Back in 1972, by pure chance, one of the most exciting games of our time was born - Footbag.
John Stahlberger was walking through the city of Oregon. He was, as usual, worried about his injured knee and was occupied with the thought of his cure. Suddenly he was sent a solution to the problem in the form of a guy playing with a homemade ball. Mike Marshall amused himself by playing with a bag full of beans. This seemed useful to John, as it could flex his knee. The guys talked and decided to turn the original idea into a real sport. So the footbag arose - this is both the name of the ball and the sport itself.
After 20 years, this activity, based on volleyball and tennis, has become really popular not only in America. Indeed, such exercises not only improve coordination of movements, but also strengthen the muscles of the legs, and also help blood circulation and train the respiratory apparatus.
In Russia, it is known under a different name - sox. But during the game, the ball is beaten off not only with the toe, but with any part of the leg, be it the knee or the hip, or whoever has enough skill for that. Sox is somewhat simpler than a regular footbag.
After some time, in addition to socks, a standard footbag also came here. You can boast of your skill in this sport in the form of Freestyle to music. And you can play one-on-one or as a two-on-two team. The ball is thrown over the one and a half meter net using only the feet and must not touch the ground. Moreover, in a professional game, the ball can only be hit with a leg below the knee.
There are several types of footbag fillers. Now the ball itself is filled not with beans, but with small balls or sand or, for stronger weighting, with metal parts. The footbag itself is knitted or sewn from several parts, and the more of these parts, the rounder it is.
The best option is a ball of 32 panels. Although there are a very different number of them from two pieces to a hundred. For freestyle, softer balls go with less filler to make it easier to perform tricks while holding the ball. And during team games, harder and more elastic balls are taken.
The ball is the main attribute for the game. But special shoes will also be helpful. And, of course, shorts instead of trousers will allow you to better feel the ball.
Footbag is gaining popularity. Teams are formed, which also teach newcomers to the technique of the game. There are even committees and associations specializing in footbag overseeing its development.
