First it used to be hopscotch and skipping ropes, now the ‘sport’ of footbag is slowly becoming the most popular hobby of children on the playground. A footbag is a small bean bag used as a ball in a variety of different sports and games. A more common name for the game would be hacky sack, which most people have heard of at some points in their lives (and schools all across the world having Hacky Sack Clubs). Footbag is easier to play than other sports because all that is needed to play is the footbag itself, which is generally very small and can fit in a player’s pocket. Also, footbag can be played between just two players, making it easier than sports like cricket or football where you need many people to play.


The footbag itself generally has a cotton exterior and is filled with sand or pellets. They can also have designs on them which can range from smiley faces to country flags. While most people find it easier to use shoes for footbag as it makes it easier, these are not required to play the game and have fun. Footbags last a long time and generally do not rip or tear, all that is required for their maintenance is an occasional wash. If they do rip or tear they can easily be sewn together. There are also footbags available made up of interlocked metal rings, these are easier to maintain but are obviously heavier than the standard footbag and usually cost more. Footbags are very cheap, often costing under five dollars to pay for footbag.


There are many different variations of the game for footbag, three of the most popular variations include footbag freestyle, footbag net and field hack. In footbag freestyle, players perform a series of moves either as routines set to music or in circles of four or five players. A world competition is held every year for footbag freestyle- the current champion is Vasek Klouda, of the Czech Republic. In footbag net, players volley the footbag back and forth over a net that is five foot high. This is similar to badminton or volleyball, and games are played up to eleven or fifteen points (players must win by two clear points). In field hack for footbag is played on a field similar to the way hockey or soccer is played and requires a lot of stamina to play. Other versions of footbag are the steals and kills versions. In the steals version, the object of the game is to keep the footbag with you as long as possible before someone steals it off you. In the 2-hit kills version, players must kick up (or stall) the footbag twice to “load it”, and then kick it at another player to “kill them”. The footbag must hit the other player anywhere other than the shoe. Depending on the variation of 2-hit kill, “killed” players may or may not be let back into the game.


There are many phenomenal footbag records, the record for the men’s single most consecutive kicks is 63,326 set by Ted Martin in eight hours, fifty minutes and fourty-two seconds. The matching record for women is by Constance Constable, who did 24,713 kick-ups in four hours and nine minutes. The longest doubles consecutives kick-ups record was set by Tricia George and Gary Lautt, who did 132,011 in twenty hours and thirty four minutes.