The Darkshredder's struggle

DTank126 · Post by **DTank126** » 04 Mar 2008 13:23

Patrick! When is your spring break?! We need to shredddddddddddd!!!?!!!

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 04 Mar 2008 14:22

oh hello Doug. My break is the 14th - 25th. Even if you don't have those dates there's a strong possibility that we can still shred. My brother is living in Boston right now and I was going to go and visit him. It would work out real well if I just went to Boston right on the that day (Friday) because I'm pretty close while in Albany and it would be "quick".

I thought about that today. And actually I was going to post in the BSC blog and facebook group. But this works too. So either PM me or write back in this blog about YOUR break.

I had a half session just now, and I need to put food in my system I've decided so I'm going to go and eat a little and then play more. No post as this is strictly a drilling and new combos session. Trying to push the tripless, ya know.

peace

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 05 Mar 2008 10:41

someone once told me to hold the bag on my foot a little longer each time I stall and stop rushing into the next trick. I think it was Dave. So I did. And I'm really noticing my whole mindset throughout a run is changing. It may just because I'm getting more consistent and . um. . dare I say better? but it seems like I can make better decisions about which tricks to hit and when which leads to more variety.

some repeats I made up. Not that hard. But very rewarding somehow:

pixie ss mirage > symp mirage > rpt

pixie muted clipper > schmoe > rpt

dyno > whirl > rpt - - oooold but haven't done it in a while so I schooled it so I don't lose my dynos, which I'm slowly moving away from.

parkwalk > ducking butterfly > pdx mirage > rpt

ss whirl > DLO bsos and then repeated (stolen from Doug's blog)

I would repeat these a couple times and then move on or I'd just school the repeat for a while and then hand catch and move on. I figure these are pretty decent combos (as a whole) because they work everything. Downtime elements, crispy stuff, awkward stuff, toe game, clipper game. Just good wholesome drills. I was pretty happy. There were a few others but I can't remember them now.

When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 06 Mar 2008 08:40

the bag I made has a popped stitch! DAMN IT! Well, it will pop. The knot his kind of turned inside out and the excess thread is hanging out. I'm guessing if I shred a whole session with it it'll pop.

and my Mosher bag is on the way out the door, as it were.

I need to stitch a bag or else. Hope I don't mess up. GRASS is still kind of far away (for a player who shreds every day it'll be rough if I don't have a bag).

______unfootbag______

I hate my Finite Math teacher's style of giving quizzes. And his haircut is stupid. And he smells funny.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 07 Mar 2008 09:04

I have a webcam. I have panels drawn out on a new material I've invented called ultrasuede LIGHT. From there I can cut out 32 panels and sew a little hacky sack for with which to play.

48 hours until I will be sitting in front of a TV playing Smash Brothers Brawl for another 48 hours. Straight.

this is one of the first times footbag is being rivaled by thoughts of a video game and some bull I have to take care of for school. It's a three-way.

it's hella warm out today so I'm going to go play outside again. I need to go off campus to buy a new gamecube controller

so I think I'll just pick out a comfy spot at the mall and play. I'm still just cool enough to do something like that.

anyway so yeah - I have a webcam. Not sure when I'll stream but it's probably going to be tomorrow at some point because in all reality I probably WON'T play much footbag for the first few days I have brawl. It's just a fact I'm willing to deal with. I won't be doing much of anything, really. Maybe if I'm not too tired after shred I'll have a short little session later tonight just to make sure the broadcast works okay. OOoooooo I'm gonna be soo nervouuss!

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 13 Mar 2008 07:57

I have some time before lunch so I decided to return to modified for a bit. Just some thoughts.

footbag has been on the backburner for the past 5 days or so, which is significant for me. 5 or 6 days straight is extremely rare for me. You could count the number of times I stopped shredding for that long in a row on one hand. - - - anyway it hasn't been for any good reason, either. The weather has been fine, relatively sunny, and even kind of warm over the weekend. So why the sudden lack of motivation?

- poor circumstance. Timing activities and just not adding in a couple hours for footbag-related stuff
- Smash Brothers Brawl. Huge factor. I play this pretty much any time I'm not doing homework or when I'm not eating or sleeping.

It's a good game.
- slight shift in social life where I have a sudden rise in the number of friends who I constantly hang out with, 98% of whom do not play footbag and would rather never see one leave my pocket.

so yesterday I finally set aside Brawl and homework and society and went to the gym to shake the cobs off my legs. And I was pretty damned rusty. Got pretty upset. It was an hour and a half session and it was straaaange.

mobius

run with eggbeaters and DLO and atomic.

gyro clip > diving clip > rpt record = = repeated 6 times.

I'm going to buckle down again and see if I can get to a level on the cusp of making progress again before GRASS. Just a week ago I was in all-out training mode to get a lot done before going to Rochester and it was good stuff. Just need to recover some ground. Shouldn't take more than another session or two.

Oh and my spring break is this upcoming week. I'm going back to syracuse this friday. FYI, Ben. It doesn't look TOO good for me and footbag this break because I'm having to more or less babysit my good friend who has left footbag behind him and it's always really hard to make time for footbag AND him. . . . especially when he's going to be living with me. But that's a problem for a later date. Until then I have this afternoon to shred to my hearts content. No classes tomorrow, Jason can't brawl, and it's a nice day out.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 15 Mar 2008 17:07

short mall session. Good stuff. I'm pretty much back to where I was. Didn't really have much time to do some more difficult things but assuming I'm back where i was is good enough and I'll just do the complex things as they come when I would normally do them. But like I said I"m going to be pushing myself pretty hard this week for GRASS.

I'd like to get nuclear more comfortable so I can hit things midstring

I'd like to solidify what little blender action I can. I'm still having trouble reminding myself that I can do them now. . . only if I try.

Quantum. I need to have this more both sided. It's so retarded on my flipside. It's by far the most flippy side i have in all of footbag.

Torques. I pretty much have 90% consistency on my strong. I'd like to bsos it every time I do it and I'd like to hit flip mobius this week.

notice I'm not listing any double downs. Yep. Like an idiot I'm purposely putting those aside again! But not really. I'm just taking my time with them. I'm going to break out the dexercise machine (starting tomorrow) and train the motions again. I'm going to get it all set so that I'm just going to charge into double downs and in a short period of time become both sided. I have faith in the fact that I'm good enough to already do them bothsided. . I just don't due to lack of practice.

I don't see myself being a very double dexing person. Stepping shuffle, atomic, toe to toe, and spinny/gyro player? Yes. That's me. I don't think it's too much of a mistake not to get doubles right now. But of course in 6 months I'll look back on this as another really dumb mistake. We'll come to that later, though. For now I'm pretty happy with where I am. Just shreddin'. Schoolin' tricks. Having some finely chilled solo's.

When the world knows beauty as beauty, ugliness arises
When it knows good as good, evil arises
Thus being and non-being produce each other
Difficult and easy bring about each other
Long and short reveal each other
High and low support each other
Music and voice harmonize each other
Front and back follow each other

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 16 Mar 2008 14:49

average session:

torque was bsos'd 5 times today

footed blurry whirl > blurry whirl

pdx DLO bsos - not new but it was probably the cleanest, easiest I've done them

flip infinity swirl second try. Too hard and off balance to have hit it bsos. Maybe some time soon? ?

One year Worlds should be held in Vegas

I'm going to start on a new bag tonight while I do some research about Grand Theft Auto IV for my school newspaper (I'm the gaming columnist now

)

I need to play for 2 or more hours again. It's been a while and for some reason I can't shake the suspicion that I NEED to shred for that long every time. So I keep feeling like a slacker when I look at my cell phone clock and stop after an 1.15 or 1.5 hrs.

Confucius say: Show-off always shown up in showdown.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 18 Mar 2008 18:16

amazing session. Nothing new. Just really great strings. Long enough so that I can't really remember all of them. One of the more intense runs I can remember was like: ducking butter x3 > gyro clipper x4 (yeah it started off drilly) > diving osis > pdx whirl > sidewalk > ripwalk > blur > dimwalk > pdx drifter > ducking pdx mirage > pixie ss whirl > spinning clipper > toe kick to hand catch. But I'm pretty happy with my guiltless-tripless game right now. So you knows what THAT means, suckas!

I have full confidence in starting completely new concepts and tricks as well as some fearless combos!

This means starting to school sailing, shooting, quantum, stepping ducking, atomic ducking, flip pixie ducking, blurry double dexes. Yikes. Sounds like I'm actually starting to get somewhere with footbag!!!! scary thought, I know.

Bag has been started. My other one is still holding strong which is surprising and awesome. It's kind of big and floppy but it's still very shreddable so I'll use it till it busts wide open.

Ugh I hate trying to communicate through modified. I really just want to go meet other players a lot more. That's priority #8 once I'm done with school. Right behind getting a job, money, and a clue.

but at least it's still on the list (top 10 nonetheless!!! oooo!)

trail mix is awesome. My friend and I went to the store tonight after dinner and he had it in his mind to make a trail mix because he eats shit for lunch and would like to make himself a healthy inexpensive lunch (admirable). So we got some craisens (yeah you know what's up), pumkin seeds, cashews, blueberries, peanuts, sunflower seeds (kernels), and maybe one or two other things. Went back to his apartment and made the most delicious trail mix I've ever had. 30x better than those on the market. Really nice. So yeah. That's a good idea. I'll do that as soon as I get back to Albany. I have bad snacking habits as well. Trail mix will do me good.

In dwelling, live close to the ground. In thinking, keep to the simple. In conflict, be fair and generous. In governing, don't try to control. In work, do what you enjoy. In family life, be completely present.

DTank126 · Post by **DTank126** » 18 Mar 2008 18:27

At least one of us had a good session today. That's a really sick run dude, it sounds like you're getting soooo much better. Jealous!

About your priority #8 after finishing skool. I was chillin and thinkin how cool would it be to live an apartment with footbaggers. It'd be such a chill pad, everyone would be so laid back. Just like, "Im bored, what do you guys wanna do?" "Oh hey, why dont we shred?" "Yeah!"

I can't wait to get an apartment.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 19 Mar 2008 10:10

a shred house would be amazing. I'm reminded of Mosher's flat in kingston a few years back. It just seemed like THE footbag apartment. I think both of his roommates at least kicked a little, and Tom's room was just full of random footbag things. Stitchings, bags, filler, empty boxes of juggling products. Ugh. It was like heaven. And that back room was the shit too. It had a nice chill lounge area and then a decent area for shred.

if I could live with a footbagger that'd be sweet, but I'd be willing to just be within a short drive or walk to a shred spot where a bunch of people could meet regularly. The security of knowing people are around is just really nice. Ben and I haven't played this break so far but just being back in town and knowing there are two freestylers makes me happy. This weather, on the other hand. . arg. I spent about 40 minutes going around Syracuse yelling at the weather and buildings for not letting me play wherever I want.

If I were a millionaire, I swear I'd just buy one of 80 rundown buildings just outside of the city and setup a skate/bmx/rec center with PLENTY of open space and people will be like "hey uh what's this open space for and why does it get its own drinking fountains and bathrooms?" and I'd be like "ha. Silly bastards. That space is reserved for the FOOTBAGGISTS. You aren't worthy to bert slide where we mobius."

I've also been thinking about a footbag magazine lately. Pretty sure the reason why there isn't one is because it wouldn't be practical or very profitable. But. . maybe if - - -

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 19 Mar 2008 15:55

flip torquescrew
bsos torque 5 times again (yay)
saildown and cleared flip sailing set (first time ever trying sailing

)
flip pdx fail
hyper atomic . . this is how I only did sailing at first and then I spaced it out a little more. But yeah. The pixie was symposium at first. Hyper setting atomic. Pretty weird.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 20 Mar 2008 14:24

skooled: vortex, gyro whirl, helix, diving osis, spinning whirl
new combos:
drifter > tomahawk bs and pdx drifter > tomahawk os
pdx whirl x5 (first session working b2b)
toe and clipper DLO BSAOS with an eggbeater worked in at the end

some close calls:
whirling swirl (first time ever trying)
smog bsos
backside pdx eggbeater bs

still working on the new bag. Slow goings. It's not going to turn out as well as the MABP. The mosher bag is out of commission till I can get back on campus and shoe goo it back together. It has a hole that has it compromised and I'd be dishonoring the bag and Tom by playing with it more.

fight number 408 with my dear mother about footbag.

Yep it still goes on. . .

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 23 Mar 2008 14:01

I've played every day for the past 10 days.

swirls and reverse swirls are getting easier
atomic is getting better
string length is improving

spinning whirl is easier on my flipside than on my strongside. And it's not sideways. It actually is easier on my flip whirl and flip spinning side. It's really odd and I don't appreciate it. My strongside spinning whirl isn't good enough to throw in midstring. Sucky.

I'm not sure how to get over this little hump of "okay things are getting easy for me now. It's time to take another baby step". So hopefully GRASS will help me with this.

I'm not going to play today for some reason. I need to go to the bank now and check to make sure I'm not overdrawn on my account. I'm retarded about money and even though I only spend money on food and gas and misc drink I still spend way too much money. Someone must be taking it.

I had the strongest daydream I've had in a while of me when I was 12 going at this lake I used to go to with family. And my cousins and I formed this punk band and we would use trees and rocks and an acoustic guitar for instruments. I came up with a name and it made me laugh but I forgot. Funny thing about daydreams. . ..

ps: people need to stop watching spaceballs and watch more young frankenstein. So much better. I've also seen spaceballs about 45 million times (roughly).

When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster.

Do not intrude on their homes.
Do not harass them at work.
If you do not interfere, they will not weary of you.

Therefore the sage knows himself but makes no show,
Has self respect but is not arrogant.
He lets go of that and chooses this.

Asmus · Post by **Asmus** » 23 Mar 2008 16:15

Your getting sooo good.. 10 days in a row! I've never done that.. I can't wait to play with you this summer in Prague..

I've also been thinking about a footbag magazine lately. Pretty sure the reason why there isn't one is because it wouldn't be practical or very profitable. But. . maybe if - - -

There is now - www.supernemesis.tumblr.com .. Please, feel free to write anykind of articles for it! It would be really cool if more people worked on this project. Frequent updates is the BEST!

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 23 Mar 2008 20:35

hm not sure how "good" I'm getting but thanks a million for the compliment. As Ryan Thomas said in his blog, I'm just kind of trying to find my place in this crazy world of footbag.

I'm obviously not going to be a top player but what I'd like to do eventually is contribute to the game a lot more. Recruitment, school programs. Demos. And come up with something new. Like my drunken style of shred. I take time out of almost every solo shred to just let my body wander and try to develop more strange drunken style ways of doing things. Haha just the other day I did a really crazy dyno and I was about 2 pounds to the left from fall over right after I stalled and swung my leg around. .. I had to straighten up and practically run after the bag to infinity it back into play

. I loves me my infinity saves.

Tonight's been awesome and relaxing. I've been watching Easter movies (Tomb Raider is on in the background) in between playing Brawl and tinkering with this 3D game design book I got like 6 hours ago at the bookstore. I'm soooooo happy I made the decision to get this book.

It's a book that has design programs (It uses the Torque Game Engine) and is this huge 80lb book on writing script to make video games. Game development is really only like 20% script. What I want to be involved in is more story development and pretty much all the other 80% of the gaming business. But I figure it couldn't hurt to try and learn some script and maybe make a simple game or two. I already have some good ideas for a first-person shooter with elements of RPG. And I think you can make a real-time strategy game with Torque and if so then um. Yeah. I'll make an RTS because that's my baby. I love them.

oh

I just realized I've thought it was funny it was called torque and I never knew I'd actually write about it at modified because then I'd tell myself to point it out. So uh. There ya go. Torque. Yup.

woo! two posts in a day. Haven't done that in a handful of weeks. Good?

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 24 Mar 2008 05:31

I think there should be a footbag quote of the day on your blog asmus

and pat will be in charge of coming up with cool insightful ones.

The quotes give me a reason to read your footblog everyday, pat.

I should write an article about the Syracuse Footbag Alliance.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 24 Mar 2008 10:10

"I am a kind of paranoid in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy." - JD Salinger

BenRea · Post by **BenRea** » 25 Mar 2008 04:18

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 27 Mar 2008 19:33

played a bit today. Felt like more but I had to go and game with some people

so I guess it was only about an hour and 20 or so. But it was pretty cool.

I'm just kind of still pretty happy with where I am and I'm trying to make some progress in new grounds. Some highlights:

stepped out of flip matador and before that I hit it flip like three times in a row trying to get it slow and steady enough for the step. So that was cool.

pixie ss whirl and pixie whirl all sides one string.

predator

almost flip fog

far dyno bsos. Now this is an old move for sure but usually it's a tricky one for me and I usually need to try it a couple times to get it warmed up. But it was solid first try.