Eoghan

[Rieferman]

edit: shoot, another new page started by Rieferman in someone else's blog. Darn it. To recap previous page: I asked how long he's been playing, and he said "since august".

I thought so.

You wrote:

But anyway, in light of recent events, i feel that it's time for me to really crack down on footbag. Coming back from SoCali, I feel as if I'm not as good as i should be.

and then you wrote about how you're going to dial all sorts of other stuff before going to multiple component tricks (with sets).

I don't think you should be so hard on yourself. It hasn't been a year yet right? The good news is that you're stopping yourself from trying to be totally bad ass before you're ready. Your new approach sounds much closer to the right approach. Every amazing player out there is absolutely freaking ridiculously good at the easier stuff, so you're on the right track. Also, just about anyone that's any good took a few years to get there. You've got plenty of natural talent, so you'll get there. Patience young grasshopper

[EoghanMcDowell]

Thanks for the reassurance Bob, it's good stuff to hear. Though i have been thinking about a lot of other stuff. In footbag I've always been told that more crank is good, and I've never been lacking in that department. But sometimes i just hate it. I hate having that kind of advantage, and it makes me frustrated how some people react to it. I mean is it ok that I'm dependent on my crank? If i have it, isn't it ok to use it? Does it make people angry when i do all the frigid stuff i love doing? I don't want to be the object of everybody's hatred. Now i know i could be taking everything a little to personally, but it's hard not to. I feel really bad about my crank whenever i think about Cale, and how he reacts to it. It makes me sad that he might despise me at times for an "unfair advantage" Honestly i feel that Cale will be a better player then me in the future because he doesn't have super crank. His game will be cleaner and he won't slack off on things. I guess the one question I'm trying to get at is this.

Is lots of crank bad?

Sometimes i get the feeling it is. Anyways, just wanted to get that off my chest. I've been thinking about it a lot lately, and i wanted to get my thoughts down in some physical form. I guess it's just something i have to think about a lot, and find an answer for myself. Security in yourself anf your game is important, and i need to re-evaluate myself as a player, and understand that what i got is what i have to work with.

But anyway, on to some happenings of the day.

I came down with an illnes some days ago, so i had to cancel a session i had planned with Cale, and i couldn't meet he new footbag player in town. Though Cale and I are suspicious of him as of yet. Anyways, later in the day i had to go to my sisters basketball game, and decided to play some footbag out in the hall. I got a lot of guys watching me and being super impressed. It kinda annoys me when that happens, but what're ya gonna do? I only played for like 20 minutes, as i was still sick and i didn't want to get to sweaty so far from home. After that i came home, and now I'm about to go watch the Monk season finale with my dad. Hope everyones having a great life, and that everything that you go through comes out ok. Gotta go for now, but remember the most important thing.

Footbag is fun.

[Frank_Sinatra]

Nobody hates you because of your crank.

Nobody wants to read half a dozen threads about your crank. Maybe if you stop bringing attention to your crank people will react differently.

Jealousy and frustration and discouragement are just part of this thing that most everybody deals with. You're both progressing really fast, don't get all angsty about it.

[Matt K]

Vasek has super crank and is awesome

Jorden has relatively no crank and is awesome



It's not the deciding factor on whether you'll be good or not in the future.

[Darkshredder]

^^^ good post. You're a fine player, Eoghan, and not because of your crank. It's an advantage to a degree but trust us. . we don't hate you for it. how fast you're picking some things up is a different story. Nah just joking.

don't worry too much about it. Just shred, meet new people, and have fun with it. Get better so that people comment on your tricks and style rather than your crank - which will happen soon enough.

peace

[Zeb Jackson]

yeah no one dispises your crank, maybe its your attitude toward your own crank (i.e. rate my crank thread), and then posting highlights all the time about your crank. Really the only reason i give you a hard time sometimes is because you call that attention to yourself, and when people do that i tend to exploit it .

but a lot of crank is not a bad thing. I'll quote Peter Parkers grandpa on this one. " With great power come great responsibility" In this sense you have awesome crank, use it to your advantage, BUT dont let it take you down either. Crank is nice and everything, but form is better. Cale and you can stay equals because of form, if you keep your form on everything solid, and make sure its clean, and not slurry, froggy, ect. then you'll be fine. Crank is an advantage, but it's not like you have something that other people dont. You can bend your ankle farther than them, so what?

so that rant is best summed like this.

Crank = good if you use good form

[EoghanMcDowell]

Wow, wasn't expecting the flurry of responses. Thanks a lot guys, and i feel i have to apologize for those stupid threads. I look at them now and realize that it was a bit immature to be drawing attention to myself like that. I'll keep everything I've learned in this crazy footbag world in mind. I guess all i need to do is get out there and play. (with good form of course) Again i thank all who responded. I probably would've quit long ago if it weren't for this community. I'll be seeing you guys around.

Cheers.

And thanks again.

[EoghanMcDowell]

Well, today was a good day for footbag. After a really lack luster day, and another basketball game (which my sisters team lost, can't remember the score, but i do know that her team was awarded four points for a basket, and that happened twice. So They must've not been doing that good) but anyways, we went and got some BK, which is like the best shred food anywhere, though it doesn't beat out Wendeys. After that we came home, and i ate, watched T.V, then got into shred mode.

Had a good session, worked my whirls some more, worked on set hight, and they seem to be coming along. Hit Whirl>Infinity>Rpt a couple times. Also worked my Bop's and throwing more Pdx Illusions to liven up the drills a bit. They are becoming more consistent, one side i know is clean, though i can't say the same about the other. Anyways, i made a short vid of some of the highlights, so I'll just put that in here. Another thing that i was psyched for was Twirl>Blink, been working on that for a while now. Fixed my form on flip Twirls, and they're more consistent now. Heres that vid.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rlJC0cpfhXc

I'm hoping I'll get some advice, or something for form or a specific trick. I think my toe Whirls need some work.

See ya guys around!

Cheers.

[Zac Miley]

I make fun of your crank because your crank is so crazy. I make fun of Jim's crank too, all the time (behind his back though ).

It really is a good thing if you make it a good thing.

[calemccoy]

nice yog.

except for one legover....


that whole video was guiltless

[EoghanMcDowell]

Well, a couple of days ago i brought my camera to school and asked my art teacher if a friend could take some pics of me footbagging. Miraculously she said yes. So for the entire period i just played footbag

Here the pics i thought were the best. They represent footbag the best to me.


Cale McCoy bag and Quantum 02


Ducking Butterfly


Drifter


DLO, don't worry, I've fixed my form on this a crap load since this pic. Still cool looking though.


Dragonfly. very old school.


Torque, one of my favorites.


Far Symp Rev Whirl, very cool looking trick, and surprisingly easy.


Frigid Swirl, a unique trick for sure.

Thats it, hope you enjoy them. Which ones your favorite?

More updates to come, hopefully a session with Cale tomorrow, we'll see.

Cheers

[calemccoy]

my favorites in order are

1)dragonfly....so cool!
2)far symp rev swirl
3)DLO.... so high lol
4)that awesome bag on your shoe.

[Jorden]

Vasek has super crank and is awesome

Jorden has relatively no crank and is awesome



It's not the deciding factor on whether you'll be good or not in the future.

No crank?

Hint: Effective training is the determining factor on whether you'll be good or not.

Fun pics Eoghan. In general, dip your shoulders back and stick out your chest (arch your back) when you play. Good posture will go a long way.

JM

[calemccoy]

aaaw poor jorden, he didnt mean it. i think your awesome.

[EoghanMcDowell]

New developments, I'm failing Math.

It's always been like this, and i don't know why, but i get really good grades in every class i have, except Math. I don't know, math just kind of makes me shut down. Right now we're working with these things called Expression Mats. They're used with algebraic tiles. The Mats are divided into to segments, one with a positive sign, the other with a negative. The thing is that every time someone tries to explain how to use one to me, i listen, but it doesn't make any sense. Problems where I'm asked to find three different algebraic equations that represent the same value as what is represented on the mats confuse me, and no matter how much help i get, it still makes no sense. I think I'm just retarded when it comes to math.

On a lighter note, just had a really laid back and chill solo session. My form is improving, finally getting past old self consciousness to stand up straight and pull my shoulders back. Spinning is progressing well, as well as my whirls. Illusions were looking good as well, they are no longer my most hated trick. All in all my game is right where it should be, about to explode

Was a bit sad yesterday, was going to have a session with Cale, but turns out he has play rehearsal all week, so no sessions until the weekend I'll manage though, solo sessions are always the most productive.

Well, anyway, found a song that i have made my dream to make a footbag vid to. It's really beautiful and i think could make a very artistic footbag video, so be ready for that when it comes, gotta wait for some gosh darned warm weather though!

Thats all for now...

Oh Yeah, one more thing.

I'm getting Lavers.

[BenRea]

rofl, barnie shankmans blog has been up for about a day and it almost has as many views as yours.

[EoghanMcDowell]

Ummmmm...ok.

Thank you?

[EoghanMcDowell]

Math is still killing me. Gotta get help tomorrow, or bad things might happen. I don't want to go from ahead of the class, to failing the class.

Tomorrows our schools first Ultimate Frisbee Team practice. Our coach is pretty good, and i think it'll be a lot of fun.

No session today, was getting ready, then kinda just pooped out and ended up not going out to play. Going to play with Cale on Friday though, which should be fun. We're going to film our Sick 1's and 3's for the online comp, I think we'll do unique fives as well.

I'm getting a little confused as to whats real on this forum. It's obvious that "extenze" is a joke account with nothing really productive to say, but i don't know what to think of Barnie Shankman. I'm leaning towards the idea that it's a joke, but I'm not completely sure. I can be a very literal person at times, and i take things seriously when it's needed. But i don't know what to think about Barnie.

Anywho, I'm starting to get into Parkour, which is something i always thought would be cool to do.

Another thing, my Dads girlfriends son called me today and asked me where i got my hacky sack shoes from. I told him about freedomfootbags and planetfootbag. This could be interesting. We might have another footbagger in the Rogue Valley.

Speaking of new footbaggers around here. A guy registered on footbag.org and asked if there were any shredders in Medford. Cale and I were super psyched when we saw that. I talked to him once on the phone, and he seemed like an ok guy. But he hasn't responded to any of my emails, in which i ask him a bunch of questions. Get this, he wanted to meet Cale and I at the Purple Parrot. Which is a bar in Medford. He said that he could take a break while he's working and shred with us while managing the store. That sounds a bit conspicuous to me. I'll be really sad if he's a genuine footbag player though.

Well, thats all i got to say right now. My Lavers SILL haven't come. I've been waiting upwards of two weeks for these shoes. Now i know why everybody calls Canada Post lazy.

[Darkshredder]

it's a joke. I fell for it - on my face

[janis]

I'll be really sad if he's a genuine footbag player though.

why?