DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor, physiologist, physical therapist, bio-mechanic, anthropologist or even a very bright dude. I would like to consider myself a lay student of all of these fields however, and this subject has been on my mind for a minute now. Also I apologize for the length, but I do believe this is a very important topic for a lot of people on here and plus it was fun to write. Let me know if anyone actually makes it to the end. And no by no means in this a rant, insofar that I can ever write without ranting.
Back when I was shredding pretty heavily, one thing I noticed that troubled me was the amount of nagging injuries that afflicted some of the long-time shredders I knew. Most common, as might be garnered intuitively, seemed related to over-stressing of the joints, muscles, and bones of the back and legs. Still, even for people in the community, it can be hard to treat Footbag as a a potentially dangerous sport. Yet when I compare to some of the other sports I've played competitively (Lacrosse, Basketball, Squash) it seems that Shredders are more injury prone even than the Lacrosse players, which is really the only sport where you're given a weapon to wail at someone with. So are Shredders just bio-economic girly men (Cahli-forn-eeyuh) or is there something inherent in the sport that breaks down our bodies.
Of particular interest to me has (And a lot of others recently for that matter) is the lost art of barefoot running. Now I know I know, it's going to be tough telling people you're a competitive hackey sacker that enjoy running barefoot through the forest - but this is your health we're talking about. I bring this up because I think that there is analogous information to be shared here with Shredding.
The science behind barefoot running rests on the premise that the body was designed to run sans shoes. A speculative history of (pre)human running is that originally we were forest dwellers who mainly did a lot of walking, squatting and tree-climbing, but at some point their was a large scale disturbance in our forest home that led to an increase in grasslands. With these grasslands came big mammals and thus a better source of food than scavenging for bugs, small reptiles, veggies and fruits. This isn't to imply that our pre-human ancestors stopped these activities altogether, just they just began to realize a large animal could provide not only for themselves but also for the burgeoning small bands that it took to successfully kill these beasts. More on the meat aspect of things later in the post.
So, our ancestors were chasing these big ass animals around, running them literally to death. The benefit of having only two legs is that it is a less energy expensive way of getting around. This can be seen if you have a dog that likes to chase cars. For the first little while (Often times quite a ways) a healthy dog can keep up with a car going 20-25 miles an hour, but after a distance the dog has to stop and will generally lie down for a bit. Imagine a animal the size of a Bison trying to run away from a band of humans, who can run and track you for many, many miles. And if you want to know more about the running ability of hunter-gatherer societies, you can read up about how First Nation peoples use work for the U.S. Postal service before the Pony Express, running for 80+ miles like it was nothing. So basically, ancient humans were really really good at running. They were essentially super athletes.
Still I digress. The science behind barefoot running is that when your run in shoes, the natural tendency is to land heel first. The problem with coming down on the heel and not the toe is that when you perform the former you send shock waves up your legs, through your spine, and into your skull. This is demonstrated here in this amazing video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyJWx6zRaqk
You can see where I'm going with this. The good news is that generally Footbag is a sport that requires you to stay on your toes anyways as you stall, set and dex the bag. Still there are going to be plenty of times when you're coming down with a lot of force on one leg as you focus on these other complicated movements. This becomes increasing true as you advance in the game from tiltless to guiltless and beyond; with each progression requiring the mastery of more complex movements.
Hopefully I'm preaching to the choir here. The only way to get around this problem is to either pick a safer sport or learn to play lightly and safely. I suggest the latter. If you find that you Shred “heavierâ€
Sports Specific Conditioning Program for Footbag
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BainbridgeShred
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Sports Specific Conditioning Program for Footbag
Last edited by BainbridgeShred on 24 Feb 2012 11:56, edited 1 time in total.
Nice post and I agree with a lot you had to say with some reservations on eating meat. I do agree that eating meat is great (I eat lots of meat myself) but I also believe that a vegetarian diet can supply a person with all necessary nutrients if a person carefully constructs diet to account for the lack of meat, not so much for vegans though which requires dietary supplements.
I think footbag is sport that a lot of people rush into with the goal to hit the biggest tricks they can as fast as they can (I know I did) without realizing that its infinitely better to focus on the basics and have their bodies perfect the basic movements before moving onto more difficult concepts. Vasek really emphasizes this in his footbag manual, its no wonder hes able to shred for so long, his body is a finely tuned footbag machine.
I just wanted to mention that for anyone thinking about trying barefoot running for the first time. DO NOT just take off your shoes go and run a few miles on pavement. Most likely you've been wearing and running in shoes your whole life and are not ready to run even half a mile barefoot, so pace yourself and gradually work barefoot running into your regular exercise routine.
I recommend running on grass for 20 second intervals working up to 8 intervals. If you feel ready, try a quarter mile on pavement and see how you feel the next day. If your in pain, rest and go easier on yourself, if you're ever in pain while practicing barefoot running, finish your run with shoes on. The key here is to take baby steps. Of course be care not to step on glass/rocks and the like.
I think footbag is sport that a lot of people rush into with the goal to hit the biggest tricks they can as fast as they can (I know I did) without realizing that its infinitely better to focus on the basics and have their bodies perfect the basic movements before moving onto more difficult concepts. Vasek really emphasizes this in his footbag manual, its no wonder hes able to shred for so long, his body is a finely tuned footbag machine.
I just wanted to mention that for anyone thinking about trying barefoot running for the first time. DO NOT just take off your shoes go and run a few miles on pavement. Most likely you've been wearing and running in shoes your whole life and are not ready to run even half a mile barefoot, so pace yourself and gradually work barefoot running into your regular exercise routine.
I recommend running on grass for 20 second intervals working up to 8 intervals. If you feel ready, try a quarter mile on pavement and see how you feel the next day. If your in pain, rest and go easier on yourself, if you're ever in pain while practicing barefoot running, finish your run with shoes on. The key here is to take baby steps. Of course be care not to step on glass/rocks and the like.
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BainbridgeShred
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Great points Abe. You will realize after your first barefoot run how different it is than running in shoes because you'll have sore muscles in your legs that you didn't even knew existed beforehand.
As far as pain attributed to barefoot running, it's definitely better to find some grass or a forest trail to run on before attempting to do it on pavement. But if the only pain you're getting is just a little soreness/tenderness on the bottoms of your feet than that shouldn't be a problem. But yes, as with anything (Footbag, weight lifting, running) it is immensely beneficial to ease in to it slowly.
As to the comments on living healthy without eating meat, I have yet to meet a vegetarian/vegan who have found a way to get around the vitamin B12 deficiency problems especially considering the harmful side effects of unfermented soy. That isn't to mention the threat of vitamin A and D deficiency, as well as a potential iron and zinc deficiency. Oh and omega-3 fatty acids as well. Sure their are a range of companies marketing supplements to carnivores and herbivores alike promising to give you everything you need to be healthy and happy, but most of what I've read says you shit all that stuff out anyways.
As far as pain attributed to barefoot running, it's definitely better to find some grass or a forest trail to run on before attempting to do it on pavement. But if the only pain you're getting is just a little soreness/tenderness on the bottoms of your feet than that shouldn't be a problem. But yes, as with anything (Footbag, weight lifting, running) it is immensely beneficial to ease in to it slowly.
As to the comments on living healthy without eating meat, I have yet to meet a vegetarian/vegan who have found a way to get around the vitamin B12 deficiency problems especially considering the harmful side effects of unfermented soy. That isn't to mention the threat of vitamin A and D deficiency, as well as a potential iron and zinc deficiency. Oh and omega-3 fatty acids as well. Sure their are a range of companies marketing supplements to carnivores and herbivores alike promising to give you everything you need to be healthy and happy, but most of what I've read says you shit all that stuff out anyways.
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hacksterbator
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some good ideas in here, but i wouldn't say it is a "shred specific program"
the bare foot running is a nice touch, and there is science to back it up (and refute it). I generally I do 2 minutes of high speed barefoot running prior to a long run to "set" my footstrike form prior to setting out. It might be a good idea to do a short barfoot jog prior to a shred to get that forefoot contact ingrained.
Good call on the different types of stretching. it's important to understand there are different ways to stretch and that they are appropriate in different settings. The websites you gave are good resources. the only stretch i might suggest footbag players avoid is the forward flexion (looking down at the ground one). most players spend an awful lot of time looking down and as a result most footbag players have a forward head poke. this stretch just encourages that negative posture.
It's true, lifting can help your footbag. My best year of footbag was 2008, and i came second at worlds in shred 30 by spending less time playing footbag and more time training in the gym. However, the exercises you have here, while being good in their own right, leave alot to be desired for a footbag player looking for footbag specific strengthening. alot important footbag muscle groups aren't being addressed, as with alot of of neuromuscular pathways, like power, speed, coordination, blance and agility. That being said, they are good exercises, just not sport specific enough. Might be a good way to start off, with the exception of a couple i might not suggest to first time strength trainers.
Hope this makes more footbag players start training like athletes!
the bare foot running is a nice touch, and there is science to back it up (and refute it). I generally I do 2 minutes of high speed barefoot running prior to a long run to "set" my footstrike form prior to setting out. It might be a good idea to do a short barfoot jog prior to a shred to get that forefoot contact ingrained.
Good call on the different types of stretching. it's important to understand there are different ways to stretch and that they are appropriate in different settings. The websites you gave are good resources. the only stretch i might suggest footbag players avoid is the forward flexion (looking down at the ground one). most players spend an awful lot of time looking down and as a result most footbag players have a forward head poke. this stretch just encourages that negative posture.
It's true, lifting can help your footbag. My best year of footbag was 2008, and i came second at worlds in shred 30 by spending less time playing footbag and more time training in the gym. However, the exercises you have here, while being good in their own right, leave alot to be desired for a footbag player looking for footbag specific strengthening. alot important footbag muscle groups aren't being addressed, as with alot of of neuromuscular pathways, like power, speed, coordination, blance and agility. That being said, they are good exercises, just not sport specific enough. Might be a good way to start off, with the exception of a couple i might not suggest to first time strength trainers.
Hope this makes more footbag players start training like athletes!
A.G.
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BainbridgeShred
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I'd love to hear what a professional like yourself would advise as far as specific exercises that might be a little more Shred appropriate.
Not to get defensive, but I feel like I should explain why I chose the exercises I did.
1. Overhead press. Great for balance. When you're at full flexion holding 100 pounds over your head, if you don't have good balance you're going to fall whichever way the barbell takes you. I've come damn close. This exercise teaches you to keep your back straight and your pecs forward.
2. Stationary Rear Cross Body Lunge. This one is kind of a no brainer. It's essentially getting in to a clipper position and going all the way down until your rear knee touches the ground. Somewhat similar to a one leg squat except much less stressful on your knee. Lunges of any kind are important because a lunge is essentially the same movement as a jog or run and are better at targeting your hamstrings than squats.
3. Planks of Differing Variations. Shred is basically a sport that falls back on your ability to use your core properly. Planks are great for building the ab and lower back muscles that hold your spine in place.
4. A few Pull-Ups. There's really no shred specific reason for doing pull up's but they're great for your upper back.
5. Bench Press. Again, no real Shred specific purpose, but you don't want to end up with huge legs and ripped abs and puny arms and pecs. Most weight lifters have the opposite problem, but the reverse would almost be funnier to see.
6. Over head Dumbell Squat. All Shred tricks come down to your ability to squat. A basic barbell squat works every muscle underneath the bar, from your neck to the arches of your feet. Holding light dumbells over your head while you squat helps with balance as well. The variation that I also prescribed (Throwing the dumbell into the air and squatting down as you catch it) should also work your coordination, agility, power, and speed.
7. Push ups. Not a lot of Shred specificity. But you don't want to spend all your time in the gym working your legs and your core either.
8. Inverted rows. I think this might help with your Shred by having to hold yourself up in a horizontal position. We all know that when you're Shredding hard sometimes your balance goes out the door and you're reaching hard every which way to stall the bag. This exercise will teach you to hold yourself upright in an awkward position while trying to right yourself straight.
Maybe that sheds a bit more light on why I chose the exercises I did. I'm definitely no personal trainer though so it'd be cool if you could add a few ideas.
Not to get defensive, but I feel like I should explain why I chose the exercises I did.
1. Overhead press. Great for balance. When you're at full flexion holding 100 pounds over your head, if you don't have good balance you're going to fall whichever way the barbell takes you. I've come damn close. This exercise teaches you to keep your back straight and your pecs forward.
2. Stationary Rear Cross Body Lunge. This one is kind of a no brainer. It's essentially getting in to a clipper position and going all the way down until your rear knee touches the ground. Somewhat similar to a one leg squat except much less stressful on your knee. Lunges of any kind are important because a lunge is essentially the same movement as a jog or run and are better at targeting your hamstrings than squats.
3. Planks of Differing Variations. Shred is basically a sport that falls back on your ability to use your core properly. Planks are great for building the ab and lower back muscles that hold your spine in place.
4. A few Pull-Ups. There's really no shred specific reason for doing pull up's but they're great for your upper back.
5. Bench Press. Again, no real Shred specific purpose, but you don't want to end up with huge legs and ripped abs and puny arms and pecs. Most weight lifters have the opposite problem, but the reverse would almost be funnier to see.
6. Over head Dumbell Squat. All Shred tricks come down to your ability to squat. A basic barbell squat works every muscle underneath the bar, from your neck to the arches of your feet. Holding light dumbells over your head while you squat helps with balance as well. The variation that I also prescribed (Throwing the dumbell into the air and squatting down as you catch it) should also work your coordination, agility, power, and speed.
7. Push ups. Not a lot of Shred specificity. But you don't want to spend all your time in the gym working your legs and your core either.
8. Inverted rows. I think this might help with your Shred by having to hold yourself up in a horizontal position. We all know that when you're Shredding hard sometimes your balance goes out the door and you're reaching hard every which way to stall the bag. This exercise will teach you to hold yourself upright in an awkward position while trying to right yourself straight.
Maybe that sheds a bit more light on why I chose the exercises I did. I'm definitely no personal trainer though so it'd be cool if you could add a few ideas.
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BainbridgeShred
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http://www.livescience.com/6027-study-r ... train.html
Hacky smart, not hard!The researchers found an increase in this torque for the knees, hips and ankles when the participants were wearing running shoes as compared with when they were running barefoot.
Specifically, they saw a 38 percent increase in torque in areas of the knee where osteoarthritis develops, Kerrigan said. Such a large increase was surprising, she said, because it was greater than the increase in knee torque she had observed for women wearing high heels, which was only 20 percent to 26 percent.