Today was the first day when I thought to myself "Self... This might actually work". That is, I think the approach I'm taking will end up allowing me to be better than I ever was before. Much better. I feel increasingly coordinated every time I play.
I spent an entire practice basically working on ATW and illusion. My wife came out to see what I was up to and I hit about 10 full sequences of butterfly > osis > mirage > repeat back the other direction. Then I hit about a full minute's worth of infinities for her. Felt good to be able to be so consistent on command, and at the end of a tiring practice. The weight is coming off too.
west of philly - bob
infinties record? Hmm, back in the day I warmed up with 20-30 in a row, and could easily do a lot more than that, so I guess I could do quite a few. Recently have been hitting about 20 in row consistently. I think yesterday's was probably about 40+ at a nice relaxed pace, making about a minute's worth (I wasn't officially timing or anything like that)
Bob R.
So I felt like 40+ infinities might have been optimistic since I was just estimating. So today (first try) I did 43. So I think yesterday's run was definitely real and probably a bit longer because I wasn't as tired. Feel good that I tested that one.
I did tons of illusions today and tons of ATW's. I find it somewhat hillarious to work on ATW's so hard. But I think it's so worth it. If that trick is hard, it stands to reason that I'm not as coordinated as I need to be. Today I hit ATW in out > ATW out in > legover > repeat ATW's on other side. Did that back and forth for 10 cycles. Also did a clipper drill to 40 contacts a few times. alternating clip > 2 on each side > 3 on each side > etc. unil 5 on each side > 10 alternating clippers without a plan (drifter style). Was pretty happy that I could make it through the whole thing first try each time. Cheated a teense and tried some pdx whirls. Was happy that I could land a couple on both sides (have never hit that trick before).
I did tons of illusions today and tons of ATW's. I find it somewhat hillarious to work on ATW's so hard. But I think it's so worth it. If that trick is hard, it stands to reason that I'm not as coordinated as I need to be. Today I hit ATW in out > ATW out in > legover > repeat ATW's on other side. Did that back and forth for 10 cycles. Also did a clipper drill to 40 contacts a few times. alternating clip > 2 on each side > 3 on each side > etc. unil 5 on each side > 10 alternating clippers without a plan (drifter style). Was pretty happy that I could make it through the whole thing first try each time. Cheated a teense and tried some pdx whirls. Was happy that I could land a couple on both sides (have never hit that trick before).
Bob R.
heh heh.. yeah 43 ain't bad. Was shooting for 50 though so it was a little bit of a letdown. I was watching your infinities.. Less "travel" on the pass will help you. Move yourself around the bag, not the bag around you. If that makes sense. In other words, set as close to straight up as reasonable, and you'll find your records will climb. At least in my opinion.
vids? Nothing recent, but if you want to see what I used to be, go to the website in my signature and check the vids section. They're old and probably don't show the peak of my previous game, but they'll give you a good idea. Once I get back to playing genuine, I'll try to put new footage up.
vids? Nothing recent, but if you want to see what I used to be, go to the website in my signature and check the vids section. They're old and probably don't show the peak of my previous game, but they'll give you a good idea. Once I get back to playing genuine, I'll try to put new footage up.
Bob R.
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shreddaily
- Flower Child
- Posts: 1665
- Joined: 03 Sep 2003 16:56
Well I'm not sure if iam part of "you guys" since I'm no longer a eugenian but I convinced my gf to stick a camera on me for a few mins and I threw this together. Its real short, whatch it twiceRieferman wrote:Hey hey.. I'd love to see a vid of recent stuff from you guys. Any chance of that happening sometime in the near future?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUr5r5oa9Ng
Hey Paul, thanks for the posts, glad to know someone is reading this 
And Nate, thanks for posting a vid here. What fun to have the first Nate footage in a long time (that I can remember at least) right here in my very own "house".
And actually, your footage got me thinking even more about a topic I was already mulling over. Fitting I suppose. I don't know if you remember me saying awhile back that your game is one of the most influential to me. But, as I practice all my components, I'm finding that some components, although not "guiltless" by definition, are really fun and look really nice. e.g. I think a really nicely done illusion (especially bubba) looks nice and is fun to hit. Or a pdx pickup, or pickup ending on inside stall. Again, not super hard stuff, probably considered "bails", but I like them.
So, if we shed ourselves of the burden of "guiltless" and just hit whatever we think is cool, wouldn't that make for interesting shred to watch and play? I really liked what you put together on that vid. Hopefully Jon S. sees it because he's been barking up similar trees for awhile too. Nice job
And Nate, thanks for posting a vid here. What fun to have the first Nate footage in a long time (that I can remember at least) right here in my very own "house".
And actually, your footage got me thinking even more about a topic I was already mulling over. Fitting I suppose. I don't know if you remember me saying awhile back that your game is one of the most influential to me. But, as I practice all my components, I'm finding that some components, although not "guiltless" by definition, are really fun and look really nice. e.g. I think a really nicely done illusion (especially bubba) looks nice and is fun to hit. Or a pdx pickup, or pickup ending on inside stall. Again, not super hard stuff, probably considered "bails", but I like them.
So, if we shed ourselves of the burden of "guiltless" and just hit whatever we think is cool, wouldn't that make for interesting shred to watch and play? I really liked what you put together on that vid. Hopefully Jon S. sees it because he's been barking up similar trees for awhile too. Nice job
Bob R.
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Outsider
- Ayatollah of Rock n' Rollah
- Posts: 1373
- Joined: 21 May 2003 21:30
- Location: Bridgewater, New Jersey
woof ?Hopefully Jon S. sees it because he's been barking up similar trees
Can't watch the vid yet... I'm at work. But...
Actually, I've changed my strategy on this subject a little bit. Rather than just saying "fuck ADDs, just do what's cool," I've now decided that its probably easier to invent dumb new reasons why my uncomplicated tricks are actually worth more ADDs than they appear to be. I figure I'll probably meet with more success this way, since it seems to have already worked for in several other cases.if we shed ourselves of the burden of "guiltless" and just hit whatever we think is cool, wouldn't that make for interesting shred to watch and play?
"The time has come to convert the unbelievers..."
Jonathan Schneider --- sometimes showers with his Lavers on (to clean them)
The Ministry of Silly Walks
NYFA
BAP
Jonathan Schneider --- sometimes showers with his Lavers on (to clean them)
The Ministry of Silly Walks
NYFA
BAP
Did my routine yesterday as planned. Yesterday was sort of frustrating because I wanted to see big improvements on all the basics. Not sure why I thought yesterday was the day for that, but it wasn't. Will be playing again tonight. Slow and steady wins the race is my motto right now.
Btw, my sister announced that she's moving from NYC to San Francisco in January. If you live out that way and are reading this, let me know. She's a voice teacher and singer/songwriter, so she'll be looking to meet some people and start making some connections.
Btw, my sister announced that she's moving from NYC to San Francisco in January. If you live out that way and are reading this, let me know. She's a voice teacher and singer/songwriter, so she'll be looking to meet some people and start making some connections.
Bob R.
Did my routine yesterday as planned. Yesterday was much more encouraging. I spent an entire practice basically working on illusions. Boy is that an odd component for me. I don't want those "around the front" illusions. I want the "full circular dex" illusions where my heel passes under the bag for a nice clean dex. It's really getting there.
Ever tried toe set, same side illusion? They're a lot harder.
Bubba went well yesterday. I can see how bubba will later on allow me to do double over down (if that's what a clip set, op leg 2 dexes, same clip catch is called). So that's cool.
Funny thing was that I was shooting for 20 consec. illusions. And I started accidentally doing atomic sets. Which is funny because I can't do atomic sets. I stopped myself from doing atomics because it's not time for that yet, but I was happy to see another example that the coordination that I'm developing will benefit later portions of my plan.
I also figured something out on my weakside butterfly that will help reduce drops, and improve sets. Basically, I was catching too close to my support leg. If I concentrate on "pushing" the catch out a few inches, it forces more ankle crank, and forces more support leg cushion. Plus, it frees up range of motion for me to set higher and straighter. With that improvement I was able to hit 3 spinning clippers on both sides during the same run (a run that also included a lot of my other easier components, and a few ducks/dives).
Ever tried toe set, same side illusion? They're a lot harder.
Bubba went well yesterday. I can see how bubba will later on allow me to do double over down (if that's what a clip set, op leg 2 dexes, same clip catch is called). So that's cool.
Funny thing was that I was shooting for 20 consec. illusions. And I started accidentally doing atomic sets. Which is funny because I can't do atomic sets. I stopped myself from doing atomics because it's not time for that yet, but I was happy to see another example that the coordination that I'm developing will benefit later portions of my plan.
I also figured something out on my weakside butterfly that will help reduce drops, and improve sets. Basically, I was catching too close to my support leg. If I concentrate on "pushing" the catch out a few inches, it forces more ankle crank, and forces more support leg cushion. Plus, it frees up range of motion for me to set higher and straighter. With that improvement I was able to hit 3 spinning clippers on both sides during the same run (a run that also included a lot of my other easier components, and a few ducks/dives).
Bob R.
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PegLegHolly
- Swashbuckler
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: 02 Aug 2006 17:43
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Contact:
Did my routine today minus the morning weight lifting (I overslept due to crying baby last night).
Kicked tonight. Worked mostly on pdx pickup. I'm just about ready to start moving on. I was a little frustrated because I also did ducking clippers today and wanted to hit 20 in a row. I could only muster 7. Yikes. But, like I said, I'm ready to move onto other tricks now, so I can get those back where they should be again. On a brighter note, my 40 contact clipper drill is first try every try now. And infinities are pretty much as long as I feel like it.
Also, since I've been cheating a little bit each session, I cheated after practice tonight.. I weighed in (earlier than previously planned).
14 pounds lost since I started this on 09/24. 24 more to go to reach the 200 lbs mark.
Kicked tonight. Worked mostly on pdx pickup. I'm just about ready to start moving on. I was a little frustrated because I also did ducking clippers today and wanted to hit 20 in a row. I could only muster 7. Yikes. But, like I said, I'm ready to move onto other tricks now, so I can get those back where they should be again. On a brighter note, my 40 contact clipper drill is first try every try now. And infinities are pretty much as long as I feel like it.
Also, since I've been cheating a little bit each session, I cheated after practice tonight.. I weighed in (earlier than previously planned).
14 pounds lost since I started this on 09/24. 24 more to go to reach the 200 lbs mark.
Bob R.
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PegLegHolly
- Swashbuckler
- Posts: 2475
- Joined: 02 Aug 2006 17:43
- Location: Cleveland, OH
- Contact:
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Frank_Sinatra
- Avenging Disco Godfather
- Posts: 1660
- Joined: 09 Jan 2007 12:43
- Location: Chicago, IL
Down-double-down, I think.Rieferman wrote:Bubba went well yesterday. I can see how bubba will later on allow me to do double over down (if that's what a clip set, op leg 2 dexes, same clip catch is called). So that's cool.
I really enjoy reading you shred plans. I'm impressed by your sacrifice - holding off on the gratification of guiltless to school tiltless. I'm in kind of the same spot, and I'm trying to figure out when & how to move on - any thoughts?
Re: adds... I think if a system that accurately reflected a trick's difficulty were to be invented, tricks like far pickup & bubba would be on the same level as BOPs. So many people say "fuck adds" - but they don't say "fuck guiltless" even though levels of play are built on the add system.
Well, I had the crappiest weekend in recent memory. We went to one of my best friend's houses for the night on Saturday. It was Halloween/Fall Fun type of thing. During the day, friends and family. At night, just the friends for some drinks/campfire/Penn State game. We said ahead of time that we'd only stay over (this is about 2 hours from my house) if we had a room to sleep Keegan in >> as a 2 year old, disrupting his schedule is fun for no one. We were told we had that space secured. When we arrived, that plan was still on. Only when it was too late for us to do anything else, we were told that instead another kid would be bunked in the same room. What could we do? So, we put Keegan to bed at around 8 pm as usual. At 9 pm, the other jackass dad that was there brings his kid up to go to sleep. She causes a scene and wakes Keegan up. Keegan is exhausted at this point from a busy day, so he basically has an extended tantrum. To make a long story short, it took us until 11 pm to get him settled down and to sleep again. Meanwhile, everyone else is getting wasted and could care less. At this point, I'm ready to just pack up and head home. But we finally get him to sleep. We go to bed around the same time because we're fed up with the scene. We're all 30 years old for god's sake, do we really need to be getting obliterated at every chance stlil? Well, the story doesn't end there... Around 1:15 am Keegan has a nightmare, and between being in a different room, completely off schedule, totally exhausted, and waking up to find another kid in the room where he's sleeping, he throws a full on super market tantrum. We've never seen anything like it. He was inconsolable. Even after 45 minutes of trying to get him calmed down, we were getting nowhere. The only thing that snapped him out of it is that Meg asked if he wanted to go for a ride in the car. That made him momentarily happy through the tears. Soooooooo, at 2 am we load up the kids and the dog and all the gear (pack and play, toys, diapers, monitors etc. etc. etc.) and drive 2 hours home. Keegan was so keyed up/upset that he cried for the first hour of the drive and finally out of complete exhaustion passed out mid cry. It was really breaking our hearts. When we get home, he's so happy to be home that he wants to play and watch TV. So I sit up with him and give him milk/cookies and finally get him to sleep around 4 am. Yesterday was spent getting him back on schedule, and in recovery for Meg and I because we got barely any sleep. I feel like ass today at work. And we basically don't really want to be friends with all those people at the same level where we've always been before. No one messes with my kids like that and stays on the 'A list'.
So, to recap: totally rude thoughtless friends, completely upset Keegan (and he's the sweetest kid ever so it was so awful to see him that upset), exhausted Bob and Meg, and less friends as a result. Nice waste of a weekend.
So, obviously, I didn't get to play footbag this weekend.
I did manage to wake up this morning and lift weights, and I'll footbag after work to get back on my schedule. Live and learn.
--------------
Frank wrote:
I think you can basically completely stop practicing really easy stuff (except it's probably still good during warmups) when you feel like you could do 20 in a row just about whenever you want, and when those 20 in a row feel the same on either side. I feel like you can move on to additional tricks, but still have a portion of your practice dedicated to easier moves, when you can do the easier moves 5-10 times in a row with nearly the same feel on both side. At that point, you understand the concept and are just honing >> allowing yourself to progress while also making final tweaks to form etc. is OK at this point in my opinion.
So, to recap: totally rude thoughtless friends, completely upset Keegan (and he's the sweetest kid ever so it was so awful to see him that upset), exhausted Bob and Meg, and less friends as a result. Nice waste of a weekend.
So, obviously, I didn't get to play footbag this weekend.
I did manage to wake up this morning and lift weights, and I'll footbag after work to get back on my schedule. Live and learn.--------------
Frank wrote:
holding off on the gratification of guiltless to school tiltless. I'm in kind of the same spot, and I'm trying to figure out when & how to move on - any thoughts?
I think you can basically completely stop practicing really easy stuff (except it's probably still good during warmups) when you feel like you could do 20 in a row just about whenever you want, and when those 20 in a row feel the same on either side. I feel like you can move on to additional tricks, but still have a portion of your practice dedicated to easier moves, when you can do the easier moves 5-10 times in a row with nearly the same feel on both side. At that point, you understand the concept and are just honing >> allowing yourself to progress while also making final tweaks to form etc. is OK at this point in my opinion.
Bob R.
It was tough as hell, but I did my routine yesterday. Between being wiped out from hell weekend, it being a Monday, and my team at work being shortstaffed by 2 people (out of team of 3), plus my mind juts being a little pissy overall, I really didn't want to do anything besides sleep in and eat comfort food and be a lump on a log. Instead, I got up and lifted, ate great all day, and played footbag after work. It was a good test. They say that most health improvement efforts fail around the 5 week mark >> since I started this all on 09/24, that would be right around now. There was temptation to fall off the wagon, but I pushed on. Nice.
Anyhow, though I kicked, I didn't really kick well because of all conditions noted above. Plus, I need to get a space heater for the barn because it's cold when I play out there right now. I ran through my easy stuff in about 20 minutes and then spent about 20 more minutes on spins before calling it a day. Spins >> straight set + faster head turn + straight body + arms in = better spins. I want spins where I do a complete turn rather than some of the spins that you see where the ball is set a little bit back and therefore only requires about 75% spin to make the catch. Full spin will make spinning pdx mirage and a bunch of other tricks easier later, and I think they just look better. The straight body comment is really key. You can do just about everything wrong except straight set and straight body and still catch it. But you can do everything right and have a off center body and be ugly all day long.
I think about 1/2 my practice will be spent on the easy stuff for quite awhile longer. It's just not as second nature as I want it to be. I wanted to be playing really strong for x-mas so I could kick with the Steel City guys. But I think I'll bail on that session because I don't want to rush anything. If I spend the other 1/2 of my practice on the next stages of my plan (which is basically: right now spins/ducks/dives.. and then sets... and then full fledged tricks) I think that's a good approach. It allows me to begin progressing, but also ensures that I'm not trying to put multiple components together before those components are strong.
I've got a Clavens bag on the way in a little while. That's cool. And I pronounce it Clay-vens and always will.
Anyhow, though I kicked, I didn't really kick well because of all conditions noted above. Plus, I need to get a space heater for the barn because it's cold when I play out there right now. I ran through my easy stuff in about 20 minutes and then spent about 20 more minutes on spins before calling it a day. Spins >> straight set + faster head turn + straight body + arms in = better spins. I want spins where I do a complete turn rather than some of the spins that you see where the ball is set a little bit back and therefore only requires about 75% spin to make the catch. Full spin will make spinning pdx mirage and a bunch of other tricks easier later, and I think they just look better. The straight body comment is really key. You can do just about everything wrong except straight set and straight body and still catch it. But you can do everything right and have a off center body and be ugly all day long.
I think about 1/2 my practice will be spent on the easy stuff for quite awhile longer. It's just not as second nature as I want it to be. I wanted to be playing really strong for x-mas so I could kick with the Steel City guys. But I think I'll bail on that session because I don't want to rush anything. If I spend the other 1/2 of my practice on the next stages of my plan (which is basically: right now spins/ducks/dives.. and then sets... and then full fledged tricks) I think that's a good approach. It allows me to begin progressing, but also ensures that I'm not trying to put multiple components together before those components are strong.
I've got a Clavens bag on the way in a little while. That's cool. And I pronounce it Clay-vens and always will.
Bob R.
Did my routine yesterday. Felt almost human.
Kicking, I did a ton of butterflies yesterday. Basically, I started every drill with 3 infinities before I tried the trick I was working on. Did a lot of spins and ducks/dives. I know what has to happen to make them better, it's just going to take some time. Did a lot of ATW's. Tomorrow night when I play, I'll do the same stuff, but this time a lot of illusions mixed in. That's the basic plan >> warmups, some simple drills, focus on a group of tricks from newer phases of my plan, with a heavy concentration on one simpler component. Oh yeah, did a lot of osis too. I miss when the ball is far away from my body, and hit when I have good posture and keep it close.
It's going to be a long road to being good. sigh. I knew it would be, but I think it's going to be a 6 month + long road rather than the originally hoped 2 month road. It is what it is. I'm getting great exercise and making noticeable progress each practice.
Tonight, I'm taking Keegan trick or treating. He's going to dress as an Eagles football player. He's got the helmet and jersey and everything. He dresses up in it every day, so it's not too much different than usual. He's a little scared about going out >> he's figured out somehow that Halloween is a "scary" thing. He talks about ghosts and witches. I have no idea how he learns this stuff.
Kicking, I did a ton of butterflies yesterday. Basically, I started every drill with 3 infinities before I tried the trick I was working on. Did a lot of spins and ducks/dives. I know what has to happen to make them better, it's just going to take some time. Did a lot of ATW's. Tomorrow night when I play, I'll do the same stuff, but this time a lot of illusions mixed in. That's the basic plan >> warmups, some simple drills, focus on a group of tricks from newer phases of my plan, with a heavy concentration on one simpler component. Oh yeah, did a lot of osis too. I miss when the ball is far away from my body, and hit when I have good posture and keep it close.
It's going to be a long road to being good. sigh. I knew it would be, but I think it's going to be a 6 month + long road rather than the originally hoped 2 month road. It is what it is. I'm getting great exercise and making noticeable progress each practice.
Tonight, I'm taking Keegan trick or treating. He's going to dress as an Eagles football player. He's got the helmet and jersey and everything. He dresses up in it every day, so it's not too much different than usual. He's a little scared about going out >> he's figured out somehow that Halloween is a "scary" thing. He talks about ghosts and witches. I have no idea how he learns this stuff.
Bob R.