Jirka's blog

[Jirka]

Hi all,
My name is Jiří (Jirka). I'm 22 years old and I am from Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

One of many reasons why I decided to write this blog is practise my english. Before few days I was at Austrian Footbag Championship. It was a big motivation for my footbag and also for my english, because I have problem with it. Yes writing is otherwise than talking (it is my the biggest problem) because i have more time and dictionary, but I think it is better then nothing. I think writing blog in english can help me, when I use my english and can help me with my english vocabulary.

I want to improve my English, because I had the opportunity to meet a lot of great people from this community, but my english is big obstacle for comunication and talking.

Excuse my very very bad english please. I hope that it will be better with time.

Now go to the footbag.

How long I play?
It's complicated. I met with footbag about year 2006. I was just kicking but after a short time I stopped, because I was not patient. After a few years I start again and I learning basic stalls and tricks as mirage, pickup etc., but after a short time I was stopped again, because I had a problem with training in winter and I am very impatient

Two years ago I met a player from Ostrava with name Thomas Konečný and he again brought me to this sport. But from the beginning, I didn't play often. I played only one or two days per week. But this year I got a taste to footbag, and I started play every day, with breaks about every fourth day. At the end of the year I attended footbag competitions as Swiss jam in Switzerland (my first competition), Czech footbag championship in Brno, and Austrian Championship in Austria. It was a big motivation for me and I started training more and more.

What I can hit? All tricks I can hit on strong and weak side, but only tricks with * only on strong side:
- Basic delays as toe delay, inside dalay, and clipper delay (but my clipper isn't good and I have problem with this trick still, particularly on the weak side)
- atw (I have problems with this too)
- legover
- mirage
- pickup
- illusion
- wrap, walk over, hop over
- juggling with two bags
- near mirge, near legover, near pickup from clipper
- paradox mirage, pdx legover
- symposium mirage
- symposium pixie

What I can hit but with bad confidence:
- flying clipper (but it isn't good, because I don't train it a lot)
- butterfly (I have problem with this because my clipper isn't good)
- osis (in flipside I have problem with this too)
- double legover
- atomis ss mirage
- ducking mirage from toe
- whirl (I have problem in my weak side)
- eggbeater *
- pixie mirage, pixie legover (but I have problem with my pixie set)
- rake (not very good)

This is my first blog post to the beginning. If anyone will be understand to this post, I'll be happy

[Jirka]

Another one short blog post from training from weekend and from training yesterday. Trainings in last days were short, because I was limited with space where I train in winter.

I made higher throw from left clipper (Up to over the neck). It's great for me, because I had a problem with it on my weak side. I had small set on my left clipper and it was bad for ducking. I didn't hit ducking from my left clipper yet, but I think it's on a good way.
Yesterday I had also short training. I hit only double legover from clipper and I tried combination double legover from clipper>double legover (from toe) for my improvement DLO.




It's also my last blog post in this year 2013. This year was big for me and my footbag. I started play a lot, I was at my first competition and next competitions, I met a lot of great people from this community. It's one of many reasons, why I Iove this sport. I hope in next year I will practise more and I will improve more.

I wish to all footbagers happy new year, a lot of energy, good health, strong legs and many successes in new year.

[acxel22]

welcome to the forums!
Your english isn't so bad my friend! and you have the basic stuff already so you can actually play and have fun, the impatient part is over

[boyle]

Great to see some more European blogs on here. Nothing better for learning something (footbag, English, whatever else), than to keep training. This is a great way to keep a record of how your game is going. Best of luck!

[C-Fan]

Good luck with your training, and your blog. I definitely think its a good way to practice your English skills, and its also fun to read it years later to see how your game has improved. Since your Czech, I expect you'll be crazy good in a few days.

[Jirka]

Thanks for the great comments.

Yesterday I had 3 hours training after two days break, because I didn't train at New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. I hit ducking clipper at my strong side and also at my weak side. It's great for me. But from this training I have pain in my right groin and right hip joint. I think it happened when I trained Eggbeatr or pixie set.

Today I had only very short training because I had problems with groin again. I again hit ducking clipper, but I didn't hit anything new, because I stopped train after short time.

Tomorrow I plan break, because it isn't good. But I am not happy from this, because in last time I didn't train a lot and now I want train a lot. It isn't good start in new year for me. But I hope it will be better.

[C-Fan]

For me it made a big difference when I started a warm-up and cool down routine. My warm up is simple: 100 basic kicks before i do a single stall. Then I do a bunch of toe and inside stalls, then ATWs both sides, then clippers, then tiltless, then BOP, then play normally. My cool down is just stretching. Since I started making a point to warm up and cool down, I have had fewer injuries.

[Jirka]

C-Fan: I start training also with kicks, after kicks I do stalls, after stalls atw and after this I do stretching. After stretching I do mirages, legovers and easier trick and gradually I normally train. At the end of the training I do stretching again. But I think, I wasn't training much about Christmas and when I started again, I started much because I had a lot of energy and my body wasn't ready for this.

---

News from trainings:

On the weekend I had 2 days break, because how I mentioned I had problem with my right groin. After weekend I trained 4 days in row. I started in Monday. I was training about 2,5 hours and only easier tricks. Similar training I had also in Tuesday. But I didn't hit anything new. In Wednesday I had 3 hours training with shred with Thomas. It was great, but I see here my big problem. I have problem with my longer playing without drops. I must somehow improve this. In Thursday I had 3 hours training. I was very tired, but it was very great training for me. I hit my first Magellan (Pixie ss Legover) on my strong side and also on my weak side (But again I have a little problem with my groin ). I was doing also this run: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjnAIMgCNj4 I did it only half of this on both sides. I also hit two Double Legovers in a row from Toe on my strong and also weak side.

Today I have break and I will start training tomorrow in Saturday. I want improve my pixie set (If my groin will allow me it.) And also I want improve my playing in row without drops and improve my basics. And I want hit anything new again (But it's problem because I must more improve my basics now).

[Asmus]

Nice highlights. Good goals and good to hear you are working on both sides.

Hope your groin will be all right.

[Jirka]

Asmus: Thank you.

--------

-> On Saturday I had 2,5 hours training. I hit Ducking butterfly from toe on my strong and weak side.
-> On Sunday I had 2,5 hours training focused on my basics. Here is my table with informations what I did and how many drops I had: http://www.nahraj-obrazek.cz/?di=12138971660016
It doesn't look good. I want improve it.
-> On Monday I had 3 hours training. I normally trained and worked on my pixie sets.

Now I want to focuse on my basics. I want improve my basics and also my kicks. (for example, I can not "low" toe kick. I can only kick when I must lift the whole leg. I hope you know what I think ) I want learn this kick.
It is frustrating doing again basics, because I want learning harder tricks. But I hope it can help me and it's important for future playing and harder tricks.

[Asmus]

The "low" toe kick is called a toe flick I think. It doesn't really help much on learning other tricks, but it looks cool.

I don't think the table looks too bad and you are clearly working hard on getting better.

[Jirka]

Asmus: Thanks again.

-----

Here is a very short post from last trainings:

I trained more days in row about 2-3 hours per day (today 4 hours ). Now I'm very tired, but I will have two days break now, because I will not be at home on the weekend. After weekend I want play again.

In last trainings I didn't hit anything new. But I think it isn't very important for me now, when I don't have good basics and I must improve this.

In Tuesday 21.1. I did 1100 toe delay in row without drop. It was my small goal (I wanted do thousand toe delay).

Now I want focus on inside delay, because I don't have inside dalays good. And I think it's important for clipper and it can be reason why I have big problem with my clipper still.

I can't still do "toe flick" kick. I can't somehow understand the movement of kick. But I will do it. I hope.

[C-Fan]

[

I can't still do "toe flick" kick. I can't somehow understand the movement of kick.

Keep your kicking ankle loose and straighten your knee quickly. Toe flick looks like your ankle snaps, but really its the knee that snaps, and the flick with the toe is the end of a chain reaction. Don't worry about kicking the bag itself at first...as you get used to the motion you'll be able to aim the kick in time.

[Jirka]

C-Fan: Thank you. I can do a maximum of three kicks yet and with small height. But I trained it only little.
--

I didn't write any post in last time. Here is a few news from last days:

- In Tuesday I hit Atomic mirage. But only on one side. I want hit it on my strong and also weak side.

- In Friday I hit Eggbeater for the first time on my weak side But my bag is hurt from that.



- Today I have break, because I was on birthday party of my friend in last night and today's morning and now I'm tired. I want train again tomorrow. I can not wait...

[Jirka]

I created my own list with challenges for me before few days. These are challenges what I found here or what I created. Here it is:

Clipper > op Clipper x10
100x Inside delay (my record is 70x now)
Atw in > Atw out > Butterfly > pdx mirage > rpt
Atw > Mirage > Pixie > Illusion > rpt.
Butterfly > Bubba > Pickup > Illusion > rpt.
sym. Mirage > Legover > rpt. x5
Illusion > legover > rpt. x5
Illusion > pickup > rpt. x5
Mirage > illusion > legover > rpt.
Legover > Pickup > rpt x5
Butterfly > pdx Mirage > rpt x5
Mirage > Atw > Legover > Butterfly > pdx mirage > Pickup > Illusion > rpt.
Toe whirl > ss legover rpt.
Clipper > far legover > pickup > rpt x6
DLO > clipper > pdx mirage > rpt.
Atomic ss mirage > dlo > legover > rpt.
rake > dlo > ss dlo > rpt.
rake > clipper > pdx mirage > rpt.
Osis > pdx mirage > pickup > rpt.
ducking clipper > ss butterfly > rpt.
mirage > legover > dlo > rpt.
mirage > legover > eggbeater > rpt.
Clipper > DLO > DLO > ss Dlo > rpt.

Here are challenges from my list what I hit in last days:
Butterfly > pdx Mirage > rpt.
Mirage > Legover > rpt (x5 = 20 contacts)
Clipper > Mirage > legover > rpt x6
Atw > legover > rpt.
sym. mirage > sym.pixie > rpt.


In last days I hit only ss DLO, challenges what I mentioned above and yesterday, when I met with Thomas, I hit sym. butterfly on both side, but I played only for fun with my jeans and normal shoes short time.

A few days ago I bought bigger memory card for my mobile phone. I want sometimes record videos on my trainings, because I can see my mistakes better in video I think. And I want record all challenges. Challenges what I hit I have recorded. Quality isn't very good, but it's better then nothing.

Now I want working on my challenge list and I want also done Level 1 in this challenge: http://www.footbag.org/reference/-/Freestyle_Levels

[Jirka]

I have some news after longer time. Yesterday was meeting which organised I with Thomas in Ostrava. There came two players from Poland (Jakub Worek and Paweł Nowak), four players from the Czech Republic (Vojta Janoušek, Radek Valášek, Libor Sofka and Kryštof Maléř) and two freestyle football players. We had four hours shred and circle competition. Circle won Pawel, second was Thomas. Videos from circle will be online soon It was great time for me (I hope for others too). I saw some players again after long time and some new players what I didn't know. I saw big improvement in other players' skills especially in Vojta's skills. It was big motivation for me.

Today I had 3,5 hours training and I hit "Pixie butterfly" on my strong and weak side, "Pixie ss butterfly" also on both sides and "Quantum legover" but only on my strong side and I hope it was correct.

We had also one new candidate for footbag today on training. After short time when he was training he did a few toe kicks and toe delays. It's good after short time I think. I hope he will be patient and be play.

[Add Block]

Pixie Butterfly (Dimwalk) is a very useful transition from toe to clipper. If you are in search for a challenge with those, I suggest:

Dimwalk > Paradox Mirage > repeat
Dimwalk > Ripwalk > Blur > Pixie Legover > repeat

[Jirka]

Add Block: Thank you, it's the great challenge.

---

I didn't write anything longer time, because I didn't have much time. What was new?

I was on Todexon in April. Here is my very bad routine from Todexon, but it's only freestyle, because I forgot my music : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ui9phamlI0E
It was a great event, but my performance was terrible But it's motivation for next time for me.

New tricks: (all I hit on strong and weak side)
- Drifter from toe
- Pixie illusion
- Atomic Mirage
- Ducking/diving from clipper
- Blur
- Ripwalk
- Sidewalk

I have problem with my stepping set, because if I want hit ripwalk or blur, I need a lot of time. I must train stepping more now.

I started experimenting with my training and training plans. I think I trained a lot of the same things and it isn't very good. BUT I train 3 hours and some players said "it's very much" and I'm very tired often. But I don't know how to train less, because I don't have time to train all tricks, train some drills, shred... all during 1 or 2 hours.

Now I read this article with tips http://bsos.it/?p=200 and I want apply these tips.

This month I want have main focus to my:
1) pixie set because I have problem with this set long time (and also atw, because I think it's important for pixie set and I want start learning DATW in near time).
2) clipper and butterfly (infinities), because I want improve my stepping and ripwalks.

I want write posts here more often. I hope I will have more time now

[Jirka]

I didn't play 3 days because in Ostrava is very bad weather. Here is very cold and still rainy weather. Today it was only little better and I trained under a very small roof before a winter stadium today. It's a very small space, but it's better than nothing.

I focused on my clipper, butterfly and pixie set as I wrote. I hit also pdx whirl on both sides. I am happy, because it's my next 4add trick.

[Jirka]

I had playing to music from this Anz's training program yesterday. I had 10 tracks around 3 minutes. It's hard for me and I had a lot of drops But I hope it will be better with time.

Today I had 3 hours "normal training" again with focus on my clipper, butterfly and pixie set. But I was more focused on my clipper and butterfly than my pixie set. I must improve it on my next training and I must train more my pixie set. I hit also Ducking osis on both sides today.

Tommorow I will have break, and in Wednesday I will have meeting with new player, who wants begin with footbag.