Thanks, TJ. The drills do seem to be helping.
Today it was cold, or at least cold enough I didn't want to risk getting sick again by playing outside. It was also the first day of classes, but all I have on Tuesdays and Thursdays are labs and work study, and labs don't start for two more weeks. I was able to get up at 11:30, go to work study for 2 1/2 hours, and then just laze about (I started reading ahead in my math book cause it looks cool).
Around 6:30, I went to the AC (Athletic Complex) and kicked at the (man-I-hate-those-damn) squash courts. I started on drills, and got 13 consecutive butterflys, but was kicking somewhat poorly so I decided to work on fairy and atomic instead.
After a bit of fairys, I went and worked on atomics, finding that I can hit strongside atomsmasher about half the time. With some practice, I was clearing the dexes on flipside atomsmasher every time. I footed that move a bunch (10+) for about 30 minutes, and finally hit it, but the best part was it turned out to be atomsmasher BSOS!
Other highlights were:
-paradox mirage > DLO BSOS
-butterfly > paradox mirage > butterfly > paradox mirage > butterfly > ripwalk > [whole thing repeated] > 6+ more contacts
SandWraith's Footnovel: Now with more footbag!
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
I took yesterday off to give my body a chance to heal. Today, once I finished work study around 3 pm, I got my stuff together, stretched, and headed out to the middle school parking lot I mentioned before. I assumed that, like my high school, the parking lot would be about empty around 3:30 pm, but I was wrong. It was still entirely full! It looked as though school had just gotten out.
I took the opportunity to wander the area surrounding WashU to see if there were a more convenient/better spot. What I found was 1) that a park I thought existed beyond the south side of campus is really just a ritzy housing area 2) behind the AC is a kickin spot to kick.
The spot is this small parking area behind the gym. It works well for several reasons: there's a lot of cars driving by, so while there is exposure, it's unlikely anybody will stop or pull in to watch. I've never been a huge fan of people watching me screw up.
Also, it seems unlikely the spot will ever be occupied, so it's mine whenever I want it. There's some steps nearby, so I can put my stuff over there, including my speakers near ear level, and I can sit there if I get tired. The only disadvantage of the location is that I have to turn my music up higher because there's the constant "whurr" of traffic.
As for the session, I felt like I was kicking more consistently than usual, although for some reason I couldn't hit consecutive butterflys very well. I got around 20 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt], ~14 butterfly > paradox mirage > [rpt], and ~8 consecutive butterflys.
I spent about an hour just doing drills, but once it started getting dark, I decided to work on some harder concepts. I even hit my first (at least I think my first) 4 > 4 > 4: ripwalk > blur > ducking butterfly. I hit it both sides, and on my strongside hit it out of and into a butterfly, so it was actually butterfly > ripwalk > blur > ducking butterfly > butterfly. The awesome part is that it didn't seem very hard and didn't take many tries either side. I'm not sure what to attribute that to-- could it be my drills paying off so soon?
After about an hour of drills, it began to get dark. I spent some time working on paradox whirls, and am excited that they're getting somewhat consistent. At the very least, they are consistent enough that I can practice them. I hit probably 5 each side within about 10 or 15 minutes, and even hit paradox whirl BSOS.
Right at the end of my session, I went back to what I had made me so exuberant for the last two days: my atomsmashers. I hit it first try strongside, and proceeded to hit it several more times in the next couple minutes. Flipside, I could clear the dexes every time, and pretty soon hit it. When I did, I was unprepared, but caught it into a toe stall or something, and went on to hit it BSOS, if you can even call it that. Either way, it's exciting to see my atomic developing so well both sides. A subgoal is to get good enough at atomsmashers and legbeaters to hit rubberman within the next two months. I'm not throwing that out there as a deadline, more like a tentative date.
In the midst of the refreshing joy that is Spring, I'm feeling a rebirth in my passion for footbag.
I took the opportunity to wander the area surrounding WashU to see if there were a more convenient/better spot. What I found was 1) that a park I thought existed beyond the south side of campus is really just a ritzy housing area 2) behind the AC is a kickin spot to kick.
The spot is this small parking area behind the gym. It works well for several reasons: there's a lot of cars driving by, so while there is exposure, it's unlikely anybody will stop or pull in to watch. I've never been a huge fan of people watching me screw up.
Also, it seems unlikely the spot will ever be occupied, so it's mine whenever I want it. There's some steps nearby, so I can put my stuff over there, including my speakers near ear level, and I can sit there if I get tired. The only disadvantage of the location is that I have to turn my music up higher because there's the constant "whurr" of traffic.As for the session, I felt like I was kicking more consistently than usual, although for some reason I couldn't hit consecutive butterflys very well. I got around 20 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt], ~14 butterfly > paradox mirage > [rpt], and ~8 consecutive butterflys.
I spent about an hour just doing drills, but once it started getting dark, I decided to work on some harder concepts. I even hit my first (at least I think my first) 4 > 4 > 4: ripwalk > blur > ducking butterfly. I hit it both sides, and on my strongside hit it out of and into a butterfly, so it was actually butterfly > ripwalk > blur > ducking butterfly > butterfly. The awesome part is that it didn't seem very hard and didn't take many tries either side. I'm not sure what to attribute that to-- could it be my drills paying off so soon?
After about an hour of drills, it began to get dark. I spent some time working on paradox whirls, and am excited that they're getting somewhat consistent. At the very least, they are consistent enough that I can practice them. I hit probably 5 each side within about 10 or 15 minutes, and even hit paradox whirl BSOS.
Right at the end of my session, I went back to what I had made me so exuberant for the last two days: my atomsmashers. I hit it first try strongside, and proceeded to hit it several more times in the next couple minutes. Flipside, I could clear the dexes every time, and pretty soon hit it. When I did, I was unprepared, but caught it into a toe stall or something, and went on to hit it BSOS, if you can even call it that. Either way, it's exciting to see my atomic developing so well both sides. A subgoal is to get good enough at atomsmashers and legbeaters to hit rubberman within the next two months. I'm not throwing that out there as a deadline, more like a tentative date.
In the midst of the refreshing joy that is Spring, I'm feeling a rebirth in my passion for footbag.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Decent session at the racquetball courts. I was somewhat tired (didn't sleep all that well last night), and I realized during last session that I pulled my left quadricep a wee bit. As a result, I was somewhat apprehensive about kicking today, but decided to give it a go anyways. I worked drills some more, and got 17 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt], which didn't make me happy, but the fact that I consistently was getting around 15 was a little better. For some reason, my consecutive butterflys haven't been good in the last couple sessions, though. When I got tired of drills, I went on to some DLO and reverse whirl practice, which I enjoyed a lot. I came close to DLO > legover > [rpt], but to no avail. I hit paradox whirl BSOS again, and even into a hand catch! Even though I can hit it midrun sometimes, it isn't a solid hit yet-- there's still a lot to work on. I also did some ducking butterflys, but at the racquetball courts, the floor seems to make them harder (or I was sucking today).
The real joy of the session was working atomic both sides. I'm at the point where I can get the set pretty consistently, but I still am lacking time flipside. I footed atomsmasher flipside almost every try, but footing only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades. I did, however, hit both atomsmasher and legbeater both sides, but it wasn't easy flipside. I can tell I'm setting a few inches too far forward flipside, which makes my legbeaters off-balance. The highlight of the session was when I hit butterfly > paradox mirage > legbeater > osis > paradox mirage drop. I also later hit blur > DLO BS.
And I can tell the drills are paying off BIGTIME. As you can see, I'm using a lot of paradox mirages in runs, and my string length has exploded up to... 10ish. I can't wait to own the drills I'm on*, cause there's so many others I've thought up I want to try.
*I want to hit 40 contacts in all three of my current drills and be able to hit around 20 consistently before moving on.
The real joy of the session was working atomic both sides. I'm at the point where I can get the set pretty consistently, but I still am lacking time flipside. I footed atomsmasher flipside almost every try, but footing only counts in horseshoes and handgrenades. I did, however, hit both atomsmasher and legbeater both sides, but it wasn't easy flipside. I can tell I'm setting a few inches too far forward flipside, which makes my legbeaters off-balance. The highlight of the session was when I hit butterfly > paradox mirage > legbeater > osis > paradox mirage drop. I also later hit blur > DLO BS.
And I can tell the drills are paying off BIGTIME. As you can see, I'm using a lot of paradox mirages in runs, and my string length has exploded up to... 10ish. I can't wait to own the drills I'm on*, cause there's so many others I've thought up I want to try.
*I want to hit 40 contacts in all three of my current drills and be able to hit around 20 consistently before moving on.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Well, my good friend Henry, you shan't hear anything good. This weekend, in my eyes, has been one of the most depressing and worst of my footbag career. To give some background, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I basically have class from the time I get up until the sun goes down. Those three days this week, the weather was amazing. And of course, I couldn't kick outside those days. I had hoped that this weekend would continue with the great weather, and that I would be able to enjoy some awesome outdoor kicking. Saturday it rained. Sunday it was below freezing. After having played outside, going back to the f*ing squash courts kills me. I feel cooped up, toned down, and smothered. The floor makes my knees hurt for the first 10 or 15 minutes I'm there, and I can't hear my music over the persistent reverberations of my own footsteps bouncing off the walls. The walls. Oh, 5 white-washed walls which enclose and encase me. I feel like I'm trapped in a cell.
And on top of that, the floor is slipperier so I kick worse. I went there anyways today, and before I had even gotten my Lavers on, I was kicked out. I ended up in the exponentially worse (that's f^f*ing) racquetball courts, which have the slipperiest floor imaginable. What's worse, it seems the facility never cleans them, so my bag gets dirtier than if I were to play outside! You can run your finger on the ground for less than an inch and pick up a noticeable amount of dust.
So, to put the nail in the coffin, I also played shitty. I'm not sure why, but I just felt tired and unenergetic. What little I could muster was:
-9 butterflys twice, 10 butterflys once, an average of around 5 (=suck)
-ripwalk > paradox whirl BS
-atomsmasher BS
-ripwalk > blur > DLO one side
What killed me the most was that, as I tried that last part, I couldn't hit ripwalks. I either couldn't set it or I couldn't land it. I don't think I've had a situation where that's happened in over 4 months, and I spent around a half hour just trying to hit my flip rips.
I'm pretty pissed off now. And the g-units I ordered a week and a half ago still aren't here. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come at all.
And on top of that, the floor is slipperier so I kick worse. I went there anyways today, and before I had even gotten my Lavers on, I was kicked out. I ended up in the exponentially worse (that's f^f*ing) racquetball courts, which have the slipperiest floor imaginable. What's worse, it seems the facility never cleans them, so my bag gets dirtier than if I were to play outside! You can run your finger on the ground for less than an inch and pick up a noticeable amount of dust.
So, to put the nail in the coffin, I also played shitty. I'm not sure why, but I just felt tired and unenergetic. What little I could muster was:
-9 butterflys twice, 10 butterflys once, an average of around 5 (=suck)
-ripwalk > paradox whirl BS
-atomsmasher BS
-ripwalk > blur > DLO one side
What killed me the most was that, as I tried that last part, I couldn't hit ripwalks. I either couldn't set it or I couldn't land it. I don't think I've had a situation where that's happened in over 4 months, and I spent around a half hour just trying to hit my flip rips.
I'm pretty pissed off now. And the g-units I ordered a week and a half ago still aren't here. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't come at all.
Zach Marine - Member of the Tendonitis Club!
blog
blog
Man, that sucks about your bad day 
I know that feeling all too well...
On the flipside, Im impressed with your dedication to drills
I wasnt going to kick today, but after reading your most recent 2 or 3 posts, I think im going to school drills today, including consecutives...
so, Thanks
I know that feeling all too well...
On the flipside, Im impressed with your dedication to drills
I wasnt going to kick today, but after reading your most recent 2 or 3 posts, I think im going to school drills today, including consecutives...
so, Thanks
TJ Boutorwick
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Thanks for the commenting. 
I like knowing that people read what I write.
I haven't kicked since Sunday because I have been feeling a bit sick. Well, the truth of the matter is that my throat feels crappy when I wake up, and solely then. However, that was the case over Christmas break, and when I played footbag on it, I got ragingly sick and stayed that way for a week. Thus, I'm gonna take off until I wake up NOT feeling like that, and hopefully I'll be better.
The reason I got sick though, is probably entirely my fault. Mike, Peter, and myself decided to try the gallon milk challenge, which is essentially you try to drink a gallon of milk in under an hour. So we told our RA to announce it to the floor, and Sunday night we attempted it. We didn't want to throw up and have to clean it up though, so we decided to do it outside. Also, we didn't want to throw up on good clothes, so we wore our residential college tshirts. I had an underarmor shirt on below to keep me warmer, but given that 1) it's really cold at night and 2) you're in essence imbibing a gallon of cold water, the three of us were still shivering uncontrollably throughout the ordeal.
On the plus side, about half our floor, or around 20 people, showed up and "cheered" us on. We didn't want to disappoint, so all three of us drank the entire gallon. Peter threw up a LOT, Mike threw up almost as much but not as impressively, and I barely threw up at all. In fact, I only threw up about a cup of milk, but when Peter and Mike said I'd feel better if I put my finger down my throat and threw it up (not to mention I'd look beautiful and would be popular), I decided to do it. I still ended up keeping about 3/4 the gallon down though, so I was peeing every five minutes for the next two hours and my stomach was all gurgly.
But in truth, I was getting really sick of playing indoors anyways. I think it might not be a bad thing to take a couple days off and wait for nicer days. When I do come back though, I want to add consecutive ripwalks to my drills.
Oh, and a bunch of people filmed our event, so whenever (if?) the throwing-up video is finished, I'll post a link.
I like knowing that people read what I write. I haven't kicked since Sunday because I have been feeling a bit sick. Well, the truth of the matter is that my throat feels crappy when I wake up, and solely then. However, that was the case over Christmas break, and when I played footbag on it, I got ragingly sick and stayed that way for a week. Thus, I'm gonna take off until I wake up NOT feeling like that, and hopefully I'll be better.
The reason I got sick though, is probably entirely my fault. Mike, Peter, and myself decided to try the gallon milk challenge, which is essentially you try to drink a gallon of milk in under an hour. So we told our RA to announce it to the floor, and Sunday night we attempted it. We didn't want to throw up and have to clean it up though, so we decided to do it outside. Also, we didn't want to throw up on good clothes, so we wore our residential college tshirts. I had an underarmor shirt on below to keep me warmer, but given that 1) it's really cold at night and 2) you're in essence imbibing a gallon of cold water, the three of us were still shivering uncontrollably throughout the ordeal.
On the plus side, about half our floor, or around 20 people, showed up and "cheered" us on. We didn't want to disappoint, so all three of us drank the entire gallon. Peter threw up a LOT, Mike threw up almost as much but not as impressively, and I barely threw up at all. In fact, I only threw up about a cup of milk, but when Peter and Mike said I'd feel better if I put my finger down my throat and threw it up (not to mention I'd look beautiful and would be popular), I decided to do it. I still ended up keeping about 3/4 the gallon down though, so I was peeing every five minutes for the next two hours and my stomach was all gurgly.
But in truth, I was getting really sick of playing indoors anyways. I think it might not be a bad thing to take a couple days off and wait for nicer days. When I do come back though, I want to add consecutive ripwalks to my drills.
Oh, and a bunch of people filmed our event, so whenever (if?) the throwing-up video is finished, I'll post a link.
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Not-so-ripped Warrior
- Fearless
- Posts: 566
- Joined: 30 Mar 2005 19:02
SandWraith wrote:In the midst of the refreshing joy that is Spring, I'm feeling a rebirth in my passion for footbag.
Spring you say???
Anyways your game really seems to be coming along. Props on the pdx whirl bsos and those atomsmashers! Nice stuff, keep it up zach
-Eric Siegel: The man, the myth, the legend
Words of Wisdom from Rockey:
"hittin' ripped warrior bsos: that's a paddlin';
hittin' stepping diving whirl: that's a paddlin;
hittin' montage: you better believe that's a paddlin'"
Words of Wisdom from Rockey:
"hittin' ripped warrior bsos: that's a paddlin';
hittin' stepping diving whirl: that's a paddlin;
hittin' montage: you better believe that's a paddlin'"
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Thanks, Eric. I can only hope that by Midwest Regionals I'll be able to do you proud.
I guess it isn't Spring exactly, but we've had some days in the 50s and maybe a couple in the 60s, so it sure seems that way. I guess the nearby rivers make the climate more moderate.
So today I woke up with the expectation of shredding. I brushed my teeth, suited up, stretched, and then slammed my finger in the door on the way out. It was covered in blood-- the pointer finger on my left (primary) hand-- and the skin near the nail was folded up and bruising. I sat in the bathroom a couple minutes with some wet paper towels wrapped around it and waited for the bleeding to subside. Then I threw a bandaid on it and left. It still hurts.
I realized upon getting outside how nice it was. It was almost warm enough to kick outside, and that's what I did. Upon passing Francis Field, I decided I'd like to play on the running track that circles the football field. The front gate was locked though, so I went around back and climbed this fence that lines a sort-of overhang. When I got inside I noticed the side gate was open. Fug if I'm not retarded.
The surface of the track was nice and bouncy, but it was also very rough, and I think it's bad for my bags.
For having not played for three days, I didn't do that bad. The only real frustrations were, "Why can't I hit flip atomsmasher?" and, "Why can't I hit DLOs worth crap?". I never did hit my flip DLO.
-atomsmasher both sides
-paradox whirls are getting easy?!
-atomsmasher > op clipper > paradox mirage > legbeater- the clipper came in cause I was so surprised I hit the move I didn't react
-ripwalk x 5 without much ado
-ripwalk > ripwalk > blur BS not too hard
-some pretty good runs with decent variety
-14 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt]
-7 or 8 butterflys-- not happy but not that sad either
In summary, it wasn't an amazing session, but it was still nice to 1) kick and 2) kick outdoors.
I can only hope that by Midwest Regionals I'll be able to do you proud. I guess it isn't Spring exactly, but we've had some days in the 50s and maybe a couple in the 60s, so it sure seems that way. I guess the nearby rivers make the climate more moderate.
So today I woke up with the expectation of shredding. I brushed my teeth, suited up, stretched, and then slammed my finger in the door on the way out. It was covered in blood-- the pointer finger on my left (primary) hand-- and the skin near the nail was folded up and bruising. I sat in the bathroom a couple minutes with some wet paper towels wrapped around it and waited for the bleeding to subside. Then I threw a bandaid on it and left. It still hurts.
I realized upon getting outside how nice it was. It was almost warm enough to kick outside, and that's what I did. Upon passing Francis Field, I decided I'd like to play on the running track that circles the football field. The front gate was locked though, so I went around back and climbed this fence that lines a sort-of overhang. When I got inside I noticed the side gate was open.
Fug if I'm not retarded.The surface of the track was nice and bouncy, but it was also very rough, and I think it's bad for my bags.
For having not played for three days, I didn't do that bad. The only real frustrations were, "Why can't I hit flip atomsmasher?" and, "Why can't I hit DLOs worth crap?". I never did hit my flip DLO.
-atomsmasher both sides
-paradox whirls are getting easy?!
-atomsmasher > op clipper > paradox mirage > legbeater- the clipper came in cause I was so surprised I hit the move I didn't react
-ripwalk x 5 without much ado
-ripwalk > ripwalk > blur BS not too hard
-some pretty good runs with decent variety
-14 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt]
-7 or 8 butterflys-- not happy but not that sad either
In summary, it wasn't an amazing session, but it was still nice to 1) kick and 2) kick outdoors.
OK, I read your blog again
MAN!
If i tried to kick outside, my legs would turn to ice, and then I would be stuck in whatever position I was in, and then if I tried to move, my legs would crack ever so lightly, so I would sit there and try to warm them up by rubbing them with my hands, and that would only melt the ice, that is, melt me legs, so then I would have to do ......blah blah blah... and thats why I cant play outside yet
Good work on the shred...
You didnt play for three days?! Man, I bet it felt good to shred huh?
good luck on our ripwalk battle
MAN!
If i tried to kick outside, my legs would turn to ice, and then I would be stuck in whatever position I was in, and then if I tried to move, my legs would crack ever so lightly, so I would sit there and try to warm them up by rubbing them with my hands, and that would only melt the ice, that is, melt me legs, so then I would have to do ......blah blah blah... and thats why I cant play outside yet
Good work on the shred...
You didnt play for three days?! Man, I bet it felt good to shred huh?
good luck on our ripwalk battle
TJ Boutorwick
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Heh, yeah. I think the ripwalk battle should be good all around, but I feel kinda sorry for you for getting your ass kicked... in the FUTURE (cause I haven't done any yet).
As of today, I'm gonna start a functional training regimen, i.e. prehabilitation for my knees. I noticed that after working atomics for a day, my left FCL, the ligament that runs from the outside of the lower knee up towards the core, would kinda hurt. I was looking online and found several articles discussing why that would be. Apparently, most ligament pains are a result of imbalances in musculature. For the FCL, having similar hamstring and quadricep muscles is important. The reason for the pain, as I see it, stems from the fact that my quadricep is much bigger than my hamstring. I played soccer for ~10 years, and I am left-footed. As a result, my left quad is huge (my right isn't small either, but I think it's fine).
A lot of the information I'm presenting is on this website, as well as the exercises I plan on doing.
I'm gonna go to the gym with Peter later and do leg curls, leg presses, and any other exercises that look like they might work the desired muscles. Then I'm gonna probably kick. I hope this works.
As of today, I'm gonna start a functional training regimen, i.e. prehabilitation for my knees. I noticed that after working atomics for a day, my left FCL, the ligament that runs from the outside of the lower knee up towards the core, would kinda hurt. I was looking online and found several articles discussing why that would be. Apparently, most ligament pains are a result of imbalances in musculature. For the FCL, having similar hamstring and quadricep muscles is important. The reason for the pain, as I see it, stems from the fact that my quadricep is much bigger than my hamstring. I played soccer for ~10 years, and I am left-footed. As a result, my left quad is huge (my right isn't small either, but I think it's fine).
A lot of the information I'm presenting is on this website, as well as the exercises I plan on doing.
I'm gonna go to the gym with Peter later and do leg curls, leg presses, and any other exercises that look like they might work the desired muscles. Then I'm gonna probably kick. I hope this works.
Last edited by SandWraith on 30 Jul 2006 19:11, edited 1 time in total.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
After reading Paul's post here and watching Europe on Fire (I've never watched it all-- I can't watch that much shred without kinda zoning out), I realized what could be my problem with butterfly consistency (or maybe not): I don't turn into them. I set the bag crossbody so that I can literally face the same direction the whole time. I noticed on EOF though that Vasek turns between 45 and 90 degrees into his butterflys, so I'm gonna try that. It looks as though it lands at almost the same location as it started. Perhaps that will help.
I played some today, but not too much. As I mentioned before, my FCL is tender after working atomics, so Peter and I went to the gym, but first we kicked. Considering he hasn't touched a footbag since last Fall (around 3 months?), he seems even better! His toe kicks are very good, and he hit toe stall BSOS more than once. He can kick the bag ~15 times and even seems to have some control over its direction. There's promise there.
I was doing pretty well, and was hitting a lot of ripwalks, blurs, butterflys, and paradox mirages. I did some other stuff, but quickly realized that's the current core of my game. When I throw down tiltless though, I can go 15+ no sweat, which is sweet. I just gotta get a bit more variety in my game.
We probably kicked about 45 minutes, until the sun went down, and then we went to the gym at the AC. I haven't been there before, and I thought it looked pretty nice. Everything I did, I made sure to do around 30 explosive repetitions. I did probably 5 sets of 30 leg curls, with other stuff in between like this reverse leg butterfly thing (?) that works your groin muscles, a squat machine, and some arm stuff just because I needed to give my leg muscles a break. My FCL feels a lot nicer now, and I'm hoping that I can continue to do the 20 minute workout daily / every other day. I don't want to give up atomics cause of my FCL. I'd much rather make my MCL stronger so atomics don't cause a problem.
I played some today, but not too much. As I mentioned before, my FCL is tender after working atomics, so Peter and I went to the gym, but first we kicked. Considering he hasn't touched a footbag since last Fall (around 3 months?), he seems even better! His toe kicks are very good, and he hit toe stall BSOS more than once. He can kick the bag ~15 times and even seems to have some control over its direction. There's promise there.
I was doing pretty well, and was hitting a lot of ripwalks, blurs, butterflys, and paradox mirages. I did some other stuff, but quickly realized that's the current core of my game. When I throw down tiltless though, I can go 15+ no sweat, which is sweet. I just gotta get a bit more variety in my game.
We probably kicked about 45 minutes, until the sun went down, and then we went to the gym at the AC. I haven't been there before, and I thought it looked pretty nice. Everything I did, I made sure to do around 30 explosive repetitions. I did probably 5 sets of 30 leg curls, with other stuff in between like this reverse leg butterfly thing (?) that works your groin muscles, a squat machine, and some arm stuff just because I needed to give my leg muscles a break. My FCL feels a lot nicer now, and I'm hoping that I can continue to do the 20 minute workout daily / every other day. I don't want to give up atomics cause of my FCL. I'd much rather make my MCL stronger so atomics don't cause a problem.
Last edited by SandWraith on 30 Jul 2006 19:13, edited 1 time in total.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
My FCL felt a lot better after that little workout. What I'm really excited about though, is... MY G-UNITS CAME! I'm not sure that I'd be comfortable switching completely to Gs though, because some people consider them to be the freestyle equivalent of "cheating", but I'm definitely pumped to use them on the (god-I-hate-the-fucking) racquetball courts. I hear the grip is ridiculous on these things.
I got up at 10:30 and immediately went and picked up my shoes. Then, after eating, I proceeded to mod them.
My G-Unit Modding Tutorial
The Gs in all their glory.
Taking them out of the box, I was struck with the awe-inspiring beauty of the units. These truly are beautiful-looking shoes. Too bad I had to rape them with my razorblade.
After removing the laces, I began cutting the inside leather surface. It's very supple and easy to cut. Also, it seems just about impossible to screw up; the important layer seems to be seperated from the leather by a bit of space, so even if you cut a little too hard, the lower layer will just be pushed back-- not cut through.
The first inside exposed. The cuts are very easy and hard to screw up
This image, actually from the second shoe, shows the inside once the leather has been removed. That gray fluff stuff is somewhat hard to remove, but amounts to essentially picking it off the innermost layer, which is shown in the foreground.
There's actually also a very thin, black mesh layer as well, but it is more or less attached to the leather, and for me the two layers just came off as one. There wasn't any cardboard section in my shoes as others have mentioned they had.
The almost-finished inside. All that remains to be done is picking off the gray fluff. The removed leather piece is in front of the shoe
The first incission on the toe.
Unlike Lavers, the toe is very easy to remove. It is essentially the same process as the insides. I shoved some crumpled paper into the toe area to provide a backdrop to press against. Again, the first time through the leather and mesh came off connected. The second time through it didn't, but neither is very hard to remove.
The second toe with the leather layer removed. The mesh still remains on the shoe.
Closeup of the toe with just the mesh layer remaining.
Closeup of the toe after the mesh layer has been removed. Good shot of the sticky layer you want.
Both shoes once completed. Tic-tacs to open up the walls.
The stuff that's been removed
Side-By-Side Comparison: G6 Lows vs. Lavers
Front view of the shoes
View of the insides. I wear a size 11 Lavers and those are 10.5 G6s. Roughly the same size
View of the toe area.
I'm gonna go play in them in a bit, so I'll post my reactions later.
I got up at 10:30 and immediately went and picked up my shoes. Then, after eating, I proceeded to mod them.
My G-Unit Modding Tutorial
The Gs in all their glory.
Taking them out of the box, I was struck with the awe-inspiring beauty of the units. These truly are beautiful-looking shoes. Too bad I had to rape them with my razorblade.
After removing the laces, I began cutting the inside leather surface. It's very supple and easy to cut. Also, it seems just about impossible to screw up; the important layer seems to be seperated from the leather by a bit of space, so even if you cut a little too hard, the lower layer will just be pushed back-- not cut through.
The first inside exposed. The cuts are very easy and hard to screw up
This image, actually from the second shoe, shows the inside once the leather has been removed. That gray fluff stuff is somewhat hard to remove, but amounts to essentially picking it off the innermost layer, which is shown in the foreground.
There's actually also a very thin, black mesh layer as well, but it is more or less attached to the leather, and for me the two layers just came off as one. There wasn't any cardboard section in my shoes as others have mentioned they had.
The almost-finished inside. All that remains to be done is picking off the gray fluff. The removed leather piece is in front of the shoe
The first incission on the toe.
Unlike Lavers, the toe is very easy to remove. It is essentially the same process as the insides. I shoved some crumpled paper into the toe area to provide a backdrop to press against. Again, the first time through the leather and mesh came off connected. The second time through it didn't, but neither is very hard to remove.
The second toe with the leather layer removed. The mesh still remains on the shoe.
Closeup of the toe with just the mesh layer remaining.
Closeup of the toe after the mesh layer has been removed. Good shot of the sticky layer you want.
Both shoes once completed. Tic-tacs to open up the walls.
The stuff that's been removed
Side-By-Side Comparison: G6 Lows vs. Lavers
Front view of the shoes
View of the insides. I wear a size 11 Lavers and those are 10.5 G6s. Roughly the same size
View of the toe area.
I'm gonna go play in them in a bit, so I'll post my reactions later.
Last edited by SandWraith on 30 Jul 2006 19:14, edited 1 time in total.
Zach Marine - Member of the Tendonitis Club!
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Thanks, David!
I had my first session in Gs today, and it went very well. I went to the racquetball courts, but used a squash court like I do with Lavers (for better comparison). The shoes don't feel any heavier to me, but at first I wasn't kicking that hot. Part of it was that my toe sets had a tendency to go a bit forward. After about ten minutes though, I started hitting good stuff. One thing to mention before going on though is that usually my patella tendons (front of your knees) hurt for the first 10 to 15 minutes during kicking, and they didn't really hurt at all in the Gs.
I would say the toes are about the same size and feel as modded Lavers, so there isn't much difference to be had there. The clipper does feel easier, but not to the point where I could stop cranking my foot and still get it. I'd say it's better by maybe a factor of 1.2? Not sure if that means anything to anyone.
I like that the Gs are black, as that means dirt and sweat aren't gonna show. I've never liked how grimey and crappy my Lavers look. The Gs, on the other hand, are very pretty, even when modded.
I felt more not only more vertical cushioning but also more lateral support as well. As I said, they don't feel any heavier to me, but either they do weight more or they're just a little bigger, because more than once I felt my shoes barely scrape past each other while I was doing whirls. That freaks me out a bit, but I'll just have to work on whirling earlier, I guess.
For highlights:
-13 consecutive butterflys on only a couple tries
-14 contacts of paradox mirage > butterfly > [rpt] on, again, only a couple tries
-29 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt] relatively early on-- I was winded after that
I didn't spend too much time on drills though because I wanted to look at all the components of my game in Gs. I hit DLO BS with some effort-- the dexes seemed strangely faster and easier, though as mentioned before the toe surface doesn't strike me as better or worse for delaying. I hit blur > ducking butterfly > blur BS and 8 contacts of paradox mirage > toe whirl > [rpt], ripwalk > paradox whirl BS with some difficulty (the stepping is just as easy, but as I mentioned, whirling seems marginally harder), some reverse whirls, atomsmasher BS a couple times with about the same amount of difficulty as in Lavers, and then legbeater several times both sides. Legbeater seemed easier, likely owing to the easier clippers. I did hit legbeater BSOS, but it was more like legbeater Both Sides No Drop, because I ended up throwing in a toe stall so as not to screw up.
My runs, in general, were longer and more controlled. They were better, more varied, and more confident.
So, after one session, I'm torn. Lavers are more popular, more available, and more respected in the community. Gs are hard to find, offer more support, look better, feel better, make my game more fun, but are seen by some as cheating.
So what do I do? Do I let social stigma prevent me from enjoying my game? Do I let peer pressure lead my life? I think there's something to be said for independence and happiness here. I feel as though footbag is, for me, something that should be about enjoyment. If other people are going to think less of me because I'm playing in G-units, I guess that'll be the case. I wouldn't respect someone more because they play footbag in boots-- I would think they're retarded for not getting the most out of their time and their game.
In actuality, I'll probably keep flirting with Lavers on occasion, particularly when I can play outside and traction isn't an issue. We'll see, I suppose.
I had my first session in Gs today, and it went very well. I went to the racquetball courts, but used a squash court like I do with Lavers (for better comparison). The shoes don't feel any heavier to me, but at first I wasn't kicking that hot. Part of it was that my toe sets had a tendency to go a bit forward. After about ten minutes though, I started hitting good stuff. One thing to mention before going on though is that usually my patella tendons (front of your knees) hurt for the first 10 to 15 minutes during kicking, and they didn't really hurt at all in the Gs.
I would say the toes are about the same size and feel as modded Lavers, so there isn't much difference to be had there. The clipper does feel easier, but not to the point where I could stop cranking my foot and still get it. I'd say it's better by maybe a factor of 1.2? Not sure if that means anything to anyone.
I like that the Gs are black, as that means dirt and sweat aren't gonna show. I've never liked how grimey and crappy my Lavers look. The Gs, on the other hand, are very pretty, even when modded.
I felt more not only more vertical cushioning but also more lateral support as well. As I said, they don't feel any heavier to me, but either they do weight more or they're just a little bigger, because more than once I felt my shoes barely scrape past each other while I was doing whirls. That freaks me out a bit, but I'll just have to work on whirling earlier, I guess.
For highlights:
-13 consecutive butterflys on only a couple tries
-14 contacts of paradox mirage > butterfly > [rpt] on, again, only a couple tries
-29 contacts of mirage > legover > [rpt] relatively early on-- I was winded after that
I didn't spend too much time on drills though because I wanted to look at all the components of my game in Gs. I hit DLO BS with some effort-- the dexes seemed strangely faster and easier, though as mentioned before the toe surface doesn't strike me as better or worse for delaying. I hit blur > ducking butterfly > blur BS and 8 contacts of paradox mirage > toe whirl > [rpt], ripwalk > paradox whirl BS with some difficulty (the stepping is just as easy, but as I mentioned, whirling seems marginally harder), some reverse whirls, atomsmasher BS a couple times with about the same amount of difficulty as in Lavers, and then legbeater several times both sides. Legbeater seemed easier, likely owing to the easier clippers. I did hit legbeater BSOS, but it was more like legbeater Both Sides No Drop, because I ended up throwing in a toe stall so as not to screw up.
My runs, in general, were longer and more controlled. They were better, more varied, and more confident.
So, after one session, I'm torn. Lavers are more popular, more available, and more respected in the community. Gs are hard to find, offer more support, look better, feel better, make my game more fun, but are seen by some as cheating.
So what do I do? Do I let social stigma prevent me from enjoying my game? Do I let peer pressure lead my life? I think there's something to be said for independence and happiness here. I feel as though footbag is, for me, something that should be about enjoyment. If other people are going to think less of me because I'm playing in G-units, I guess that'll be the case. I wouldn't respect someone more because they play footbag in boots-- I would think they're retarded for not getting the most out of their time and their game.
In actuality, I'll probably keep flirting with Lavers on occasion, particularly when I can play outside and traction isn't an issue. We'll see, I suppose.
Nice mod you got there. I definitely like the accurate pics you've taken as well. Have you considered cutting a layer out of the tongue? I always thought that seemed a bit bulky compared to that of a Laver's tongue.
And I'm always nit-picky about the leftover foam on shoes, but I guess it's pretty insignificant. (I usually spend a few more minutes/hours scraping little by little of the foam off of the shoes). Definitely a good tutorial.
And I'm always nit-picky about the leftover foam on shoes, but I guess it's pretty insignificant. (I usually spend a few more minutes/hours scraping little by little of the foam off of the shoes). Definitely a good tutorial.
Waylon Lew - maker of Wasabi bags
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
NYFA represent.
"Footbag can be pretty frustrating when it's supposed to be fun. I was partly driven by this forum - practice, practice, practice... As that is true, I think someone can be too focused on progressing and training that they miss the fun aspect of it." - Bander87
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Thanks for commenting! I hadn't considered de-fluffing the tongue, but now that you mention it, it seems like it could be interesting. I'll toy with that idea for a bit. And yeah, that fluff was just too annoying to pick off so I left it on.
After having tried working out for the past two days to make my MCL stronger, I have to say I'm ASTONISHED with the results. The last two days my FCL hasn't hurt at all. Moreover, I wake up each day feeling more energetic and limber. I could get up and kick right away, and I never feel that way. I've been working atomic in my sessions and it's nice knowing it isn't gonna ruin my body (hopefully).
I'm not gonna kick today, as much as it pains me to say so. I feel like going out there and busting with my new shoes and new motivation, but I still feel a trickle of a cough and I don't want to screw myself over. I figure I can prevent my cough and give my body time to recover-- two birds with one stone.
I'm also itching to work on a footbag video sometime, but I don't feel like my game is up to par yet. I am hearing all these songs and thinking of the shots I would make around campus to add some vibe to the vid, but I have to wait till my runs are longer, more varied, and more intense. I'm thinking that now I don't just want to work on atomic, but also gyro/spinning. I more or less gave that up in the last couple months as my flipside just wasn't getting any good, but that's the way atomic were for a while as well. Plus, Matt Cross's comments on trying muted spinning clippers as a stepping stone towards vortexes seems like good advice. Imagine it:
blur > DLO > legbeater > ripwalk > vortex > stepping ss mirage > ducking butterfly > etc. etc.
That kinda run would be so stylin. Oh, and last night Peter and I checked out the dorm we hope to live in next year and found out it has a ballet/dance studio on the lower level! Score! I can either 1) hopefully convince them to let me use it late at night or 2) sneakily observe the 5-number passcode and just go in late at night.
And Peter seems to be getting into footbag too. We've kicked together twice recently, I think. He's even mentioned that he'd like to buy some Lavers soon.
After having tried working out for the past two days to make my MCL stronger, I have to say I'm ASTONISHED with the results. The last two days my FCL hasn't hurt at all. Moreover, I wake up each day feeling more energetic and limber. I could get up and kick right away, and I never feel that way. I've been working atomic in my sessions and it's nice knowing it isn't gonna ruin my body (hopefully).
I'm not gonna kick today, as much as it pains me to say so. I feel like going out there and busting with my new shoes and new motivation, but I still feel a trickle of a cough and I don't want to screw myself over. I figure I can prevent my cough and give my body time to recover-- two birds with one stone.
I'm also itching to work on a footbag video sometime, but I don't feel like my game is up to par yet. I am hearing all these songs and thinking of the shots I would make around campus to add some vibe to the vid, but I have to wait till my runs are longer, more varied, and more intense. I'm thinking that now I don't just want to work on atomic, but also gyro/spinning. I more or less gave that up in the last couple months as my flipside just wasn't getting any good, but that's the way atomic were for a while as well. Plus, Matt Cross's comments on trying muted spinning clippers as a stepping stone towards vortexes seems like good advice. Imagine it:
blur > DLO > legbeater > ripwalk > vortex > stepping ss mirage > ducking butterfly > etc. etc.
That kinda run would be so stylin. Oh, and last night Peter and I checked out the dorm we hope to live in next year and found out it has a ballet/dance studio on the lower level! Score! I can either 1) hopefully convince them to let me use it late at night or 2) sneakily observe the 5-number passcode and just go in late at night.
And Peter seems to be getting into footbag too. We've kicked together twice recently, I think. He's even mentioned that he'd like to buy some Lavers soon.
Last edited by SandWraith on 30 Jul 2006 19:19, edited 1 time in total.
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SandWraith
- Egyptian Footgod
- Posts: 1272
- Joined: 05 Apr 2005 20:39
- Location: Marshfield, Wisconsin
Yeah, I did end up sick. It started today with a sore throat, but has since progressed into being simply a runny nose. I'm hoping around 9.5 hours of sleep will cure me of it, cause I wanna kick dammit 
In other news, there's gonna be a Talent Show this Friday at the on-campus icecream and smoothie hangout. Winning act gets $300. That's more than I've probably spent on footbag ever, and I think that even if I don't win it would be a good way to spread the sport and to get more confidence in myself, since I'm not very fond of performing in public. I'm gonna enter it tomorrow if I don't feel any worse, and hope I feel better by Friday.
I think I'll try to find a 30 second clip of music that would go well with 2-add and light 3-add moves, and then if I can practice soon I'll work on just getting a run down that feels comfortable and easy enough that I won't drop. I'm kinda excited, but more anxious. I guess I should just view this as more of a demo of "this is footbag" than a competition.
In other news, there's gonna be a Talent Show this Friday at the on-campus icecream and smoothie hangout. Winning act gets $300. That's more than I've probably spent on footbag ever, and I think that even if I don't win it would be a good way to spread the sport and to get more confidence in myself, since I'm not very fond of performing in public. I'm gonna enter it tomorrow if I don't feel any worse, and hope I feel better by Friday.
I think I'll try to find a 30 second clip of music that would go well with 2-add and light 3-add moves, and then if I can practice soon I'll work on just getting a run down that feels comfortable and easy enough that I won't drop. I'm kinda excited, but more anxious. I guess I should just view this as more of a demo of "this is footbag" than a competition.
Word Good luck on the variety show 300 bucks?! Thats huge yo!
That was how much I got at the Japan Nationals last year, and that was a competition... Get something down that is appealing to the eye, not something that is technically difficult. double ATW's look really cool to non-players, and it really blows their minds that you can circle the bag TWICE before catching it. Also, if you go dropless, the audience will be a lot more impressed. Feed off of the energy on stage when you perform, dont be afraid of it.
Now, I still dont see why we cant have a ripwalk battle, unless its that whole MCL thing... or at least hold off on it until after the show.
Good luck on the variety show 300 bucks?! Thats huge yo! That was how much I got at the Japan Nationals last year, and that was a competition... Get something down that is appealing to the eye, not something that is technically difficult. double ATW's look really cool to non-players, and it really blows their minds that you can circle the bag TWICE before catching it. Also, if you go dropless, the audience will be a lot more impressed. Feed off of the energy on stage when you perform, dont be afraid of it.
Now, I still dont see why we cant have a ripwalk battle, unless its that whole MCL thing... or at least hold off on it until after the show.
TJ Boutorwick
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson
"You can do anything" -Greg Nelson