Zeke's Random tips and thoughts about sqwerz

[Zeke]

Hey what's up guys!? Haven't talked to you in a while and just thought i would say thanks for introducing me to the squares. I've already got some guys who wanna play so all i have to do is make a square setup. Anyway much respect to CIC and i miss the hell out of playing with you guys. Tell everyone i said what's up.

Abe

ABE! I happen to have a court ready to go. Call me and we can work out the details.

[Zeke]

Pics of people playing squares is SSSSOOOOOOOO boring.

Net is probably the most dynamic with Freestyle a close second IMO.

[CIC flurry]

Abe! so random. u still in MI?

[Zeke]

I was just thinking...



+

= four square on grass


There are situations, I've found, where cement isn't readily available or there's not enough of it to be practical.

pros:
-grass is softer
-court is portable
-standard size every time
-makes diamonds
-court on a side of a hill for added difficulty

cons:
-trip on ropes (if you trip on ropes staked to the ground you should proabable NOT be playing footbag)
-uneven grass

I really, really, really, really, love my rope courts. They're cheap and easy to make. Simple construction and simple repairs. Sets up and packs up quickly. Same court can be used indoor and out.

I made a few changes from my initial idea of how it would be made. One change was the addition of 1 1/4 inch steel rings to the corners of the court and the ends of the dividing lines. The second change is using cheap wooden golf tees to stake the rope into the grass. So unlike the perimeter ropes used in net, I do not have sharp metallic objects in my backpack. The rings help anchor the court to the ground by using either tape or the golf tees. It's the key to the courts flexibility.

We usually find plenty of level ground to play on and getting tripped up on the ropes is rarely a problem.

[Zeke]

Left/Right

This is a fairly simple strategy to create an opening for yourself. Basically you want your opponent to over extend himself to one side so that you can attack the other. This works very well against players that like to duel. They stay in the center of their square and bang the bag over with every contact.

Start out by giving easy passes to one of their front corners. They bang it back to you and you attack the other front corner with one kick. You keep repeating this pattern while gradually increasing the power and lowering the arc. What you are looking for is the defender to reach or lunge out with his leg deep to one side then you quickly attack the other side. It doesn't necessarily have to be a power shot, it could be a short dink past the line. It all depends on where your opponent is.The defender doesn't necessarily need to kick the bag straight back to you every time either. If they manage to kick the footbag back to themselves but it's still within your reach, then go ahead and snake the bag to continue with the pattern or go for the shot. If you're up against a good defender, start throwing in double taps and fakes to help keep them guessing. Of course you're not limited to just left and right front corners. It could be front & back. Basically you want to attack one area, then it's opposite

Preventing Left/Right is simple as well. Don't engage in the duel. Don't bang the bag back over with one kick, pop it up, get back to the center of your square and set yourself up for a shot. This way, you dictate the pace. If you find yourself making a wild lunging dig, set the bag high and straight up so that you can get control and back into a good position. Or at the very least, bang the bag back over with a high arc so that you have more time to recover to a good defensive position. The worst thing you can do is make that wild dig, only to give a perfect set for one of his power shots.

[Zeke]

Footbag is like the Matrix. In the matrix, hackers know that there's something more out there. Footbaggers are those that have been unplugged and have learned to free their minds to accomplish the unbelievable . We seek out the hackers to show them the truth, that they too can do the impossible. But ultimately it's up to them to choose to learn or to choose to go back to their mundane lives.












Ok, that's enough geeking out for today.
Guh-nyte

[Zeke]

Running down shanks.

Your opponent blasts a power shot that scorches down your left side to your back corner. Your left back kick, which is streaky at best, manages to make contact but it shanks way up and far out of your square. What do you do? Assuming that checking is not allowed you can...

Let it go.
You're too lazy, it's your weak side, it's too far, it's against your religion, blah blah blah... not the best option. If you're not in danger of being checked and it's within range, why not go for it? At least you've given yourself a chance.

Run it down, bang it back.
The die hard hacker in you will not allow the bag to hit the ground. You run after the lob determined to bet it all on this one shot, get within range and execute some crazy kick that doesn't even have a name yet and bang it back into play. This is a gutsy move but also very risky. Chances are that you might not be in the best position to deliver a very accurate or controlled pass and it may not even land back in play. Or the players still in the court could bump it back into your empty square before you can get back into position. If you decide to bang it back, don't go for a low arcing power shot. A shot like this that kills someone else is more luck than anything (although, you're an an instant superstar if you land it!). Lets face it, if your good enough to get kills like that on a regular basis then you would not be reading this. Best option at this point would be to lob the bag in a high arc back into play. This way you can give yourself more time to get back into your square.

Run it down, walk it back.
You run after the footbag, get under it and pop it straight up. Best thing you could have done. While it's in the air, you compose yourself, receive the bag and calmly walk it (that is, walking to your destination while kicking the bag, I don't mean carry it in your hand) back into your square to set up a good shot.

[Zeke]

Three useful skills to learn that you may not have thought to develop.

Looking around.
Being able to look up and away from the footbag while kicking it repeatedly. I picked this up while kicking at the beach. This way you can still see all the fine women while hacking in a circle (god forbid we actually stop kicking just to talk to a girl!). How is this at all helpful in footbag four square? Reading the defense. In particular, setting up a shot while another player screens you from the king or playing with your back to a defender and being able to peek over your shoulder to set up a self screened shot.

Walking.
Kicking the footbag while walking from one place to another. Picked this up while hacking too. Walking hack circles... ah, good times. It's useful to be able to walk the bag away from snake attempts or walk the bag back into your square after controlling a save.

Guarding.
Using your arms to prevent snake attempts. Most of the time it's a good deterrent. The real skill is being able to actually ward off a kick (or fake in some instances) with your hand and still keep control of the bag. I watched Steve do it then picked it up soon after. He will actually catch and trap your fucking leg while controlling the bag for an eventual kill. Very useful, particularly if you receive the bag in the middle of the court where all the squares meet and 3 other players can steal from you. If everyone can guard, it would effectively eliminate half my offense. Think about it.

[Zeke]

So... got another ass whooping this NYJ @ the 2S comp. I can make all the excuses in the world but in the end I was outplayed, pure and simple.

I felt like I redeemed myself by playing some really good 4-square the second night in the shred room.

EDIT:
I watched many of the preliminary rounds of the 2-square comp @ NYJ and noticed many players were kicking high easy lobs to the center of their opponents square. As the comp progressed and the better players matched up the shots were lower, faster, and as Steve pointed out, more of the court was being targeted.

[Wiktor]

Great topic Zeke!

I heard many good thing about Chicago 2/4Square kickers, so I hope to see you one day and play few matches. Berlin?


In Poland we promote 2 Square following Ianeks` rules. There where already 4! tournaments in 2008. Here are the top3 rules:

Warsaw Jam:
1. Wiktor Debski (Me)
2. Szymon Kalwak (Ners)
3. Michal Biarda (Cod)

Strzelin Jam:
1. Wiktor Debski (Me)
2. Szymon Kalwak (Ners)
3. Michal Biarda (Cod)

Polish Championships:
1. Szymon Kalwak (Ners)
2. Michal Biarda (Cod)
3. Wiktor Debski

Zocha Jam:
1. Michal Biarda (Cod)
2. Wiktor Debski
3. Marcin Staron

Keep kickin`

[Zeke]

For all of you that have had nothing better to do than read this sub forum and ask, "Zeke, what the fuck are you talking about?" This is for you. But in reality I just like to see my name down there as the last person to post in the sub forum!

Anygay, some or most of these words are unique to Chicago or even just myself for the lack of knowing the official or proper term, if such a thing even exists for this game. I don't even know if this shit is correct! If you would like to adopt these terms to help describe all your 4-square related shenanigans, then by all means, do so. If you have different local terms or would care to suggest a name for unnamed happenings that happen on the courts that happen to need a name, please share because incoherency and redundancy sucks. If you have something that needs clarifying, ask. But don't ask about the previous run-on. I may or may not add more of my own, nobody reads this shit anyway. In case anyone does... want to give your definition of 'Goldberging' or 'Steve-square'?



Checking - It's a borrowed hockey term. In terms of 2-square/4-square, checking is making contact with a player that is out of their square, generally with the intent to disrupt, distract or discourage them from making a save from out of bounds. It's a pretty broad term and can mean anything from standing directly in between a player and the bag they're running after or a full blown tackle. There is a particular player, whose identity will remain secret but will be called, 'Colo', that likes to shove his backside into players. We suspect it's not an attempt at checking butt rather him offering his unique services to earn enough money to buy tickets and get him back home. That's kinky.

Dink - Borrowed net term. A shot that lands just past any lines dividing the squares

Duel - In 2 square it's used to describe rallies where each player uses only one contact to hit the bag back over the line. In 4 square it's when 2 players continually try to take each other out, ignoring the other squares

4S - Abbreviation of four square. AKA skwerz or sqwerz

2S - you guess it genius, two square

Ksq - Abbreviation for King square. That's what we call the server/4th square.

Shank - Borrowed net term. When the footbag flies off in some random direction due to hitting an odd surface of the shoe or leg.


Sorry, I haven't eaten in a while...

[Zeke]

I have not even had the urge to pay squares in a long time.

[Zeke]

I've had a chance to play a few times this year and its been a lot of fun, win or lose. Transitioning from Net to Sqwerz has not always been smooth. Every time that a bag is kicked really high, my eyes bug out and my whole body crouches and tenses, ready for a spike. I'm up in the air with my leg cocked before logic gets back in control but by then its too late. It often results in me killing myself then wondering why in the hell would I even try such a kick.