Footbag is great. And hey, so is saving gasoline moneys.
What I said before was all wrong. I am now on the right path of thinking.
Slo-mo, and THINKING!
greg raymond
this "all-vasek" shred footage diet is AMAZINGGGG.
that vasek mix video has been on repeat for the past week...it's so insane. i still laugh out loud many times while watching it. that string with swirling symp whirl bsos with the r-tard dbl dexing clipper run at the end...gha.
the two things i'm taking away from this vasek-athon are
a) his clipper placement. i gots good crank, but with great power comes great responsibility, & i have treated my crank with disdain in the past. stepping is so much easier if the clipper set is right underneath me.
b) TOES. staying on my toes at all times, especially wrt the above mentioned clipper placement. it is interesting that some of the links i was capable of in the past are much harder for me now that i am correcting my form. i know it is only a temporary setback though & my game will be stronger for it in the long run.
i have some experimental mods coming to these G-Units, namely...i am getting a power sander & am going to shave off as much of the heel of the G-Unit as i can without damaging the structure of the shoe. a ton of the weight of the G-Unit is in the massive heel & if i'm playing on my toes, i won't even need that there at all ( like riding a BMX with no seat to force proper form ).
our 1-1.5 hour sessions are radical. john is getting seriously good. i anticipate good things to come when we get down to some filming in the next week.
that vasek mix video has been on repeat for the past week...it's so insane. i still laugh out loud many times while watching it. that string with swirling symp whirl bsos with the r-tard dbl dexing clipper run at the end...gha.
the two things i'm taking away from this vasek-athon are
a) his clipper placement. i gots good crank, but with great power comes great responsibility, & i have treated my crank with disdain in the past. stepping is so much easier if the clipper set is right underneath me.
b) TOES. staying on my toes at all times, especially wrt the above mentioned clipper placement. it is interesting that some of the links i was capable of in the past are much harder for me now that i am correcting my form. i know it is only a temporary setback though & my game will be stronger for it in the long run.
i have some experimental mods coming to these G-Units, namely...i am getting a power sander & am going to shave off as much of the heel of the G-Unit as i can without damaging the structure of the shoe. a ton of the weight of the G-Unit is in the massive heel & if i'm playing on my toes, i won't even need that there at all ( like riding a BMX with no seat to force proper form ).
our 1-1.5 hour sessions are radical. john is getting seriously good. i anticipate good things to come when we get down to some filming in the next week.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
mosher wrote:I'd love to see a Kingston video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTcts5l4Slk&fmt=18
giving the youtube link instead of the embed since the embed seems to default to lowQ, which butchers my digital babies.
another on the way for the xmas calendar in the morning.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
making AWESOME progress on my messed up shoulders. the left shoulder, in particular. yesterday for the 2nd half of the session, the left shoulder was aching, as though in a permanent stretch ( but it didn't feel strained ), due to paying attention to posture correction.
while walking home with my backpack on, loaded up with boombox, shoes, etc., i could feel my left shoulder trying to revert to its old habits of slack posture. i fought the battle the entire way home, attempting to both keep my posture stable & remain in a relaxed state, with relative success.
everything is connected. every particle in the universe, let alone every particle in my body. hip stretches & shoulder rotations are having a huge impact on what these little feet are capable of.
yesterday was the first time i've been able to reliably throw down paradon / dod ( drop from hand to toe > paradon > hand catch, 8 for 10 ). ended the session on paradon > whirl > pdx mir > rpt > a few tricks > paradon > whirl > pdx mir.
This just in: Canada is currently experiencing WINTER. Fach!
while walking home with my backpack on, loaded up with boombox, shoes, etc., i could feel my left shoulder trying to revert to its old habits of slack posture. i fought the battle the entire way home, attempting to both keep my posture stable & remain in a relaxed state, with relative success.
everything is connected. every particle in the universe, let alone every particle in my body. hip stretches & shoulder rotations are having a huge impact on what these little feet are capable of.
yesterday was the first time i've been able to reliably throw down paradon / dod ( drop from hand to toe > paradon > hand catch, 8 for 10 ). ended the session on paradon > whirl > pdx mir > rpt > a few tricks > paradon > whirl > pdx mir.
This just in: Canada is currently experiencing WINTER. Fach!
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
the demo @ lululemon was a big success. i didn't play the greatest but folks really enjoyed it. i handed out a lot of cards & taught several of the staff members how to toe kick, inside kick, toe stall & inside stall.
my first demo went waaaay longer than anticipated, i think i ended up playing for about 40 minutes. i'm surprised i played consistently for that long, but stopping frequently to chat with folks & teaching some tricks helped to pace things well.
i had a second demo a bit later where i played for another 20 minutes in full lulu wear.
they would like me to come back for a staff meeting to teach them the basics & talk about the possibility of promoting footbag classes. craziness.
lululemon is the shit. it really is.
my first demo went waaaay longer than anticipated, i think i ended up playing for about 40 minutes. i'm surprised i played consistently for that long, but stopping frequently to chat with folks & teaching some tricks helped to pace things well.
i had a second demo a bit later where i played for another 20 minutes in full lulu wear.
they would like me to come back for a staff meeting to teach them the basics & talk about the possibility of promoting footbag classes. craziness.
lululemon is the shit. it really is.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
ok, so the shoulder. it seriously cramps my style. makes things look ass ugly & feel the same. the shoulder goes rigid & it carrie through the back to the hip to the leg. osis on the one side is disgusting.
2009: The Year of Humble Pie.
i am ok at footbag, but not great. certainly not where i should be after playing for so many years. i need to...well, not forget everything i've learned, but certainly pull things back to basics. why are my illusions so shitty? why are my pickups useless? my strings have been getting more complex but also they have been getting shorter.
wow, a lot of negativity. but i feel it's necessary to tear down the ego a bit & remain realistic. i have a lot of work to do in order to achieve the level of success that i would like from this game.
so, in lieu of that, last night's session was a "back to basics" affair. the emphasis of this session was on keeping my left shoulder, arm & hand completely relaxed for the entire session. i have also decided to start counting stuff i'm hitting & keeping track of some records.
the following was hit with what i felt to be completely relaxed shoulders, but without video its hard to be sure.
20 x pixie op toe
12 x fairy op toe
6 x atomic ss toe
4 x pickup ( lol...my pickups aren't deep enough...the dex is forced & too far in front of me )
pixie op toe > ss clip > pdx illusion rpt x 4
drifter > ss clip rpt x 10
whirl > op clip rpt x 32
legover > atw o/i rpt x 30
mirage > ss mirage rpt x 11
i also started applying some of the training techniques that Anssi posted in his regime thread. namely, shred trax! starting off shredding as i would for a crowd at the beginning of a song, then tapering back the difficulty with each drop till the end of the song. this exercise FEELS really good! i am going to continue with this every session.
funny, i started this blog about a year ago, declaring 2008 a year of change. in retrospect it felt more like a year of setting the proper foundation for change. my body is strong again & ready to excel, if i have the will to keep up with my aspirations.
it is amazing to have someone of like mind with respect to training ( john bagi ), it creates an intense level of enthusiasm that i think helps both of us to keep pushing forward. i think that for the next few months, i will be chasing bagi for progression. he's getting really good at kickbag.
where are my q3s?
my attempts to use a power sander to grind down the ungodly g-unit heel was a complete failure. i shall need a power saw, methinks. ( there is over an inch deep of rubber that could be removed from the g-unit heel without impacting any footbag performance & would make the shoe supar elite )
2009: The Year of Humble Pie.
i am ok at footbag, but not great. certainly not where i should be after playing for so many years. i need to...well, not forget everything i've learned, but certainly pull things back to basics. why are my illusions so shitty? why are my pickups useless? my strings have been getting more complex but also they have been getting shorter.
wow, a lot of negativity. but i feel it's necessary to tear down the ego a bit & remain realistic. i have a lot of work to do in order to achieve the level of success that i would like from this game.
so, in lieu of that, last night's session was a "back to basics" affair. the emphasis of this session was on keeping my left shoulder, arm & hand completely relaxed for the entire session. i have also decided to start counting stuff i'm hitting & keeping track of some records.
the following was hit with what i felt to be completely relaxed shoulders, but without video its hard to be sure.
20 x pixie op toe
12 x fairy op toe
6 x atomic ss toe
4 x pickup ( lol...my pickups aren't deep enough...the dex is forced & too far in front of me )
pixie op toe > ss clip > pdx illusion rpt x 4
drifter > ss clip rpt x 10
whirl > op clip rpt x 32
legover > atw o/i rpt x 30
mirage > ss mirage rpt x 11
i also started applying some of the training techniques that Anssi posted in his regime thread. namely, shred trax! starting off shredding as i would for a crowd at the beginning of a song, then tapering back the difficulty with each drop till the end of the song. this exercise FEELS really good! i am going to continue with this every session.
funny, i started this blog about a year ago, declaring 2008 a year of change. in retrospect it felt more like a year of setting the proper foundation for change. my body is strong again & ready to excel, if i have the will to keep up with my aspirations.
it is amazing to have someone of like mind with respect to training ( john bagi ), it creates an intense level of enthusiasm that i think helps both of us to keep pushing forward. i think that for the next few months, i will be chasing bagi for progression. he's getting really good at kickbag.
where are my q3s?
my attempts to use a power sander to grind down the ungodly g-unit heel was a complete failure. i shall need a power saw, methinks. ( there is over an inch deep of rubber that could be removed from the g-unit heel without impacting any footbag performance & would make the shoe supar elite )greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
there's a new shredita in town.
my friend emily came out to our session yesterday. it was her first time ever trying footbag. the first time she touched the bag, she kicked it 4 times in a row ( inside, inside, toe, outside ). normally when a new player is trying kicks for the first time, the motion is awkward, but it came very naturally for her. by the end of our short session, she had 7 consecutive kicks, alternating insides & was able to drop the bag from her hand to a toe stall.
more shred this evening. time to kick this shoulder's ass.
my friend emily came out to our session yesterday. it was her first time ever trying footbag. the first time she touched the bag, she kicked it 4 times in a row ( inside, inside, toe, outside ). normally when a new player is trying kicks for the first time, the motion is awkward, but it came very naturally for her. by the end of our short session, she had 7 consecutive kicks, alternating insides & was able to drop the bag from her hand to a toe stall.
more shred this evening. time to kick this shoulder's ass.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
Q3s are on the way! 
yesterday's session was INTERESTING. HRMMM.
i had a LOT of fun. i did NOT focus on my shoulder ENUF.
it was kind of a tired session. we had played 2 sessions the previous day, a 50 minute & a 2 hour later on. it was important, though, that we pushed through yesterday & continued to have fun.
even though we felt tired & form was not perfect, we both hit new links & combos.
"3 days off means a week to get your speed back." i think about that quote all the time. even though it's from a fictional movie ( Ping Pong ), it resonates with me.
so maintaining the training rhythm seems important, and the evidence of our shred is supporting that for the time being.
i feel pretty strong today & will play again tonight. will try for 1.5 to 2 hours.
such & such:
px ss clip > pickup > legover rpt x A LOT. lost count, i believe it was close to 100 contacts.
px ss clip > ducking legover rpt.
dlo bsos every time i tried it.
started working pdx mir > dlo on both sides as a primer for pdx dlo.
i should have counted genuine contacts, had a few decent 10+ genuine.
yesterday's session was INTERESTING. HRMMM.
i had a LOT of fun. i did NOT focus on my shoulder ENUF.
it was kind of a tired session. we had played 2 sessions the previous day, a 50 minute & a 2 hour later on. it was important, though, that we pushed through yesterday & continued to have fun.
even though we felt tired & form was not perfect, we both hit new links & combos.
"3 days off means a week to get your speed back." i think about that quote all the time. even though it's from a fictional movie ( Ping Pong ), it resonates with me.
so maintaining the training rhythm seems important, and the evidence of our shred is supporting that for the time being.
i feel pretty strong today & will play again tonight. will try for 1.5 to 2 hours.
such & such:
px ss clip > pickup > legover rpt x A LOT. lost count, i believe it was close to 100 contacts.
px ss clip > ducking legover rpt.
dlo bsos every time i tried it.
started working pdx mir > dlo on both sides as a primer for pdx dlo.
i should have counted genuine contacts, had a few decent 10+ genuine.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
i think i've cracked the shoulder problem enough to not focus directly on it so much any more, but rather shift the focus to maintaining a fluid & relaxed posture in all respects.
i was thinking about this while playing last night, & how important it is for every element to be working together for even a single trick to be considered "clean".
relaxed posture, straighten lower back, head held high, shoulders back, foot placement, bag placement, dexing windows...if even one element starts to slip, it affects everything else. this is a GREAT THING. because, when everything is working properly, i feel POWERFUL & things MAKE SENSE.
again, i was fairly tired yesterday. i was having a really hard time with toe kicks yesterday, which have for the most part been much more solid as of late.
my right hip is displaced ( just in form, not incorrect anatomy ) a bit while doing many tricks, which i believe to be a symptom of my struggles with the left shoulder ( leaning to the left makes the right hip stick out ).
it is interesting working backwards through the symptoms. like, now that my shoulder is much more relaxed, my right hip feels much more pronounced in its habit to stick out a bit.
dealing with all this stuff, i still managed to hit new combos yesterday. toe combos are getting more relaxed. my flip paradox mirage horrifies me a little bit. illusions are getting WAAAAAAAY better.
magellan > plo rpt.
plo x 10.
px ss mir > smear rpt.
working on a few repeat combos, i haven't hit these fully yet but will soon:
px op clip > blender > ducking legover rpt.
px ss osis > pdx whirl > ducking legover rpt.
i want to spend some concentrated time on taking spins to the next level. i can throw spinning / gyro clippers in whenever i want, but no other spinning concepts are consistent. gyro mirage & spinning legover are decent, i will drill those to work the clip to toe positioning.
so much to do!
i was thinking about this while playing last night, & how important it is for every element to be working together for even a single trick to be considered "clean".
relaxed posture, straighten lower back, head held high, shoulders back, foot placement, bag placement, dexing windows...if even one element starts to slip, it affects everything else. this is a GREAT THING. because, when everything is working properly, i feel POWERFUL & things MAKE SENSE.
again, i was fairly tired yesterday. i was having a really hard time with toe kicks yesterday, which have for the most part been much more solid as of late.
my right hip is displaced ( just in form, not incorrect anatomy ) a bit while doing many tricks, which i believe to be a symptom of my struggles with the left shoulder ( leaning to the left makes the right hip stick out ).
it is interesting working backwards through the symptoms. like, now that my shoulder is much more relaxed, my right hip feels much more pronounced in its habit to stick out a bit.
dealing with all this stuff, i still managed to hit new combos yesterday. toe combos are getting more relaxed. my flip paradox mirage horrifies me a little bit. illusions are getting WAAAAAAAY better.
magellan > plo rpt.
plo x 10.
px ss mir > smear rpt.
working on a few repeat combos, i haven't hit these fully yet but will soon:
px op clip > blender > ducking legover rpt.
px ss osis > pdx whirl > ducking legover rpt.
i want to spend some concentrated time on taking spins to the next level. i can throw spinning / gyro clippers in whenever i want, but no other spinning concepts are consistent. gyro mirage & spinning legover are decent, i will drill those to work the clip to toe positioning.
so much to do!
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
emily is such a positive spirit & very good at footbag! she came out to her second session. her new record for kicks is 12 & she started learning toe kicks & inside delays. she said she would like to start playing every day with us. emily has shockingly good form for her 2nd time playing.
very good session for all of us. john was on fire, hitting all kinds of great combos. i hit a bunch of new combos as well. ducking legovers are getting much easier, as are spinning legovers. footed mind bender both sides. i hit ducking legover > px op whirl > pdx blender. edit: and pdx whirl > pdx drifter bsos.
today may be a day of rest. good time to catch up on my colgan to find out how to prepare for the ontario jam this weekend.
very good session for all of us. john was on fire, hitting all kinds of great combos. i hit a bunch of new combos as well. ducking legovers are getting much easier, as are spinning legovers. footed mind bender both sides. i hit ducking legover > px op whirl > pdx blender. edit: and pdx whirl > pdx drifter bsos.
today may be a day of rest. good time to catch up on my colgan to find out how to prepare for the ontario jam this weekend.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
AHHHHHHHHH
( q3s just arrived )
AHHHHHHHHH
( opening the box )
AHHHHHHHHH
( yeh footbag )
edit:
oh my god. these shoes are so light. and so springy! i was surprised by the insole. very thick & supportive but squishy so my step has a bit of bounce to it. i thought i would have to cut out a few lower eyelettes but the toe box looks radical. i can't wait to play tonight!
edit: played tonight. "it's all about the shoes." q3s are solid. makes me excited to play even more.
hit pixie blender both sides & footed pixie blender > paradox blender. john hit fairy ss blender then i hit it both sides but john's was cleaner.
gyro mirage > dimwalk bsos
weaving clip > gyro clip rpt > zulu clip > spinning clip rpt > string.
3 blurry whirls in a string. 1 was clean, 2 were thin.
gyro whirl > ducking butterfly > diving whirl.
( q3s just arrived )
AHHHHHHHHH
( opening the box )
AHHHHHHHHH
( yeh footbag )
edit:
oh my god. these shoes are so light. and so springy! i was surprised by the insole. very thick & supportive but squishy so my step has a bit of bounce to it. i thought i would have to cut out a few lower eyelettes but the toe box looks radical. i can't wait to play tonight!
edit: played tonight. "it's all about the shoes." q3s are solid. makes me excited to play even more.
hit pixie blender both sides & footed pixie blender > paradox blender. john hit fairy ss blender then i hit it both sides but john's was cleaner.
gyro mirage > dimwalk bsos
weaving clip > gyro clip rpt > zulu clip > spinning clip rpt > string.
3 blurry whirls in a string. 1 was clean, 2 were thin.
gyro whirl > ducking butterfly > diving whirl.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
wow, my body hates me. a lot.
shhhh, s'ok....
stop crying. please?
dear lord.
i feel pretty strong, except for my knees. new shoes, new stresses. and a LOT of energy last night. i think we had another 2+ hour ordeal.
going to have a light 45 minute session tonight & see how i feel in the morning. might take a few days off before the weekend, but hopefully i'll just take friday off.
shhhh, s'ok....
stop crying. please?
dear lord.
i feel pretty strong, except for my knees. new shoes, new stresses. and a LOT of energy last night. i think we had another 2+ hour ordeal.
going to have a light 45 minute session tonight & see how i feel in the morning. might take a few days off before the weekend, but hopefully i'll just take friday off.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
ty toronto. tyvm. tytytytytytytytytytytyty.
things i learned:
- there is no substitute for seeing absurd talent first hand.
- pushing myself in a circle with said absurdities is a thrilling ordeal & i learn more about what i am capable of in this situation.
- finnish people love saunas & they also inspire others to love them as well.
- speaking with machines can lead to starvation.
- bothsidedness applies equally to drinking & footbag.
- snakes will not crush you without good reason, as they would rather hug a warm body than a cold one.
- if you are a rat, they have good reason. unless you are cute.
- the footbag:guitar playing ratio in this community is nearly 1:1.
- fixedbreakbarbag: the future.
- cat stacking: the future is now.
- there is a lot of style in this little country of ours.
- in yours, too.
i learned how to symp whirl. the last session in tom's garage with anssi & jay was incredibly inspiring. i think matt cross will be posting some footage from that night.
i broke my record, played for 7 hours in one day. and i feel great! i have new ideas for training after seeing the fellas at the top & how they attack different concepts. more to come in that regard soon.
ty to everybody that came, hosted gatherings, shredded, saunified(.in?)...such an amazing experience.
things i learned:
- there is no substitute for seeing absurd talent first hand.
- pushing myself in a circle with said absurdities is a thrilling ordeal & i learn more about what i am capable of in this situation.
- finnish people love saunas & they also inspire others to love them as well.
- speaking with machines can lead to starvation.
- bothsidedness applies equally to drinking & footbag.
- snakes will not crush you without good reason, as they would rather hug a warm body than a cold one.
- if you are a rat, they have good reason. unless you are cute.
- the footbag:guitar playing ratio in this community is nearly 1:1.
- fixedbreakbarbag: the future.
- cat stacking: the future is now.
- there is a lot of style in this little country of ours.
- in yours, too.
i learned how to symp whirl. the last session in tom's garage with anssi & jay was incredibly inspiring. i think matt cross will be posting some footage from that night.
i broke my record, played for 7 hours in one day. and i feel great! i have new ideas for training after seeing the fellas at the top & how they attack different concepts. more to come in that regard soon.
ty to everybody that came, hosted gatherings, shredded, saunified(.in?)...such an amazing experience.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
ok, let's keep this rollin'.
seriously good session last night. we played for just under an hour.
the structure was a bit freeform. my primary thought coming out of the toronto weekend was that a decent amount of solo time is necessary to make progress.
it is very tough to drill in a circle unless you are already comfortable with the components in question. drop -> passback -> drop -> wait. not an effective pattern for growth.
so even though both me & john were there, we both started with our own bag & drilled our own concepts for the first 15 - 20 minutes. i got a bit ancy & checked if john wanted to circle for 10 minutes. i felt very confident in my strings. i hit osis -> swirl rpt x 6 & some long guiltless with few bops & some 5s. i tried blurry whirl bsos. my strong side was thin, my weakside was the. but the motion didn't feel too horrible. just need to correct the bag placement from the step.
later on, john would tell me that joining the circle broke up his concentration, which caused me to a) feel a bit guilty & b) reflect on how we could use this experience to mold a better training rhythm.
less than 10 minutes into our circle, we were interrupted & booted from the room we were playing in. so we grabbed our stuff & moved to the common area in the building we frequent.
for the last 15 minutes of the session, we each returned to solo drilling & finished the session with 1 string each in a circle.
for tonight, i think i'd like to try 45 minutes of drilling then 15 minutes of circle.
seriously good session last night. we played for just under an hour.
the structure was a bit freeform. my primary thought coming out of the toronto weekend was that a decent amount of solo time is necessary to make progress.
it is very tough to drill in a circle unless you are already comfortable with the components in question. drop -> passback -> drop -> wait. not an effective pattern for growth.
so even though both me & john were there, we both started with our own bag & drilled our own concepts for the first 15 - 20 minutes. i got a bit ancy & checked if john wanted to circle for 10 minutes. i felt very confident in my strings. i hit osis -> swirl rpt x 6 & some long guiltless with few bops & some 5s. i tried blurry whirl bsos. my strong side was thin, my weakside was the. but the motion didn't feel too horrible. just need to correct the bag placement from the step.
later on, john would tell me that joining the circle broke up his concentration, which caused me to a) feel a bit guilty & b) reflect on how we could use this experience to mold a better training rhythm.
less than 10 minutes into our circle, we were interrupted & booted from the room we were playing in. so we grabbed our stuff & moved to the common area in the building we frequent.
for the last 15 minutes of the session, we each returned to solo drilling & finished the session with 1 string each in a circle.
for tonight, i think i'd like to try 45 minutes of drilling then 15 minutes of circle.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
sometimes, not playing is the best thing ever. 4 days off now. been using the time to correct my walk cycle, breathe easier, stretch & get a regular workout established to cut some upper body weight.
cool things i hit during last session on thursday:
smoke bsos guiltless.
ducking clip > vortex.
far rev whirl > whirl > rpt > pdx whirl > rev whirl > rpt > pdx whirl > blender > pdx whirl > drop ( meant to repeat last 3 tricks on flip ).
fairy clip > swirl > pdx blender.
did a "shred track", turned out fairly well although i dropped a ton right towards the end of the song. this is really good practice for routines &/or hack-offs.
i need to increase my "Ogden" Factor. being that element which causes one to try ridiculous things with confidence. too often i give up on a tough trick or concept before i've even begun, based on the stigma of wanting to keep the bag in the air.
BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
next!
cool things i hit during last session on thursday:
smoke bsos guiltless.
ducking clip > vortex.
far rev whirl > whirl > rpt > pdx whirl > rev whirl > rpt > pdx whirl > blender > pdx whirl > drop ( meant to repeat last 3 tricks on flip ).
fairy clip > swirl > pdx blender.
did a "shred track", turned out fairly well although i dropped a ton right towards the end of the song. this is really good practice for routines &/or hack-offs.
i need to increase my "Ogden" Factor. being that element which causes one to try ridiculous things with confidence. too often i give up on a tough trick or concept before i've even begun, based on the stigma of wanting to keep the bag in the air.
BOOOOOOOOORRRRRRRRRRRIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGG.
next!
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
i hit stuff yesterday. it felt cool.
i might have to work backwards here, it was a stream of consciousness session.
the last thing i hit before dropping the bag for the day was pixie same osis > gyro whirl both sides.
FISTS. it has been interesting. for the past 2 sessions i have been making fists with my hands to force consistency. in some ways it has been tremendously helpful, & other ways it feels like a patchwork solution. namely, the fists help my hands stay under control & at my sides, but they do not correct the difficulties with my shoulders, so i must still remain vigilant in that regard, hehe.
stage 2 will begin soon. namely, playing with 5 lb weights in my hands!
symple swirls are nearly mine. i've been changing up the style over time into something that requires less energy, as i see so many strong players throw them out like they are nothing. previously, i was jumping for the swirl before i turned my body, causing me to spend a lot of energy in mid air twisting my body. but last night i started working on them in the same fashion as a paradox whirl, turning my body completely before jumping for the swirl dex. so much easier on the body. i feel many more swirl links in my future.
worked on toe whirl > ss mirage rpt. it's something that i can do in a circle that i feel will contribute to learning barrage in the future, but without causing me to drop 12 times while playing with others.
spinning was a bit sloppy last night. i think my next session will be devoted almost exclusively to spins.
i might have to work backwards here, it was a stream of consciousness session.
the last thing i hit before dropping the bag for the day was pixie same osis > gyro whirl both sides.
FISTS. it has been interesting. for the past 2 sessions i have been making fists with my hands to force consistency. in some ways it has been tremendously helpful, & other ways it feels like a patchwork solution. namely, the fists help my hands stay under control & at my sides, but they do not correct the difficulties with my shoulders, so i must still remain vigilant in that regard, hehe.
stage 2 will begin soon. namely, playing with 5 lb weights in my hands!
symple swirls are nearly mine. i've been changing up the style over time into something that requires less energy, as i see so many strong players throw them out like they are nothing. previously, i was jumping for the swirl before i turned my body, causing me to spend a lot of energy in mid air twisting my body. but last night i started working on them in the same fashion as a paradox whirl, turning my body completely before jumping for the swirl dex. so much easier on the body. i feel many more swirl links in my future.
worked on toe whirl > ss mirage rpt. it's something that i can do in a circle that i feel will contribute to learning barrage in the future, but without causing me to drop 12 times while playing with others.
spinning was a bit sloppy last night. i think my next session will be devoted almost exclusively to spins.
greg raymond, kingston
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
FB: Rocker Holliday
"What is it that makes a complete stranger dive into an icy river to save a solid gold baby? Maybe we'll never know." - Jack Handey
I do this at the gym sometimes. I do repeating legovers or ss clipper X as many as i can. Its a good way to end a session, especially if you focus on form and keeping your back straight/shoulders properly alligned. The clipper drill is great for strengthening you stabalizer muscles. Up it to 25 pounds in each hand and do small one-legged squats while holding the clipper position (no bag) for added stabalizer muscle work.abstract wrote: stage 2 will begin soon. namely, playing with 5 lb weights in my hands!
Good stuff btw.