greg raymond

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 29 Jul 2008 15:32

1 hr session.

pdx whirl > clip > whirl > clip > rpt x 20.
inside > clip > swirl > op rpt x 12.
pixie > illusion > rpt x 20.
toe whirl > whirl > pdx mirage > rpt x 7.

zulu clip > pdx drifter bsos.
swirl > blender midstring bsos!
drifter > spinning whirl!
blender > gyro butter > pdx whirl bsos!

in general, reliable repertoire is growing. downtime double dexes still elude me pretty much entirely. there is no emoticon for the way that makes me feel.

but still havin' fun!

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 01 Aug 2008 07:20

Poop Session.

Forgot to do push ups & shoulder rotations before heading out. Definitely felt the difference. Protein intake has been low.

Worked Quantum a bit, successfully. Hit my strong Tripwalk a few times in a string & started cleaning up my Quantum dex on the flip. Hit Atomic Whirl. Gonna start trying Nuclear stuff soon.

Little Goal: Spinning Osis > Gyro Osis > rpt.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 05 Aug 2008 16:16

that weird thing where your flip becomes your strong happened to me today.

strong swirl: 3
flip swirl: 8

swirl > whirl > swirl both sides.

fairy ss mirage > pixie xbd rake > drifter > blender.

phoenix > tomahawk > infinity > blurry whirl > tomahawk.

edit: it's so damn fun to hit 5s.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 12 Aug 2008 08:10

"3 days off means a week to get your speed back."
- Obaba, "Ping Pong"

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 12 Aug 2008 08:22

phoenix > tomahawk - - - ill.

were those swirls back to back or just kind of swirl, stall or hand catch, swirl, etc. ?

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 12 Aug 2008 14:22

cheers pat!

they were frozen swirls, about 2 seconds between each set.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 16 Aug 2008 13:09

felt good today. inspired by Bevier & Morrison's awesome shred from the 2008 footage.

morrison's superfly run from semis shred comp, & the run with the rakes in finals...ahhh crazy!

bevier's STP was awesome! routine was excellent as well.

today's highlights:

my first stepping whirls, bs.

ducking clip > swirl > repeat x 3.

pixie ss clip > sidewalk > weaving clip > swirl > drifter > pdx mirage > rpt!

pdx drifter bsos, 2 for 2 on attempts. smoke > blender. smear > legbeater > tomahawk > string. paradon bsos. almost got barfly. next session!

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 17 Aug 2008 15:27

"it's the most wonderful time of the year..."

i LURVS worlds footage! so inspirational. it keeps me going throughout the year to see the current levels that the sport is pushing.

today was mostly a consistency session. hit some good genuine combos. worked on torques & dlos a bit. paradons are starting to feel natural ( EXCITED! ).

i collapsed after my last run of the day & almost fell asleep on the sidewalk.

gyro clip > ducking clip > ducking clip > gyro clip > ducking clip > ducking clip > [ repeat ]...i lost count somewhere after 60 contacts, i think i was around the 90 second mark.

i wish i could symp.

i feel like i'm gonna break my legs every time i try a symp whirl, which is holding me back from learning a lot of cool stuff. i'm rushing the dex, i know. i guess i just need to spend time on it & really separate the jump & the dex.

"footbag is easy!" - some jerk.

edit: i can now safely say that i'm better at this game than i was before my injury ( 2004 ), which is a really good feeling. there are some things i could hit then that i can't hit now ( Blaze BSOS was my greatest accomplishment ), but everything is cleaner & more base components are under my belt.

ONWARD & UPWARD!

I came really close to a clean Grifter yesterday, just an inch off the shoe. Oh man that felt good.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 22 Aug 2008 04:28

flip spinning clip x 10

ducking clip > pdx drifter rpt

pdx drifter > pdx blender felt cool. goal: add pdx torque & rpt.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 22 Aug 2008 08:32

i think i have mentioned in the past that my shred is heavily influenced by the players whom i watch during my shred warmup.

for eg. i've been watching all the worlds '08 footage extensively over the past week. last night i realized for a few strings that i was curling my toes & pulling my shoulders up on toe moves like serge kaldany does. a few strings later, i was very straight-backed & found my pixies feeling much like gielnik.

i have similar moments with regards to kalashnikov, flash & penske as well.

this isn't to say that i'm even close to being on their level, far from it. but for those little glimpses of time, i feel like i gain a better understanding of why that player's style works so well for them.

the conundrum, i find, is that i lose my own sense of style when this happens, & i get an erratic sensation when it happens multiple times in a session.

so as an experiment, i will no longer be viewing any shred footage for the span of 5 training sessions to see what impact it will have.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 22 Aug 2008 18:34

day 1: get home from work, check modified. download a video, almost open it. refrain. whew!

figured out symple swirl. hit vortex, 1 side only. goal: mobius.

previous goal accomplished, spinning osis > gyro osis rpt. bit froggy though, will clean it up.

paradons improving. worked on spinning ducking & barrage.

end of september: surging pls.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 23 Aug 2008 07:38

"Every training session should be the best of your life."
- Michael Colgan

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 23 Aug 2008 15:32

just figured out rev swirl in my kitchen & cleared the dexes on ripstein both sides w/ no stall.

today is meant to be my day off! i'm such a hopeless addict.

i love it too much to care! i like what Olav said in that internet TV deal Honza posted, about footbag being a lifestyle & that you can do whatever you want. freedom is a wonderful ( & potentially dangerous ) thing!

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 24 Aug 2008 16:21

this "going 5 sessions without watching footage" deal is killing me.

sometimes you don't realize how much you rely on something, or how much it has become embedded in your lifestyle, until you take it away.

worked on flip pixie ducking, symple swirls, atomic, paradons & illusions.

hit spinning clip > spinning ducking clip bsos & a clean pixie muted ss symple swirl.

got rev swirl in shoes, too.

session #3 on tuesday.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 28 Aug 2008 16:12

why was i so arrogant as to think i didn't require the help of our grand maesters of funk?

i am learning much from gielnik. his shuffle is so effortless.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 29 Aug 2008 06:59

You're so disciplined!

I am really glad you're still actively shredding so much, now get the other loser kingston boys to hack with you!

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 29 Aug 2008 18:11

thoughts on value of a drop, prompted by discussion in video forum.

a sport which has not yet determined its limits should be wary about adhering to its own historical guidelines.

just look at science.

i am in no way educated to talk about how the rules apply & what flat value a drop should have. i have not been to worlds or been educated about footbag judging principles, hence my hesitation about posting these thoughts & muddling with that discussion.

as a spectator, to me it seems that the value of a drop changes based on circumstance.

what impact did it have on the artistic expression? sometimes a drop will cause a large break as the player waits for the next musical cue to start back in, do a few kicks / stalls, or otherwise make an obvious break in choreography. others can recover very quickly & not lose momentum, which regains the crowd more successfully.

the same can be said for impact on the technical. which trick was dropped? not to say that the value of the drop itself changes based on what was attempted, but by not hitting that trick, it affects the overall outcome. dropping a butterfly & hitting your superfly is better for you than the reverse.

i'm not saying this is how they should be judged or anything, but i feel it factors into how a spectator perceives the performance & the impact of that drop.

there are 3 standout 1-drop performances in my mind, all of which were impacted very little by the drop in terms of flow & technical execution.

vasek 2002, penske 2007, gielnicki 2008. were there 1-drop routines in top 3 during 2003-2006? i will have to do some video hunting. )

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 05 Sep 2008 10:18

insane session. coincidentally, i barely remember anything that i hit. the highlight was 3 50+ contact guiltless strings in a row.

i remember talking with this couple for a little while after hitting those strings & i was having trouble speaking as my lungs felt like they were caving in.

edit: reflections.

endurance is where it needs to be. variety still needs improvement. those 50 contact strings had tons of repeats. need to stay away from easy links ( re: anything -> osis is still a problem in that i fall back on it too often ) & start working on all my troubling components diligently.

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 08 Sep 2008 09:07

OGDEN IS RETURNING TO FOOTBAG.

ALL YE PRAISES DESCEND UPON KINGSTOWN CANADIA.

focus tonight: stepping & barrage.

once steps get cleaner i think surging will be mine! but can i do it in 22 days? ( i think the real danger is my own self destruction from being overeager for progress. stretch stretch stretch protein carbo load gogogo )

abstract · Post by **abstract** » 09 Sep 2008 06:30

good progress on stepping last night.

rip > side rpt x 2 > string.
rip x 12.
side > pdx drifter bsos.

cleared dexes on barrage a bunch of times. was getting very tired by the end when i started working them, stepping took the majority of my focus.

hit a few long spinning strings.

spinning clip > gyro clip > rpt > spinning osis > gyro osis > spinning pdx mirage > string.

spin > duck > rpt > gyro > weave > rpt > spin > zulu > rpt.