Learning to juggle two footbags is actually fairly easy with just a few minutes of practice a day.

The basic steps are as follows:

1. Master the toe stall.
2. Lean the “juggling set”.
3. Repeat.

I realize that may sound a bit simplistic, but that’s really all there is to it. If you haven’t mastered the toe stall yet, you may want to print this out for a rainy day sometime in the future… Don’t even bother trying to juggle (unless you enjoy frustration ).

Now, the “juggling set”, quite simply, is an arching set that returns back to the foot. It’s a bit tricky to put in words, but the sketch to the right (I’m no artist) should illustrate the proper flow of the bag. In this illustration the player would be on the left, facing the right side of your screen.

The key to realize here is that the release/set and the catch/delay are offset by roughly 10 inches. This is absolutely critical with two bags to eliminate mid-air collisions.

Thus, the set is towards the body, and it follows a parabolic arc that ends up roughly 10 inches closer than where it was set from. To begin with, practice this set with one footbag until it comes naturally.

Next, you’re ready to move on to two footbags, but with only one catch. Start with a bag on your foot and for now forget it’s even there. Focus on the bag in your hand only… Release it from your hand with a slight upward (maybe a foot) toss that matches the path of the picture on the right (the bag on the upper right is in the approximate release location you’re looking for). Just after you release the bag in your hand, set the bag on your foot using the same motion shown back up to your hand. Remember, at first the one on your foot really isn’t important – all you need to focus on is doing that hand toss to your foot (which you’ve already got mastered). Getting the set with the bag that’s on your foot will come with practice. This is the basic fundamental key: Being able to do one catch (switching the bags between your hand and foot) with the proper path. It may take a few sessions to get comfortable with this (it didn’t come to me quickly).

Now comes the magic part… Forget the hand catch mentioned in the previous pargarph, and go back to the foot, repeat, and now you’re juggling. Note: Don’t forget to practice both feet. Also, the path of your foot is essentially a mirror of the path of the bag, but with a much shorter amplitude (height).

PS: Below is a video I have of myself juggling two Nighthacks. It’s not the greatest tutorial video, but it was handy .

(Note: if your browser does not support the video below, check it out on YouTube or better yet, since the YouTube version is pretty fuzzy, I highly recommend you watch the high resolution version here)

Win a $25.00 gift certificate FREE to the Freedom Footbags Shred Shop… Check out this blog posting:

http://www.freedomfootbags.com/blog/win-a-25-gift-certificate/

So far only (9) people have entered, so your odds are good… Peace!

So, I was surfing around the other day and ran across this flash video on newgrounds.com showing some truly Insane Hacky Sack:

This is an impressive piece of artwork, and very imaginative and creative. Based on the types of tricks, I’m guessing the author has probably never seen professional freestyle footbag… That and the fact the video is named “Hacky Sack Insanity” in the first place. Those tricks are practically impossible anyway, much less using inferior Hacky Sacks. It looks like I’m going to have to skool up on my gymnastics before being able to attempt most of these tricks.

Anyhow, for the record, the guy only got 70 contacts, and my record (under “Juggling Two Bags”) is (he boasts lightly) 182 with two footbags .

Note: I just realized my unofficial world record is categorized in the wrong section (3 vs. 2 adds). When just juggling two bags (with delays) each catch is worth two adds, not three adds. For tips on how to juggle two bags, check out this post: How to Juggle Two Footbags: 3 Easy Steps

I was checking out some footbag videos on Vimeo and discovered a recently uploaded film from long ago.

A Lovely CSS from Evan on Vimeo.

This footage was from CSS5 (Colorado Shred Symposium) the very first tournament I directed 6 years ago. It opens with early footage of my son Dylan, back when he was 12 and we had big hopes and dreams of him becoming a World Champion some day! lol

Ryan Mulroney and Steve Goldberg flew out for the 4-Square Tournament, the video includes scenes from a fierce final battle between Mulroney, Goldberg, Duchesne, Genzu, Anderson and Irish. Ryan walked away with the winner’s cap and the cash!

You’ll enjoy some incredible freestyle juggling from “The Sandman” himself, Paul Mestas as well as “The Juggling Monk” Peter Irish.

You’ll also catch some contorted combos from “The Outsider” Jon Schneider, and some sick shred from Jim Penske, Sunil Jani, Eric Reily, Justin Dale, Ricky Moran, Bryan Fournier, Juan Rangel and others.

Evan’s creativity comes out in this film and it also has a great soundtrack.

More about Evan: Evan Lovely likes Ashtanga Yoga and Technology. Hip Hop and Yerba Mate. Loud Music and Quiet Conversation. Good Beer and Good Travels. Juggling and Freestyle Footbag. He lives in Missoula, Montana and is a Web Designer for freeStyle Media.
View his portfolio here

The Nucleus footbag shoes have arrived at the Freedom Shredquarters! After a check for order accuracy and a quality inspection, they will be ready to move out – and onto your feet!

This has been a long journey: from the original concept, to finding investors and a manufacturer, from learning Mandarin, to developing and testing prototypes, from customs and inspections by the Department of Homeland Security, to resizing to ensure a good fit. Queency Mateo of Nucleus Footwear stuck with it through all the challenges and now knows what it is like to bring a footbag shoe to the market for the seemingly small but growing community of shredders around the world who have been hoping and dreaming of a new footbag shoe! We will admit they are not perfect and we know there are a few things we will change on the next version, but for now they will do the job. Jim Penske and Evan Gatesman hit plenty of 7 add moves in these shoes (right out of the box) last weekend at the Vegas Jam!

Oreo, the official mascot of Freedom Footbags, wags her tail happily at the arrival of the new Nucleus Footbag Shoes!

Queency has a lot of ideas and irons in the fire…fundraisers, TV spots, and a US tour…just to name a few. We at Freedom Footbags are pleased to be partnering with Nucleus Footwear in an effort to grow this unique and amazing sport!