thanks for the input, Verena!

Ben, what's your take on the slipping?

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 19 May 2007 08:28

I have the BEST TIP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have these mats and they are fine and all... we found out that you can make them like FIVE TIMES BETTER by flipping them over!

If you use them upside down then they have AWESOME grip!!!

I was slipping around and scared to play on the normal surface, but upside down I had so much grip and cushion that I played in LAVERS on it!!

Go buy them and use them upisde down!

Iron Clad Ben · Post by **Iron Clad Ben** » 19 May 2007 15:53

Erik Chan wrote:Ben, what's your take on the slipping?

It depends on the surface underneath. If it is a surface like smooth stone, the mats can slip. If you are on rough concrete, or bricks, slipping will be minimal. Also, it's moves with big stomps that tend to shift the mats the most, like symp stuff and DLO/eggs (when a top a smooth surface).

mosher wrote:I have the BEST TIP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have these mats and they are fine and all... we found out that you can make them like FIVE TIMES BETTER by flipping them over!

If you use them upside down then they have AWESOME grip!!!

I was slipping around and scared to play on the normal surface, but upside down I had so much grip and cushion that I played in LAVERS on it!!

Go buy them and use them upisde down!

Interesting insight Tom. I'll have to give that a try.

BTW I love these mats more and more. 3 1/2 hour session today, NO PAIN. Gotta love that.

Pengu · Post by **Pengu** » 21 May 2007 18:32

Since getting an 8' X 8' square of these mats, all I've been playing in have been socks.

My shoes don't fit right anyway, so they are cushy enough even for my tender tootsies. I can't wait to shred on these with shoes that fit!!

Thanks to Tom for helping me set up a sweet shred spot in my basement, although my mom's been giving me laundry duty since I'm already down there.

freestyler4life · Post by **freestyler4life** » 22 May 2007 20:37

mosher wrote:I have the BEST TIP EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So we have these mats and they are fine and all... we found out that you can make them like FIVE TIMES BETTER by flipping them over!

If you use them upside down then they have AWESOME grip!!!

I tried this tonight and it made all the difference in the world, thank you Tom.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 22 May 2007 23:03

I went out and bought the exact same mats that Tom got, minutes after reading his blog. I was in pain from shredding the day before, but I'm excited to see how they work when I'm not already spent.

Eric Chang · Post by **Eric Chang** » 23 May 2007 01:58

Just a question for some of the younger players. If there is a consistent pain in your shredding, shouldn't you think to change your style? I used to have a very hard/sloppy style and I worked with Dat Phan (until he stopped coming to stanford), and Steve Goldberg to clean up my style. Thus now I do not have any pain while shredding.

I can understand the mat idea for older players and such, but for younger players such as myself. Do we really need a mat? I'm just curious and probably missing the point.

Post by **Zac Miley** » 23 May 2007 04:05

acommoncold wrote:Just a question for some of the younger players. If there is a consistent pain in your shredding, shouldn't you think to change your style? I used to have a very hard/sloppy style and I worked with Dat Phan (until he stopped coming to stanford), and Steve Goldberg to clean up my style. Thus now I do not have any pain while shredding.

I've started playing on the balls of my feet and I feel absolutely no pain. Plus I'm quicker, and my feet sound awesome.

MatS21 · Post by **MatS21** » 24 May 2007 07:29

acommoncold wrote:Just a question for some of the younger players. If there is a consistent pain in your shredding, shouldn't you think to change your style? I used to have a very hard/sloppy style and I worked with Dat Phan (until he stopped coming to stanford), and Steve Goldberg to clean up my style. Thus now I do not have any pain while shredding.

I can understand the mat idea for older players and such, but for younger players such as myself. Do we really need a mat? I'm just curious and probably missing the point.

Yeah working your style is important but do you really want to wait until it's too late for your knees before getting a solution? It's better to prevent than to heal...

RawSko · Post by **RawSko** » 24 May 2007 14:46

MatS21 wrote:Yeah working your style is important but do you really want to wait until it's too late for your knees before getting a solution? It's better to prevent than to heal...

Not that I know anything about using mats or anything, but mightn't one become reliant on the padded surface?

Just curious. I'm prolly going to buy some once I have a basement to put them in, but it would suck if you were fine and then your joints became wussy and could only handle padded surfaces... I dunno if that fear has any grounds or not...

MatS21 · Post by **MatS21** » 24 May 2007 20:34

I don't know at all, I plan on buying some soon thought. Maybe just use them when you shred hard for a week?

freestyler4life · Post by **freestyler4life** » 26 May 2007 07:27

RawSko wrote:Not that I know anything about using mats or anything, but mightn't one become reliant on the padded surface?

Just curious. I'm prolly going to buy some once I have a basement to put them in, but it would suck if you were fine and then your joints became wussy and could only handle padded surfaces... I dunno if that fear has any grounds or not...

I dont think so, its just one way of reducing the stress on your joints. You are still using them plenty by playing on an padded surace with plenty of weight bearing force which maintains bne and muscle integrity

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 28 May 2007 01:04

I definitely promote taking care of your body -- especially while you are still young. I didn't stretch at all when I was younger, because I figured, I don't get pain, so why bother... Now I am lucky that I am still physically capable of playing footbag.

As for becoming reliant on the mats, I don't plan on relying on them. I bought them primarily for solo sessions. I also want to bring them out to group sessions as much as possible, but it is a pain to transport.

A brief review of the FOAM mats that I bought are that my shins felt tender at the beginning of the session, but my game wasn't restricted at all because of my shin splints while playing on the mat. Both Andrew and I found that our knees felt raw after the session, but I'm not sure if it is because of the mats or not. They did slip a bit, and I tried to stand on the edge during Andrew's turns, but that didn't help too much. Duct tape on the corners may be the way to go. The shifting wasn't much of an issue. It's only really been one session, but they worked well.

Kljopa · Post by **Kljopa** » 28 May 2007 02:27

Would any of these mats be any good for break dancing?

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 28 May 2007 07:28

Kljopa wrote:Would any of these mats be any good for break dancing?

Not really.. not that I am an expert or anything, but I think breakdancers don't want the surface to be as grippy as these mats are.

johnl583 · Post by **johnl583** » 28 May 2007 07:34

mosher wrote:
Kljopa wrote:Would any of these mats be any good for break dancing?
Not really.. not that I am an expert or anything, but I think breakdancers don't want the surface to be as grippy as these mats are.

My friend breakdances on those mats.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 28 May 2007 07:40

johnl583 wrote:
mosher wrote:
Kljopa wrote:Would any of these mats be any good for break dancing?
Not really.. not that I am an expert or anything, but I think breakdancers don't want the surface to be as grippy as these mats are.
My friend breakdances on those mats.

Geez, make me look bad why don't you?

Psilocybe · Post by **Psilocybe** » 28 May 2007 11:37

Erik Chan wrote:A brief review of the FOAM mats that I bought are that my shins felt tender at the beginning of the session, but my game wasn't restricted at all because of my shin splints while playing on the mat. Both Andrew and I found that our knees felt raw after the session, but I'm not sure if it is because of the mats or not. They did slip a bit, and I tried to stand on the edge during Andrew's turns, but that didn't help too much. Duct tape on the corners may be the way to go. The shifting wasn't much of an issue. It's only really been one session, but they worked well.

Were they turned upside down?

Kljopa · Post by **Kljopa** » 28 May 2007 13:46

johnl583 wrote: My friend breakdances on those mats.

Which ones exactly? Are they expensive?

I need to find one.Inspired to catch up on breaking during the summer.

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 28 May 2007 13:53

Yes.

If you check out Hackrifice.com, there are some recent video clips where we are playing on them...if that helps in any way...