IFPA World Footbag Championships 2008 in Prague

Freestyle

Short Technical Program

STP explanation & tips Why no background music?:

Mostly to be fair for all players. Ex: some players might not like the style of music, the end of a song in middle of a run can disturb some players, the music can influence judges. Also, it makes the crowd understand that music have nothing to do with the performance/judging.

2 rounds, 30 & 45 sec:

Players don’t need to prepare 2 different STP. Players can create a 45 seconds STP showcasing the extent of their skill and condense it for the 30 seconds round.

VARIETY: Doing many different things. Varied moves:

It’s a variety of element mixture done between 2 contacts. Using the same element in many different moves will lower the score.

Varied links:

It’s a variety of downtime to uptime elements. Repeating the same downtime to uptime element will lower the score.

Balance between front & cross contact:

(front = toe, in, etc. Cross = clipper, dragon, flapper, etc.) It doesn’t need to be 50% each. It’s about proving that both sides can be used. It should not be obvious that a player is much more comfortable with front or cross contact.

Both sidedness:

It’s using similar elements both sides. It doesn’t need to be 50% each side. It’s about proving that both sides can be used.

DIFFICULTY: Difficult moves & links :

Movement which involve: unusual position, pivot, precise dex, lost sight of bag, speed, strenght, precise set, good timing, etc.

Long string:

Linking many moves together.

Density:

Doing many difficult moves and/or links one after another.

EXECUTION: Clean dexes:

A clean dex is between the knee and ankle. Thin dex is usually between ankle and toes, which is not the best execution but still a dex. A missed dex is when no part of the leg goes around the bag. Ducks can be seen as a neck dex, so they can also be clean, thin or miss.

Good bag control:

The player controls the bag at all times. It means a player doesn’t need to “rescue” the bag. Ex: bailing to an easier move or doing a basic kick/stall to avoid a drop, etc.

Sets and contacts are also controlled. Example of bad set/contact: duck with roll on the neck, clipper done on the heel, touching the bag with the leg while dexing, setting the bag far away while spinning, etc.

Good body posture:

It’s controlling movement and balance of the body. Examples of BAD posture: playing on heels, stiff arms, loosing balance while spinning, leaning forward while playing, hard landing after a symposium, etc.

Low drop count:

The number of drops is as low as possible. Since a drop is part of execution, and execution is 25% of all criteria, a few (2-3) drops won’t ruin all chances of having a good score. Even if drops affect other criteria, like difficulty, dropless STP doesn’t mean much if all other critiria are poor.

STRUCTURE: Beginning:

A small part to introduce the STP.

Ending:

A small part to conclude the STP.

Themes:

A part with recognizable components/concepts. Ex: shuffle, a drill, toe run, whirl dex run, unusual surface run, symposium run, both sidedness run, spin & duck run, dbl dex & swirl run, etc.

Dynamics:

Showing both extreme of a movement. It can be “radical”, go directly from one extreme to the other, or it can be a “progression”, slowly go from one extreme to another. Dynamic examples: slow/fast movements, high/low set, easy/difficult element, single/double dex, one side/ the other side, etc.

Transitions:

The way to end a theme and start the next one. The more obvious the transition is, the better the score will be.

Time limit:

Respecting the time limit with a range of +/- 5 seconds.

Structure examples: Qualification: Beginning (4 sec) Transition 1 (2 sec) Theme 1 (8 sec) Transition 2 (2 sec) Theme 2 (8 sec) Transition 3 (2 sec) Ending (4 sec) Total of 30 seconds Semifinal & final: Beginning (4 sec) Transition 1 (2 sec) Theme 1 (8 sec) Transition 2 (3 sec) Theme 2 (12 sec) Transition 3 (2 sec) Theme 3 (8 sec) Transition 4 (2 sec) Ending (4 sec) Total of 45 seconds Other tips:

-There is no need to rush. Players can take a break (freeze the bag for 1-2 seconds) in middle of STP to breathe and focus on next parts. Also, small breaks can be part of transitions.

-Keep in mind that difficulty is only 25% of final score, and that difficulty + variety is only 50% of the score, that makes execution and structure very important.

-So winner of STP is the most skilled and versatile freestyler that did a choreographed and well executed performance.

Other info

Updates

Late check-in and registration info

Late registration and check-in will run on Sunday, August 10th, at Slavia Athletic Stadium (the event site) from 11am (11.00) to 10pm (22.00).

This is the time when you can arrive, pay your fees if necessary, and get your player's pack. This is the ONLY chance for you to check in if you did not pre-pay by August 7th!! Only "guests" (not competing) or pre-paid players will be able to pick up player's packs after this time.

for more info about check-in and registration check this page

Net schedule updated

Check the latest footbag net schedule

Important update

Hostel capacity of 120 beds have been used so you dont need to mail them anymore. We recomend that you contact other hostels in Prague for cheap accomodation. Please visit the accomodation page to see which we recomend.

Registration now opened

Official registration just launched! See more on registration page on footbag.org!

take a look at Sveekův blog