Footbag games
You’ve probably all seen or played in a circle with a Footbag. This is the non-competitive form of the game where you simply want to keep the bag in the air as
long as possible without too many defined rules. These standards make it possible to socialize while doing a physical activity that brings its share of body and mental
benefits. The induced relaxation merges with the improvement of one’s physical capacities.
Footbag Consecutives was probably the first form of competition and it’s very simple: hitting as many kicks as possible without dropping the ball.
It is probably because world records are so unbeatable that this type of competition has fallen into disuse. Ted Martin scored 63,326 in
8 hrs. 50 min. 42 sec in the men categorgy while Constance Constable set the women’s record at over 24,000 kicks without dropping her footbag. It must be said that doing
freestyle or playing Footbag Net can be a lot more exciting.
There are two main disciplines in Modern Competition Footbag: Footbag Net and Freestyle. Note that there are minor versions of the sport such as
footbag golf, 4 square and 2 square on which we will not elaborate here.
Here are some characteristics of each of these competition specialties as well as the main rules of Footbag Net and Footbag Freestyle.
One of the greatest games in sports, footbag net combines basic kicks to aerial acrobatics as well as ground strokes. The game is played on a 44 foot by 20 badminton court, divided in the center by a 5 feet high net.
Game rules are mostly like tennis but score rules are more similar to volleyball. However you should not be mistaken here, footbag possesses its own identity. It requires a solid control, raw power and an exceptional skill level in the use of both sides of the body.
Only contacts with feet are allowed, that is what makes it a unique sport, thus no knees nor recoveries with the body or even less with the hands! Two kicks are allowed in singles, three in doubles without one of the partners making two consecutive kicks. Could be named Kick Volley in some tournaments.
See lower for a brushing of the rules.
Rhythmical routines choreographed on music and punctuated with explosive tricks, that is what provides the base for an intense competition. Players perform in front of a group of judges like in artistic gymnastic, footbag freestyle allows them to demonstrate their creativity and to show their athletic qualities. Footbag freestyle asks for an excellent physical condition, and a good body-space consciousness that allows to execute athletic moves while keeping a perfect control of the object in flight.
See lower for an overview of the rules.
Here are the most important rules of Footbag net.
1- The court has the same size as the badminton court. The players utilize all the outside lines of the court at all times, the size is 6,1 by 13,41 m (20′ by 44′).
A center line divides the court in half for the diagonal service. The net is 1,52 m (5′) high.
2-Number of players : Footbag is played in singles or doubles.
3- Number of hits per side : In singles each player can hit the footbag a maximum of two times (Ideally a set and a spike). In doubles the maximum allowed is three hits. No player is allowed to hit the bag twice in a row.
4- Legal hitting surfaces : Feet only are allowed, any ball that touches the upper body, the thigh, the head or hands is a body fault.
It’s allowed to touch the Footbag up to the lower limit of the knee to avoid
numerous arguments.
5- Scoring : The games are played to 11 or 15 points. It is possible to score only when in possession of the service or rallye scoring all plays count
for a point – games to 21, rallye scoring is mostly used for singles.
6- Service : The service is made from behind the back line of the court and in diagonal. The player must serve on the right side on the even points and on the left side on the odd points. The player must say the score before serving starting by the serving team first. Example: 0-3 means that the player who has 0 serves the one who has 3 points.
7- Some faults : Players are not allowed to touch the net or the stanchions at any time. It is not permitted to touch the back line on the serve. It is forbidden to touch the opponents over or under the net.
8- It is allowed to attempt all the craziest smashes you can imagine, it is permitted to have lots of fun!!!
9- Footbag for net play
Pro Kicker IMPACT
The Pro Kicker IMPACT footbag has been made exclusively for footbag net and KICK VOLLEY. It’s the minimum standard for advanced and open players.
Its design is inspired of soccer ball’s. Its 32 pannels will get you great precision while kicking it.
Made of Cordley and filled with plastic
Cordley is an almost unbreakable japanese synthetic material . It expands evenly to preserve the footbag’s shape. Very round, it will keep its style. Harder than circle and free style footbags . Very resistant.
13.99
Most important rules for Footbag Freestyle
There are many types of competitive events if Footbag Freestyle:
Singles or doubles routines
Shred 30
The circle contest
Sick 3
Big one
1- The routines
In the solo routines the maximum duration is 2 minutes and 3 minutes in the doubles routines. The contestant(s) choose their own music or mix.
The judges look for success in 2 categories, namely difficulty and choreography, they may consider elements such as variety, execution
(more or less successful) of the tricks, the quality of the sequences, the level of difficulty of the tricks, the occupation of the space and the
interpretation of the rhythm of the musical piece.
Obviously it is better not to drop the footbag too often, the number of drops is counted.
2- Shred 30
shred 30 is an essentially technical event where the competitors have 30 seconds to demonstrate great virtuosity.
The judges count the points for each trick * performed and add them up to crown a winner. All styles of competition are done to the rhythm of the
music, in the case of the Shred 30 the music is chosen by the organizers and it is usually a rather techno pulsing thing that plays uninterruptedly
while the competitors perform one after the other.
* Scoring system for assessing the difficulty of a trick:
The degrees of difficulty of the tricks are counted using a unit of measurement called ” ads ”
For example the player immobilizes the footbag on the tip of his foot = 1 ad (toe stall)
The player turns the foot around the ball and immobilizes it on the tip of the foot = 2 ads (around the world)
All the tricks have a name and an associated degree of difficulty.
3- The Circle Contest
The Circle involves 3 or 4 players per round who must perform movements in two categories: variety and density.
The total of their successes determines the winner. The players are present at the same time on the stage hence the name of circle which recalls
the first form of Hacky Sack where the players pass the ball in a circle.
4- Sick 3
The sequence of 3 most insane tricks that a participant can, almost inhumanly, succeed at.
Players have a set number of tries to achieve their combination, usually seven.
5- Big One
THE craziest trick that a player can pull off. Once again the competitors have a determined number of attempts to succeed in their maneuver.
Big One
6- Freestyle footbags
Pro Kicker SABLE 8 for beginners and intermediate freestylers
The Pro Kicker Sable 8 footbag has the same design than the Ochoa but it is filled
with sand instead of plastic, which makes it more of a freestyle bag as it is much easier to stall and make tricks with.
The Sable 8 sandbag is made of synthetic suede it is then very resistant and washable.
9.99
Pro Kicker MICRO for intermediate and advanced freestylers
The Pro Kicker Micro footbag is similar to a very small soccer ball. This Footbag is filled with metal pellets to help to stall it on the foot or other parts of the body for advanced freestyle tricks..
Its very small size makes it easier to make a lot of moves around it before catching it again. The Micro is a footbag built with 32 panels of synthetic suede. Washable and resistant, it is very easy to kick.. (Hand washing with a damping cloth and mild soap)
12.99
* Hacky Sack is a trademark well known from the 80’s and 90’s. The term stuck but we have to be conscious that it’s derived from popular culture. The terms used in competition at world level are Footbag Net and Footbag Freestyle.