How to Play Hacky Sack
Understand the game., Buy a good quality sack (Or make one), preferably a bag filled with sand, metal(shot), or even small beads., Wear shoes that have a very flat inside and outside surfaces and a wide flat top on the toe., Wear shorts., Practice...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Understand the game.
The ultimate goal for group “sacking it up” is to keep the bag in the air for as long as possible.
In a group, if every person kicks the bag at least once then the group has completed a “round” or a "hack." When every person kicks the bag at least two times around, they have completed a “double helix” and so on.
The objectives are different if you're by yourself.
Individual freestyle sack has evolved to a very complex sport with a myriad of kicks and stalls strung together to form tricks. -
Step 2: Buy a good quality sack (Or make one)
The larger the beads, the harder it will be to stall the sack.
If you have a bag with large beads, consider rolling over it with something very heavy, such as a car, to break them down. , Skate shoes can be good to learn with; they provide many areas from which you can kick and stall the bag.
Beyond the basics, however, tennis shoes are a favorite among even the professionals. , Pants restrict your movement and provide a surface that increases the likelihood of knocking the sack off its intended path. , Inside kick:
Gently drop the sack in front of you.
Use the inside of the foot, almost directly in the center of your shoe where the arch of your foot is, to kick the bag directly straight up.
Angle your ankle so that the inside of the foot is parallel to the ceiling.
This will ensure that the bag will go directly up and not off to the side.
It helps to bend the other standing leg as well.
After one kick, catch the sack in your hand.
Repeat dropping, kicking, and catching until you are consistently kicking the bag straight up.
Next, try kicking the bag using alternating feet and no hands.
See how many you can do in a row! Outside kick:
Gently drop the sack with your arm outstretched to the side, and use the middle of the outside of the foot to kick the bag.
This is harder to do, but remember the tips above – angle your ankle to keep the outside of the foot parallel to the ceiling, and bend the standing leg.
Toe kick:
Gently drop the sack in front of you, but at a greater distance than the inside kick.
Use the toes to kick the bag straight up in the air.
This kick is similar to the one commonly used to juggle a soccer ball. , Inside stall:
Drop the sack in front of you.
Using the inside of the foot, in the middle of the shoe, catch the sack with the foot by gently lowering the foot a couple of inches (a few centimeters) in a cradling motion.
This will help absorb the impact of the bag on the foot and keep it from bouncing off the side.
Imagine catching the bag as you would a raw egg or water balloon.
Outside stall:
Drop the bag to the outside and cradle the bag by lowering the foot a couple of inches.
Toe stall:
Drop the bag to the front and again, cradle the bag by lowering the foot a couple of inches. , Try doing patterns, such as outside left, inside left, inside right, outside right, or whatever you want to make up.
This will help you learn to control where you want the bag to go. , Also, this helps with kicking too hard, or having kicks go off in random places; the knee is a pivot, and it will not go perfectly straight up. , In order to keep a hack going, you may need to stall it on your back, chest, neck, face, knee, or even between your chin and neck.
The important thing here is to keep it going. , This will undoubtedly increase the length of your kicking sessions and cause less strain on your muscles. , Like most motor skill activities it is better to practice for a few minutes or a half-hour each day than to practice for hours at a time every once in a while. ,, -
Step 3: preferably a bag filled with sand
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Step 4: metal(shot)
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Step 5: or even small beads.
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Step 6: Wear shoes that have a very flat inside and outside surfaces and a wide flat top on the toe.
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Step 7: Wear shorts.
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Step 8: Practice the 3 basic kicks – inside (left and right)
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Step 9: outside (left and right) and toe kick.
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Step 10: Practice the 3 basic foot stalls – inside (left and right)
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Step 11: outside (left and right) and toe.
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Step 12: Combine kicks and stalls.
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Step 13: Keep your feet low; it may seem hard at first
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Step 14: but you skill will undoubtedly increase if you can kick low sacks.
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Step 15: Get used to ending up with a sack in weird places.
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Step 16: Stay relaxed while kicking.
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Step 17: Practice regularly.
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Step 18: Set goals for yourself
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Step 19: such as 100 inside kicks in a row
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Step 20: or 20 rainbow kicks (left outside above your head to a right outside kick)
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Step 21: or 20 toe stalls.
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Step 22: After becoming proficient in the basic kicks and stalls
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Step 23: join a sack circle or check out the internet to learn more advanced sack moves.
Detailed Guide
The ultimate goal for group “sacking it up” is to keep the bag in the air for as long as possible.
In a group, if every person kicks the bag at least once then the group has completed a “round” or a "hack." When every person kicks the bag at least two times around, they have completed a “double helix” and so on.
The objectives are different if you're by yourself.
Individual freestyle sack has evolved to a very complex sport with a myriad of kicks and stalls strung together to form tricks.
The larger the beads, the harder it will be to stall the sack.
If you have a bag with large beads, consider rolling over it with something very heavy, such as a car, to break them down. , Skate shoes can be good to learn with; they provide many areas from which you can kick and stall the bag.
Beyond the basics, however, tennis shoes are a favorite among even the professionals. , Pants restrict your movement and provide a surface that increases the likelihood of knocking the sack off its intended path. , Inside kick:
Gently drop the sack in front of you.
Use the inside of the foot, almost directly in the center of your shoe where the arch of your foot is, to kick the bag directly straight up.
Angle your ankle so that the inside of the foot is parallel to the ceiling.
This will ensure that the bag will go directly up and not off to the side.
It helps to bend the other standing leg as well.
After one kick, catch the sack in your hand.
Repeat dropping, kicking, and catching until you are consistently kicking the bag straight up.
Next, try kicking the bag using alternating feet and no hands.
See how many you can do in a row! Outside kick:
Gently drop the sack with your arm outstretched to the side, and use the middle of the outside of the foot to kick the bag.
This is harder to do, but remember the tips above – angle your ankle to keep the outside of the foot parallel to the ceiling, and bend the standing leg.
Toe kick:
Gently drop the sack in front of you, but at a greater distance than the inside kick.
Use the toes to kick the bag straight up in the air.
This kick is similar to the one commonly used to juggle a soccer ball. , Inside stall:
Drop the sack in front of you.
Using the inside of the foot, in the middle of the shoe, catch the sack with the foot by gently lowering the foot a couple of inches (a few centimeters) in a cradling motion.
This will help absorb the impact of the bag on the foot and keep it from bouncing off the side.
Imagine catching the bag as you would a raw egg or water balloon.
Outside stall:
Drop the bag to the outside and cradle the bag by lowering the foot a couple of inches.
Toe stall:
Drop the bag to the front and again, cradle the bag by lowering the foot a couple of inches. , Try doing patterns, such as outside left, inside left, inside right, outside right, or whatever you want to make up.
This will help you learn to control where you want the bag to go. , Also, this helps with kicking too hard, or having kicks go off in random places; the knee is a pivot, and it will not go perfectly straight up. , In order to keep a hack going, you may need to stall it on your back, chest, neck, face, knee, or even between your chin and neck.
The important thing here is to keep it going. , This will undoubtedly increase the length of your kicking sessions and cause less strain on your muscles. , Like most motor skill activities it is better to practice for a few minutes or a half-hour each day than to practice for hours at a time every once in a while. ,,
About the Author
Frank Jones
Dedicated to helping readers learn new skills in lifestyle and beyond.
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