Shred notes: 10/30/09

As I write, I'm waiting for a bus on a windy, rainy day Halloween-eve. Valeria has already spent countless hours preparing for alex's birthday party tomorrow.

( in between, I did a Shred Sprint jam today. Really got into the music in a funky chicken inspired way. Such an exhausting jam, but that's what I need. To build better endurance, et al longer strings before tiring.)

Now it is night and it is more windy. Glad I didnt put up all the decor for alex's party. Too windy, I have all day tomorrow.


- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/29/09

Got Lucky Symposium Paradox Whirl today on film (and first time ever). A great, but obvious, extension of the Lucky concept. Made progress on flipside Lucky again.

Had to go indoors today. 50 something degrees, but too windy and no sun keeps me inside.

Shred Notes: 10/28/09

Hit Lucky Diving same whirl, and same clipper. Also got a better Lucky paradox whirl on tape.

Also got a nice Spinning Motion starting a nice string in tape. A bunch of spinning motions close up for review. Generally a great day!


- enlightener

One Million Tricks +

So the way I figure it, in a typical shred session I kick more than a thousand tricks. So take 1043+ days of this and I can safely say I have done over a million tricks over the past 1000 or so days.

1,000,000 is a number that makes me feel accomplished, exhausted, and ecstatic all at the same time.

I already can't wait to play today and it is only 6:00am as I write this on my xootr from the middle of a foggy York woods in oak brook on my way to work.

- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/26/09

Twirling Blender... Does it already have a name? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFGGCz3UQFQ

- enlightener

Shred notes: 10/25/98

Hit my first flipside Lucky butterfly. Lucky Para mirage is near. I hope to do rainbow lucky butterflies soon. Diving lucky is possible, need more time to practice.


- enlightener

Play everyday... A mental game

1040 days in a row today. Playing every day is a physical challenge to be certain, but the more difficult part of the equation is the mental game.

My biggest challenge is the duality where the lazy part of my brain says take it easy today, and that urge needs to be overcome by the part of my brain that wants to achieve the tough goals that have been internally agreed upon.

Mind tricks:
-Having a goal for the day helps motivate. I challenge myself to skool a weakness, or hit a big trick.
-Schedule your day and include a time when you can shred.
-don't let the lack of ideal location stop you. Be prepared to play anywhere. I've played in hallways at nearby hotels, unheated, but wind protected staircases. I've played in extreme cold (-5 degrees in front of apple store downtown, with chemical hand earners under my toes, and steam eminating from body.). I try to avoid wind. I can even be productive in a 6' square area like my living room.

Be prepared to take extreme measures to accomplish your goals! I can't wait to play today!

-enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/23/09 Early session

I get to play twice today. This AM in my 6' square living room... Later in secret location. Focused on flipside spinning osis freeze, flipside fairy sets and flipside pixie sets. Any chance to play can be productive.

- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/22/09

Gyro focus today. Got hung up on gyro mirage to Atom Smasher. I skooled the hell out of that combo. Want it dialed this winter. Cold today, went into the secret indoor warm location. Nothing to note today, except that I used "Shred Sprints" to get warmed up quickly today. So I think it is safe to say that "Shred Sprints" are a great way to warm up quickly!

-enlightener

Wind sprints for shredders!

A wind sprint session refers to a training technique of an exhausting sprint followed by a jog for 25%-50% of sprint time and repeating it for at least a half hour.

The result is that you push the lactic acid burn back. So it takes more intense exercise before you feel the burn. In my case I'm trying to push it closer to 3 minutes so it is not a factor in my performance.

So I'm making a playlist with a 2 minute possible routine song then a :45 second clip of any song, and repeating that pattern so I can have a way to up to an hour of Wind Shredding at a time.

Hopefully this will help me improve my string length and overall endurance.

- enlightener

Inspiration over Intimidation

As a tireless promoter of Footbag, if I see a random hack circle, I stop what I am doing and join them. Conversly when I am playing, I invite anyone who is interested to give it a try.

I play to inspire, not to intimidate. In order to improve, it helps to have people who are better than you to guide you through the basics. Footbag is fun, and very addictive due to the constant challenges it provides.

We need more players in the sport, and to accomplish this, we need to introduce Footbag to as many people as possible. It is a great way to have fun with your friends, to enjoy getting your daily exercise, even a great way for parents to have quality time with their kids.

I hope that my shredding inspires more people to give Footbag a try, not to be intimidated. Yes it takes effort to get good, but if you are up to the challenge, do I have the sport for you!

For more info:
www.kickforhealth.org or
www.Footbag.org

- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/19/09

Worked on integrating juggle seamlessly into strings. Been working blur into juggle by tossing the 2nd bag into play right before the catch of the blur. Since i am the first to do this, I call the integration 'iJuggle'. No vid today but I'll need to publish an iJuggle video soon.

- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/18/09

Hit paradox diving whirls on both sides. Diving is sooooo much harder than ducking when you go to the opposite side of the body, especially when the dex is so early. Another fun one is diving infinity, harder than it sounds.

I was challenged by a friend to add "Chicken Wings" (putting hands on head and having bag go through one arm on the way up and other on the way down) to Lucky concept. But was only able to get the up thread to one wing down to osis. Unique but strange looking. Thanks.

Proof again that when it is hard to get started playing, it is usually harder to stop.

Shred Notes: 10/17/09

Focused on frontside and ended up on barflies. Hit stepping motion and locomotion on tape. Almost spinning motion. Inspinning gyro (no plant) mirage. Fun.


- enlightener

Threading Thursday...'Lucky'

So my 'theme' from today is Threading.

The film from today will result in a short film introducing the concept of Lucky. It will have some threading strings that aren't Lucky but just plain fun. I never complained that threading doesn't get a body add, but Lucky should get one for sure.

Some of my past films of threading are too hard to see when zoomed in, so I'm trying some other techniques for filming. I hope they work. I need lighter backgrounds and better camera angles.

Lucky 'concept' video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRNkWYkI5CA
Lucky is a new concept that can be applied to many tricks. It includes a thread up-duck-thread down and a trick after that. Named after leprechan lucky to thread the rainbow, and because I still feel a bit lucky when I hit it.


- enlightener

Shred Notes: 10/15/09

Day 1031 in a row.

"Lucky Osis" - New innovation today caught on tape: Hit 'up thread - duck - down thread' ("Lucky") osis. See this video:

The "Lucky" concept will be applied to more tricks, just give me time.

Hit stepping double mirage (double blur?)... not sure what to call it. R clip, L leg step like blur, barrage-like double and back to left toe. Like a blur where the 2nd dex is a double. What is this called?

I had to play indoors, secret location. Well, if you have seen my videos then you have probably seen clips from my semi-warm inddor shred site.

Shred Notes: 10/14/09

Tried several times to hit inspinning gyro whirl an I think I hit it but could easily have been the.

Indoors today. 42 degrees.
No sun.

Experimenting with 'thread up-duck-thread down" tricks. Starting with osis L.


- enlightener

Team Freestyle Basics

Keaton Halley and I were US champs and 2nd in the world in 2007. Here is insight into our methods.

Hi dominic!

We innovate sequences together. Sometimes starting with trying to replicate something we saw, and morphing it into something that works for us. Then we work it as a stand alone sequence. We do that process and videotape each sequence. Then we get our music possibles narrowed down to just one, and we build the routine in pieces. Videotape again. Review and tweak. We are more methodical, but still have fun with it.




- enlightener

Theme of the day

I find it is better to have a goal when I start playing each day.

How about a focus on different things each day. So Starting today, I'll start using this list as a 'study guide' and I reserve the right to mix it up.

Möbius Monday
Twirling Tuesday
Whirling Wednesday
Threading Thursdays
Frontside Fridays
Swirling Saturdays
Symposium Sundays



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Inspired by Jack Lalanne...

Jack LaLanne was on WGN-TV promoting his new book. He is 95 years old. They asked him "How often do you work out?" and he replied "7-Days a week." He added, "And I hate it, but I love the results."

I am inspired by people like this. And sometimes getting started at shredding every day seems like a chore, but I love playing footbag freestyle, and after a short warm-up I get so into it that I find it hard to stop. I do love the results too. I think that when you are passionate about your athleticism, it makes it easier to keep it going. I don't know if I could keep going this long if I didn't really love what I am doing.

He also commented that "If it tastes good, spit it out." Which I would say is true in the sense that man-made foods are made to taste good but are nutritious only as an afterthought. I find vegetarian food to be very good, but mostly because my wife Valeria is such a good cook.

I'm going to get his new book. www.jacklalanne.com