Wasabi: M(s)+J = BLAST

Keep a diary of what you're hitting, what's frustrating you, and your goals.
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

I don't know. Here's the math on the conversion I did with my Quantums 02:

Q02: 7 men
Lavers: 6.5 men
G-units: 6 men

6.5 G-units might fit me pretty well, but I like to have my shoes feeling really snug. That was the decision I made with my Quantums purchase at Worlds. Plus, there is that degree in which I break-in the shoes when playing footbag, making it feel even more spacious. It's weird: to get a half size larger, or smaller? That is the question. :roll:
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

I bought two pairs of G-units, size 5.5. Both were on ebay. I won an auction for a women's size 7 white/red G-units, and bought a men's size 5.5 red/black/white a day later. I'm expecting them to arrive sometime this week. And I'm expecting to mod one of them (the white pair) once I get my hands on them.

I ordered facile as well. Oliver, Garnet, Cedar Berry, Henna, Sky Blue, Blackberry, and Zinnia. I didn't get to buy the "Black w/ metallic circles" print, though. It was out of my budget and I'm not really interested in prints all too much these days. I'll get a chance to try it some day, though.

I'm in the process of filling out some orders. There's so much to do... :( I think the next order I'm going to fulfill is a 32 for Ken Somolinos, since I owe him a restitched 32 in the summer of last year. I've put it off for awhile since it was a gift, but now that I'm back on track, I think it's time to pay my dues. Also, I still have to finish an order for this 'Shannon Koontz' fellow. I feel so bad in having to make him wait so long, I'm sorting his order out as I type this post out. I made a slight miscalculation on his pattern, though hopefully it's not too much of a hassle (it's a pretty original pattern that I'm a bit ecstactic to work on patiently).

I'm not at all excited about my classes starting next week Friday. What a drag. :( But, if I bust my ass and work hard through my classes, I'm sure to graduate sometime this year.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by C-Fan »

Hey Waylon. I didn't know they made G6s smaller than size 7... that's crazy.

As for my bag, I appreciate it, but no rush on it. In the last month I've received 2 new, nice bags as gifts, so if you can make money by selling bags, you should do that first. My birthday is in April, so a bag around then would be great. If I need a bag before then, I'd love a bag from you, but at the moment I'm sure other people need bags (and I'm sure you wouldn't mind the money) more than I do.
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

I just got my white G-units, women's size 7. They feel nice and snug. If I can get some pictures on how Ken cuts open his toebox for his G-units, that would be sweet. I think it's just leaving two strips of leather for the walls (in respect to the stitches that hold the toe flaps to the shoe), and exposing the mesh. I can't wait to shred in them.

It could be my imagination, but these shoes look a bit more slender than regular men's G-units? It doesn't really matter, I guess.

Critiquing shoes isn't my strong suit anymore. I just read what I wrote about the Starbury's, and it didn't really go anywhere pertinent. I have been delving too much into philosophical texts lately; I guess I've adopted how misinformative and confusing Aristotle or Ciscero are in their philosophical discussions. Too much BS and nowhere near the point. :? I've got to be more attentive on what I'm reading and writing these days.

Classes begin again next week Friday for me. I'm preparing whatever I can at the moment right now.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Darkshredder »

huzzah for g-units! I'm getting them too, man. Hope you like them!
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

I got my facile! Score!

It's really hard to tell the difference between Cedar Berry and Garnet. It's like you need a real fine light to tell the difference. Blackberry is like a mix between Punch and Amatista (like, omg, AWESOME!). Henna is like a more rich and dark version of Cinnabar, very nice. I didn't find anything striking about Zinnia. It's a Rapture Rose clone, without the wowness in color. Sky Blue is seriously supple, but nothing like Green Mist or Dark Jade. It's like soft woven cotton. Buyer beware...? (expect extremely choice bags with this color, however). Oliver is a thinner version of Soft Ivy, with less mess.

To sum everything up entirely, I will seriously use these colors in the near future. 8)

Hooray for facile!

edit: I finished modding my G-units. I'll have a session with them tomorrow.

Ever have the revelation on your shoe history? I just did. I took a look at all of my shoes, new and old, footbag and not. I discovered all of the size differences. Some were one (even two) shoe sizes too big for me, and the shoes I'm wearing these days are perfectly snug with my feet. I know my Quantums and these G-units fit into my feet perfectly - there are no open spaces for them to weave and move about.

Most of my old shred shoes are really choice, but not extremely broken in. I say this because they're just fit for shred immediately at first fit and glance. The red Lavers I gave to Jake Raye are probably at their prime; I didn't wear them anymore because they were 1, 2 maybe 3 shoe sizes too big for me. They're a size 9, and I've calculated that I fit well into a 6.5 Laver.

I have G-units, 4 pairs. Two modded and two in the closet. Modded: 1) Men's 8.5, Brocka mod, basic inside and toe mod. 2) Men's 7.5, basic inside and toe mod. Both of these shoes are black and have their toewalls messed up somehow from lacing too tightly. Unmodded are Men's 8 red/black/white and Men's 7.5 green/white. I think I'll sell the latter off sometime soon (as for the modded ones, if there's a demand, I'll sell them off as well).

And now, I'm sporting shoes approximately in Men's size 5.5 (Women's size 7). Isn't that interesting? I've had so much history with my shred shoes. I'm sure this is pretty irrelevant, because some footbaggers murder their shoes within 6 months and throw them away most of time, but this really took me back today. Like, I can imagine what I was hitting with these shoes when I wore them, what injuries I incurred, and where they have gone in my footbagging endeavors. Freakin' AWESOME!

FOOTBAG! :P
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Wasabi »

I had a session with my G-units. They felt like bricks, but I was satisfied. I think I was spoiled with the Quantum's flexible sole. My big toes are sore from pointing them up too much against the G6's new-ish feel.

I hit:
-Diving clipper (somewhat sloppy).
-Spinning clipper! The catch felt a bit half-assed, but I was so glad to hit spinning clipper! I even tried to attempt another one after hitting it, but dropped.
-Tons of parkwalks and dimwalks on my strong pixie. I tried to link them out of magellan, but it proved too hard for the stiff G-unit toe. Quantums maybe?
-Fairy ss butterfly. I can't remember if I hit fairy beater and fairy smasher. I have hit fairy legover, which I thought was pretty cool.

Other than these, nothing much. I was busy schooling the basics, from legover to ss muted mirages, from clipper to pdx. mirage. Everything concerning downtime, really. Flip pdx. mirage kind of pissed me off, since I think I'm fairly able to bsos pdx. mirage, but I guess the set from my strong clipper just seems way too weird. I have to look into this more. Butterflies felt very good - I was seriously surprised. I always seem to drop my butterflies with Quantums, and found this very frustrating. Osis felt good; again, something that I would mess up 100% in Quantums. Maybe I should Brocka mod my Quantums. I'm just hesitant, since I feel that I should clipper well even without these types of mods.

Uptime sets are so addictive. I really need to stop this habit.

I haven't really worked much on anything atomic related. I think I'll stop using atomic anything until I love where my downtime game is at. I mean, the only real pleasure that I had today concerning a trick with an uptime component was fairy legover. If I put more focus into it, DSO maybe be possible. I have to work those atws, of course. :lol:

Also, there were mirrors in the dance studio where we kicked, and I saw myself looking a bit awkward. Maybe it was my white/red G-units matching with my white tee and maroon shorts. Maybe it was the angle, or the lighting. Or maybe, certainly, it's my *gasp!* figure. I looked seriously thin! I think my waist is fine and whatever, but my calves were smaller than I thought they were. I know I have scrawny arms and whatever, but damn it I need to change this. For footbag. I need to do weight training and follow a more hearty-&-healthy based diet, asap.



PS: My niece is going to take an IQ test sometime next week on Thursday or Friday. She's having so much pressure placed on her, it's unbelievable. Like, her parents are scolding her for not doing her studies. My sister, her mother is overworked. Her father is overworked as well, but damn it, he shows a lot of characteristics that's not fitting for a parent. He's a dumbass that plays favorites and usually does some stupid ass mind game on my niece as a way to raise her well. Like, wtf? Is making her jealous by being more attentive to her little brother and sternly lecturing her supposed to be a solution? There has been so many times that I said in my mind "Prick, this isn't China. Stop playing favorite to your son, whose two and doesn't know any better. Your daughter needs you for inspiration." It's a bad case of 'good cop, bad cop' where there is no good cop, just two bad goons who don't know how to follow procedure.

Well, throughout the entire time at dinner, I was there to comfort her and motivate her. Inspire her. She felt so sad and sick to her stomach that she couldn't finish her dinner, but she managed with just my words and advice. I also used a strategy that helped big time to train her focus: only and ONLY listen to me, and ignore everybody else. It was just so freakin' hilarious when everybody (her parents, my parents, my grandmother) tried to interject and I had to shush them frantically, just to have her focus only on me. We had a great time together. :)

My sister and I formed a deal: that I will tutor her in her reading comprehension from Tuesday to Thursday. I'm usually around when she gets off at school, and I have a part-time shift at night on the weekdays. So, there's time for me to give her more strategies in terms of studying. Education should be fun, not pressuring.

If only I can say the same for college work. :? Heheh.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

Erik Chan wrote:If you think in terms of adds, then of course "higher add" tricks are going to seem harder, because of that mental barrier. Don't strive for high add tricks. Strive for tricks that you find fun.

Another mental trick that works for string length and linking basic 3s is to not count contacts, but rather rotations. So, for instance, butterfly > pdx mirage [repeat] is a good drill to integrate those basic tricks into your shred repertoire. But rather than counting that drill as 4 tricks, count a single rotation of all 4 tricks as one rotation. Try it. You will find linking these much more effortless.
I'm just posting this here as a mental reminder, so that I don't have to look through the topic all the time for this golden piece of advice. Linking a variety of tricks into rotations is such a valuable and fun approach into becoming fully bs. This tip can totally reprimand whatever addled feelings I have for training my flipside. Thanks Erik! (If you're reading this...)

I've had a short session training my clippers, and practicing the sets for gyro and spinning clippers. I used my G-units. They felt good. My left knee seems to have a pinching type pain somewhere, so I only trained for a little over half an hour. Still, it felt really good training myself to play more calmly and making the extra effort to examine how I descend and ascend off of my clipper form. My flip clipper still feels a bit funny in this sense, but that just means I need to focus my form in that area a lot more.

I've read a lot of good tips about whirl and toe whirls. I'm going to take careful precaution about executing this move more downtime, bs.

Osis still feels weird, but I'm slowly getting into it. I hate my habit of making my posture and form seem "blind" for the move. I need to face and stay over the bag more efficiently.

I'm sewing a spikey 32 that will literally WOW people. And I thought I could retire from sewing spikey 32s with just the bag that Jorden Moir won at Cornell Jam 2 last year. :P

edit: Spikey 32 preview:

Image

:)
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
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"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by C-Fan »

Wasabi wrote: If I can get some pictures on how Ken cuts open his toebox for his G-units, that would be sweet..
This is the best I could do.These days I also try and leave a thin strip around the top edge of the toe too, and if there's an extra flap (usually shaped like a spade), I leave that too.
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Post by Senor Grommet »

Waylon,

re: the IQ test.

An IQ test is really more of an ability test. There won't be any reading comprehension (most likely) unless the examiner is using a weirdo test I've never heard of.

There really is no way to prep for an IQ test, since its subtests are typically very diverse and require skills such as block manipulation to create patterns, pattern recognition, symbol coding speed and accuracy, and linguistic concepts like word definitions and describing similarities between words.

An IQ test is not really something to be affraid of since a person is basically always going to perform at the level they can perform at. It is tough to perform better than you are smart, and just as tough to perform poorer than you are smart. My advice is not to teach her skills before the test but just to help her realize that if she does her best that is all that matters. It should be viewed as more of a challenge or a puzzle that something that will define your future.

Minimizing pressure= maximizing confidence= maximizing success.
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Post by Wasabi »

Ken, thanks for the short video about the G-unit toebox. I've kind of bit the bullet and modded them like you usually do, leaving the mesh and some of the leather in the corners as a foundation. They're pretty snug for G-units, since I bought them in women's size, and my toes are jammed toward the front of the shoe pretty firm. I doubt I'll have trouble rubbing my toes against the mesh, causing them to rip. I bet the shoe will stretch naturally with more shred in them. :)

Jeremy, good call on your comments with IQ tests, especially for my niece and all. She just has problems with focus, since she's always surrounded by distractions and such. I've taken a lot of my time hanging out with her and giving her piece of mind, treating her like I was the best uncle in the face of the earth. I joke and talk to her casually, without anything like the tv turned on or toys lying around the living room, and it is proving to be very effective. Motivating and influencing her to being more attentive to her work and word acquisition (in a fun, laidback sense) has become fruitful.

And anyway, even if she isn't a prodigy, she's still my niece, and we're like the bestest friends. Even if she isn't able to enroll into a top school like her parents want, she still has me and footbag. Just... 8 or 9 more years? Is 14-15 the best time for preteens to get into footbag? :P

edit: I've got to stop playing in pants. Does anyone recommend sleek and comfortable underarmor for the lower body? If it fits and stretches well, I think I can wear them in the winter under my baggy casual shorts, and play footbag comfortably in cold conditions. :) I nearly tripped and sprained an ankle while drilling clippers and spinning clippers with my jeans on. My pant cuffs are at the point where most of the material that touches the heel and sole are worn away and sneaking underneath my feet.

I guess I was too excited to play when this happened, since I had 20 minutes to wait for my niece to get out of school (I was picking her up).

I seriously can't wait to play footbag this weekend. I seriously can't wait to play footbag at college as well (my classes begin in 2 days!).
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Wasabi »

Small set session tonight. I was experimenting with pixie and fairy bs in G-units. I was then reading a few tips about pimpy, gimpy and fancy. I guess I have to try doing it with a just a knee bump, and not a knee *pop* (extending your leg forward for the delay and set).

Alright, I'm actually being very serious and critical of myself about stepping. I was really bewildered on why I couldn't do stepping (and yes, I understand my clipper form is sporadic, from average to suck). I just noticed from doing 10-15 minutes of doing only stepping sets bs that when I try to go for the delay, my delaying foot immediately loosens up from clipper. After reading and going over Jeremy Mirken's tip for stepping, I've made the conclusion that I have to keep my foot crank all the way into the set. I still need practice for this, and I hope to do so for the NYFA session this weekend (even for one turn). I'm so excited!

I've done 2-3 successful straight stepping sets with my flip clipper. My strong clipper still needs work with a measly one successful attempt (the ankle for my support leg has been abused for a long time in my time playing footbag - most of my sprains were from this ankle). It sort of hurts to descend with this support leg. Either I need to get a very tight ankle brace, or I need to develop my calf muscles more and more with strength cross training. I'm just pondering; I do plan to dedicate myself more into cross training this year, so both options are applicable. I just need the patience to play more tiltless.

I'm definitely buying a tighter ankle brace, just to play it safe in my sessions.

I was taking a look at Zac Miley's post about quantum sets, and setting the bag close to your body has really helped me understand it a bit. I've started to understand how to do tight pixie sets more a week ago, so it just requires me to start setting the bag on the other foot. Although, I keep doing my quantums symposium I think. Or rather, I don't understand when to plant for regular quantum. I have to watch more of Anz's trick video tutorials about this set.

Of course, this post is just speculation from approximately 35 minutes of schooling sets. I really don't plan on dedicating a lot of time on my uptime game. My goal is to hit ripwalk and hit it consistently, but before that I have to hit a couple of rotations for infinities comfortably before starting. I'm just so very pumped for footbag, it's unbelievable. :)
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Darkshredder »

man I love posts like these. Really self reflexive and important to have so you can look back often. It looks like you're getting really serious about freestyle every time I read your posts and that's awesome. I can't wait to hack with you again at GRASS, man! And this time, you won't nearly snap your ankle and we can shred for longer! :wink:

how much did you get your units on eBay?
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Post by Wasabi »

white/red: $24.20
black/red/white: $29.99
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by bdams19 »

Waylon, hit the damn gym! I keep hearing you talk about how you wanna do it but you gotta just get yourself in gear and then stick to a routine. A good tip is to get a workout partner so you keep each other motivated. If you want more advice on lifting just ask; keep in mind alot of it has to do with your diet.

And definately keep drilling the downtime. You have to build up your string length until it gets consistantly longer (like 15-20+) for 2 adds before moving into crazier stuff. No one likes watchin' us drop when they walk by in wash sq park, no matter what move we're tryin :wink: . Also, my toe is still fucked, so keep on keepin on bro and hopefully I'll be able to join you.
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Wasabi
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Post by Wasabi »

Yeah Brian! Just the man to keep me motivated! Thanks for the advice on hitting the gym and whatever.

Adding another New Year's Resolution:

-Stop being a whiney ass pussy. YEAH!!!!!!@ :twisted:

:P


First day of classes was alright. I've met up with a couple of girls that have the hots for me. I also met up with a friend whom I thought graduated from Hunter a year, but then I find out he's still stuck at this college with one essential course that he forgot to fulfill. I'm going to do my best to keep myself on track and not end up like him. Like, having a long ass discussion with my advisors on what classes I need to graduate and whatever. The one thing that gets people that are about to graduate is that they aren't notified what they need to fulfill EVERY CRITERIA, whether its general education requirement, major or minor. What a messed up cycle education has to go through. :evil: :?

I had to talk to several people about a failed incomplete I got, even though I did fulfill the incomplete in time. My bullshit professor was probably on vacation at the time, or he was a lazy bastard and whatever. I'll see him on Monday and show him my 'nice persona.' :|

Footbag session tomorrow. Can't wait.

edit: Just wanted to add that I've found so many Laver and Unitz clones online, it's unbelievable. If only we had this magical machine in which we can physically look and critique the shoe without having to utilize a picture to go by. There are so many shoes out there that look so suitable for footbag! :P
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Wasabi »

Small post. I'm too tired to explain anything at the moment.

I busted my limits in today's shred. I had a 10+ contact string consisting of legovers, mirages, butterflies and pdx. mirage. No bails to toe as well! I'm so glad about it. Tips about regulating breathing, clipper form, waiting for the bag, and thinking in rotations totally helped me out. My enthusiasm for footbag has reached an all time high. I just need to keep this mentality up consistently.

I thought of a good rotation that I didn't get to do today. I think it would totally help me with butterflies and clippers.

butterfly > ss butterfly > opp butterfly > ss butterfly > rpt.

I have to school pickup.

I hit whirl today, but I think the dex was ankly and leggy. I definitely need to school it careful, and use my hips more.

Diving and ducking felt very clean today. I need to worry about catching it.

Oh yeah, concerning clippers, I need to plant my support legs completely. I know it's important to land on the ball of your foot, but I think I do it too much that my heel doesn't touch the ground, and that could ruin my sets.

AGHHHHH!!! Footbag! <3

edit: Ugh, okay, I'm a bit flustered about something that I did and someone is disappointed by it. Or rather he's at a lost for words. Tom Mosher requested that someone send him a pair of starbury's, I took the opportunity to do so, and he's disappointed that I got him the beige version instead of the black. He didn't mention anything, color-wise, so I made the assumption for a shred shoe that had unique colors. Are people really intent that black colors on a shred shoe is the way to go?

I'm totally beyond that mentality, that a good shred shoe should be a black shred shoe, seeing that I now play in white G-units for indoor shred, and blue Quantums for outdoors. I even have another pair of Quantums, white/blue, on reserve, and I think they're pretty hot. Also, in terms of conventional footbag shoes, there are rarely any black G-units available (now it's either white, blue, green, red, etc.) and for Rod Lavers, white/green and white/navy blue are the most available.

Sorry, I needed to vent. I'm just upset that what I chose wasn't satisfactory for someone else. Of course, Tom (if you're reading this), if you're still interested in black starburys, I can always buy another pair. They're only $15 (they don't even charge tax for these shoes, which is a plus).

edit2: There is a player that is a part of our club, his name is Jonah Bruno, and I think he would do seriously well as a toe player. Whenever I see him play, his crank for clippers is stiff like a rock. I feel that if he watched videos like Mike Anello or Chris Pinkus, being a devote toe player isn't so bad. Clippers are hot, yes, but this should not discourage players to advance in freestyle. I feel that my motivation to help him advance his level of play was seriously great, and I gave him a very supple and choice 14-panel so that he can stall better. I really hope he devotes more time in footbag; it would be really good to see him assess his strengths and weaknesses and apply that to footbag so that he can link tricks consistently.

I know I was in the same position whenever I see a lot of guiltless shred, or being part of a lot of guiltless circles. People shouldn't be discouraged by other people's level of play. It should be a factor that helps motivate players to advance in their own way, in their own mentality for footbag. :)
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Post by Wasabi »

Footbag homework (props to Jorden Moir for all of these fabulous tips!):

:arrow: Good stretch for deep illusions:
1. stand facing a ledge, table or any elevated (strong) surface slightly above waist height
2. lift one leg, point that knee to the side and place the outside surface of the foot onto the elevated area (the inside surface is facing upwards)
3. Take some small steps backward with the 'ground' leg until you feel tension
4. Lower your forehead and try to touch the inside surface or your elevated foot. Go as far as you can and hold it for 20 seconds
5. Repeat with other leg

:arrow: Flail

Read and practise the 'illusion stretch' in Grifter tips earlier in this thread first. You want your illusions to be very 'high' (ie dexing at waist level rather than knee level) and very horizontal, dexing far to close rather than side to side. I have a few pointers that might help for the symposium aspect:
- always push off your illusion leg with the ball of your foot
- to get used to leaving the ground and landing on the same foot, practise flails uptime (symp leggy atomic toe). this will also allow you to see how cleanly you are dexing with less worry about a troublesome landing.
- to get used to doing the symposium downtime, symple legovers may be good practise
- when jumping for the flail, try moving your toe stall leg to the side to allow for a lot of dexing room and no leg collisions.
- practise FLAIL! the more you try it and figure out the proper form, the more natural and less dangerous the motion will become
edit:Flail thread. By all means, I'm not confident in doing this move yet. This is just for reference.
edit2:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOZeEJZWRT8 - props to Kevin Regamey for this vid. :)

:arrow: Whirl

Whirl. One of the most useful concepts in guiltless shred imo. Think of the dex as a complete circle, starting and ending in the exact same position. From clipper, set between knee and waist height. Keep your shoulders square to the bag. Set straight up (no arc) and push off the ball of the dexing foot. Immediately plant the clipper leg, lift the dexing knee so the lower leg is near parallel with the ground. Resist the temptation to bring the dexing knee in towards your chest. That's BAD. Pretend your knee is a pivoting point. With the dexing knee pointed sideways at about waist level, simply 'heel yourself in the ass' using an up-down circular motion. I find it helps to point the toes as the leg pass over the bag. When the dex clears, swing the leg back under the bag and back to its starting point. When you practise whirl, keep one foot touching the ground at all times. That's gonna mean two quick switches of the feet. Remember, whirl is one quick circular motion. Good luck!
edit3: Whirl thread.

And now some thread links:

DLO tip
Spinning/ducking
Diving/Weaving
Gyro
Osis
Swirl/Reverse Swirl
Swirl [downtime]

I'll be updating this post as I surf around the Trick Tips forum. This will be my go-to post if I ever need a quick way to find tips on how to perfect my form on some of these moves.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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Pengu
think pink
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Joined: 05 Oct 2005 12:57
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Post by Pengu »

Happy birthday Wayway!!!

Continuing on our tradition off birthday footbags, I have one for you.

I just need your address.
Pengpeng Du
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Wasabi
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Joined: 26 Aug 2005 11:24
Location: Queens, NYC, NY, USA

Post by Wasabi »

Thanks for giving away a birthday bag, Pengpeng. I really appreciate it!

I feel like I only play with Pengpeng 32s these days. I have so many! :D

Concerning footbag: I hurt my right hip, so I'm in the process of stretching it out and getting plenty of rest. Too much repetitive use on one side from yesterday's footbag session. Of course, this is not going to deter me from playing more footbag!

I didn't hit anything unique/new from my repertoire of moves. Schooled basic tiltless and conventional guiltless (butterfly/pdx. mirage). I keep forgetting to school osis.

I was saying yesterday, "Damn it, I suck!" or "Why can't I link this! It's so natural to me, and I ****in' keep dropping!" Then I realized that I'm falling on my poor habit of complaining like a little bitch, and not being enthusiastic like I'm supposed to, so toward the end of the session I tried to give it my all. Sure, my behavior was like a rude and unattentive prick, but my focus was mainly on imagining strings and links that I can hit and that I know I can hit, so that's really what was truly important to me. I'm usually easily distracted.

The turnout was very impressive: 8 people! NYFA, as a footbag group, should have more enthusiastic shred sessions like this one. It's a shame that we're all so very busy, and that our sessions only come through in the weekend, for 2-3 hours on a single day. At the very least, we're very excited for Spring to come, and the luxurious 5 hour sessions, 2 or maybe 3 times a week! :P

Yesterday was really warm, so me, Drew, Bruce and Barrett played at Union Square for about 20 minutes after our session at the dance studio. It felt pretty good, though it was a bit nippy a few times. Bruce and Drew was playing really strong in their pants. Barrett was schooling well on the basics. I think I was playing well. I hit some pdx. mirages and clippers bsos, but I was really afraid of hitting some really strong dexes to make the hole on the crotch of my pants any bigger than they are atm. :oops:

On studying & sewing: I'm almost finished with sewing up Shannon Koontz's orders. I just keep forgetting to finish since I have so much reading to catch up on. The bad thing about ordering your texts online is that there is a huge wait, so I'm receiving a few books at a time, and only completing a portion of what is due for my classes.

Anyway, Drew requested a spikey 32 like the one I sewed for Shannon. I have a really cool combo that is similar to Shannon's that I thought up last night at dinner, so I hope to wow him and modified sometime next week.

On life & people: I've met a lot of good people in my classes, that I hope to be really good friends with. One is "Native Self & Asian Identity" and I'm like a huge socialite in that class. A couple of girls approached me talking about class expectations, involvement in the Asian community (which is a requisite for the class' overall grading scheme), and anime of all things. :? Whatever.

But this is good. I feel like I have a grasp on what I want to achieve after graduating from college. I really think I want to work in an Asian American NPO in terms of education. I had some sort of expectations of working as a full-time tutor, but something more than that, so I'm thinking of looking for an internship in this field in some way. My professor for the class I mentioned above said she did an internship where she was paid with free sushi, which is a plus (us Northeastern footbaggers loves sushi!). :P

I also have a psychology course on "Personality," and I have this huge crush on this girl. She is white and brunette, and she's in the dance department. She comes in already dressed in her dance gear: leotard/tights, shorts and ballet shoes. I was good friends with a lot of people in the dance department (most of them already graduated), and I was talking with somebody last semester about the Spring concert that is happening sometime this year. So, I got into some talks with her, and she's totally going to keep me in touch about when this event is going to happen. I can't wait. :P

My professor in "Western Literary Backgrounds" seems really depressed. She's having family problems, and I think she mentioned that her father is being hospitalized for a bad heart, and it's expected that he might not survive. The past week, she hasn't shown up on time (or at all), so I felt a bit conflicted. This is because I really wanted to learn and felt really pissed she hasn't come in on time, but at the same time I can relate sentimentally on what she's going through. Oh well. I hope she goes easy on the Prozac (really, this was the first thing she mentioned about herself on the first day of class).

I think I'm going to quit my job on being a busboy for some Greek restaurant. The pay isn't where I'm completely satisfied, and the hours just don't work for me: 5pm - 11:30pm. I sometimes have shifts a little passed midnight. I can't afford to have this time slot on my agenda anymore, due to lack of sleep. Ehh, whatever. I might find something much more worthwhile in NPOs and such.

Oh yeah, today I'm going to shop around for Asalatos. I had a dream about Asalatos in that I was jamming with footbaggers, and I made an Asalato with net material and funky colors! My other pair had two stuffed animals connected by rope, so I knew it was a dream. 8O :P Hopefully, my cousin won't buy me a pair since I'm going to go out and buy some myself, but hey, "the more the merrier" is always a good thing.

Gentle reminders: Stretch more, on and off sessions. Go easy on pixies and fairies. Play with patience. Work more comfortably toward butterfly/pdx. mirage and osis.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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