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Try Forgetting About Competition
Questions to Ask Yourself | Event Planning
Footbag.com is largely a non-competitive site. If you haven't already,
read Our Position on Footbag Kicking to see where we
are coming from. Sometimes competition can set you back and disillusion you
instead of pushing you forward. I remember years ago when I began kicking, just
like you, I longed for competition. That was before I began to appreciate the
full value of kicking.
There was an air of excitment about the idea of competing. It seemed
like the thing to do. The people I kicked with in my town were also intrigued,
so we went. They were all disillusioned, even those that won
state titles. It just didn't go anywhere and threatened
to limit kicking to only certain types thereby limiting the enjoyment we knew
from just kicking in a circle. So we disengaged from the tournament scene.
There is also a lot of hostility, anger, and disagreement in the competitive
setting.
Even if you spent the money to go to a tournament and if you went often
enough to learn what they do there and began to be good at it, there is no money
to speak of to win and there is almost no audience to enjoy your skills. This
means you travel a long distance to go to a tournament and normally come away a
little dissallusioned with the experience and wondering what to do now.
An Alternative
Instead we would suggest you gather up other kickers locally for
frequent circle kicks and when you decide you have something to offer an
audience then have an exhibition event.
You can become a better and better kicker easiest by kicking steadily
with the same people, challenging each other and yourself without worrying about
win or lose. The only thing to worry about is keeping the footbag in the air
and getting more and more control of it so that you can pass it well, seeing
that you can receive a kick anywhere within 360 degrees of your body, and
remembering to notice how well others kick so that a synergy develops which will
take you to a place you can't now imagine. For more about this read "What is Bloughchi?
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1. Why
did you start kicking? Was it because you wanted to compete at something or was
it because you enjoyed the challenge of keeping the footbag in the air? Do you
regularly kick in a circle and do you have a good understanding about how to
keep that a growing and challenging group experience? Read about the
fundamentals for circles kicking and a good Code of Conduct to keep the circles happy and growing.
2. Have you read "Footbag Dance" to get a good
grounding in basic stretches, stance, and kicks? If not, take a few minutes to
read it online because it will help you set the proper
regimen and style for a lifetime of safe development in footbag kicking. You can also download a zipped text only version of it or buy an autographed copy.
3. Did you start by using a very soft footbag
and have you challenged yourself by steadily increasing the firmness of the bag?
If you need a good beginner's footbag we have one called de Cinco, and we have
a firmer one called the Sundancer. We also have multi-panels footbags (62P to 122P), the well known "Stalling Star" sand-filled footbag and leather footbags for sale online. Keep increasing the firmness until you can control a hard footbag as well as a
soft one.
4. If you are trying
to kick a footbag at school or at work have you figured out how to do it in a
manner in which the administration would approve and not hassel you? If you
need help with this, print the Code of Conduct, give
it to administration and promise to follow it. Also, you might interest your PE
teacher, or corporate trainer in allowing a footbag kicking segment into his/her
curriculum. They can purchase footbags and "Footbag Dance" books for
their classes at a our Trainer/PE discount page and they can read and print all the instructional materials in the site.
If you and your friends are kicking pretty well, have you
thought of spearheading a footbag event in your local park, gym, or other open
area where you can get free permitted use of the proper space?
Below is a basic plan of action for setting up an
event.
Most of all ENJOY! It is fun and it is good for you in so many ways.
Read the research paper to see all the benefits that
derive from kicking in a noncompetitive fashion. You can do this alone every
single day and with others as often as possible. It is a wonderful fitness
activity and has wonderful social ramifications when done in a noncompetitive
fashion. Read our Position on Footbag Kicking to see
the philosophy we support, one we hope you too will learn to appreciate and
understand. |
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1. At least two months ahead if possible, choose a place for the event trying to get it free
for an entire day or two - a specified area in a park is good, a community gym
is good. If inside, the ceiling needs to be very high and the space large
enough for a lot of movement and spectators. Approach the person in charge of
the space and indicate you are planning an event, give them a tentative
schedule, negotiate date and time, assure them good behavior will prevail by
giving them a copy of the Code of Conduct for circle kicking. If playing a net
game, give them a copy of the rules. Know about the rules for the space you are
using and agree to keep them (no dogs, no smoking, etc.). Remember, you may
want to use this space again. Making copies of the space rules and Code of
Conduct for participants to receive as they arrive is always a good idea.
2. Promote the event in every free way possible. (If
you are rich take out ads in your local paper, TV stations, radio stations, or
billboards if you want to!) You can submit a news release, keep it short and
factual remembering the five W's in the first paragraph (what, where, why, when,
who) to your local paper(s). Also, find the free bulletin or calendar space in
your local paper and submit the information there. Write a brief PSA for the
radio station and TV station. If you have a local access channel try to video
tape a segment to air which shows people kicking the bag and gives the event
information. Local access channels also have bulletin board information which
you need to give the information to at least a month before the event. Pass out,
put up fliers whenever and wherever approriate. Have your circle kickers wear
buttons or ribbons informing of the event. Chances are the space you are using
has a bulletin board or newsletter you can submit the information to. Don't
forget to also invite the photo journalists at your paper to come by and snap
some shots for post publicity and be prepared to announce another event when
they arrive.
3. Invite the local school PE classes to come by and
learn how to kick. Plan a time for this during the event and get the best
kickers to assist in training anyone who shows up. Be sure you know about the
best stretches and the basic stance and parameters of kicking to insure their
safety and basic grounding in this wonderful fitness activity. Remember to
communicate about the benefits of footbag kicking training for soccer players!
4. Get a sponsor if you can who will provide some
extra footbags (for the trainees) and a momento for everyone who participates in
the event. Give your sponsor a lot of plugs in your PR materials and let them
put up whatever display or banner they want to use on the day(s) of the event.
Make sure everything is family friendly, meaning: no drugs, no profanity, no X
rated anything, and keep it fun NOT COMPETITIVE.
5. Add any number of other features: booths selling food and
drink (no alcohol) if allowed at the space, get T-shirts done up for people who
wish to purchase them, invite noted kickers to exhibit their form and style to
show how many ways there are to kick a footbag (provide them housing while they
are there). Get the spectators involved during a segment by challenging them to
try to kick the footbag in circles of five each. Have an award for the most
helpful kicker (decided by the participants) and one for the most enjoyable
kicker (decided by spectators). Have a roster or guest book to keep track of
kickers and spectators for future events. And so on....be creative but safe and
family oriented, and have FUN! |
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