The Darkshredder's struggle

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 09 Nov 2004 20:01

Hello. I'm Patrick Michael Thomsen. You're reading the first post of my blog. People tend to update this first post so people don't have to read all the way through to see what this person has gone through. I've never done that.

So? Here's a brief history.
I started playing circle hack back in the spring/summer of 9th grade after playing "keep ups" with an empty bottle of pepsi. My friends and I more or less began the hacky sack trend in my school and neighboring schools. Syracuse is very anti-hacky.

I knew about footbag for about a year before actually giving it a shot. The summer of '04. I started playing seriously that fall with the RFA in Rochester. I went to college at Nazareth for a semester and then transfered to a few other shitty schools.

As for footbag, I try to get out and play about 5 days a week. I have a really slow flow to my game, for what it's worth, and am trying to work on attacking dexes faster and include more intense links in my runs. I like to spin, duck, drift, and I have been told I have the coolest looking toe stalls.

Sometimes I have green hair. But that hasn't happened in a while.
I'm about 6ft 2 or 3 inchest (probably 2. . not sure what people are talkin' about with 3. .)
I weigh about 150lbs depending on whether I've eaten a lot (which is usually the case) or if I've played footbag yet.
I have Irish and Danish heritage
I like ska and punk rock. I consider myself one of a dying race of punks who were snuffed out of the 80s and early 90s because we weren't into the fashion trends of punk lifestyle.
I'm taoist
I like to play video games. A lot. I hope to get a job writing for a gaming magazine or else actual scripts and concepts for games in the near future.

footbag is pretty fun from time to time. It's my thing. Here's my story. Enjoy.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 09 Nov 2004 21:19

I just posted something and then realized that is was my 1000th post so I figured I would edit it and make it cooler.

Uhh.. fuck.. I don't know.

What a crappy 'epic' post.

Keep shredding.. i guess..

I'M WATCHING YOU!

mc · Post by mc » 10 Nov 2004 05:18

cool pat, skool it up. you have to have a strong foundation to reach the sky...

rrrg....

<-- hypocrite.

I could take some of my own advice...

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 10 Nov 2004 10:40

Dave gave me a drill to do on the Rochester blog but if anyone else has anything that can pass the time during my lone sessions that'd be pretty killer. Anything that can help with that infinity > infinity (rpt) stuff all you true shredders can do would be nice. Like, for instance, the drill that Dave Clavens gave me will help a lot with my lack of control (thanks) but it doesn't really help with anything new.

I've got an idea on what I can do for today. half hour on flip clipper and half hour on flip butterfly. Then whatever time remaining I think I want to see if I can do pixie stuff on my flipside. If I can do a pixie set from my flip, I can easily hit dimwalk . .. and I mean like first try -ish. So there'll be an update in a little while about this. Just need to get some juice or something.

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 10 Nov 2004 14:26

If you want to get better at infinities just keep doing them forever and ever and ever.

You won't get very far if you have a weak one and you will quickly iron them out. Just set aside ten minutes (or whatever) dedicated solely to trying to push your infinity record and I am sure they will kick ass real fast.

Oh! and try to break your record every session! that is direct tangible results that you are getting better!

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 15 Nov 2004 12:37

Well I haven't been on the ball lately with the whole skool sessions. But this is what I'm working on besides drilling off and on whenever I can.

I footed paradon on my first try with an old hack circle friend from my hometown. Soo. Yeah that'll have to be struck soon.

The steeban also recommends barfly. He says, and I quote, "It feels like Jesus". Well with a move like that, one must at least try to hit it!

I'm going about alternating clippers all wrong I've decided. When it's coming down for a landing on my flip clipper I'm rushing it and practically kicking it. Pretty sure I should just take it as it comes, slow time down (as all footbaggers have learned to do), and just make sweet clipper love to the bag. I promise all you who are reading and care about my progress that I will skool like no other on break and come back to RIT with a few new tricks up my sleeve. Like. . like barfly and paradon. And hopefully a dimwalk and smear bsos if all goes according to plan.

Seath · Post by **Seath** » 15 Nov 2004 13:13

as far as infinity drills, one I like is butterfly>ss clip repeat, also, what Tom said, set an infinity drill record and break that motherfucker every time you shred!

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 28 Nov 2004 20:04

With my new abshire slowly breaking in nicer than my last one, I am proud to say my game has a bright future. Even in cargos, I can hit my flipside butterfly easily. Strangely, just before the bag hits my foot, I always doubt it'll happen. It usually does though and I think that's pretty cool. When my infinity repeat strings come I'll be able to think of the next few moves while I just kind of hope my butterflies are going well.

I set up a schedule for my skooling and it'll come into play tomorrow. I'm just too fat and lazy tonight to do anything. I filled my failure of an abshire with BBs and I just opened him back up and put some of the old abshire pellets back for more weight and "playability". Matt Cross has told me before it was like playing with a wet sock with rocks in it. Sooo. It has been slightly remedied. It'll still suck though. I'm sure of it.

I didn't really play at all during the break I had but one night I was shredding at the local mall while these guys were playing African tribal music. Quite nice. I lika da tribal musaque. I like to play in front of ghetto people. Even a tiltless player "haz gots skillz" and can create a ruckus amongst the "posse".

An actual update coming soon

mosher · Post by **mosher** » 28 Nov 2004 20:44

Play more footbag or I'll come to Raaahhhhchester and punch you.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 29 Nov 2004 06:11

Sorry sir. We'll get right on that. Buuuut. If you wanna come to Raaahchester anyway to shred that'd be cool too. We never really got to be in the same circle for too long. It broke up way too soon.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 30 Nov 2004 17:34

Ok well my internet has been shut off for a few days. But I have indeed been keeping busy. And not with school work, mind you.

K this is some of the newish style I hit:

18 clippers (8 flip clippers

)
infinite > infinite > drop. . .
dimwalk
footed pixie ss legover (I don't know how to spell magellan)
I got my double atw back . . . finally.
reverse whirl. . . I probably look strange when I do it but hey. It was hit.

and I've loosened up my style a little more to mimic some of my Rochester comrads. We all hate my butterflies so I've revamped them. They're normal now. I think. I hope.

Oh and today (just now. . . still recovering and calming down) I was just kind of screwing around and I hit some pretty stylie things. Just read and imagine.:
pixie guay
osis guay . . I like the guay..
osis > farside osis > farside osis > farside osis (new for me)
spinning butterfly (really new and pretty cool. Felt nice)
clipper > guay > simple butterfly > pickup > DRIFTER (sloppy but. .)

more to come.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 02 Dec 2004 10:08

Starting to feel the ease at which I can string two's together and with my new, calm style I can just throw it up after a mirage or an illusion and just think: Should I do a butterfly? Should I osis?

The session yesterday was at the Eastview Mall near my confines. Quite fun. Let's see. I came really close to improving my infinity rpt. run.

I was mainly working on symposiums.

Symposium mirage bsos
Paradox mirage bsos again
Finally did a whirl from a butterfly. And with a small crowd of people watching me!
Toe drifter > backspinning toe

I'm done with classes early today so I think I'll just take her to a new level. I may kick in the gym AND the mall.

mc · Post by mc » 02 Dec 2004 10:41

pat, if you're gonna play today, let's play. where are you going to be kicking? I'm free after 4:30 or so today. let me know what you want to do.

m

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 02 Dec 2004 15:52

Just kicked the mini around while waiting for a meeting. I don't have the footbag mindset tonight (very strange but whatever) and my legs are a little tired for some reason. . I didn't even drink hot chocolate (my anti-footbag thing) ! Oh yeah and I have a whole mess of work. . Soo. This will be done tomorrow and I'll send out an entry tomorrow when and if I get any of it done.

Infinities
lots of butterflies on both sides in strings (I'll remember them so I can list)
Flip pixie stuff
Work on my dimwalk
HIT MAGELLAN (I need it)
Spinning mirage
I really need to buckle down and start working on conseq clippers. I'll post what my highest is tomorrow when I find what it is. .

Until then. If none of you have heard of a band called Zox I recommend it. Not for footbag. Just listen. It's reggae, punk, and classical music with a violin. . Man it's the weirdest thing ever. And pretty damn good. For footbag, listen to Cyprus Hill, DJ Shadow, and Snoop. . Flogging Molly gets me in the mood too. But I don't listen to it while I play. I just picture myself shredding to it. I usually get "stoked" to play just by picturing myself doing insane stuff.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 05 Dec 2004 15:54

paradox legover bsos
5 alternating clippers
29 strong clippers
pdx refraction > pdx refraction > pdx refraction
footed pixie osis
I have a butterfly drill that I did. Butterfly > pickup rpt. This'll help my flip pickup as well. That's always good.

new spinning outside jambaree is up to 6. Maybe 7. I dont' know. I was kind of dizzy.

By the time I remembered I should try pdx drifter I was too tired and slow. So I'll try later.
oh and did I mention my double atw is back in action? Oh yes.

This was done to eminem blasting by some fat basketball player on the other side of the gym so in all fairness I think my concentration was ok. I wasn't too pissed off enough to care and at least there was a beat. I haven't played to music in so long.

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 08 Dec 2004 17:29

forced myself to skool today for an hour. I should have gone for my usual hour and a half but I just couldn't. I pushed it too hard in the beginning and wasn't really warming up as I was just shredding. I can't really call it successful shredding either. I didn't hit any of the strings I wanted to hit. Want to see 'em?

My favorite

- butterfly > ss pickup > legover > butterfly > whirl > paradox mirage > osis . . . . that then I just add in whatever I think I can without dropping it. I came up with this one when I hit whirl to a paradox mirage and it felt mighty fine.

butterfly > osis > osis > mirage > osis > bubba . . I like bubba.

butterfly > ss pickup > butterfly > guay > butterfly > mirage

Those are my fun shred strings. I've only hit the last two once though. I sucked today. But I think I'm slightly improving so that's good. And I'm pretty sure (to give myself more credit) I can say I started freestyle about 6 months ago. I figure I was doing jesters the other 6 months and an occasional outside stall. . . Not freestyle if you ask me. At least not how I was playing. Personally, I'm relatively happy with how I've progressed since I met the rochester footsackbagg champions.

more to come as I skool tomorrow (hopefully for the full time)

steeban · Post by **steeban** » 08 Dec 2004 20:21

Darkshredder wrote: Personally, I'm relatively happy with how I've progressed since I met the rochester footsackbagg champions.

ROCHESTER FOOTSACKBAGG CHAMPIONS 4 LIFE!!!!!!!!

where'd the steppin go pat?

mc · Post by mc » 10 Dec 2004 11:59

ummmmmmmm.... it's LEGBALL CAPTAIN!!! duh

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 10 Dec 2004 16:16

k so a few hours of shred today with some rochester legball twisters. I wasn't doing anything new and I wasn't doing anything basic for me. So I was pretty much trying to show the control that I'm hoping to be gaining from all this ridiculous skooling I do alone now. Good to be back in a circle again though even though I once again felt I was just taking up space. But all is good and I footed paradon twice. Got a lot of props for even attempting it. Too bad I didn't hit it for them. That would've been pleasing. Summary? Descent for shred and had two or three good runs. Toe drifter wasn't working today. . . aww

We recorded a lot of runs on tape so we can post a nice video. . Without me in it. I lost all that I had as soon as the lights shown on me and that little red light turned on. So apparently I'll need to get used to being filmed before I show my skill to EVERYONE. because um. . yeah I really really sucked. Couldn't hit a mirage. yeah.

Should have some fun adventures to tell when I go home and shred/circle kick with some of my homeboys back in Syracuse. .

Darkshredder · Post by **Darkshredder** » 13 Dec 2004 16:53

music-less shred session with steve today. Hit pendulus mirage and pendulus butterfly. . After finding what they are. Spun into a clipper twice and came pretty close a few times to spinning butterfly. I also did a an osis > inspinning toe which was krazy. Paradon attempts were very wrong today and I was displeased. Pixie was okay today. Hit smear twice and footed smudge twice. Then it went away. Flip pixie is still a flip pixie. Kind of forgot to try magellan. I was like, "Okay. I remember. Magellan." butterfly > pickup > mirage > mirage > illusion > legover > osis. . . . oh what was I going to do?

And thus was the session. It was fun. Stepping set is coming. . Not along but it's there. I just don't know where it is. Jersey probably. Hangin' with those damn merchant sailors. . . bloody pirates the lot of them.

Last shred session with someone better than me for a while so I'll have to just push aside my couch in my basement back home and skool like nutz so I can come back and show the gang some spinning and pixie stuff. Video is coming. I just need to get a firewire port. Got the cable. Need the port.

Then EVERYONE can give me advice!

Frozen Philly on the horizon and not getting any farther away. Funfun.