Kankeri Japan

[Adam]

Had a solo session today on the mountain behind my place. The mountain is quite large and has a famous shrine on top. The eastern half is part of the shrine, and the western half is a public park which has a great view of the city to the south. The evening quickly snuck up on me as I was playing, and when I looked up it was already dark around me. I still managed to have a 75-minute session. I did my basic training schedule, which I will describe in more detail below along with some more general points about my current approach:

• I aim to play at least four times per week, each session lasting 60–75 minutes. Because my weekends are usually free, I've found that I can achieve my weekly quota if I knock out two sessions on Saturday and Sunday and then plan when I can fit two more sessions into the rest of the week. Taking some time to plan when to play at the beginning of the week makes a big difference.
• Recently I've been trying to improve the quality of my sleep. For me, this means putting my cellphone and computer away about an hour before bed and taking a warm bath to unwind. Most people here take baths in the evening, so this is pretty easy to keep up as a habit. Doing some stretching after the bath and reading helps me to fall into deep sleep. Although I can't always do it, I try to sleep from 11–7.
• Aim for quality over quantity: Good posture, smooth movement, quiet footwork on the ball of the foot, controlled sets (think like a juggler: set the bag where you want it; don't let sets just happen in between the stalls—keep your attention on them)

Things I aim to do every session:
• 3 sets of pullups
• 3 sets of pushups
• 3 sets of ab work
I like to start with these, because they help to get the muscles warmed up quickly. Next are:
• basic kicks: 50 inside kicks, 10 toe kicks, 10 knee kicks, outside kicks, fliers
• basic stalls: 20 inside stalls, 20 toe stalls, 20 mini toe stalls, 20 toe-flick style toe stalls, atw in/out, hopovers
• juggling: I aim for 10 "catches" on each side
• 8 legovers, 8 pickups, 8 mirages, 8 pixies
Now that I'm really warm and have done some simple tricks, I move on to:
• 15 minutes of stretching
Then I begin the core of my session:
• 20 no-plant ss clippers, 20 plant ss clippers, 20 alternating clippers
• 20 infinities
• 20 osis
• 8 swirls, 8 reverse swirls, 8 sole stalls, hit ripstein on both sides at least once
• 8 ducking clippers, diving clipper > ducking clipper rpt. (bs)
• 8 spinning clippers, 8 gyro clippers, 8 spinning osis
• spinning clipper > ducking clipper rpt. (bs)
• spinning clipper > gyro clipper rpt. (bs)

I can usually get through the above in about 30 minutes. I use the rest of my time to work on core tricks, new concepts, shred 30 practice, free runs, etc. I also allow myself to mix up my sessions each time to keep things interesting. Some days the body doesn't want to move in certain ways, so I don't try to force it too much—it can be interesting to see where the body takes you on particular days.

[PoisonTaffy]

I love reading how other people practice. It's amazing to me that how one spends their practice time can make all the difference in the world. Thanks for the in-depth description of how you're doing it.

When I was in Kyoto some years ago, there were a bunch of shrines with a park behind them, on the foot of the mountain. I strolled around the park and before I knew it I was climbing that damn mountain, when I reached to the top there was a shrine and a metal balcony to see the view. Is that the same mountain by any chance?

[boyle]

That looks like a really great way to prepare for a session. Was 8 a random choice, or something you always had in mind?

[Tjuggles]

Really in-depth post Adam. It's good to see, and motivating.

I just posted a short video from our session a couple weeks back in Kobe. Here it is again:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4HiLdZ-dVs[/youtube]

[Adam]

Daniel: Thanks for your interest in the blog. The number 8 is not exactly random—it forces me to hit the same trick clean on both sides at least 4 times, which is enough to get the trick into my muscle memory but not too much so that I can move on to other tricks.

PoisonTaffy: Thanks for your comments. The mountain I play on is called Funaoka. I don't think there are any places there with a metal balcony, so perhaps it is a different mountain that you climbed.

Taishi and his girlfriend Saeko were in town on Tuesday, so we had a session here in Kyoto at Maruyama Park. TJ, Riki, and Kenzo also made it out. Taishi is traveling from the north to the south of Japan right now in an effort to promote footbag. He has a little sign that he sets out and fliers and bags for people. I hope his efforts can help to increase the footbag player population here. We started kicking at around 4:00 and it was already getting quite dark at 5:30. Nevertheless, we had a great time and lots of people who were passing through the park stopped to watch us play. We were so eager to keep playing that we kept going in our circle even though it was almost completely dark. After kicking we headed to an Indian place downtown and had a big meal of various curries and naan. It was fun to spend some time with Taishi and Saeko. We mainly talked about their experience at Worlds this year. We're going to play again in Osaka this Sunday and I already can't wait.

In other news, I kicked today on the mountain and had a great session. I spent a lot of time stretching and I think it is starting to pay off. I felt more flexible today, and tricks like paradox drifter were much easier and tighter for me. My range of motion is especially limited in bringing my knee past the centerline of my body, and my right hip seems to be much tighter than my left. Although I added just a fraction more to my range of movement by stretching, that fraction made a noticeable difference in my ability to perform pdx drifters and atomic sets. This was encouraging so I am motivated to stick with it for a while.

Another nice development is that I dropped some weight and am now at 63.7kg. I'd been trying for a long time to get into the 63 range. I'd like to get down to 61.5 or so ultimately.

Goals for upcoming sessions:
• hit a 6
• hit sidewalk > blur > parkwalk > blizzard > dimwalk rpt.
• hit 20 ripwalks
• work on shred 30 and try to get a 200+ string on film
• practice atomic and quantum
• smear > atom smasher on flip

[boyle]

Taishi is traveling from the north to the south of Japan right now in an effort to promote footbag

Excellent, all the best to Taishi.

[Tjuggles]

Regarding Taishi,

It is part of a campaign, called UT Challenge http://www.ut-challenge.jp/c03/. My understanding is that out of everyone who applied (359 groups total I think), the committee chose 15 groups, Taishi being one of them. His goal is to introduce footbag to 1000 people by February 2013. He takes a picture with each one, and the number at the bottom of the sign that Taishi and the person hold (as of this post was around 210) denotes his progress. The other part of the campaign is to keep a progress blog that talks about the process of finding places to kick, people to introduce footbag to, etc. In February, all groups will be judged based on 1.) whether they completed their goal, 2.) How well they blogged their progress, 3.) The overall experience (via the blog). The winner will receive around 500,000 yen (roughly 5500 US dollars). I envy him for doing this; he gets to kick everyday and promote the sport, with the possibility of winning some cash! Go Taishi!

Regarding me,

I have been playing on and off recently, but mostly on. I played with Adam, Kenzo, Taishi, and Saeko in Kyoto, as well as Morii in Hamamatsu. I love playing with people, especially when I don't have other things that need to get done. It's too bad the outdoor season is coming to a close. I need to find an indoor spot because I canceled my gym membership to save money. I took the last few days off because I have been busy with work and research.

Recent highlights:

swirl > stepping same osis > rpt
rev swirl > stepping same osis > rpt
spinning clipper > spinning osis > inspinning clipper > gyro clipper > rpt FINALLY! I have been trying this for months, and Erik hit it within days of me requesting him to hit it.

Related stuff:

I still have my World's 2009 competitor's wristband on...it is on its last limb though.
My left toe still is no good. Fixing it will be so easy if I just do it. Why don't I just fix it? I have been devoting time to it every session, but I feel like it is not getting me anywhere. having my left toe be in this situation really makes me feel like I suck at footbag. Boo.

[boyle]

That's awesome about Taiishi, what a great program. I hope he wins.

When do you head to New Zealand?

[Tjuggles]

When do you head to New Zealand?

I leave about Mid-April. (Sorry for the delay in responding).

Updates from Japan...
I haven't been playing as much as I would like. I am kicking about once a week, and even then for only about an hour. I have to put footbag on hold until I get set up in NZ. I plan on getting back to kicking regularly down there as I will have time (outside of studying), location (the school gym) and I assume Kiwis are much more lenient that Japanese people when it comes to playing in public places, i.e., no security guards telling me I can't play. Until then, I have been studying a lot getting ready for my PhD studies. More specifically, I have been reading so that I can try to publish some research that I did with the hopes of getting a scholarship so that I won't blow through my life savings on school, housing, etc. That is the main reason footbag has been on hold. I miss it, but in my mind I know I am doing the right thing. I have also been learning Linux. Arch Linux. Fascinating stuff.

As far as the scene in Japan (from my isolated view as I am away from everyone):

Kenzo took the last month or 2 off to train for a marathon. He didn't beat the time he wanted, but he came really close.

Adam hasn't said much recently, but last we talked we both agreed that it was getting harder to play outside because of the cold.

The rest of the local scene is pretty much dead, with the exception of Charhan, which I think has numerous footbag shows a week. He is always busy with it, and I give him props for that. He doesn't come out and shred though, just does his shows (to my knowledge at least).

The scene in Tokyo seems alive and well. Multiple people get together once a month for Mo-dex, and I often see updates on Facebook for kicking times and dates.

But, in the end, I can't say too much; it is off-season.



I miss the days in Michigan when I would meet up with GF and shred. He was a great mentor. I'm honored to have learned from him. I hope he is well.

Well, back to studying.
-TJ

[Tjuggles]

Again, it's been a long time since I posted in here. I quit facebook, one of the better decisions I have made, so plan on posting in here more.

Today, I did the following:

alternating:
toe kicks x 100
toe stalls x 100
inside stalls x 100
left foot in-out atw x 25
right foot in-out atw x 25

I had plans to do more, but after the above I got a bit antsy and wanted to shred. I hope that by continuing to do the above, I will be able to mentally and physically do 'x 100' for all alternating warm-up/core concepts. I want to start playing smart.

Recently, maybe for the last month or so, I have been playing about 5 days a week, anywhere from 30-60 minutes. Typically I play at about 2pm, when the dance room at the gym at uni is free. I would like to play more but have PhD on the mind, so am having trouble staying focused on other things.

Regarding my left toe, which is still bad, I noticed recently that I have a bad habit of rolling the bag off my toe, instead of using my body to lift the entire leg up and set it. Immediately following that roll, which happens way to soon anyway, my foot curls into an inside stall position. Honza said if I do legover x 100 each sesssion it will go away.

Also, I have not ruled worlds this year out, and if I do end up going, believe me I will bring my 'A' game. I think it is gonna be expecially epic this year.

I have gotten the modified bug again I think, and it feels nice.

[Asmus]

Please come to Worlds bro. It's been like 10 years since we invented the Boob-o-meter!

[boyle]

Let us know if you are ever in Aus, would be keen to kick.

[F[uns]tylin' Eclectic]

I'll be following this. I enjoy your controlled style. Glad you're playing still

[Tjuggles]

Please come to Worlds bro. It's been like 10 years since we invented the Boob-o-meter!

I know! I can't believe it's been that long. I am leaning towards going, but need to really think about whether it is possible money-wise, and time-wise (I may be teaching then, and if so, then it may be impossible). Will definitely keep you updated baby.

I'll be following this. I enjoy your controlled style. Glad you're playing still

Thanks! My game has a lot of improvements to be had, but glad you think it is controlled.

EDIT: I forgot to talk about today's shred. I did the following:

alternating:
inside stall x 100
toe stall x 100
left foot atw x 25
left foot mirage x 50
right foot swirl x 8
left foot swirl x 4 or 5

then shredded for a bit, then filmed LOTW 5.

I need more filler for footbags...

[Tjuggles]

Shredded today for about 45 minutes. I have been stretching my inner thighs in addition to the other stretches I do, with the assumption that my crank will improve.

I hit a new combo today: stepping same illusion > tripwalk bs. I footed it bsos, but the last tripwalk set was a bit too low, and I lost the race to the delay.

Also:

Alternating
1. toe stalls x 100
2. left in-out atw x 50 (two sets of 25, with way too many drops during each set)
3. right in-out atw x 50 (not so many drops)
4. left out-in atw x 25
5. ss mirage x 50
6. right foot swirl x 10
7. left foot swirl x 10 (with a couple of drops along the way)

It seems like I am able to do more now than a couple of days ago, so that is good.

Looking forward to the next LOTW...

[Tjuggles]

Played today for just under an hour.

I hit a new combo: stepping same illusion > quantum ss butterfly both sides

I also did:

alternating toe stalls x 100
pixie op toe x 50
inside delay x 100
step same clipper x 25 bs

I also spent a little time working on keeping my lower leg and toe stationary, moving from the knee, and incorporating the magic hop during left toe delays. I guess it was like consecutive symposium toes, where I tried to make my left leg move straight up and down, as opposed to the half-circle it tends to do.

Also, I bought a pair of Lavers, the first pair in like 2 years! I can't wait to get them on. I think my game will improve as my current ones have been shoe gooed poorly and are likely affecting my posture.

[Tjuggles]

Played today for about an hour.

Hit a challenge from a long time ago: predator > toe whirl (I could only hit it on one side though...)

Alternating
toe kick x 50
inside kick x 50
toe delay x 100
inside delay x 100

Also,
swirl x 25 bs (I dropped a few times on each side while doing them)

Regarding kicking habits I am trying to implement:
(1) I have started to make sure that I finish a trick if I drop on it; pick it up and try until I hit it, or until I can't take it any more.

(2) Also, if I am doing consecutives and I drop two times in a row, I count back one repetition; that way, I get a bit more practice of the weak element.



Tomorrow is Saturday so don't know if I will kick, but I will be at uni so it's possible...

Regarding my left toe, I noticed that without the bag, I can make my lower leg stationary and looking in a mirror see the set motion in decent form. However, when I have the bag on my toe, it's like a mental block that makes me jerk my leg away from my body in a half-circle, crank my foot in, almost like an inside stall, and try to slide the bag off. There is no set. So aggravating. I will conquer this god damnit. It's been a fucking decade since I first complained about it. Enough already.

Goodnight.

[Tjuggles]

I think Rene might be able to hit this, and thought I needed to blog it before I forgot:

surging same whirl > surging far whirl > rpt

Holy shit that would be great to be able to do.

[Tjuggles]

I played for about an hour today:

op toe stall x 100
op inside stall x 100
left in-out atw x 50

Then I shredded for a bit. I remember working on bops for a while, then focused on LOTW. I managed to hit week 6 on film, but not sure if my flip was actually symple or not. I may retry again tomorrow, or if I can't, upload what I have and see what the judges think.

So happy I have footbag; what a great escape.

[Tjuggles]

Kicked today for just under an hour. The goal was to start to break in the new Lavers I got. They are the new model and are significantly heavier...

op toe kick x 100
left i-o atw x 25
maybe some more drilling, but forgot to take my notebook with me...


Also hit two new tricks:
surging ss butterfly (gyro stepping ss butterfly) bs

Peace.