Busted Bootflog

Keep a diary of what you're hitting, what's frustrating you, and your goals.
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Busted Bootflog

Post by busted » 15 Oct 2005 07:34

Today, the first day of my footblog, I tried SMOG about 23,000 times and came close quite a few times. Hopefully, I will get it next time since my muscles will be ready for me.

SWIRL is coming along nicely, I think I will be able to use it in runs soon.

Hopefully my knees will keep on keeping on.
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Post by busted » 17 Oct 2005 10:21

Today:

PARADOX DLO, weak side, first time!
SMOG, strong side, first time!
SMOG, weak side, first time!

Nice run:
SWIRL (weak) ->INFINITY->SWIRL (strong)

So what did I learn today?

SMOG requires more control than either speed or power. My body/mind is inclined to assume that more dexes means more effort, but this doesn't seem to be the primary factor a lot of the time. The SMOGS I hit were rather small (bag up to thigh), but very tight pixie and efficient DLO.

The main problem that I seem to always have is what I call LIMP LEG... the last legover dex always seems to lag, as if my body doesn't have the right momentum. My current hypothesis is that limp leg is simply a flaw of the brain... the unnatural (flip) side wants to stay on the ground, for no other reason than it isn't the GO leg. So the answer is mental.

As for getting SWIRL into a drill I think I cranked my ankles more than usual and I should continue to do this.

So that's the DeaL-e-O.
-David
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October 26th, 2005

Post by busted » 26 Oct 2005 08:19

So after practicing SMOG/FOG for a week with no luck, I hit SMOG again to day in the shred circle. I was quite happy about this because my young friend Klemens hit ATOMIC DLO today, and literally, he couldn't hit DLO last week. Klemens is quite good and I enjoy playing with him because our skills are pretty evenly matched. I've always had the pleasure of kicking with people who are much better than me (i.e. I blew), but it's not really the case here in Graz. So... at least for now, we are pretty evenly matched. Of course, I am 30 and he's 19, so I know the sign on the accelerations will soon be opposite. :(

Anywho...

Today I hit WHIRLING SWIRL. I enjoyed hitting it because as every old school bootflogger knows, it took Ken Schultz about a gazillion times to hit it twice (c.f. Tricks O' the Trade). WHIRLING SWIRL was one of the harder moves he hit in that video, so at least for me, if not the entire newschool it-ain't-cool-unless-there's-two-uptime-dexes-and-two-downtime-dexes-with-a-paradox-or-alpine-thrown-in-for-good-measure footbag community, I was satisfied.

A final noteworthy point... I've decided to ditch FAR LEGOVER for good and replace it with PARADOX MIRAGE. Of course I can hit the latter trick on command but for some reason I was reliant on FAR LEGOVER. I beleive I can now play guiltless without really adversely affecting my string length. I think it's also good to throw more PARADOX concepts into my runs. However, I have the idea that PARADOX MIRAGE may not be the best move to hit if you want to hit harder PARADOX tricks, because it's so easy that you can afford a lot of slop and still get away with a clean dex. PARADOX DLO sure ain't like that, at least not yet. I should add that I don't disrespect FAR LEGOVER. It was a crucial move in increasing my run length for a long time and I would recommend that starting intermediate players use it for a long time.

That's all for now.
-David
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Post by dazza » 26 Oct 2005 12:54

Nice blog ! i like it when people take their time to analyze their game,
i always learn something, when peeps share their experience .

How long do you play and what runs are you hitting...?
Waiting to hear more...

Just one thing : pls put your full name in your sinature and update your
profile, so that we know where your from :idea:
EASYKINKI

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Post by busted » 27 Oct 2005 09:12

Howdy NuR!

Signature and location issues dealt with.

I see that we are not far away from each other at this point.

I've been playing footbag for about 5 years. Basically, the first three years were devoted to learning clipper and basic moves. Additionally, there was a wrong turn involving a temporary female situation and this didn't help my game so much.

Something great happened when I started my PhD at Columbia University two years ago... I started shredding with Xander Faber and Matt Isanuk. They were (and still are) much better than me and patient as all hell, so I would say that I didn't really start playing well until about two years ago, at which point I decided to learn what I term FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS. This is a different idea than JOBs notation or ADDs, basically I just wanted to learn all these different ideas like pixie, quantum, DLO, stepping, drifter, swirl, spinning, etc. Because I could see that most moves are simply combinations and permutations of these more fundamental concepts (at least on paper). So I set out to accomplish this, all the while trying to a keep a reasonable run length and still learning moves. So on occasion I would try stuff that was way to too hard for me just to keep interested, but that was the exception. Most of the time it was straight ahead, new school, fundamental footbag, with the help of Matt and Xander (it should be noted that these my two SHRED TEACHERS are 10 and 5 years younger than me, respectively!)

So two years later, with the exception of spinning clipper, I have most of the fundamental concepts down. There are a few things I don't do based on considered thought about injury: fairie, symposium, pixie ducking, etc.

So to answer your question, what do my runs look like?

Lots of pixie, stepping, butterfly, osis, DLOs, double switch overs, whirls, drifters, etc. All the moves I hit are at least three adds (see previous post). With a smattering of 4 adds. (dimwalk, ripwalk, parkwalk, blur, stepping butterfly, torque, etc.) I love DIVING and DUCKING. Much of the threes I do are based on my appreciation of toe work. I think there's such a strong bias against a good toe game, but that's the subject of another post all its own. An example of toe work I'd hit:

MAGELLAN->SMEAR->PIXIE LEGOVER->SMEAR->MAGELLEN (repeat).

I'm trying to replace the PIXIE LEGOVER with DOUBLE SWITCH.

Finally, where is my game at now? Excepting a few FUNDAMENTAL CONCEPTS that are still eluding me (swirl is unreliable, spinning) I'm starting to double dex (paradon, double switch), and combine moves.
I'm also working on moves that I can't hit with a high percentage (some being 0%): BARRAGE, SMOG, BLENDER, PARADOX DLO, weak side ATOMIC, etc.

Of course there are a bunch of harder moves that I have once or twice, but I don't count those because I'm not really incorporating them into my game yet.

Kind Regards,
-David
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Following the challenges on NuR's challenge list.

Post by busted » 30 Oct 2005 10:42

I was enspired by the challenge list of NuR, and so I set out to practice some of those strings. What did I learn?

1. My ATOMIC needs more work.
2. Also, that I've been very close minded when it comes to ATOMIC and QUANTUM. I've had a really good QUANTUM for about a year now but all I do is TOE BLUR and QUANTUM BUTTERFLY. I see now that all my PIXIE stuff is easily extended to the QUANTUM concept. Sometimes I am very short sided.
3. Looking at other people's ideas is a great way to
a. get out of a rut
b. avoid repetive injuries
c. practice weakside (at least with combos).

New moves:
QUANTUM ss LEGOVER
QUANTUM ss MIRAGE

Todays fun combos:
-------------------------
DIVING BUTTERFLY repeat

OSIS (10x repeat)

BLUR-> DIMWALK repeat... I was very happy because the weak blur was in the middle of the run.


DOUBLE SWITCHOVER -> repeat (dropped on a very close 4th!)

RIPWALK-> repeat

OSIS-> DUCKING CLIPPER bs (duh, now I see that OSIS->DIVING CLIPPER coul be repeated...)

DIMWALK -> PDX MIRAGE repeat


Regards,
-David

PS Much props to hackrifice.com for the extremely comprehensive move list. Much props to NuR and those who posted good ideas (other than myself 8) ).
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Heute mit Larni.

Post by busted » 01 Nov 2005 11:14

Today was an O.K. shred. I kicked with Larni. I showed him the ropes with OSIS, which was enjoyable. It's a new thing for me to teacher and not the student. Of course, I will always be a student as well...

It's an interesting situation teaching a trick to someone, knowing full well how long it will take to really get it down. I think of CLIPPER and OSIS as being the all-time hardest tricks to learn reliably. To show someone how to do an OSIS implies that you know how far they will have to go. So it's a mix of enjoying the act of imparting knowledge with the frustration of the emotional transference that must take place to be in the shoes of the learner (and thus teach him/her well). I.e. I again feel the two solid years it's taken me to hit OSIS smoothly.

Apropos, I hit my record number of OSIS b2b today. 16. Swell.

Additionally, I hit the challenge for myself that I posted in my last blog update: DIVING CLIPPER->OSIS repeat.

I've decided DIVING CLIPPER may be the coolest 3add move. I use my entire body to get the movement right and be stylee. I beleive there is a segment of LION'S DEN where LON SMITH does a couple of these b2b, hands all wavin' around, and I thought it was the sweetest ever! (Of course, my knowledge was limited at the time so it's possible he was hitting a harder variation.) Well, today I discovered it for myself, and they are definitely going into my regular shred... you can count on that.

Other things I've noted:

I think that learning ATOMIC has wacked my QUANTUM pretty good. I couldn't hit it today for the life of me, and they used to be perfect! I've observed this before, when I started learning TORQUE. I noticed that my STEPPING SETS went to shit, and vice versa. But I've worked on both enough to have the two concepts etch out seperate network paths in my brain now.

I hit weak side ATOMIC TAP today. Totally satisfying because it was my first weakside ATOMIC move ever. Of note is the fact that I figured out strongside ATOMIC in late JULY. I guess that 3 months represents the longest discrepancy of any sided issue for me. I'm not too worried though because here's another idea...

One can think of moves along a spectrum... those that take a long time of trial error to learn but once you figure it out, you basically own it. On the other side of the spectrum are those moves which are relatively simple to hit but take forever to master.
For example, I tried ATOMIC for months before figuring out I just had to jump sideways over it with my thigh (instead of being all leggy.) Once I figured it out, boom, I basically had the move. On the other hand, there is OSIS, which I am just starting to feel mastery over (2+ years later). I could hit it on the first session I tried it, but man-o-man. So I guess that's another way to organize tricks.

Other notables from today:
PDX MIRAGE -> DOUBLE SWITCH, both sides.
TOE WHIRL -> ss WHIRL, both sides.
schooled clipper set DLOS,
hit another PDX DLO.

Regards,
-David
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Post by Misanuk » 06 Nov 2005 18:00

Hey David,

Sounds like your game is progressing really well. Your combos like PARADOX MIRAGE > DOUBLE SWITCHOVER and BLUR > DIMWALK are really impressive. I also like that you're expanded your variety by combining the uptime and downtime components you know you can hit (like QUANTUM SS MIRAGE or SMOG). The DIVING CLIPPER > OSIS is a really sweet combo.

Also wanted to say that I really enjoy reading your this blog thing. Your analytical approach to the game is missed back at Columbia. Xander and I were both dropping lots of Paradox DLOs one session and I could only think of your limp leg theory, and it actually helped somewhat to put more effort into the jump off the second leg for the second dex.

To give a quick recap of the nyc uptown scene, we've been kicking about 2-3 times a week still, which isn't too bad. I've been working a lot on my flipside game, and my flip STEPPING, PIXIE (finally!), DLOs, DRIFTERS, and TORQUES are all getting much stronger. Flip BLENDER, WHIRL, SWIRL, and EGGBEATER are still pretty miserable. Other highlights for me recently has been hitting SPINNING SWIRL with decent consistency, hitting FOG bsos for the first time, and coming really close to SWIFTER (drifter swirl). Xander's clipper game has been really strong lately, and he's hitting lots of hard combos with 4 and 5 add moves such as TORQUE > PARADOX BLENDER > TORQUE bsos or SPINNING WHIRL > RIPWALK bsos. His runs have been averaging 15 contacts or so when he's going for length.

Anyway, just wanted to send some greetings on this forum, and let you know that I enjoy reading this. By the by, I just confirmed that I'm definitely studying abroad in Prague, will be arriving Jan. 30th. Peace.

-Matt

P.S. Some Combo and Move Suggestions:

1. DUCKING CLIPPER > WHIRL [rpt]
2. TOE WHIRL > PARADOX ILLUSION (i find this difficult)
3. TAPPING PICKUP
4. PIXIE CLIPPER > STEPPING CLIPPER > PARADOX MIRAGE [rpt]
5. SPINNING CLIPPER > RIPWALK
6. PIXIE EGGBEATER (?)
7. TAPDOWN (tapping butterfly)
8. BUTTERFLY SWIRL

alright, I think that's enough for now.
Matt Isanuk

Columbia Footbag Triumvirate

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MATT!!!

Post by busted » 08 Nov 2005 00:31

@matt -
Hey homes! Glad you could make it the party. Glad to hear you are working on flipside: ...the worst. I think that flip is even harder than simply being the awkward side: by the time one is really working flip, then one's mind/body has to deal with the fact that it already knows the trick from the other side. So if any part of the move is "borrowed" from the strong side, it could turn out funny because the timing is off.
I'll add your challenges to my challenge page, which is yet to be created. Thanks for the options. Here's for you:
RIP WARRIOR -> BLENDER -> PDX DRIFTER
BLENDER -> (rpt) (I think Xander hit 6 in a row once).
ATOMIC DLO -> DIVING BUTTERFLY -> PDX DLO
ATOM SMASHER -> TOE BLUR -> TOE BLUR -> ATOM SMASHER (repeat?)
PARADON->BARFLY->BAROQUE
and if the last isn't hard enough...
PARADON->BARFLY->BAROQUE->REAPER->DOUBLE SWITCH (repeat!) should get both sides!? :twisted: :evil:

FOG bsos is killer! SWIFTER seems great, though I've never tried it. I can't remember if you can hit PIXIE SWIRL (same foot, different side, not sure nomenclature is correct.) What the heck was Xander trying to hit a few months ago?... TOE DRIFTER SWIRL... that's of that some crazy stuff. Of course you are both shredding like madmen.
So we'll have to definitely organize a shred (informal) when you get here. Perhaps we can both go to Vienna, where the shred is good and the distance is more mutual. And of course there is WORLDS this summer! We'll be in touch!

@me-
As for today, not to much to add except:
PARADOX WHIRL, both sides a few times.

This is really encouraging news becaues it felt like the PDX WHIRLs are here to stay. I've tried them intermittently over the last 6 months, with little success. But I've been working other whirls like (ss) TOE, (far?) TOE, sometimes a PIXIE WHIRL etc. Today I built up to the paradox by:

WHIRL
(ss) TOE WHIRL
(far) TOE WHIRL
PDX WHIRL

and WIRKED! It felt doable and repeatable. After the move my body was definitely not "genuine" (I couldn't have hit a genuine move) but that will come with practice. Everyone says that WHIRL is the key to the advanced level of play, so hopefully I'm (slowly) on my way.

Finally, I hit DIVING CLIPPER->OSIS repeat again and worked on the DIVING CLIPPER flipside. I think that's a great practice move for flipside because you have to
1. Work on getting your set straight and high.
2. Get the body motion correct, which involves important hip swivel and arm balancing... exactly the kinds of things that usually go wrong on flipside.

-David

PS Maybe I'll be able to hit DATW next session.
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Post by Paul Agostinelli » 08 Nov 2005 00:41

wasnt it whirring swirl that kenny hit for the first time in tricks of the trade?

~NEL~

and i will definately be reading this blog!
Precisely Mos Eisley

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Post by busted » 08 Nov 2005 01:06

@NEL-

Offhand, I don't actually know the answer to your question. I gave my copy of "Tricks of the Trade" to some kid on the streets of New York City a few years ago. So instead of watching the video I searched around the web because my intuition told me that Ken Shults wasn't hitting that kind of move in TotT1. I couldn't find a single move list of either TotT1 or TotT2, but I did find this tidbit:

On flipsider, at the URL listed:

http://www.flipsider.com/media/massive/03.htm

WhiRRing Swirl [6.2 MB, DivX] [Invention shown]
Tech name: Double Whirling Swirl.
Story: Yep, still doing it. Kenny Shults invented this knee-breaker in 2002 at the Funtastik tournament. Hail the Chief for bringing this dream move to reality! Footage courtesy of "Tricks of the Trade 2".

So I think we can say that if this info is correct, than WHIRRING SWIRL was not the move I remember from TotT1, and that my story still holds, in the absence of other evidence.

Regards!
-David
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UPTIME / DOWNTIME

Post by busted » 12 Nov 2005 07:32

I haven't kicked in roughly a week because my darned knees. Well it's not my knees, it's JUST BELOW my knee, IN FRONT. Some people call this shin splints, and some people call shin splints something that happens on the inside of the shin down along the middle of the lower leg. So I don't know what it is. Anyway, it feels like something is getting crunched up in there. But, like everything, with experience comes a measure of control. I've had this particular problem for so long now, I know what I must do to contain it (even it I can't control it), when I should take it easy, and long I should rest when it acts up. And of course calf stretches.

But the key point is that I'm feeling much better so shred on!

Today I was inspired to school my TORQUES, but as I started I realized I have the world's crispiest TORQUES and so why not learn them downtime? Then I thought about my DRIFTERS, which are uptime as well. Then I thought about my clipper set DLOS and these have been generally uptime. So I practiced all of these moves downtime with some success.

I didn't have the best session but I did hit a bunch of
* down time clipper set DLOS (not new)
* a few down time DRIFTERS (very new)
Downtime TORQUE was essentially a disaster. I think I understand why, and it'll take some practice to get, but no worries.

So the question is why are downtime concepts typically learned after uptime concepts? I don't think they are particularly harder, but the timing is very different. So here is my stab at an answer. I think that newbies and early intermediates equate harder moves with more power. HARDER => BIGGER. BETTER. FASTER. That was definitely true in my case, at least. Heck, I was hitting QUANTUM LEGOVER and calling it a DLO before I could ever hit a true downtime DLO! :) So I think that uptime moves are natural for beginners because it's unintuitive to wait on a move. To be fair that's not the entire story because downtime dexes must also be more precise since the stall comes immediately and there is no time to chase a funny set.

Of course the more footbag I play the more I realize that a good set counts just as much as any force or power on a move. The reason why is that a tight set means one doesn't have to work as hard to perform the dex, so sets and dexs have this oppositional nature. Of course, truly difficult moves require a perfect set and real speed and power.

One final thing that I've noticed about uptime vs. downtime is that for a given move (e.g. clipper set DLO) the two ways of attempting a move mean setting with different legs. With uptime, you immediately attack with one leg. With downtime, for the exact same move and the exact same side, one waits a moment and then attacks with other leg on the jump. So a major point is that if you have trouble with uptime on one side, then you'll probably be good downtime on that side because it's the same leg! Said differently, since most people have a power leg, it usually implies that one side will be good at uptime and the other downtime, since it's the same power leg jumping in both cases.

Regards,
-David
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I've better sessions, but I've also had worse.

Post by busted » 14 Nov 2005 13:07

So I kicked with the fellows tonight. It was OK. We need to find a better place to kick because the surface is essentially concrete with a tiny scrape of rubber placed over it. I've had less pain shredding in the middle of a campfire. Elizabethheim is the name, damaged knees is her game. :cry:

One thing I haven't pointed out yet is that I'm 6' 4'', 200 lbs, (193cm, 91kg) which really affects the way I can play the game. Maybe I should look into these NB shoes that some people keep talking about. (Anyone with endorsements, please post!) I read the shoe part of the forum but I only took from it ambiguous and contrary opinions, and always much modification necessary. I'd give it a try if I had a strong endorsement.

Everything is really a downer when you aren't feeling 100%.

Well, I hit PDX WHIRL both sides, for for the boys. Also
* DIMWALK>BLUR repeat, which was nice. (though kicked last stall).
* MAGELLEN->DOUBLE SWITCH, both sides.
* QUANTUM BUTTERFLY>run, both sides.
* WHIRL>OSIS repeat.

I think what's happening is that I'm trying to expand my game so much that my run length is really dropping. I think this OK for now because I feel pretty confident with what I can shred normally. I just have to make sure I don't spread myselft too thin with the new moves because then I won't learn very fast and I'll get frustrated. But since I'm shredding by myself so much, learning new moves and focusing on new concepts is probaby a good use of the solo-time.

To refocus myself I am working on:
* DOWNTIME (clipper DLOs, DRIFTERS, TORQUES) all of which I can hit uptime.
* ATOMIC (tapping, butterfly, etc.)
* SWIRL
* QUANTUM (maintaining what I already have and developing more).
* PARADOX (DLO, super tight PDX MIRAGE again and again, WHIRL).

I will stick with this content, which is still a lot. The thing is that I beleive it makes sense to work on a couple of concepts at once so that one does not get repetative stress injury, or repetative boredom/frustration injury. On the other hand I must be sure not to spread myself too thin.

That's the haps from Graz.
-David
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Post by busted » 17 Nov 2005 11:14

Today I had a solo session and I felt GREAT! Like Tony the Tiger. Really. Tonight was probaby the first time that my (just below the) knees (area) felt good since I've been in Austria.

I stuck to my plan and only practitced a subset of things that was listed in the last blog entry.

I figured out downtime (DT) DRIFTER. I don't think is really much to it then to remember that it's a small move and turn your body. I did not, however, try DT TORQUE tonight, so that could be why my DRIFTER was so successful... no bigger trick to make me work harder, and screw everything up.

I also had plenty of success with clipper set (CS) DT DLO and I even hit a few PDX DLOS. I was stoked and think I figured out PDX DLO. Aside from having 3 components, i.e. the set must always be great, I realized that you have to ATTACK the bag after the paradox movement. And I mean it. Attact the bag, as in with an exclamation mark, as in even move towards the bag some! What does this do? It avoids LIMP LEG!!! The more the planting leg jumps the more momentum it will have and the less limp leg you'll have. So yes, LIMP LEG is in the mind, but it's based on not attacking with the planting foot, and this is typically a sided problem because most people have a power leg. Mystery solved. 8)

I hit MAGELLEN>DOULBE SWITCHOVER repeat! I tried it many times and kick on the last trick, but I finally got it and it was quite pleasing. I think this is a good drill because a PIXIE is all that much harder for having two downtime dexes before it, and the (absolutely necessary) straight set for the DOUBLE SWITCH is harder because of the legover.

I hit a few PDX WHIRLS.
I hit ATOMIC BUTTERFLY (flip), for the first time.
SWIRL->BUTTERFLY (bs).

One problem that I've identified, and it's really noticeable for SWIRL, PDX DLO, and PDX WHIRL, is that I my balance is different for my two clippers. On one side, I lean over the bag, and on the other side I kind of lean away from the bag. I don't have an explanation for this except maybe my hips are more flexible one way. :?: This is something I'll have to monitor and figure out.

That's the haps. -David
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Post by Pascal » 19 Nov 2005 21:03

David!

So glad to see you are writing a blog on here. I really like your approach to the game and I've always found your commentary to be helpful.

Since I last saw you in NYC I've still been playing, though not as much. I've worked alot on my flipside and I'm gradually learning more concepts. I've made it to a couple of events in the northeast, which have been really fun, but with infrequent play I find myself getting injured alot more. It's frustrating because I also play ice hockey three times a week but that has never resulted in anything bad (well, not yet! knock on wood).

I hope you are enjoying your stay in Austria (apart from the footbag). I look forward to more blog entries.

-Pascal

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Pascal

Post by busted » 20 Nov 2005 00:25

Hi Pascal,

Thanks for writing to the blog. I saw a post by some dude named Pascal and I was like, that's BLAZE! :D .

:P Good to hear that your game is improving. Just remember that once you can truly rely on your CLIPPERs an entirely new game opens up to you.

:x Bad to hear that it sounds like you are bothered by injuries. I know the feeling, as I'm currently suffering though a bit of doubt about my game due to repetative stress injury.

A few basics that I can suggest to you are:
* make sure your shoes are relatively new
* make sure you have comfortable insoles inserted
* never kick on concrete, always try to kick on wooden gym floors
* take awhile to warm up before hitting anything too hard i.e. you should be sweating BEFORE you go for that BLENDER or PS WHIRL.
* warm up with drills so that your body has a chance to remember whatever 'proper' form it may have.
* always stretch, especially the calves and hamstrings and lower back. These appear to be major problem areas for footbag players. I stretch both before and after playing. Btw, stretching doens't mean bending over for three seconds and grabbing your toes...
* avoid footbag concepts that you think are actively hurting you (I tend to avoid SYMPOSIUM, for example).
* pass the bag after a few drops of unsuccessfully hitting a trick (some say ONE but not me... an entirely seperate topic!) If you can't hit a trick by the third attempt then your body is probably too tired anyways and you need to give it a chance to reset. Too tired => bad form => painful knees.
* mix up your game so that you distribute the stress of footbag among as many different joints of your body as possible (i.e. too much stepping makes my shins hurt, too many pixies makes my hip hurt).
* play both sided for the same reasons.
* if you are hurt, don't play. If you do decide to play through pain it should be a famaliar pain that you understand very well.
* supposedly there are shoes that have more support... the New Balance CT300 and CT520s. Although they require heavy modification, perhaps they are better for players as large as us. I'm seriously considering trying a pair of the CT520s.
* I know this sounds weird, but if do find yourself injury free for awhile (say > 2 months), try not to change anything! In the absense of understanding let superstition suffice! That's how things were done back in the old'en days, and I see no reason to beleive we aren't currently in the "old'en" days of footbag right now.

I have been trying to play every other day but I haven't been able to keep even up with this level of play do to pain in my (just below the) knees (area). Granted many things have changed for me since I'm now on a different continent.

I keep having a very worrying thought, which I'm interested in others people's input here:

I'm 6'4'', 200lbs 30 years old (193cm 91kg) and I'm just starting to "get good" at footbag. Most moves at my level now require both legs, precise sets, large jumps, etc.

What if my body simply cannot handle this more serious level of play?
In other words, the better I get, the more RPS injury I sustain!? :evil:


Good luck with the game PASCAL and let me know if you hit anything profound!
-David
David Sussillo
When the pain starts that's when you really notice the addiction.
David and Robin's Time in Austria
My footblog... a bootflog
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busted
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Post by busted » 21 Nov 2005 11:16

Nothing much to report after today's session. Still battling knee pain. But it's a new knee pain so I'm not so worried. I guess I'm trying to take it slow and follow the new stuff that people have given me for my challenges. I find even the easier ones to be quite hard because they are pushing my game in directions, precisely those directions that are uneven. :evil: :twisted:

I'm gonna get hip with som G Units then I'll be able to go whole hog again.

Anyways...

BLURRY WHIRL on one side, footed on the other.

Is it me, or does BLURRY WHIRL get the world's cheapest PARADOX dex? I say this even though I'm slurring the bag no more than I might for a good RIPWALK.

-David
David Sussillo
When the pain starts that's when you really notice the addiction.
David and Robin's Time in Austria
My footblog... a bootflog
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busted
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Post by busted » 25 Nov 2005 11:31

Well I'm still sticking to my theory that kicking the day after serious drinking leads to good sessions. I should note that my idea of serious drinking is taken from the American perspective and simply means that I have a strong headache the next day, not that I'm booting into the street gutter (something I've seen since my time here in Graz! Some dude projectile vomited from the middle of the sidewalk into the gutter! What a pro! :twisted: ). :wink: Anyways the idea is that drinking leads to a large glycogen buildup in your liver, so the next day you have tons of easily convertable energy for footbag. I think it's analogous to marathon runners who carbo-load the night before by eating a big pasta dinner. For my own experience the correlation is quite strong. Of course, I feel like crap warming up.

New moves for today:
TAPDOWN (ATOMIC SAME BUTTERFLY), both sides.
ATOM SMASHER, strong side.
BUTTERFLY SWIRL, on one side.

Hit:
SMOGs, SWIRLs, PDX DLOs.

Run:
SWIRL > BUTTERFLY [rpt]

It seems that I'm getting more and more confortable with SWIRL and ATOMIC, which are fundamental concepts that I've been working on for quite some time now.

-David
David Sussillo
When the pain starts that's when you really notice the addiction.
David and Robin's Time in Austria
My footblog... a bootflog
Challenge me

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Post by mr.alex » 26 Nov 2005 09:02

Hi David!
Props on your progression! Looks like your knee/ the thing below your knee is getting better! I guess I have a similar problem. I feel a pain at the end of the shin :?

Just wanted to say hi :wink:
Looking froward to see you in december :)
Alexander Trenner
footbag-vienna - feel the spirit

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Post by busted » 27 Nov 2005 08:58

- mr. alex - I have written a reply to you and the other members in the Vienna blog. Thanks for writing to my blog! :P

Today Klemens came over to my apartment and we cleared out the kitchen and living room and finally played on a forgiving floor. It's a woodfloor (parquet) with a parking lot underneath, so there is definitely some give to it.

It was nice to have Klemens over and we decided that one of the reasons our game isn't really terrific at the moment is because both of us have moved to Graz. As such, we are both kicking with new influences, and by ourselves a lot. In other words, he is definitely influencing my game and I am influencing his game. In the long run this is terrific but in the short run it's really quite difficult because string length falls drastically and it feels like one is continually skooling. I happen to be OK with this, for a few months. When the summer comes, I hope to consolidate all of my new gains into runs, when I can shred outside.

So today we skooled drills that we both found difficult:
(toe) BUTTERFLY > OSIS > PDX MIRAGE [rpt]
WHIRL > RIPWALK [rpt]
OSIS > RIPWALK [rpt]
DIMWALK > BLUR > (toe) DLO :twisted: I hit this both sides! :twisted:
PIXIE CLIPPER > STEPPING CLIPPER > PDX MIRAGE (strong side)

We briefly tried, but gave up due to knee pain and difficulty:
PDX WHIRL > RIPWALK > RIPWALK [rpt]

I easily hit:
SWIRL > BUTTERFLY [rpt]

Finally, Klemens came one drop away from (I was nowhere close):
RIPWALK > RIPWALK > OSIS [rpt].

Klemens pointed out that after my weak side WHIRL, I was flat footed and not prepared to hit the RIPWALK. After this, I hit it. :D

I felt like I did a good job skooling my weak BLUR today, which was nice.

Kind Regards,
-David
David Sussillo
When the pain starts that's when you really notice the addiction.
David and Robin's Time in Austria
My footblog... a bootflog
Challenge me

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