Dante's Blog

[Dio]

Another session with Greg today! Playing this week has been pretty.... relaxed.

Greg and I (after finding a suitable venue for KICKASS) shredded for an hour and a half. He was going NUTS with pdx blenders, spenders and general long-stringiness. I didn't manage anything close to that! My new Lavers still need some breaking in/getting used to. Maybe the 3rd session with them will be better. Anyway.... no real highlights.. :/ mobius bsos, vortex bsos, one string with rev whirling swirl+symp whirling swirl.

Gonna take it easy the next couple days and shred harder on Sunday (maybe one solo session before then...) school starts on Monday and I'm NOT READY so I have some things to do.

[Dio]

Quick 20 minute session today (after a 2 hour workout :/) hit my first far torque b2b as well as 25 blurs each side (with a few drops). That's all for now, I'm so busy with school at the moment

[abstract]

props on far torque b2b!

request: far drifter > far torque rpt.

[Dio]

Just played for about an hour. I hit:

blurry torque bs
far torque b2b
rubberman (starting with alpine blur)
25 blizzards bs (with drops/breaks... at end of session)

new tricks:
blazing near mirage
blazing near down
blazing far mirage
blazing far down (flipside)
far whirling swirl
frontside legbeater (symp atomic)
alpine diving down

I replaced the insole of my right Laver... although I can't say I'm happy with it. It took a ton of effort removing the Laver insole in the first place and I haven't found a new insole that feels good. The first ones I bought were gel insoles and were too thick, pushing my heel too high out of the shoe. The insole I'm using now is much simpler, just flat foam. However, my foot now sits LOWER in my right shoe and I really prefer the height from the stock insole.

I think I'll just stick with the stock insoles from now on. Any advice on how to make my right Laver feel stock again? Should I just keep looking for the right insole?

[Dio]

Today I played for...

3.5 hours straight

with Derrick Ogden (first time meeting him!) and Greg. Great session at the JDUC! Definitely the longest for me since Worlds.

I got some longer strings today! Some highlights:

50 contact string (planned to be tiltless but was mostly guilt/tripless)
pdx torque bsos (midstring)
paradon swirl (new)
pdx drifter->pdx torque->pdx drifter->DROP on pdx torque (almost Greg's request...)
tombstone (super clean first try midstring)
frontside atom smasher (new)
double switch->terrage
pdx barrage
pdx whirling swirl (super clean)

Going to play again on Sunday with Greg and Derrick and maybe once or twice solo next week. Then a good break before Kickass 3 starts next Friday!

Going to continue focussing on:

- string length (consecutives)
- flipside symp whirl, whirr and flurry
- spinning... everything everywhere

[MathieuGM]

Sick highlight bro!

Far torque-far drifter-rpt is MY drill, not your hahaha .

Can't wait to kick with you at kick ass. I feel you will blow my mind with crazy move! I will blow yours with long string lol!

Mat

[Nathan]

Hey,

I don't know about making your lavers feel the same as with a stock insole, but I recommend buying a nice pair of athletic insoles and seeing how those do. Spenco Sports insoles or Superfeet are my favorites. They're expensive but if you like them totally worth it.

[Dio]

Awesome, thanks for the tip Nathan! I've thought about Superfeet, maybe I'll give them a try.

Mat: I'm in ur freestyles, stealing ur comboz

[Dio]

1 hour 15 minute solo session today, was feeling really tired. Probably from the core workouts I've been doing at the gym the past week.

Spinning drills today, 30 spinning clippers each side. My flip is getting better all the time. Very close to flip flurry. Pdx torques and drifters being incorporated more and more into my game. Hit one string today with bedwetter and symp whirling swirl (out of osis).

Going to play once or twice more before KICKASS 3 this weekend!

[Muffinman]

Hey Dante

Here's that wicked shop I told you about in Winnipeg. They have a ton of stuff. It might help to take a look at their page on insoles and compare the benefits and purposes of each. If you have specific pain or lack of support they'll have an insole for it, or it looks like you can even jam in customizable support bits.

I think just having a look at all of this stuff that is available will give you an okay idea of what you want.

http://www.diamondathletic.com/browse;cat,23;Insoles

[Dio]

Thanks Erik! I'm going to try and make my current insoles work... more modification is for sure needed. But I'm still interested in seeing what's out there!

OK Kickass 3! It happened people and it was awesome. Mat Giard gave a great writeup here:

http://modified.in/footbag/viewtopic.ph ... c&start=20

it pretty much details everything we did as a group as well as Mat's own experience.

For me, I was a mix of relieved and stressed all weekend haha. I'm so happy Kickass came together since I have never organized anything like it. I remember a week before Kickass - I was so worried about venue, shirts, music etc. When I was finally experience the event, it was almost surreal. Thanks so much to all who came out to Kingston!! So many great people, who just happen to be sick shredders haha

As Mat mentioned, I definitely wasn't on fire this weekend. I had brand new insoles in my Lavers (which gave me a bad blister on Friday...) and I've found that I need to cut them back further to avoid foot pain. I'm also feeling pretty sick now, after such a crazy weekend. At least everyone else shredded super well!

For the next few months I've really gotta' focus on drilling the concepts I want to learn: spinning and flipside whirl component tricks. Perhaps my sessions will include something like:

10 spinning clip bs (non consec)
whirl->whirl->whirl->osis->far whirl rpt
10 spinning down bs (non consec)
whirl->blur->toe near whirl rpt

[Dio]

1 hour solo session tonight at the ARC. Still feeling a little sick but managed to drill through some stuff:

spinning clipper x 30 bs (non consec)
whirl->blur->toe same whirl (plant) x 30 (sets of 2) flipside only
spinning butterfly x 15 bs (non consec)
far whirl->whirl->blender x 15 (flipside only)

Also got tombstone bsos I'm starting to really like that move

I've determined that my 'new' insoles just won't work -> they are way to unstable. The gel in the heel moves around, mostly in my right shoe. I feel super unstable when I'm supporting double dex/pdx components. I've tried trimming them down a lot but I need something more solid and fitted. Going to keep looking, thanks again Erik for that link.

This was also my first real session with my new green F.A.T. shirt (thanks Josh Lackey!) such an awesome shirt currently soaked in sweat

[MathieuGM]

That sucks for the insole man! I told you i had some concern about the stability of the sole at the sho. Anyway... If you want i can look at my local store if i can find the blue insole i showed you and ship them to you.

Cool drills! Keep it up man .

Mat

[Laroche]

The King of Queens!!!!!

[Dio]

1 hour 45 minute session with Greg last night. Tried out different insoles in my Lavers. Also shredded a bit in my Quantums which made me realize...

I LOVE QUANTUMS

They're just so light and easy to play in. I haven't used them in a month now, and the only pair I have in Kingston are falling apart (very poor support). However, I hit flurry x12 right away in Quantums, while with my Lavers, I'm lucky if I hit flurry once Lavers just feel too heavy and awkward.. perhaps it's a time thing but for now I just want a new pair of Quantums!

Still drilling spinning and flipside stuff, things are coming together. More focussed on the shoe thing however. Next session: Thursday night with Greg, Derrick and John!

[DTank126]

12?... 12?!?! Like in a row?

Teach me.

[MathieuGM]

Ok i quit footbag! Flurry - op clipper - rpt x 12... No way!

Props .

Then stick to wuantum if you feel good in them! I really like the clipper of the quantum, but can'T get use to the toe .

Keep ti up!

Mat

[Dio]

Yeah 12 flurry->op clipper as soon as I threw on my Quantums. Sadly all one-side, but my flipside is coming along. Anyway, it just showed me how my Lavers limited my shred. Maybe I still need to break them in or just get used to them or get new insoles but I just ordered a new pair of Quantums so my Lavers are now my casual shoes. Perhaps they will break in over the next few months and for future shredability. But for now, it's back to Quantums!

Haha Doug, just practice THE HELL out of barrage man. Flurry actually came super natural to me and I've never really drilled it but it's all about the barrage+sneaky far legover

I'm looking forward to training in Quantums again.

[Dio]

QUANTUMS FTW!

1.75 hour session tonight with Greg AND the amazing Derrick Ogden. We had an awesome shred outside/in the JDUC and we all had some pretty sweet strings. Highlights for me:

FLIP FLURRY (flurry bsos) YEAH YEAH YEAH so much easier in Quantums
Step whirl -> blurry whirl rpt
Flurry -> open torque
Far drifter -> far torque
Double blender and flurry in one string
Symposium mixer (first try)
Quantum down (first try)

Quantums just seem to make my strings longer, tricks cleaner and mood better. Just ordered size 10 of the pink Quantums, to be coloured over with black of course they were the last in stock for that size though... any news on the future of Quantum shoes?

Back home for Thanksgiving weekend but I return to K-Town Monday night, ready for shred! Buckle down the JDUC, it's gonna be a long winter

[Laroche]

Dante... ooooohhh soooo hot hot hot right now!!!!!!!

Why colour them black?