Make Your Own Footbag
(Page 2 of 3)
January/February 1983
By Ann Dixon
The last two kicks, knee and toe, come into play less often. Use the knee kick — by raising your leg and stopping the sack with the top of your thigh — to block a footbag away from your midsection and, probably, set it up for either an inside or an outside shot.
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The toe kick, which is notoriously hard to control, should be reserved for occasions when the pouch is directly in front of you and too low to manage with any other maneuver.
Once you develop some confidence in your ability to control the basic moves, get out with some friends and pass the sack around. Don't worry about rules: Unless you're playing some form of tournament footbag (such as a variation on volleyball called "net-sack"), you can pretty much make them up as you go along. Even the number of players is open. Four in a square will work well, though, and may be the best formation to start with.
DO IT YOURSELF
Since the sport has become popular under the name "Hacky-Sack", it's now possible to buy "official" (that is, trademarked) Hacky Sack brand footbags in many sporting goods outlets. But it's an easy enough matter — and probably more in keeping with the spirit of this sort of recreation — to make your own version, if you've got about 20 minutes to spare.
First, collect two small pieces of leather. Make sure they're soft and pliable enough to work with, but sturdy enough to hold up to the wear and tear of action. (If you have none on hand, inexpensive scraps can usually be obtained from a leather supply shop, an upholstery firm, or even a secondhand store.) You'll also need some kind of stuffing (mung beans or popcorn kernels are often used) . . . a marker . . . a pair of scissors . . . some dental floss or heavy carpet thread . . . a large, sturdy needle . . . and a pattern (which I've supplied here for you).
THE SETUP
Begin by reproducing the two pieces of sack-to-be, twice, on your leather strips, and then cut out the pair of identical giant peanuts. Lay the pieces down, right sides together, with the end of one peanut lying atop the center of the other. (Key assembly steps are shown in the accompanying photos.) Now, thread the needle with about 18" of double floss or thread, and you're ready to begin.
Before you start stitching, though, it's important that you have an idea of how you're going to turn those leather shapes into a pouch. It's easy to visualize the process if you use your hands to form a "demonstration model". Hold up your left hand . . . palm facing you and fingers pointing right. Now, lay the fingers of your right hand — palm down — against the palm of your left. Then slowly cup both hands as if you were making a snowball ... and you'll get a rough idea of how the two footbag sections will fit together.
