The knack to Ducking Scorpion Tail

After a series of vacations, including our trip to the 25th Annual Funtastik Summer Classic, I have resumed my normal training regimen at the Mammoth Springs Footbag Freestyle Training Center (the parking lot behind the Double Tree hotel near my work).

I've been working on lots of exciting new moves for me. Some maybe new to the world, like Blurry Symposium Paradox Symposium Twirl (yes two symposium elements), and Ducking Spinning Symposium Twirl

Even just ducking paradox twirl got me pretty psyched. I hit reverse twirl today on my flip side. Ducking Twirl too:

I'm writing today about the subtleties of Ducking Scorpion Tail, which is really a Spinning Ducking Barfly. First, I found that skooling Scorpion Tail with really high sets, rather than the usual mid-body height sets really helped. Second, the perfect set will be just above my head so as I'm coming out of the spin, the duck is just a flick of the neck and it is into the barfly part.

So keep kicking! I've got a new puppy. His name is Harley.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2058260&id=1099314046&l=332d43dfb9

See ya!

Andy Linder's approach to freestyle training helped!

There is a lot to learn from the great players who preceded us in the sport of Footbag. I was lucky to have seen Andy Linder's performances during the early days of my Footbag development, they inspired me to get better, and to strive for the kind of precision that I knew was possible because he had achieved it.  After traveling to many tournaments together, we teamed up to win the Team Footbag Freestyle in 1991 World Championships, and reflecting on the training we committed to is how I came to this particular conclusion...

In a word, it's methodical. 
I'm talking about the way he approaches practicing a performance, and how helpful I am finding it to be. Once we had our routine mapped out, we not only did complete run thrus, but broke it down into segments. We would go through each segment perfectly 3 times in a row before moving to the next segment. If we got 2 good runs and dropped on 3rd, we start the count over. 

I spent an hour on two separate days getting thru my funtastik routine in this fashion. Today, I had a chance to run thru this performance and I averaged 2.5 drops in 5 attempts. I wasn't averaging quite that high before this training goal, so I think this triggered an improvement in my game. 


Now that Funtastik is over, my performances were both mired with 3 drops in different places.  You can review my performances at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkUtDTZIGQo  
I did like how it turned out overall, and it is still nice to be in the top group of shredders, able to compete with people literally less than half my age!  I'm 43-3/4, I've been skooling hard every day for 1362 days in a row, plus about 24 years before that!


Thank you Andy Linder for sharing your training techniques with me, I'm glad I can still use them to better my game!


Shred notes 9/12/10:
-I've been on vacation at New Jersey's Six Flags Great Adventures, Harrisburg's last running of the Funtastik Summer Classic, the US Open Tennis Championships and got to shred in Times Square NY!  Today I refined another type of seamless juggle that I'll videotape and post soon.  It is juggle integrated with fairy-mirage and seamless back into juggle.  Also video to come of our Times Square shred!

We need more Footbag tournaments and events!

For our sport to properly develop to it's potential, we need more structured events AND we need to do more youth outreach to promote Footbag to kids and parents for it's great health and social benefits. 

This means YOU!

I sit here, saddened, outside the home of the directors of the Funtastik Summer Classic, where I can't escape the reality that this family tradition is about to see it's last repetition.  Tournaments like this, with now 25 years running have a cult following which draws out all the top players and enthusiasts to a single location, for a weekend of friendly competition and general Footbag mania. So many thanks to Brenda and Joe Solonoski for hosting this event year after year, for opening their home to us, and for bringing together so many of our friends into a single location.            It breaks my heart that this is the last Funtastik Summer Classic!

Every self-respecting club needs to run at least one event each year, and do some youth outreach for the good of mankind. 

Check www.kickforhealth.org for info about the 'Footbag Challenge' and how this can be a great vehicle to promote the health aspects of Footbag. 

If you want to run a tournament, it doesn't have to be a mammoth 3-day event, but I have been running Footbag events for 25 years in the Chicago area and I promise to help coach any aspiring tournament directors who want to have an event in your area. 

It all starts right here, right now!   We need more tournaments. Period. Contact me now!
Www.kickforhealth.org

-enlightener
Scott Davidson
1999 Freestyle World Champion