How many footbag tricks exist? This question is particularly difficult to answer given that there are hundreds of footbag tricks throughout the world today. Since footbag often provides more than enough room for player interpretation, the combinations and possibilities that players come up with are mind boggling. Still, some footbag tricksters contend in a competitive manner, and these footbag experts are within a realm of their own.
Most footbag tricks fall under the category of “footbag freestyle” – a sort of competition that has gained a lot of ground lately.
Footbag freestyle can be quite technical, and some players can even perform their tricks in time with to music. Competitive freestyle tricks are judged according to presentation, difficulty, variety, and execution, (along with creativity and risk) though there are other freestyle tricks in existence as well.
A favorite form of footbag freestyling includes “shredding” in which players attempt to go through as many tricks as possible during one turn.
If a player is performing tricks competitively, the difficulty of a trick is rated, divided by the number of complete tricks, and then scored.
The goal of most footbag tricks is to remain fluid while keeping the footbag off the ground … not an easy task.
This post is inspired by a post on the Freedom Footbags blog titled “Is That A Sport“. Freedom Footbags has some sweet footbags available in their shop. The owner of Freedom Footbags, Daryl Genz, is the creator of the Mr Sandbag, arguably the best (and one of the cheapest) all around footbags available. You can buy the Mr Sandbag from the Freedom Footbags Shop for $7.00.
Is footbag a sport? This question has been debated time and again by those that love the game, and by those that have no concept of it. Still, the query has yet to be answered definitively. While dictionary definitions may shed some light on the topic, to really characterize a sport, the basic components of any game must be considered.
Sport can be defined as the very delicate dance between motion, agility, competition, and physical exhaustion. In short, sport can only exist when there are people involved in one activity that understand, and seek to conquer, this action.
Any sport whether it be chess, baton twirling, hockey, football, or footbag needs only to include one thing – a game that can be played by all, but only mastered by a select few. Think Vasek Klouda, or Jorden Moir.
Therefore, whether or not those observing the game consider footbag a sport does not matter. The critical eye of others does not define any activity as sport – only those that act to become a vital part of a game can make this decision.
Footbag players take their sport seriously, competitively, and determinately … all essential components of a true sport.
There is one question that plagues the minds of all those that attempt the sport of footbag – plastic or sand? If you are new to the sport, you may be wondering if there actually is a difference … there is. Ultimately, you will have to decide whether plastic or sand is right for you, but here are a few key differences to set you on the right path.
Essentially, all players should try to maintain a perfect symmetry between balance and motion … with a bit of “stalling the bag” in mid-air thrown in.
First time players may want to choose a sand filled bag, since this type of bag will provide an easier transition between stalling and kicking. However, bags that are filled with plastic balls are generally easier to control, though they may be harder to stall.
Confused? Well, you aren’t alone. Most seasoned players will agree that the best way to find out whether you prefer sand or plastic is to simply start playing.
You may find, after a few games, that one type of bag is much preferred over another … and you can start shopping for your ultimate bag from there.
So many times I pick up a footbag and kick it around thinking i’m playing some new and original sport. Well, on the American urban scene it is a pretty new sport. But I decided to do some more extensive research into the background and full history of the sport. Any footbag afficionado has heard of Mike Marshall and John Stalberger, but did you also know that Native American Indians played a version of hacky sack? I didn’t think so Read on…
I posted a couple days ago about a few of our new footbags. We now have 46 different styles of footbags (hacky sacks) currently available. Here are a few of the coolest ones (and what makes them so cool):
Assassin 32 Metal $26
This might be the best freestyle footbag we have ever made. Ok, the Gumball 32 still holds that title. But this is one sweet freestyle bag. Made of super-soft, super-supple and already broken in facile. Filled with our unique metal/plastic combo filler for added weight and control. This bag is only for those serious about taking their game to the next level. It kicks well, sets true and is a cinch to stall. And (in usual Dragonfly Footbags fashion) we only have a small quantity of these on hand. Instead of trying to flood the market with a million footbags, we like to design and create small batches of custom bags. This means only about 25 other people in the world will have the same bag as you. Buy one before it’s too late!
Hurricane 14 Metal $26
This is one of the most random color combos we have ever made. Totally unique and we have a very short supply of these. Buy this and you will probably be the only shredder in the state with this sweet of a footbag.
Random 14 Metal $26
I’m not going to say anything about this one, figure it out for yourself.
Wave 32 Sand $22
The best sand bag we have ever made. Seriously, this bag rocks for stalling.
And there are still a lot of sweet new bags that I haven’t even mentioned.
Want a sand filled footbag? We have 15 totally different and unique designs.
And if you are feeling rich, the Pro Series is a lineup of some of the best freestyle footbags in the world. They just cost a lot But for good reason, these bags are made of a fabric called Facile that costs $50 a yard. Dragonfly Footbags is the only place that you can quickly and easily buy a custom facile metal filled footbag. Or you could contact Abshire
We just got a huge batch of sweet new footbags in today. Some are popular models that sold out quick before so we got a bunch more. And we have a couple sweet new designs that are still getting photographed and tested before we release them into the wild.
Here are the reruns:
VERY POPULAR: Midnight 32 Metal Footbag This bag is one of our best sellers ever. It is a sweet all black/one red panel design and is filled with our super-secret extra custom crazy awesome filling! (okay it’s really just half metal beads, half plastic…no need to cut yours open when you get it). This bag is durable (black is our strongest fabric color) . This bag is affordable ($15 for a pro-level bag ain’t bad). And it looks sweet. Buy it. Now.
Whirl 6 Sand
One of my favorite footbags (or Hacky Sack, whatever, geez! just pick a name and stick with it already!). Very popular bag, great for beginners because it’s cheap! But that definitely doesn’t make it suck, the Whirl 6 perfect for stalling tricks. Buy it.
Dragon 32 (Facile Baby!)
Red/Black 32 panel plastic filled Pro-Series footbag. What makes it Pro-Series? Well, other than the simple fact that it’s awesome, this bag is made of a fabric called Ultrasuede Light (or more commonly, facile). Facile is thinner than standard footbag material which makes this bag much easier to break in and oh so supple! But you gotta be careful, facile is sensitive. No toe pickups and try to keep it out of the dirt. A little TLC goes a long way with this baby. This is a very popular bag. It’s a bit more pricy at $26, but if you are ready to take your game to the next level, a few extra clams shouldn’t be a factor, right? Wow, that was a lot of commas. Anyways, Buy it now!
Mirage 14 Plastic
Our custom, unique 14 panel design in a sweet new color combo. Excellent mid-range bag. Buy it. Or don’t, I don’t care. Well ok I do. Please buy it? Just in case you can’t remember where the first two were, here’s another link you can buy it from.
And those are only a couple of the new hacky sack footbagging things we have available over at the footbag shop. We have a couple more designs that will be released over the next few days so stay tuned. Oh and one more quick thing, we are doing a small sponsorship thingie for Nathan Deschamps, an incredible freestyler. And he is only 14. He designed a custom signature footbag that will be available for sale soon. It is unlike anything we have sold before and if I told you what it was…ok it’s all metal filling. It’s super heavy but some kickers like that. We’ll get some videos and pics up soon of Nathan.
And sorry for the lack of posts, it has been a crazy busy start of the year season. I’ll try to get more up here frequently.
Due to recent shipping cost increases at the USPS, we have to raise our rates a bit as well. Our flat-rate shipping cost of $2 will be increasing to $3 this Friday, August 10.
This post is an advance warning to our subscribers, you can still order in the next 2 days and your entire order will be shipped for only $2, anywhere in the world.
Fortunately, even after the rate increase, we will still have the lowest shipping cost of any online footbag retailer!
I just put up 8 new combo deals. If you are looking to buy a couple different footbags now is your chance to save some $$. I am only selling a couple of each of these combos so act quick if you want one.
That is all for now, I will have a couple more combo deals next week. If you would like to see a specific combo deal posted drop me a line or leave a comment here.
Read on…