I am often asked, "what is that called?" I don't always give the same answer. In some cases it feels like Hacky Sack, in others it feels like Footbag Freestyle. I am conflicted when asked this question.
I have been pondering the answer for years and to this day I can say the answer is...
... it's both!
Summer Time - 1997: I had just changed majors for the first time from engineering to art and ran into a friend I hadn't seen in some 10 years. He had a Hacky Sack that he found on the ground so we tried to play Hacky Sack.
Old School Rules: We played by the 'old school' method of Hacky Sack, or at least we thought. 1.) No hands 2.) Never say you are sorry. That was it.
The bag was a 2 panel vinyl coated, plastic wrapped, bead filled, lop-sided, blue & white masterpiece of engineering technology. It must have taken all of 2 minutes to stitch fill and export from china. You may own or have used such a beauty in your own experiences.
During my freetime between my challenging art classes, I passed the time mastering basic tricks like Around-The-World and The Squeeze. I was Footbag illiterate, but to all my friends I was King Kong of Hacky Sack.
Many years later since the days of the Hack, I progressed and became more aware of Footbag Freestyle and all the fancy tricks and such. Hacky Sack kinda disappeared and was replaced with a task. The task to be the best. Muhahahahaha!
Sorry, I laugh because being the best at anything takes a lot more than just telling yourself, and you might need a few extras, like genetics and raw talent. None of which I possesed, nor was willing to try to attain.
So today I play for fun and friendship. Kinda like Hacky Sack, yet the game I play is most definately Footbag. Now when I am asked what your guys doing, I say "Playing Hacky Sack", and then when they inquire further, then I say Footbag Freestyle. I have found that pushing an idea onto someone new pushes them away. But if they can relate to what you are doing, either by their own encounters, or whatever, they will open up to you and be willing to receive the information through their own curiosity.
I spent up to 20 minutes answering 5 boys constant questions about Footbag. They were hooked and all I had to do was give them some simple answers. It is nice to see the progression of the sport and all the newcomers young and old. In the same day a 48 years old man asked me what I was doing, and I told him Hacky Sack. Surprisingly he was interested and asked another 10 questions about the sport.
Just goes to show that Hacky Sack or Footbag Freestyle can be enjoyed by all types of people for fun and in competition. Next time you are asked, "What are you doing?" Think first about how you will answer. A lot of people will soon be inquiring from all over the world, both young and old and it is up to those who perform it well to also help educate.
~peace