I got fat from not playing footbag

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habitat
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I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by habitat » 21 Jul 2017 21:53

Hello. I'm James Randall. It's been a while since I've been on this site which is all but obvious when I scroll through some of my last posts. Cringey, but that's expected when confronted with your former teenage self.

I lost interest in playing footbag because I live in an area where no one plays seriously and those who I found quit after one or two sessions. I was also frustrated with the state of the scene at the time because honestly everyone just seem like a bunch of nerds and pussies and that's coming from someone far from the hetero-normative tough guy. Also, I've always had issues with my hips not allowing me to perform certain moves of, but couldn't accept that it was the cause of my weaknesses. I used to practice at least four hours a day for years and watched in humiliation as I was eclipsed by all of my contemporaries. Even newer players quickly passed my skill level with ease. The disgust towards myself and others became too much for me to bear and I happened to pick up another hobby during that transitional period, music.

As I began to take music more seriously, and around the time it was announce that they were changing the names of moves to some dumb ass bullshit, I completely lost interest in footbag. The initial learning curve of music proficiency was much more enjoyable than the stagnancy of my footbag game. It was similarly enjoyable when I started playing footbag, but that feeling was long gone. It's funny to me now because as I'm writing this I'm starting to feel the same way about my music as I did with footbag back then; I feel like I've lost any meaningful sense of direction and question the possibility of becoming better.

The only time I've played footbag in the past 7-8 years is whenever Kevin Crowley and I get together. He is the only friend that I've kept since quitting and he's a great player and friend. I bought a Hania bag about 3 years ago in a naive attempt to jumpstart my footbag game after hanging out with Crowley for a weekend, but that lasted about a week before the nostalgic feelings faded and the soreness became.

Pics of this time

Image

Image


Fast forward to now: I still live in Spokane. I went to school and graduated with a philosophy degree. I own a music studio business and have also taken up photography/videography. I've always been into filming and someone who reads this may have seen an old footbag video of mine, but now I suppose I have better equipment. I also deliver newspapers on the side for extra cash which is dope because I don't have a boss or customers to deal with. I also gained about 60-70 pounds since I last played. Without footbag, I didn't really exercise in any other way and still do not exercise. My weight has steady increased and my body type went from skinny to stocky to thick to just kinda fucking fat.

But I suppose the whole reason I'm even returning here is that my girlfriend that I've been with for the past 6+ years and I broke up recently. I'm living in my studio and it fucking hurts. The whole thing is confusing and has put in me in a mode of existence that I haven't perceived in many years; I'm single and I'm lost. It reminds me of how I was around the time I was playing footbag when all I did was smoke/sell weed and jack off a bunch. Now without my partner that I based my entire life and future around, I don't know what to do with myself. Friends have come and gone throughout the years and right now none surround me. It's lonely.

So, I've decided that I'm going to starting playing footbag again. What better time to start playing with your sack again then during a bout of depression? This time around I'm not going to get sucked into the mentality of eternal progression. I'm not going to be the best, or even a good player, and that's something I need to finally accept. I also need to accept that my body doesn't work the way other bodies work. I can't do explosive hip movements required for uptime sets like atomic or stepping. It hurts my body and they feel like shit no matter how hard or how many different ways I've practiced them, so fuck 'em. Another reason I need to start again is my health. I'm 220 pounds and I should be at 170. I will always have those thicky thick tree trunk type thighs, but I don't need this gut to go with it. Footbag will be my exercise because I'm not going to start running or training in any other way probably ever. I also want to do it for my mental health because staying still for too long makes me want to melt into myself.

If you read this entire thing, thanks, I guess. I will post updates from my training. I'm starting from the very beginning, so expect kicks and tiltless.
James Randall

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Welcome back!

Post by C-Fan » 22 Jul 2017 04:51

Hey James!

Few quick hits:

:arrow: I didn't know you were in Spokane. I'll let you know the next time I'm out that way for work. Whenever I visit Grand Coulee dam I usually fly in/out of Spokane. I didn't think any footbaggers were there, but based on your post I guess you weren't really playing in the past few years.

:arrow: Did you know Worlds is in Portland in 2 weeks? Kinda last minute, but you may want to consider checking it out. It's relatively close to you, compared to any of its locations over the past 20 years. If you want to get back into the sport, there's no better event to get you motivated and reconnect you to the community.

:arrow: Don't write off the hippy sets just yet. If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, I agree that low impact footbag is the best way to get there. But 50 pounds is a lot; maybe once you've lost that weight those high energy sets won't seem so unattainable?

:arrow: Sorry to hear about the breakup...breakups of long relationships are always tough. But I always feel its better to break up than to stick around in something that's not going to work long term anyway.

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by boyle » 23 Jul 2017 00:16

Look forward to seeing more posts in the blog. A great way to motivate yourself when there's nobody else to play with. Probably most of us that post here regularly don't have so many regular kicking partners.

I think it's a really important comment about not going out to try and be the best etc, I think there is a segment of the community who plan to be the big stars and then something happens, like they don't make BAP or they lose a comp etc etc and get frustrated and then they just give up playing.

I also met a guy at the skatepark a few days ago, in a similar situation. He'd just split after a long term relationship and was turning back to an old hobby to get out of the funk.

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by Muffinman » 24 Jul 2017 17:43

Hey James, great to see your posting. I can relate to almost everything you've written here. Down to the exact same physical restrictions. I've had so many injuries over the course of my footbag "career" that I've probably spent more time NOT playing than playing. My very first injury was to my hip flexor, and while other injuries have come and gone, this one has stuck with me to the point where I still can't do tricks like drifters. And I've come to accept that I never will again. I'm older too, almost 35, and after my last major injury of being out of the game for 2 years, I gained a bunch of weight for the first time in my life too. I couldn't even use footbag to combat the weight gain! I resorted to cycling, and found a way to make it fun.

Given my age and history with injury, I've had to come to accept that I will never be on the best, or even as good as at my prime. If I had never had injury, I don't doubt that I could have pushed to be one of the best, but injury is just a part of my journey now and I've had to reframe how I enjoy footbag now as rather than busting all the biggest tricks, rather having a means to work out that is FUN for me. If i can still be doing consecutive infinities in 5-10 years I'll be happy. That was hard to accept, but looking at the positives in all things can be difficult.

In terms of the relationship depression, I went through a similar really messy time a year and a half ago, where more than just a devastating breakup, my ex put me through the legal ringer, costing me thousands of dollars, to be kicked out of my home (while forced to continue to pay her rent on top of legal fees and commuting fees because I had to relocate reeaally far away), basically throwing me under the bus in every conceivable way. I was completely and utterly defeated and suicidal, with a messy family history of mental health and suicide. But I managed to bounce back from it with some amazing karma. If footbag had been physically possible for me at that time, I would have been able to deal with things so much better. So I hope that's the leg-up on me that you have.

All the best on your new footbag journey. And feel free to hit me up if you need someone to vent to <3

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by boyle » 26 Jul 2017 00:22

wow, Erik - didn't know about that stuff, sounds difficult, to say the least. I'm sure you'll be cranking out the infinities in 10-20 more years time.

Just wanted to mention that the guy I met skating some days back had to go to hospital on one of his first days back out, so don't go too hard!

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by Tjuggles » 26 Jul 2017 17:36

One thing I am so grateful for with footbag is its ability to take my mind away from all of the bullshit and focus it solely on the bag. Those split seconds where I forget everything releases all of the stress needed to reset myself. I often channel all of the negativity going into a shred and by the time I finish I am revitalized. I hope you can/have find/found the same escape through footbag.
TJ Boutorwick

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by Sporatical_Distractions » 27 Jul 2017 11:38

:D :D :D

James coming round the corners like ugghhhhhhhh
Welcome to Flavortown

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by habitat » 09 Aug 2017 06:00

Finally had a proper session last night. I'm going to try to stream all my sessions, so if anyone is interested in watching my shitty ass playing, add me on facebook. James Randall from Spokane, WA

I tried to work on just basic shit. My hips really hurt now the next day and I've been working every day at my 2nd job delivering newspapers for the past 9 nights so I'm just tired and sore. A few highlights include

ducking clipper x3
datw bs
clip>ss butter>ss butter bs
drifter bs
flip rev swirl
12 or so contact tiltless with some 3s thrown in

Video: https://www.facebook.com/fadfv.adsf/vid ... 644401781/

All the extra weight really changes the feel of everything. I purposefully avoided pixie tricks because I know I can do them bs, but I don't really want to work on that. I'd like to focus on spinning and ducking stuff. My osis are just garbage and I noticed a large difference in how I clip on each side. One side feels great and the other feels like I can't get enough crank, but it's because my hips are uneven. This is the problem I talked about in my initial post and it's a frustrating point that I have to learn to work around instead of through. It's something I won't ever be able to change about my body. I hope to have at least one serious session per week possibly more if my body permits. Each one will probably be recorded because why not?

---

On the personal side of things, I made some sweet live films of bands playing recently that I'm really proud of. If you're interested, search for my studio's facebook page Parallax Studios.

Oh and I got attempted carjack/armed robbery yesterday. I got into my car outside of my studio getting ready for work and these kids surround my car and try to open all the doors. Luckily the car has auto locking doors when the ignition turns over or they probably would have beat my ass out of the car. When the doors didn't open, the one dude points a gun from the passenger side window and tells me to get the fuck out of the car. I just said no and threw it in reverse and took off.

After regaining my composure, I dialed 911 then turned around and followed them, because fuck 'em, while updating the dispatcher of their location. Very quickly they created a perimeter around the entire neighborhood and brought in K9 units. The 3 dudes were found hiding in someone's yard about 4 houses away from the initial event. They turned out to be 14-17 year old kids and the gun was an airsoft pistol, but it looked real to me when it was pointed at me in the dark. I identified them and they were charged with attempted armed robbery and assault with a deadly weapon.

The article is here http://www.khq.com/story/36085044/break ... in-spokane
James Randall

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by Muffinman » 13 Aug 2017 17:41

Jesus Christ

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by boats » 16 Aug 2017 08:26

You and Crowley should start a noise band!!!

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by habitat » 17 Aug 2017 22:36

Crowley hates music now and only listens to James Brown and shitty local lofi
James Randall

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by boats » 18 Aug 2017 18:31

he's a big LIT fan too!

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by boyle » 18 Aug 2017 23:00

That carjacking incident is pretty insane. Glad you got out of that safely. Parallax Studios sounds familiar. What kind of bands do you record? I guess I could go on Facebook and find out for myself...but I'm here already.

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by Tripp » 20 Aug 2017 07:45

It's cool to see that you are livestreaming your sessions (if you still are, that is...). I don't have the guts for that. I get too embarrassed.
Josh Gayhart ... keeping footbag tuff since 2002.

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Re: I got fat from not playing footbag

Post by habitat » 30 Aug 2017 16:53

Yo hit dat Gaywalk bruh! ;)

I haven't played in a while so nothing new on the footbag front. I have been spending a lot of time working and then sitting alone in the dark at my studio. So that's fun.


Just edited some video that I shot of a local band, check that out here.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/parallaxstu ... ne/videos/
James Randall

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