Footbag, an underground sport with appeal

from the desk of...

Jeff Hastings
Online Editor

Most people know what a hacky sack is. Its a little bean-filled sack that people kick around to pass the time. Ask someone what footbag is and they are bound to respond with a blank stare.

After the initial confusion wears off, the most common response is probably "You mean hacky sack?" In short, yes, I do mean hacky sack but there is a lot more to footbag than most people would suspect.

Circle kicking is footbag at its most basic. It involves kicking the footbag with one of three surfaces: the toe, the inside of the foot and the outside of the foot. You can also get creative and hit it with different parts of your body. Each person kicks the bag a few times and then passes it onto the next person. A "full hack" is when everyone in the circle kicks the footbag without it dropping onto the ground.

From here things get a little more complicated. There are basically three other styles of footbag. Freestyle footbag is the most widely played. There is also footbag net and four square.

Footbag four square is quite similar to the traditional game of four square. Players stand one to a square and the server toss the sack to another player. The players kick the footbag around, attempting to make their opponents drop it to the ground. A player is out when the bag lands in their square or they kick the bag out of bounds.

Four square is usually played as a fairly relaxed game. The level of difficulty is lower than that of freestyle or net and this leads to an interesting level of competitiveness. Players can become extremely competitive while keeping a friendly atmosphere.

Footbag net is played on a court the size of a badminton court with a five foot net. There are singles and doubles matches. A game is played to 15 points. Similar to other net sports, only the serving team may score points. In a singles match each side may kick the bag two times per volley, whereas doubles teams may kick it up to three times. It is important to have powerful, accurate kicks in order to score on your opponent.

Outside of tournaments, freestyle footbag is usually played in a circle. Unlike circle kicking, the object is not to pass the bag to everyone in the circle without dropping it. It is more focused on the individual. Each player takes a turn, passing to the person next to them after their turn is over.

Instead of kicks, freestyle consists of three basic components: sets, dexterities, and delays. Most tricks begin with a set then have a dexterity (called a "dex") and end with a delay. The set is the movement that sends the bag into the air, "setting" up of the player for what comes next. Which are dexterities. A dexterity is the movement of the player's legs around the bag. The delay at the end of the trick, sometimes called a catch, concludes the trick. When more than one trick is performed in direct succession it is called a string.

Freestyle circles are a cooperative effort. Players give tips and encouragement to each other with the understanding that they will receive tips and encouragement when it is their turn to take a string.

I recently had the privilege of attending Funtastiks Summer Classic, a footbag tournament in Harrisburg, PA. I was able to meet and play with some of the best footbagers in the world, including the six-time world champion, Vasek Klouda.

The one thing that really strikes me about the footbag community is how friendly everyone is. The serious sport of footbag is still largely underground and because of this there is a very tight-knit network of players. Everyone knows each other but as a newcomer to the scene I felt very welcome among the seasoned players.

The highlight of my weekend was watching some of the great footbaggers do their thing. Vasek Klouda, David Clavens (the US champion), Chris Dean (a member of the Rochester Footbag Association) and a few others were all part of an impromptu freestyle circle. During the hour or two that I watched them play, I saw some of the most impressive footbag that I have ever seen. One of the simpler tricks that the world champion kept doing was called a triple around the world. This is where you set the bag up and circle your leg around it three times before catching it back on the same foot. Not many people can do that!

On a sunny afternoon in Fredonia you may have caught a glimpse of freestyle footbag outside of the University Commons. As I play with Matt Cross, founder of the Rochester Footbag Association, people often stop to watch. A lot of people think freestyle footbag is impressive but that they could never do it. This is simply not true.

Footbag or hacky sack is a sport that almost anyone can enjoy. All that it takes to become a better hacker is a pair of feet, some practice and a few friends to kick the bag around with. Some people take it to the extreme but that should not discourage anyone from joining in. Anyone who has ever kicked a footbag knows its all about having a good time.