practice makes perfect

james · Post by **james** » 11 Sep 2004 21:19

I simply must know, and since I don't know or care or care to search if this topic has been done before i'm doing it.
SO, how much do you practice daily/weekly? In particular I'd like answers from high level players.
Does anyone know how much Vasek practices? I've heard something like five hours a day, which explains a lot...

I try at the very least to get an hour a day five days a week, but I don't think it's enough. I want to have something like 14 hours a week.

Answer me or else.

Jas · Post by **Jas** » 12 Sep 2004 01:35

u might not care about my post but neways...
ive been footbagging for 3 months now, very close to becoming tiltless, and i kick about 1-2 hours a day, nearly everyday. (unlikely to miss a day in a week). Im pretty happy with my game so far...

Jason

Wim · Post by **Wim** » 12 Sep 2004 04:35

Warning: I'm not a high level player.
Lately I've been practising on average 1.5 hours a day, and I've experienced that this is enough. Longer sessions would cause injuries (as they have in the past) but the guys I kick with are still surprised by my improvement

...

Also it's not important to have marathon sessions IMO, I just try to kick as often as possible, even if it's only for half an hour.

Yeah that works for me. Shit James, I'm also curious at the amount of practice the pros have!

zachatree · Post by **zachatree** » 12 Sep 2004 05:12

3 months here i kick a total of 20+ hours a week, right after school and then once its dark i stand under street lights, but i have exstrem pain in my legs so i take breaks evey other day or so. im pretty sure im tiltless

Jeremy · Post by **Jeremy** » 12 Sep 2004 05:47

I guess I'm an ok player. I go guiltless - can hit up to about 20 tripless and the odd fearless combo if I'm lucky.

These days I practice for at least 80 minutes every day (that's how long my cds go for) - sometimes up to 2 or 3 hours. In the past I've been known to go for 4 or 5 hours straight by myself but I've come to realise that that's stupid and can quickly lead to injury problems - especially shin splints. I take the odd break for a few days as well. When I take breaks it's never just one day - always a few to really give my legs a good chance to recover, and I guess it's only when they really need it.

420FootBager · Post by **420FootBager** » 12 Sep 2004 06:53

I spend to much time with my GF the succubus lately. I've only been practicing 3-4 hours a week not including probably another hour or so of being in a circle (I don't considare that practice.) My game is clearly improving but very slowly. I'm not happy with this but I have been very busy.

jon · Post by **jon** » 12 Sep 2004 07:06

I am no good but anyways I have been playing for a little more than a couple of years (since first year) and this is about how much I play:

first two semesters of first year - was never really dedicated and didnt really practice but circle kicked a bit
first summer of footbag/first pair of lavers(spent in victoria bc) - once every couple of weeks for probably 1 - 2 hours

second year first two semesters - once or twice a week for maybe 30 minutes
summer of second year - (spent in victoria bc)- 3 times a week for about 1-2 hours

first two semester of third year - once a week for 1 -2 hours
this summer before world - 1 or 2 times a week for 1 - 2 hours
since worlds this summer - avg 3 times a week for 1 - 2 hours

time for fourth year

graduation here I come

FreeStylist · Post by **FreeStylist** » 12 Sep 2004 11:06

well ive been playing for 6 months.im guiltless. i play for maby an hour or 2 hours a day

Laroche · Post by **Laroche** » 12 Sep 2004 13:01

Hi, James, welcome to the forums. I currently play about 6 hours a week. Good luck!

hacksterbator · Post by **hacksterbator** » 12 Sep 2004 18:54

usually i play 3-5 hours every second day. some times i'll throw in usually one extra day and dedicate it just to schooling and no strings.

King Monkey · Post by **King Monkey** » 12 Sep 2004 19:52

i heard/read Vasek played up to 8 hours a day, like before school, during school breaks, then after school till like 10pm or something like that!
i doubt its quite as much these days, but it goes to show what good practice can do for your game

im crap but i practice probably, 2 hr sessions every second day maybe? stupid education or employment gets in my way alot

B_Man · Post by **B_Man** » 12 Sep 2004 20:33

If Jeremy says he's only ok, than I'm a newb.

I've been playing for 16 months (started May of '03) and for the first year I've put in atleast 2 hours a day, everyday. There was one week, though, that I put in atleast 22 hours.

After my first year, I finally gave in to injury after injury. I had to take roughly a month of due to shin splints (or impact stress... it's hard to know which one), and then afterwards more shin splints/inpact stress, and more recently the straining of a muscle below my calf.

Now I'm more concious about my health and have been taking it easy lately. Now that I'm in my senor year of school it's been hard to kick everyday, so I try to go atleast every other day for roughly 2 hours. Once things start to cool down at my residence then I think I'll be back on a nitely schedule of 1.5 - 2 hours + weekend shreds.

Shredster · Post by **Shredster** » 12 Sep 2004 21:29

Lets see...

*Played 13 months
*Play about an hour and a half a day or maybe bit more if i feel like it
*Have an incredibly messy style (i hop around too much) Am in the process of fixing it, very difficult though

On a good note though, i'm guiltless (for about 2 and a half months i have been so). I've hit 6 tripless, a few 2 fearless.

I would like to play more though, if only i could convince my brain to follow my legs.

ted · Post by **ted** » 13 Sep 2004 07:34

3-5 hours a week. I envy you highschoolers with so much free time.

james · Post by **james** » 13 Sep 2004 08:51

Thanks for all the input guys, it's really helping me to figure out the fine line between training and injury, as well as how fast one improves with a certain amount of practice...It would be cool to make a graph of playing/practice time vs skill level.
Byrin certainly hasn't been playing long to be able to hit ducking scorpion's tail, gangsta party and montage both sides, but he was playing two hours a day...hmm.

Keep em coming.

lightningbolt · Post by **lightningbolt** » 13 Sep 2004 10:05

I used to be putting in a hour everyday but. Now, that school started a hour every other other day. It's horriable but I got to do my homework. Maybe that's why I suck......

Yeah, I heard the same thing about Vaske.

Frigging amazing, He's like the pimp god of footbag.

Anz · Post by **Anz** » 13 Sep 2004 10:29

The practice methods are sometimes more valuable than the time.

Quality over Amount! That's what I do.

shreddaily · Post by **shreddaily** » 13 Sep 2004 13:09

asnni has got the right idea.

I kick for at least an hour every day and switch between public and private sessions, public to string, private to school. And once every other week I'll make a list of ten moves I can't hit and go at them for an hour.

I have a 20hr a week job, 20 credits at colledge(20hrs of classes plus 30 hrs of HW) and a girlfriend to keep happy and I still MAKE time to freestyle. Anyone who says they don't have time to freestyle is BSing themselves, if you have time to breath you have time to do what you love.

ericksonj · Post by **ericksonj** » 14 Sep 2004 13:59

Nate really hit it on the head. To get better you must focus your training. Schooling 8 hours a day will do nothing but injure the common freestyler. Listen to your legs, take care of your body, and freestyle as much as you are capable of. It does you no good to play when your legs are jello after several hours of shredding. You will only increase your chance of doing a move dreadfully wrong due to fatigue and risk seriously injuring yourself. Take days off when your legs hurt too much. And when you train, make sure that you are always working on new moves or drilling moves that you have. Sunil is a big advocate of keeping a shred journal, and while I don't really do that, it seems like it could really help keep your training focused.

*edit* and I work 40+ hours a week, go to school, have a girlfriend and I still find time to shred. Nate and I are usually even able to force our shred schedules to match up, even if it means kicking late at night or a weird time during the day.