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10 lessons to make you a better player
Lesson 1 – Be in Your Body
Breath, posture, a lucid mind (think in terms of action, not words), balance and body positioning, and a combination of grace and strength are all part of how you interact with the footbag. The more aware and at ease with this internal relation, the better you will play. Unfortunately, you will have days when something is out of balance, and your game won’t feel right- you may be tired, stressed, dehydrated, sore, etc. When this happens try not to get too frustrated and just take it easy that day. However, when everything lines up you will experience the greatest feeling, and will likely hit all kinds of new stuff- these days are what keep us playing for years- there’s nothing like playing your best.
Lesson 2 – You are Your Best Teacher
No matter how much advice people give you, only YOU can teach yourself. When you take responsibility for your own progress, you will maximize results. However, there are such things as influence and inspiration, which are affected greatly by videos and trick tips. Study videos frame-by-frame to breakdown each step of a move: watch the support leg, watch the arms and upper body positioning, watch the eyes, watch the rhythm, and so on. You don’t want to copy people, but chances are you can learn more about what you’re doing wrong by watching those who have already gone through the same mistakes. Plus, you can have a well-rounded game by studying numerous players.
Lesson 3 – Learn Everything
There are hundreds, even thousands of freestyle moves at your doorstep, and each move acts as a multiplier– not only in the sense of combos, but also in the process of learning moves. For example, the more you practice Clipper stall, the better your Osis, AND the more you practice Osis, the better your Clipper stall. The same applies to bigger moves like Whirl and Whirl Swirl, except with bigger moves you need to know more and more components, which is where the multiplier effect becomes even more encompassing. After a year or two, your trick vocabulary will become an intricate web– everything is connected and affective. Also, let me clarify now that when I say “learning moves”, I mean that even if you can hit something 10 in 10 tries, there is always room for improvement. Mastery is an ongoing process.
Lesson 4 – Form is Essential
Generally speaking, form means control. Playing sloppy and missing dexes are associated with bad form, while good posture and smooth movements are associated with good form. If you want good form, take your time learning the basics. If you skip ahead before you’re ready, you will spend most of your session missing tricks and developing bad habits, which can be very hard to break. My advice is to evaluate your style honestly, without ego. If you are content with your game and think you are on the right path, then great, but if you feel like there is room for improvement, here’s positive solution.
Next time you practice, try to identify what you are missing. Ask yourself questions that may uncover your flaws. Are you putting too much mental and physical effort into certain moves? Have you neglected any basics or something in the foundation? Perhaps one side is stronger than the other for some moves. Can your dexes be cleaner? Are your sets effortless? Are you hitting the same thing over and over? It’s not really fun to criticize yourself, but it’s the best way to take the initiative necessary to make a major change for the better.
Now, take a step back, appreciate what you have accomplished and that you are still only getting started, then write yourself a plan of action. Note which moves you want to improve and how. Also keep in mind that you can’t force yourself to improve or play smoother– you must give-in to your goal– patience is key, and progress is gradual, practice accordingly.
Lesson 5 – Visualize
When learning moves, go through the motion without the bag. Slow it down in your mind and visualize, *really feel* all elements of the move, most importantly the timing. You can practice this in stillness with your eyes closed, such as when going to sleep, or you can physically mime the moves, called “shadow-kicking”.
Lesson 6 – The Magic Hop
The magic hop is a concept of proper Stall technique. Obviously you catch the bag and release it, but these are not separate, rather a continuous motion. On the stall, your support leg should land in unison with the catch, which means there should be a small jump leading into it. Although you could just freeze the stall, most of the time you will want to continue into the next move, and so you should smoothly transition back up to the release. Then with the release there’s another small jump, or follow-through. When you land, the bag is at or near its peak, and so you flow into the initial small jump to put yourself in position for the next stall.
Think of stalling as a cycle of momentum, no beginning, no end: down > up > follow- through > reposition, repeat. If you use a sandbag, you may have the tendency to let the bag do the stall for you, which is very bad for your form. Remember, there are no shortcuts, so make sure YOU are doing the work.
Lesson 7 – Avoid Habits
The most common habit in footbag is to start your run the same way every time. While this may not seem bad, you may develop a few weaknesses. For example, I see a lot of players “start cold”. Often when a player’s first trick is from a Pixie set, he will put his heel on the ground (with the bag on his toe) and take an extra second to gain composure. I think this is a bad habit because you grow dependant on starting this way, and will likely have a harder time hitting this kind of move mid-combo. Instead, start your run with a few kicks to find your rhythm, then flow into your first move, but even then change-up the way you start. The point is to be flexible, able to adapt.
Lesson 8 – Learn it the Hard Way
For many moves, there is an easy way and a hard way. Don’t cheat yourself; always learn the hard way. While hitting moves the easy way isn’t actually cheating, it hinders your development to a significant extent. For example, when you learn Far Mirage, don’t plant the set foot– not planting may be more difficult at first, but will help strengthen your style and help you in the long run. When you move to the harder Foundation moves, like Torque, DLO, Drifter, Whirl, etc. by all means use the help of uptime. But don’t stop there. It is very important to be versatile with every move, and the best way to do this is by minimizing the amount of time and effort for each move. In other words, practice all Foundation moves Downtime as well as Uptime.
Lesson 9 – The Influence of Style
Everyone has his favorite players. Some like the fluid style of Lon Smith, while others prefer the precision of Ales Zelinka. Though these are two extremes, no two styles are the same. A player’s style is made of two things: execution and vocabulary, or in other words, the moves he hits and how he hits them. As you progress, your style will develop by itself. However, watching videos of your favorite players can have a significant impact/influence on both aspects of your style. Lesson 10 – Go to Tournaments!
The best thing you can do for yourself and for the sport is to go to tournaments. Kicking with other players, whether at your level or above, is very inspiring, and getting to know the people in footbag is part of what makes the sport so cool. Also, depending on the size of the tournament, you may find yourself in a circle with your idols- something completely unattainable in most sports.
A word of advice, many people make the mistake of overplaying on the first day. Pace yourself. If it’s a two-day event, don’t push yourself beyond the 2-3 hour mark (you know your stamina best) on the first day, and be sure to stretch and drink plenty of water. If it’s a several-day event, be sure to get enough sleep each night and be mindful of your body every day.
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