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BASIC KICKS AND STALLS

Introduction Toe kick Inside kick Outside kick

Stalls Toe stall Inside stall Outside stall

What now? Practice more! And more!

Introduction
While 95% of tricks in the average player's runs begin and end on stalls (or delays), practicing kicks with the same three fundamental surfaces will help to solidify your mastery. The same movements and muscle memory for hip, knee, and ankle strength and flexibility will later be utilitzed in the majority of advanced freestyle tricks.

The three basic surfaces are toe (contacting the footbag with the toe-box of the shoe), inside (contacting the footbag with the instep of the shoe), and outside (contacting the footbag with the "out"-step of the shoe). Toes and insides are crucial surfaces, while outsides are not very frequently employed.
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Toe kick
1) Toss or drop from hand, at arms-length in front of you
2) Aim for the top portion of the toe box of your shoe
3) Kick with a loose snap of the ankle just as the bag contacts your shoe
4) Try to kick straight up
5) Catch in hand
6) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Repeat this process, focusing on a set straight up from the kick every time. This may take days and days of practice. For added control, try to ensure that the bag does not spin on its way up, after the kick. Progressively add consecutive kicks: 5 in a row, 10 in a row, until you can do 50. Set long-term goals for, say, a month away, as well as short-term goals for every session. Try to beat your own record every day. For more tips on toe kick, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- toe kick, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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Inside kick
1) Toss or drop from hand, slightly in front of you
2) Aim for the centre of the instep of your shoe
3) Twist your torso and hips into the direction of the kicking leg, 45 degrees (this will help to flatten the inside surface and produce a straighter and more controlled kick)
4) The kicking foot should be positioned right in front of the support leg
5) Try to kick straight up, raising the foot up to about mid-thigh height at point of contact
6) Catch in hand
7) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Try to get a feel for your "sweet spot," a spot on your shoe where you can consistently kick the bag straight up -- aim there every time. Remember to twist your hips -- if you think you're struggling with the flexibility to raise your foot high enough, it's probably because you aren't twisting enough. Set and follow the same goals as for toe kicks. When alternating inside kicks, the footbag should move straight up and down directly under your face, and in the same location, in the centre of your body, for each kick (the foot kicks in front of the support leg, yet with the hip twist, this places the kick approximately in the same spot for both feet).

To mix it up and test your bothsidedness, try for as many consecutive kicks as you can with only one foot; then try to match that number with the other foot. Progress to the point where you don't favour one foot over the other. And if you do, practice the weaker foot more. For more tips on inside kick, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- inside kick, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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Outside kick
1) Toss or drop from hand, slightly out to your side
2) Aim for the centre of the outstep of your shoe
3) Twist your hips away from the direction of the kicking leg, and keep the leg at a 90-degree angle
4) Try to kick straight up, raising the foot up to about mid-thigh height at point of contact
5) Catch in hand
6) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Set and follow the same goals as toe and inside kicks. Unlike inside kicks, alternating outsides requires a kicking set across the body to the other outside position. A good set height is about eye-level. For more tips on outside kick, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- outside kick, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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Stalls
Stalls (or delays) follow many of the same basic principles as kicks with the same surfaces. For example, twisting of the hips for inside stalls, just as with inside kicks. The major difference is that rather than moving the foot quickly upward to meet the velocity of the bag, the foot is moved quickly downward with, and at the same speed as, the bag. This is crucial, and practicing the movement in an exaggerated manner can help a lot.
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Toe stall
1) Toss or drop from hand, slightly in front of you
2) Aim for the centre of the toe-box of the shoe
3) Quickly raise the leg to 90 degrees
4) As the footbag falls to knee-height, begin to quickly move the leg downward at the same speed that the bag is falling
5) Keep the lower leg perpendicular to the ground at all times -- you should always be looking straight down on the footbag and the top of your foot during this move
6) Exaggerate a cushioning motion once the bag reaches your toe-box to increase the ease of the stall
7) Hold for one second
8) Set bag straight back up into hand
9) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Set and follow goals as outlined for the 3 basic kicks, or if you feel confident enough, set your own goals -- these are simply a good place to start. For more tips on toe stall, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- toe stall, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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Inside stall
1) Toss or drop from hand, slightly in front of you
2) Aim for the centre of the instep of the shoe
3) Twist your torso and hips into the direction of the stalling leg, about 45 degrees (this will help to flatten the inside surface and produce a more controlled stall)
4) While twisting, quickly raise the stalling foot to knee-height in front of the support leg, at about a 45-degree bend in the knee
5) As the footbag falls to knee-height, begin to quickly move the leg downward at the same speed that the bag is falling
6) Keep the ankle flexed, instep perpendicular to the ground, as you lower your leg (you should always be looking straight down on the footbag and the instep of your foot during this move)
7) Exaggerate a cushioning motion once the bag reaches your instep to increase the ease of the stall
8) Hold for one second
9) Set bag straight back up into hand
10) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Set and follow long and short-term goals, focusing on mastery of control followed by consecutive stalls. For more tips on inside stall, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- inside stall, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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Outside stall
1) Toss or drop from hand, slightly out to your side
2) Aim for the centre of the outstep of the shoe
3) Twist your hips away from the direction of the stalling leg, and keep the leg at a 90-degree angle
4) While twisting, quickly raise the stalling foot to knee-height, bent at 90 degrees
5) As the footbag falls to knee-height, begin to quickly move the leg downward at the same speed that the bag is falling
6) Keep the ankle flexed, outstep perpendicular to the ground, as you lower your leg
7) Exaggerate a cushioning motion once the bag reaches your outstep to increase the ease of the stall
8) Hold for one second
9) Set bag straight back up into hand
10) Repeat on other side (very important!)

Set and follow long and short-term goals, focusing on mastery of control followed by consecutive stalls. For more tips on outside stall, visit the Modified.in thread here.

Video: Footbag trick -- outside stall, by Erik Chan.
For best experience, view in full screen at 720p.
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What now?
Now that you are at least able to somewhat consistently hit each of the basic kicks and stalls on command, have set and followed long and short-term goals, and are able to hit at least 20-50 consecutives of each trick, you can move on to interlinking everything you've learned up to this point.
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Practice more!
Try to come up with drills and goals that you feel test your weaknesses. Some examples might include: outside kick > same leg toe kick > same leg inside kick > opposite leg inside kick > same leg toe kick > same leg outside kick, and the same drill replacing kicks with stalls. Don't stop at 6 contacts -- repeat this drill back and forth across your body for as many contacts as possible. One strategy for combatting defeatism is to count each rotation of the drill as a single contact, rather than each trick. It works!
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And more!
Set new goals, and slowly, but confidently strengthen your foundation upon which all future tricks will depend. Don't prematurely rush into the next stage until you know you are 100% ready. Now is the time to perfect every core concept with a fresh start and avoid developing bad habits and form!
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