Review: Zeekio ‘Rage’

Okay, for today’s post, I am doing a review on the Zeekio ‘Rage’ hacky sack.

Personally, I love my Rage.
It has lots of bounce, while still giving plenty of control. These factors make it easy to get lots of tricks in there; however, I find that stalling is pretty hard to accomplish with this hacky sack.
As for durability, the Rage is amazing. I have kicked it around for a year now, and it is in very good condition. Breaking it in took about, oh I don’t know…I want to say it was about a month? A little less than that? Anyways, it did not take long at all to break it in.

Specifics:

• Three color combinations to choose from (Red/Black, Blue/Black, Solid Black)!
• Material: Leather
• Panels: 14
• Filling: Plastic Pellets
• Fill Level: Medium-Full
• Diameter: 2 inches

The Zeekio Rage is all-in-all a great little hacky sack!
I would most definitely recommend this beauty to a fellow Footbag player.

New: Chainmail Hacky Sacks

There is a new product line at Dragonfly Footbags, and that is the chainmail hacky sack series.

What is a chainmail hacky sack?
A chainmail hacky sack is, well, a hacky sack made from chainmail. The chainmail is saw-cut aluminum or stainless steel rings, along with rubber chainmail rings, too.
The aluminum or stainless steel rings add weight and strength, while the rubber rings give this hacky sack pop and stability. This beauty is the perfect combination of stability and control, making it a great hacky sack to use whether you want to stall, kick, or both.

Details:

• Smaller than the average hacky sack.
• No sand that can leak!
• No threads that can rip!
•  No panels to tear!
• Virtually indestructible! (but if you somehow manage to break it, it’s easy to fix!)
• Cleaning? Simple. Just wash it with soap and water. It is waterproof!
• Unique, Dragonfly exclusive! You will not find this anywhere else in the world.

Specifics:

•  Five color combinations to choose from (Black/Pink/Copper, Black/Purple, Dark Green/Light Green, Orange/Gold, Purple/Light Pink/Silver)!
• Each color combination has a different shape!
• About 1 3/4 to 2 inches in diameter, but still quite smaller than the average hacky sack.
• Every chainmail hacky sack comes with a Dragonfly Footbags charm (a silver dragonfly) attached to it! 

If you want a larger chainmail hacky sack, no need to worry. According to Dragonfly Footbags, on October 10, they will have some the size of the average hacky sack in a couple of months.
“It will probably be another couple of months…we’d like to get the small ones rollin’ out for right now. We’ll let you know, though, when they’ll be available. Get a small one for now to tide you over, though! ;)” – Summer K. Sellers; maker of the Dragonfly Footbags chainmail hacky sack.

I am really looking forward to ordering this hacky sack. I am going to order mine in December (I’m gonna be broke for a while…), so I will do a review on it then.
Also, when the the bigger version comes out to their website, I am definitely order one of those, too!

Already convinced, and want to buy one of their chainmail hacky sacks? Here is the link: http://www.footbagshop.com/chainmail-footbag.html

Tips For Footbag Beginners

If you are a beginner to the sport of Footbag, you probably suck at playing it…it is okay, everyone does at first. Because of this, more than likely, you want to know what you can do to improve yourself in this sport. Well, if that is the case, then you are in the right place!

Choose the Right Hacky Sack

The outer covering and fill material used in your hacky sack can have a big impact on your ability to keep the hacky sack in the air. According to Footbag Powerhouse, beginners should look for hacky sacks with suede covers, which provide a good grip between the shoe and the hacky sack.
However, even though suede hacky sacks are suggested for beginners, pick the hacky sack that feels best for you. Some people just can not use certain types of hacky sacks; so, pick the one that feels right for you.
Before you play, another thing you can do, is take the time to break in your hacky sack in order to make it easier to use.

Wear the Right Pair of Shoes

According to the International Footbag Players Association, the Adidas Rod Laver is the best shoe for playing Footbag. If you’re not ready to invest in new shoes for this sport, stick to lightweight shoes with a thickly cushioned sole. Wear shoes that are relatively flat along the instep area on the side of the shoe, which makes it easier to catch and pass the hacky sack. Also, if you prefer it, open-toed or mesh shoes make it easier to perform toe kicks and catches.
Personally, I find that my tennis shoes/running shoes work just fine, but I am looking into getting myself a pair of good, flat shoes.

Basic Skills to Practice

Most Footbag tricks require only four basic skills. By practicing these four skills on your own, you will gain confidence and be able to keep up with other players.
Start by bouncing the hacky sack off the inside edge of your shoe. Keep the hacky sack centered on the instep, and work to create a flat surface with the side of your foot. Once you are able to bounce the hacky sack up and down a few times on the instep, switch to the outside edge of your foot. Next, try bouncing and catching the hacky sack on your toes, then switch to your knees. Master these basic skills on both feet to improve your game and keep up with your friends.

One More Skill to Practice

Stalling.
This is still a basic skill, but I didn’t include it in the section above because it isn’t required, but it can save you in a game of Footbag.
To stall your hacky sack, catch it on the inside of your foot, outside of your foot, your knee, your toes, or the top of your foot. Eventually, you can get fancy with it, and stall your hacky sack on your head, your neck, or the bottom of your shoe.

I hope you beginners find these tips useful. Just keep trying, and you’ll get there!

Hacky Sack Varieties

The hacky sack comes in many different varieties, styles, and designs.
We will go over varieties (materials they can be made from), panels, fillings, and designs.

Varieties:

Suede

Suede hacky sacks are among the most popular type, as they are very durable. The great thing about a suede hacky sack is that it is great for stalling and catching.
Most suede hacky sacks are filled with sand, but some are filled with plastic pellets.

Leather

Leather hacky sacks are the second most popular type of hacky sack.
They are very durable and strong. However, they still will be worn out over time, but it takes quite a while for it to get to that point.
Leather hacky sacks give much bounce, but still can stall. They are more on the bouncy side, but I find that they work fairly well for just about everything.
These hacky sacks are filled with either sand or plastic pellets; it is really up to the user.

Chainmail

The chainmail hacky sack is relatively new, and definitely not as popular as the suede or leather varieties.
One of the advantages to a chainmail hacky sack is the fact that, because of its’ strong, durable material, and soft interior stuffing, it has no chance of breaking, while still having just the right amount of bounce and stall to it.

Crochet

Crochet hacky sacks are the easiest to find in stores, but they are not my first choice when picking out a new hacky sack.
These are sometimes filled with plastic pellets, and sometimes with sand. I, personally, like plastic pellets when using a crochet hacky sack, because these hacky sacks break in fairly quickly, and the plastic pellets allow for easy stalling and catching, if filled to the correct level.
There is a disadvantage to these, though. Because they are crochet, the wear-and-tear factor is a much bigger deal, because they tear or leak really quickly.

Hemp

Hemp hacky sacks are good for amateurs to the sport, because they are durable, while still giving you the bounce and stall you need.
Personally, I don’t really like using hemp hacky sacks, but some people swear by them. It is just a personal preference.

Fillings:

Sand: Sand filling is great for stalling, while still providing optimal bounce. Although, they make the hacky sack heavier, therefore making the hacky sack harder to use.

Plastic Pellets: Plastic pellets provide plenty of bounce, yet still giving you the advantages of stalling. Because of plastic pellets’ light weight, they do not make the hacky sack heavy. Because of this, plastic pellet filled hacky sacks are recommended for amateurs.

Panels:

What are panels? Panels are the little pieces of a hacky sacks’ exterior material that are sewn together. You can get hacky sacks with all different numbers of panels, therefore creating a cool pattern, design, and shape.

Designs:

Hacky sacks come in all different designs, from stripes, dots, and flowers, to a globe, your favorite team, and even tie-dye.

Where To Buy a Hacky Sack:

Here are a few places I recommend buying your hacky sack from:

http://www.footbagshop.com/ (My absolute favorite)
http://www.freedomfootbags.com/
http://www.footbagpowerhouse.com/

Well, I hope you learned a few things from this, especially if yo are just getting into the sport of Footbag.

Comment and let us know what YOUR favorite type of hacky sack is, and why!

What Is Hacky Sack (Footbag)?

For those of you who aren’t familiar, Hacky Sack, or Footbag, as we know it today, is a modern American sport invented in 1972 by John Stalberger and Mike Marshall of Oregon City, Oregon.

In the game of Footbag, you keep a small ball, called a Hacky Sack, in the air as long as possible, performing cool tricks and moves, without using your hands (some tricks involve the elbows, biceps, etc., but most do not).

A Hacky Sack

So how did John and Mike come up with Footbag? Well, Mike had hand-made a small beanbag, and was kicking it around. Meanwhile, John was recovering from a knee injury, and wanted a fun way to exercise his knees, so they both kicked it around, and began to call the game ‘Footbag’.
As they found the game very entertaining, they showed their friends, and the trend soon spread. So, John and Mike decided to begin selling hacky sacks, and they were very successful.
Unfortunately, in 1975, Mike died of a heart attack, at the age of 28. However, John continued with the “Hacky Sack” cause and formed the National Hacky Sack Association. He later sold the rights for the Hacky Sack® Footbag to Kransco (operating under the Wham-O label), who also invented the Frisbee, and other fun toys.

Following the invention of Footbag, different varieties of the sport have evolved including “Footbag Net”, where players volley a Hacky Sack over a 5-foot-high net, and “Freestyle Footbag”, where players stand in a circle and do tricks with the Hacky Sack while passing it around the circle.

That pretty much sums that up; but for the next post, we will get into the varieties of hacky sacks.

Hello World!

Welcome to Hittin’ The Sack! This is a blog dedicated solely to the sport of Footbag, hacky sacks, and cool moves and tricks!

Thanks for stopping by!