The Inshredible Bulk: Not Trending, Not Roll Spiking Either

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 28 May 2008 07:55

possible net club shirts...

Edit:
In response to Jeremy below, there was a net... but he's just SSSOOOOOOO far above it! Yes, I understood 'open/closed shoulder' and thank you for the awesome photos, they will make excellent references later. When I pitched the idea to the rest of the club I didn't get much feedback or ideas so I pretty much had free reign as to what to do. The initial idea was much more involved and it included a net and a defender but I ended up omitting all that just to get it done and ready to print. The pose was mostly out of my head and I exaggerated everything to make it more dynamic than realistic or accurate. I like approaching the view from different angles and avoiding figures in poses that have been done before so people look at it and say, "Whoa, that's different!". Actually, the whole figure was also rotated another 15 degrees clockwise but I decided that it may have been too much. Thanks again for the constructive criticism, I always appreciate the input.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 28 May 2008 13:38

That pic is cool, but I think the graphic would look better with a net that the guy is spiking over. Secondly, I dont think that most people have their upper bodies turned like that when hitting a toe jam. He seems to have a "closed" right shoulder, while most people would have that shoulder "open", if that makes sense.

Chim-Chim · Post by **Chim-Chim** » 28 May 2008 14:54

damn... what happened to that guy's knees he looks bionic

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 02 Jun 2008 13:21

http://www.footbag.org/events/show/1203102773

take a look at the registrants for the Windy City Cup Zeke

Muffinman · Post by **Muffinman** » 02 Jun 2008 18:27

Chim-Chim wrote:damn... what happened to that guy's knees he looks bionic

Haha, yeah, I was admiring his braces.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 02 Jun 2008 19:34

LOL @ Jeremy. I'll change my name to Alice...

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 07 Jun 2008 12:21

Ah, what to say... what to say...

Work has been, well... it is what it is. Yesterday was particularly horrible as we tried to implement many new changes. I slowly cruised home afterwards and decided to sit out on the back porch and enjoy the sunset while listening to some music, munching on some chips and drinking some iced tea. I was in an incredibly good mood afterwards.

-might rain tomorrow and I'll have missed all of bluesfest.
-might rain all during Windy City Cup.

Blah, what the fuck can you do? I worry about shit I have no control over. Pointless, but it still happens.

I just want to play footbag.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 16 Jun 2008 05:46

Windy City Cup is done and I don't want to think about footbag for a very long, long, long time

Reid · Post by **Reid** » 16 Jun 2008 06:38

i like how in the post just prior you were like I really want to play footbag.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 16 Jun 2008 07:30

LOL. Playing like total ass and losing 99.99 percent of the games I played, and letting my partner down with the addition of doing way MORE than my fair share of the grunt work of running a tournament changes things. In fact, I'm almost entirely sure that I want absolutely nothing to do with NYJ and spend that time with my nieces instead.

Frank_Sinatra · Post by **Frank_Sinatra** » 16 Jun 2008 08:25

Hey man. I've never put a fraction of the work into footbag that you have, but I think I can relate to where you're coming from. If you're not deriving some sort of satisfaction out of all the work you're putting in, then what's the point?

We've had some long conversations/conjoined rants about our frustrations with trying to organize freestylers. I wish freestylers in general were more responsible, reliable, courteous, and self-sufficient. But on the other hand I don't want to kill anybody's fun by digging into this too much on modified. I guess the point is, if the choice is between being unhappy, or making others unhappy, or just walking away, then walking away does seem like a wise choice.

If you do decide not to be involved in NYJ (and something tells me by the time it rolls around you might get sucked back in

) then I hope you'll be there for advice and guidance. I'm not trying to speak for anyone else, but I don't think any of us want to do this without you or take the event into territory that you don't approve of. Not that I think that would happen... just sayin.

You're the person who first tried to show me how to really freestyle and you're the person who had to give me directions dozens of times when I couldn't find anything in Chicago. If it weren't for you I wouldn't have met any of these other crazy foos. I don't even know if I'd still live in Chicago if not for you & the rest of CIC & the general Chicago footbag mess. Everything you've put into it means a lot to me.

*Terrorist fist bump*

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 16 Jun 2008 19:22

Thanks, Nathan. It's not just the footbag though... my job, no more LaRAZA, and losing most of my digital photos is just almost too much to handle right now. Life could be better.

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 16 Jun 2008 23:47

vay cay shun!

You gotta get outta Chicago for a few days and usurp the resources of others to regain the used-user balance. You're welcome to usurp my living space whenever you feel like flying out!

Today's public commute was easy thanks to you (and Reile). Thanks for everything you did for me, the other travelers, and esp. for the event. I believe it was successful and that next year will be bigger and better.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 20 Jun 2008 18:48

You gotta get outta Chicago for a few days

I'll take that into consideration. Thanks for all the tips you gave me, I need more focus in my training.

Just uploaded the pics of the Windy City Cup to my footbag.org gallery

Senor Grommet · Post by **Senor Grommet** » 20 Jun 2008 23:53

yes, tips:

1) practice jumping spikes for more net clearance. We short folks are at a dis advantage.
2) pick your two best kicks and learn to set with them exclusively
3) take as many serves as possible during warm up before you start playing games during your sessions
4) When on the court, focus on maximum control over the bag, taking all the power out of others kicks while directing them to your partner, and bump at 8 feet, set at 12.
5) Learn to hit an effective serve!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 23 Jun 2008 09:08

Scot Hansen (scothansen) wrote: Open Singles Net
1. John Leys
2. JF Lemeiux
3. Cory Current
4. Gilles Demers
5. Ben Alston
6. Elliot Johns
7. Walt Houston
8. Ken Hamric (s)
9. Tom Whitworth
10. Mike Bellman
11. Zeke Ibardaloza

... Nice work to Zeke who jumped right into the Open Pool in his first real tournament.

In cased you missed it, here it is one mo' 'gain

Scot Hansen (scothansen) wrote: Open Singles Net
1. John Leys
2. JF Lemeiux
3. Cory Current
4. Gilles Demers
5. Ben Alston
6. Elliot Johns
7. Walt Houston
8. Ken Hamric (s)
9. Tom Whitworth
10. Mike Bellman
11. Zeke Ibardaloza

LOL, I guess I'm still mentally worn out from the Windy City Cup. I'm not discouraged from playing at all, I just don't want to organize anything for a while if I can help it. I played well yesterday since there was no pressure to choke on. I returned serves, set straight and crushed most sets that I was given. I even tattooed Carrie with a wicked scuff right in the middle of her sternum during warm-ups. It was truly vicious

Don't get me wrong, I did have fun at WCC but it I would have appreciated it if some of the local players would have stepped up more and ease the workload. Looking back I should have gotten lunch at the first opportunity but I thought I would have gotten a few more breaks between judging. Between the big breakfast I ate when I got to the pier and eating the huge burger at the end of the day, I had eaten some fries that Vince was kind enough to give me. Good lookin' out , buddy. Thanks! Big thanks should go out to Ted & Elliot as well for helping out at the event.

Speaking of which, I hung out with Elliot quite a bit which was cool, especially when everyone went into the bar Friday night. It was great to eat with him in a somewhat less noisy but definitely less crowded diner across the street. We were even treated to a free (almost) domestic violence show. I wish I cold have hung out more with Jeremy but PT seemed determined to show Jeremy the the wonders of nightlife in Chicago

Back to the event. The communication, organization and resources it took to run this tournament blew me away. No disrespect to Scott D and CIC, but Scot Hansen is THE MAN in Chicago. I don't think any of this would have been possible without his vision, his connections and sheer force of will. In fact I think he kept the storm clouds away with just his mere presence at the Pier on Sunday. For all the grunt work handed down to me (that I bitched about), it was nothing compared to what Scot & Cory both sacrificed and worked their asses for to put Windy City Cup together. I feel almost ashamed for complaining about anything at all.

Just another example of his awesomeness; Scot called me several days after learning about the CIC b-day jam to ask me what he could bring to the party. I didn't think too much of it then but it hit me that the guy will be a guest at my party after running a big footbag event of his own - and the first thing he asks is what he can do to help out. People like that should get more of our thanks and respect for what they do for footbag. Better still, ask what you can do to help them.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 24 Jun 2008 10:20

God, I've been at work all day so far and all I can think of is:

Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Ooh, MILF!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!
Spike!

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 24 Jun 2008 20:34

Rode out to Welles and drilled against the wooden utility shed near the tennis courts at first. The ground was uneven and there was some really corny kids concert going on at the gazebo so I moved to the north wall of the field house. Solid concrete kicking against a brick wall. Much better. I really just wanted to blow off some steam at this point and not really focus or practice anything. I did attempt more sweeps than anything though. That fucking spike pisses me off. On the other hand, my scruff makes a deliciously wicked noise as it smashes into the wall. It happens more often when I lean back, raise my knee and have my lower leg chambered as if I was doing a leggy atomic set - then snap! I've also managed to get some really good swings when I shuffle to the set and do more of a circular motion with my entire leg.

A few months ago I could hit sun backs set a little farther from my body. Today, I hit a few that was set almost on top of me. Hard to tell if they would actually go over the net or not but I really like the sound they make when they crash into solid brick. Man, I haven't felt this good just fucking wailing on something since the heavy punching bag at Brian's house a while back.

So, whenever I get out of this funk I'm in, I've got to train with more focus than I had been doing before. I got a lot of great tips from many players at WCC that I need to put into practice.

Edit:
You know what really frustrates me about net? I've been kicking a bag around for almost 18 years and I'd like to think that I've got great control over the softer types of footbags. Then there are net bags. These fucking things make me feel absolutely stupid! Years of building control thrown right out the window. I guess this is why I take unholy pleasure in kicking them as hard as I can into walls. Still, I feel just as good when I'm able to bump a serve or give my partner a perfect set. I know what the solutions may be but I still needed to rant.

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 25 Jun 2008 18:52

More focus today at Welles after work. Did a few rallies against the wall just to warm up. I stretched out a little then worked on bumping with my left. I tried to keep my foot as flat as possible and contact low. It worked out pretty well and I was able to get some good bumps about 8-9 feet straight up. Back to rallies against the wall, this time I would bump then try and kill. This was kinda fun as any sets that crossed over too far would get me to spin and try a spike. Then back to left side bumps and some half-assed sweep practice. I just can't figure that move out. Finished the session soon after that and cruised home.

I'm playing net with Vince, the twins and maybe Freddy tomorrow at Balbo and Columbus if it's NOT raining.

Things to keep in mind net time I play:
-Be aggressive at the net
-Jump at the net
-Bump

Zeke · Post by **Zeke** » 26 Jun 2008 21:20