Footbag contains a wide range of unique and enjoyable events for any player to enjoy, whether it is the novice or the professional. Each type of competition has its own features and benefits, some attuned to a more social side of learning while others are for those wanting the skills they have attained to be shown off. Here is a beginners guide to all the major competitions hosted at most competitions:

Main Events:

Circle Competition

Circle is a very fun and enjoyable competition that everyone can use to relax and just have some fun. The circle competition requires 3-4 players minimum, arranged in the kicking order of beginner to the most highly ranked player. Circle competition has a few variations around the world, however the most used model revolves around a 2 round game.

The first round of circle is called the ‘density’ round. In this round, the main aim is to just hit as many different and unique tricks as you possibly can without dropping. Once you drop, you appropriately pass the bag over to the next player who will commence their run. In each round, you get 3 attempts to impress the judges with your skills. The only rule associated with this event is:

-       If you drop the bag before reaching 3 contacts, the player is given a second attempt or ‘passback’ (you must pass the bag to the player, usually it is good etiquette not to pick it up yourself for a passback). However, on the second attempt, any drops lead to the end of your turn and you must pass it onto the next player.

The second round of circle is called the ‘difficulty’ round. In this section, players must hit their hardest tricks and links. Each player is given a score for each of the 2 rounds. Usually, the highest placed person (sometimes 2^nd place as well) advance to the next stage of the competition.

Circle competition is a good way to relax and just play to your strengths. It is fun for all levels of players and doesn’t require any real preparation to compete in.

Below is an example of the circle competition:

Routines

Every sport, that has many variations in competition, always seem to have the decider, most important event that would crown the best of the world. In Footbag, the official event to achieve the ‘Champion’ title is from winning routines at the event. Routines are a very basic and easy competition to comprehend. It is very similar to a gymnastics rhythmic routine, where it revolves around roughly a 2-3 minute performance. Each performance is graded on difficulty, creativity and length. Difficulty is self-explanatory, creativity covers how ‘on beat’ you are to the music that you have chosen and the uniqueness of your routine, and length is just to ensure you don’t go over or under the time limit (you get penalized if you do). You get penalized for drops, which are usually the deciding factor between players of the same skill. Routines don’t require an extremely difficult performance to progress further at an event. Generally, the creative routines are seen to be the most impressive (even if it isn’t the winning routine). If you can’t hit too many difficult tricks, you can be creative and still achieve a good result for a routine. Showing off tricks that no one performs during a routine is a sure way to get a good score in creativity. In this way, even the most basic of players can come up with a routine and progress with it.

Below is one of the most creative routines I have seen (even if the difficulty isn’t world class) and is a routine you must watch before you die, enjoy a masterpiece:

(Note: This is a little over the top, but its very creative)

Shred 30

Shred 30 is a very unique and enjoyable event. In shred 30, you have 30 seconds to perform as many different tricks as you can. In Footbag, there is something called the ‘ADD system’; each trick has been assigned a number of ADD’s (this doesn’t mean a trick is more difficult if it has more ADD’s). Tricks that are given an ADD score of 3 or higher are considered ‘uniques’. Also, performing the same 3 or higher ADD trick on the opposite side is also considered ‘unique’. ‘Uniques’ are used as a multiplier to calculate your personal score for the event. However, once you perform a ‘unique’, it cannot be considered a ‘unique’ again. This means if you hit the same trick 30 times, for example pixie legover (open switch in the new naming system), you will only receive 2 ‘uniques’ (one unique on each side) that will be a multiplier. The only other rules is that a drop is considered a 0 add trick and is added to the score calculator as a contact, and in a female shred 30, 2 ADD tricks may be considered unique depending on the competition organizer. Once you ‘drop’, you simply pick the bag back up as quick as you can and start kicking again (you only have 30 seconds remember). Below is the formula for calculating a shred 30 score.

Shred30 score = ADDs*(1+(uniques/contacts))

This competition therefore revolves around precision and being both sided. In this competition, a drop isn’t as harmful as a routine, however it can damage the rhythm of the player. Shred 30 is a fun way to express how good you are at linking hard tricks, also it can be used as a tool to drilling in those links you want to.

Below is a example video of a shred 30 run:

Sick 3

A pretty self-explanatory competition, it revolves around linking you three most difficult tricks you can think of together. A player receives multiple attempts at hitting a safety and a main combination. The amount of attempts allowed for players varies between lots of competitions, but generally you get 3 attempts at your safety and 3 attempts at your main.

Other Events

Request Competition:

Request competition is very unique and relies on your skill at hitting a wide range of tricks and links. Usually, it is a competition of 15 or more rounds, each round consisting of two different links. To progress to the next round, you must hit one of the two combinations cleanly. You get three attempts at a combo each round and, if you fail all three attempts, you will be eliminated. The rounds will continue until one person is left standing. The last person standing is obviously the winner of the event. You may change which one of the links you want to hit during a round, meaning you don’t have to decide on one or the other.

Shred Battles

My personal favorite, shred battle competition is simply whoever is the last man standing wins. The only rule is you must play to your level. This ensures that a beginner could in fact beat an expert in this competition (This is probably why shred battles are not a part of the World Footbag Championship competition). However, shred battles are a fun way to settle an argument and a just generally fun.

Note: There are many other variations of Footbag competitions, some do not require any ‘tricks’ at all. For example two square/ 4 square and Footbag golf. Both of these events are exactly the same as normal two square and golf, but with a footbag.

Big thanks to our sponsors for helping out with the prizes:
Freedom Footbags
Fourkast Footbags
Bomb Footbags

This is the video everyone has been waiting for, as it reveals the winners of Event #2: the Luns.

The point of the contest was to see who could catch and set from unusual surfaces the best.

The placing of all the submissions is in order from last to first…… so ENJOY!!

Big thanks to our sponsors for helping out with the prizes:
Freedom Footbags
Fourkast Footbags
Bomb Footbags

And to the Judges for taking the time to judge all the submissions:
Milan Benda
Mark Monistere
Jeremy O’Wheel

And to Eric Chang for the video!

With money on the line, and first place in the Shred Global Season standings, 22 freestylers took to the challenge of having the best 3 trick combo, with the first and third trick being the same trick started on different feet. This video, shot in order from lowest point score to highest point score, shows how the competition panned out.

Enjoy! (And please leave comments on the youtube video as well as this page to show your support for events like this!!!!)

Name: Jorden Moir
Location: Canada
Site: http://www.jugglingequipment.com/blog/jorden-moir/

Hey all,

After watching countless hours of shred on YouTube and in person and seeing the same mistakes over and over and over, and hearing about the same people get injured over and over and over, I’ve decided to make this list.

From studying acrobatics, as well as dance and body mechanics for the past couple years, I feel I have a solid knowledge of how the body works. It’s never a good idea to undertake a sport without knowing how to execute the techniques properly. Footbag is certainly no exception. With no official manual outlining proper form, and with the average level getting higher and higher each year, it’s important to stop and think about what your body is doing. This is something that could effect you negatively in later years, yet few players take the time to really analyze their form.

For the first time, from a scientific/anatomical perspective, I present to you:

10 Most Common Style Mistakes

1. Hunching
WHAT: Sticking your butt out/slouching your shoulders/curving your spine forward/relaxing your stomach
WHY IT’S BAD: It’s probably the most common mistake, and ironically one of the most potentially devastating. Slack posture while playing can lead to major back problems, among other things.
HOW TO FIX: Keep your back as straight as possible while playing. Abs are flexed. Keep your chest high. Neck on top of your shoulders, not in front. Neck, shoulders and hips should form a straight line. Leaning slightly forward by bending at the waist to help see the bag is ok, but keep those abs flexed.

2. Flat Feet
WHAT: Sitting back on the heels/landing on the entire foot at once/pushing off with all parts of the sole
WHY IT’S BAD: Shin splints/calf pain/back pain/overworked thighs/the list goes on. Staying back on the heels puts loads of stress on the thighs and quads as they try to balance and stabilize you.
It’s a fight to keep from falling backwards constantly. Your leg muscles won’t develop in a helpful way for footbag either. Landing on the heels creates an impact shockwave that ripples throughout your entire body.
HOW TO FIX: Keep your weight FORWARD. Stay on the balls of your feet. Sure, touch your heels down but AVOID putting pressure on them. Push off the ground and land both with the balls of your feet. Your body will thank you.

3. Legs do All the Work
WHAT: Legs are flailing around dexing wildly, exerting tons of energy while the hips stay motionless and uninvolved.
WHY IT’S BAD: Legs aren’t designed to shred by themselves. Besides, it’s terribly inefficient. This can pull muscles in your hips, legs or back. A clear symptom is when someone brings their knee to their chest just to do a legover or butterfly. Very common. Don’t do it.
HOW TO FIX: By keeping the weight forward (#2) and the stomach muscles tight (#1) you can keep the footbag close to your body and underneath your torso, thus eliminating the need to do a huge backwards-leaning leg lift or knee-to-hunching-shoulder scenario.
Use your hips to pivot side to side while isolating the shoulders to complete dexes like mirages. Open and close the hips for butterflies and illusions.

4. Not Stretching
WHAT: Overly tight muscles/poor range of movement/not warming up properly/allowing lactic acid buildup
WHY IT’S BAD: Yes, tight muscles can be fast and responsive. However, the low flexibility can be very limiting to your potential trick selection. Tight muscles can also tear or strain easily.
HOW TO FIX: Stretch to either start or end your sessions. Get your heart rate up from several minutes of cardio. Start with core first (shoudlers, hips, back) then extremities, especially ankles (#9).

5. Looking Down with the Neck
WHAT: Sticking your neck out like a turtle to see the bag below you/sticking your chest out by pulling your shoulders back
WHY IT’S BAD: Ever watched a movie from the front row? Yeah, exactly — neck strain. But down instead of up.
HOW TO FIX: Keeping your head above your shoulders and shoulders above hips, simply bring your chin slightly down towards your collarbone. Problem solved.

6. Palms Facing Chest/Outwards
WHAT: Elbows down and hands up in front of your shoulders/Arms at your sides with elbows bent and wrists turned out
WHY IT’S BAD: Both ways of holding your arms do nothing to help you balance! They also look terrible. The first one is more or a left/right brain discrepancy I think. Outwards hands raises your shoulders creating unnecessary tension in that area.
HOW TO FIX: Keep your arms relaxed at your sides for easier moves like kicks. Palms face either down, back, or inwards. For moves requiring extra balance or jumping, one or both elbows raise at your sides with palms facing down most of the time.

7. Pointing your Knees Inward/Spotting Toe Stalls on the Outside of Your Knee
WHAT: Separating the knees then rotating either one or both knees inward/Standing or playing pigeon-toed/Bringing your knee across the body while catching or setting toe stalls
WHY IT’S BAD: Knees are designed to flex and extend vertically. Or the very same motions with the hips rotated. Knees are NOT designed to bend horizontally when the hips are straight. Flexing the knee without the heel in line with the upper leg is recipe for a nagging injury. Not to mention it throws your back out of line!
HOW TO FIX: Spot the bag properly by opening the hips and seeing it on the INSIDE of your knee. Swing the leg forward and up (think pushing a bike pedal backward) Keep your heel in line with your upper leg whenever bending the knee. Knees should stay together and tall yet slightly bent whenever not in direct use. Never bring your knee inwards to do tricks like whirl. Separate the knees by opening the hips and do the dex away and slightly behind you.

8. Cushioning with Stalling Foot Only
WHAT: No magic hop/ Body lowering and the stall happening at different times/ Support leg not helping to cushion at all
WHY IT’S BAD: You probably won’t ever get injured because of it, but your consistency for stalling moves will be forever hindered. Expect a lifetime of frustration due to missed stalls, rolloff and dud sets.
HOW TO FIX: Land the magic hop and at the EXACT SAME TIME you catch the bag. Always magic hop for clippers — it doesn’t have to be big jump. Land the magic hop on the ball of your foot and then bend the knee. For toes, keep the stalling leg in the same position and lower your SUPPORT LEG when it lands Also, it’s a good general rule to keep your shoulders square to whatever stall you’re doing. Launch your shoulders and elbows up quickly to give yourself a nice little pop for the set.

9. Bad Ankle Crank
WHAT: Not locking the ankles strong enough upwards for toe stalls/Ankle not flexed or inside surface not flat when in clipper position
WHY IT’S BAD: Same as #8. Bad crank won’t hurt you, but you’ll be plagued with inconsistency and 6-trick strings forever.
HOW TO FIX: Stretch your ankles! Stretch them before, during and after sessions. Stretch them while waiting at the bus stop. Stretch them while sitting at your desk. Stretch them whenever you can. This is your gateway to amazing clipper tricks. Check around the forum for various stretching methods (and yes, stretching does work).

10. Rushing Stalls
WHAT: Not securing the footbag in the ‘sweet spot’ before setting the next move/ Always playing like you’re racing against a clock/ Having inconsistent timing and rhythm in your runs
WHY IT’S BAD: This also falls in the ‘doomed for inconsistency’ category. Offbeat or syncopated runs cause a lot of unexpected drops. Rushing causes imperfect stalls which can lead to unpredictable sets.
HOW TO FIX: Take the same amount of time every time to cushion the bag, catching it in the exact same location of the foot. Try to perform each trick with the same timing every time. This is the only way to achieve a very high level of consistency. If the bag is rolling around on your foot, take extra time to cushion, get it into the sweet spot and FREEZE it before setting. Study Lon Smith’s videos.

**Don’t let yourself be guilty of any of these! As always, keep refining and improving your technique!!**

Shred hard…and safe!

Happy holidays,
Destroyer

Reproduced with permission from Jorden Moir
http://www.jugglingequipment.com/blog/jorden-moir

I want all of you to improve and enjoy footbag as much as possible. Hence, this list:

(In no particular order)

1. Invest in a proper pair of shoes & follow online tutorials regarding how to modify these shoes to make them suitable for freestyle.

2. When kicking, always try to alternate feet whenever possible. Work towards having no preference of kicking leg, and try to make the left and right foot kicking techniques identical.

3. Don’t learn the basic tricks from someone who is slightly more advanced than you. Learn from watching pros, whether it be in person or from a video. They have all spent countless hours refining their style and correcting mistakes.

4. Watch a lot of videos. Make a lot of mental notes. If someone has a mastery over a certain trick, try to figure out what they do that is different from what you do.

5. When learning a new trick, find out as much information about it as possible. See if anyone has posted tips on the internet. Watch several videos of the trick with different players and different angles. Translate the technique into a motion that is natural for your body.

6. It may seem obvious, but practice in a place with sufficient room to move around. Account for wayward footbags and the possibility of falling.
(Don’t mess up your body by landing on furniture!) Razz
10 feet X 10 feet of even, level ground with 8 foot high ceiling is a good start. The more room the better.

7. Try to eat healthy. Focus more on whole grains than white bread. Eat a variety of fruits and vegetables. Include sufficient protein. Junk food is ok once in a while, but not all the time. Milk, water, and 100% juice are good choices, whereas soda and alcohol will dehydrate you. Choose wisely. It does make a big difference in your stamina and overall performance.

8. Find some sort of cross-training you enjoy. Anything that helps improve strength, coordination, endurance or any combination of these is a good choice.

9. Practice your form in front of a mirror as much as you can. And by that I mean air shredding. No, seriously! Pretend you are actually going for the tricks in real time. It’s like watching live footage of yourself. If your motion looks unnatural or not smooth, you can pick up on it and experiment with new technique to make the move more efficient. I’ve discovered many unrealized errors when practicing this way.

10. Get used to picking the footbag off the ground and serving to another person. Let everyone in the circle get an equal opporunity with the bag. Yes, they do want to see your trick, but wait until they pass it back to you.
If you haven’t been to a tournament before, this could be the difference between more advanced players being friendly with you or being angry with you. In other words: Don’t self-serve.

11. If you aren’t sure whether you hit a trick properly, ask your playing partner. If they aren’t experienced enough to tell you, make a video of it and post it online or send it to someone that would know.
Doing clean tricks is valued very highly in footbag and is crucial for having an aesthetically pleasing style.

12. When you’re ready, throw out your crocheted footbag and invest in one or more 4-panel sand footbags (ie. the Mr. Sandbag) or better yet, a 32-panel bag. Read the bags/equipment subforum for a list of stitchers and bag reviews. The choice is up to you.

13. Get in the habit of warming up. Develop a warm-up routine that works best for you. Good things to include are stretching (especially ankles), alternating kicks/stalls, pushups/situps, etc.

14. Have training sessions on a regular basis. A good start is 3-4 times per week. Depending on your schedule/intensity level, that can be increased. Don’t have unnecessarily large gaps in between sessions — it’ll slow your learning progress.

15. Always finish your session on a positive note. Hit that trick you’ve been trying, no matter how many tries. You’ll come out of it with good vibes that will likely carry on to the next session. Smile

16. Don’t play through pain. It won’t help anything. Rest days are just as important as shred days. Wait till you feel refreshed again and then bust huge. If the pain reappears, try fixing your form. Wink

17. Make goals for yourself. It can be a single trick, consecutive tricks, competition related, or whatever. For competing, a good goal is to perform better than your last competition in some way(s). A good overall goal is to be able to hit any tricks you want, when you want.

18. If you have any questions about this very difficult sport, ask a pro!
They will likely be more than willing to help.

19. Keep an open mind to new moves/new ways to hit a move. It may give you the edge you’ve been looking for. Always try new ways of hitting the same move — then, simply choose the best way.

20. When on the forum, keep your posts concise and contributing to the whole. You’ll make friends/connections faster — trust me. Wink

21. Practice!!!

Shred hard,

Jorden M

Syndicated with permission from Fourkast Footbag Company

By Anssi Sundberg and Jay Boychuk

When you become interested in freestyle footbag it is common to want to do what you see the elite do in videos. While there is no clear direct route in footbag to get to the top, there are many common habits, techniques and mindsets that will make the progression from the beginning stages much faster. Along your way your fellow players and personal success will keep you motivated, however it is important to note that there are always highs and lows of progress. Those who have been through these obstacles before are writing this article to make your start more oriented, continuous and most importantly, fun! If you use these tips you will get the hang of things faster and start progressing as a freestyle footbagger.

Obtain information. If you don’t personally know any players, you can get information about the sport on the internet. Search for as much information on as many different pages as possible and absorb it. Footbag has a lot of unique and descriptive terms, and it is useful to learn them and use them fluently. Learn trick names, study the tricks from videos, and you will start to recognize them as well as their components. Once you fully understand a variety of tricks, begin to think about which ones you want to learn.

Make contacts. Be bold in making contact with other players and clubs. On internet forums you can easily discuss with other players, ask questions and get many specific tips. Because everyone’s body is different, and learns things uniquely you can learn footbag easiest with an experienced player, in real time. You should try to find out about other players and clubs close to you and if they have frequent sessions. Although playing with experienced players can be intimidating by the vast difference in skill, all freestylers are more than happy to help.

Get proper gear. If you are serious about becoming a good freestyler, you must also invest the amount of money into the gear. On the internet it’s easy to order freestyle shoes and a good freestyle footbag from reliable sites, such as www.fourkast.com. For best performance, the gear you get for freestyle will need some adjusting to your needs, like a baseball glove. Read tutorials online and watch videos of how to properly modify your shoes and break in your footbags.

Start from the basics. Basic kicks must be mastered before learning to stall, because learning this vital tool is a great stepping stone for habits in the future. Always when learning something new the foundation must be solid, without any holes. It is important also to note that learning both sides is fundamental in creating a good foundation. Footbag at it’s highest level, unlike many other sports is perfectly ambidextrous.

Practice. Practice makes perfect. In footbag, once you hit a trick one time, that doesn’t mean your body will be capable of hitting it in all conditions at all times. A good goal for mastering a trick is to be able to hit it ten times, in ten tries. Sometimes repeating something over and over might become boring but practicing pays off in development. When you come across an overwhelming obstacle, stop and take a minute to observe the situation from another point of view. Why did you succeed? How can you use this success to model future ones?

Learn from the best. Along the path to becoming a good freestyle player, you will meet many beginner freestyle friends along the way. However, always take their advice with a grain of salt, due to the fact that their advice hasn’t been precisely refined over thousands of hours, to perfection like the elite. Ask feedback from better players and value development proposals more than compliments. Watch videos of your favorite players and learn from their technique.

Set goals. Never be satisfied with your current level, and never consider yourself the worst or the best player. Having and meeting obtainable goals is an important part of growing motivation. You’ll find if you ask professional players, in their formative years they all had and made goals that got them where they are today.

Continue. Practicing can feel like having fun one day and like work on the other, all part of the ups and downs. The best players got to be the best because they practiced even when it felt like work. Once you reach a certain level, you can learn to love to practice because you realize how beneficial it is to progression.

Help others. After all the practicing when you get good, it’s your turn to help out the newcomers in this sport. Relate to their hardships and give them your experience that could help them along their way, and enjoy seeing their success. Footbag is a great community, have fun!

Click here to see the kicks / contacts (Beginner)
Click here to see all the delays / stalls (Beginner)
Click here to see the 2 add tricks (Novice)
Click here to see the 3 add tricks (Novice)
Click here to see the 4 add tricks (Intermediate)
Click here to see the 5 add tricks (Intermediate
Click here to see all the components / sets (Advanced)

Components are additions to standard tricks which give the trick additional difficulty.

Component sets are component based additions that are done on the uptravel of the bag directly after the set.

[Def] – A Atomic Set it done by dexing the opposite (non-setting) leg from out to in while the bag is still heading upward.

1 Add [DEX]

[Def] – A Diving Set is done by ducking the head under the bag so that it passes over and down the same side of the head in relation to the set, and then doing a trick on the same side of the set.
[EX. Left side set, bag passes over and down Left side of head, trick is done on Left side]

1 Add [BOD]

[Def] – A Ducking Set is done by ducking the head under the bag so that it passes over and down the opposite side of the head in relation to the set, and then doing a trick on the opposite side of the set.
[EX. Left side set, bag passes over and down Right side of head, trick is done on Right side]

1 Add [BOD]

[Def] – A Fairy Set it done by dexing the Same (setting) leg from Out to In while the bag is still heading upward.

1 Add [DEX]

[Def] – A Pixie Set it done by dexing the Same (setting) leg from In to Out while the bag is still heading upward.

1 Add [DEX]

[Def] – A Quantum Set it done by dexing the opposite (non-setting) leg from In to Out while the bag is still heading upward.

1 Add [DEX]

[Def] – A Weaving Set is done by ducking the head under the bag so that it passes over and down the opposite side of the head in relation to the set, and then doing a trick on the same side as a set.
[EX. Left side set, bag passes over and down Right side of head, trick is done on Left side]
[EX2. A duck done to the same side]

1 Add [BOD]

[Def] – A Zulu Set it done by ducking the head under the bag so that it passes over and down the same side of the head in relation to the set, and then doing a trick on the opposite side of the set.
[EX. Left side set, bag passes over and down Left side of head, trick is done on Right side]
[EX2. A dive done to opposite side trick]

1 Add [BOD]