Growing up, I was quite active. Playing sports was a daily event for me and my friends. From football to basketball, baseball to Frisbee I played it all, whenever I could. As I'm sure you know, with each sport it was important and quite helpful to have the proper equipment. And, I'd say the most important piece of equipment to have is shoes. For all major sports the proper footwear is easy to find. For football you have numerous types of cleats for outdoor and indoor alike. The same goes for baseball, basketball, tennis, and bowling for that mater. For all of these activities the proper athletic shoes can be found on the Internet, at the mall, any discount shoe store and many other shoe outlets. However, if you play sports that are not in the eye of the main stream, there are probably going to be difficulties finding the proper shoe for your needs. I found myself in this predicament all too often because my favorite sport, above all others, is Hacky Sack.
So how do you pick the right shoe for playing Hacky Sack? With many other sports shoes there is a fair amount of cushion on either side of the foot. Some sports footwear has thick soles or a tread specifically designed for the sport. With Hacky Sack all you need is a flat grip sole similar to a basketball shoe. However, unlike basketball shoes, you don't need all the padding that surrounds the foot. As a matter of fact, the more plain and simple the shoe the better.
Back in the old days as it were, the best thing to use for playing Hacky Sack was pretty much any skate shoe. My first few pairs of Footbag shoes were canvas shoes without large fat toughs, gel soles, and fat laces all of which are undesirable with proper footwear for playing a good game of Hacky Sack. Some people play in boots, sandals or even walking shoes but these options are not ideal. Men's and women's boots can be quite heavy and can contribute to early exhaustion and not to mention they can be a pain when they come down on a fellow players toes. Sandals are also not the best choice to play in either. Even though they are light weight and usually have fairly flat surfaces they still have too many open spaces for the Hacky Sack to get caught in and/or get misdirected when kicking. Also, sandals sometimes aren't always on tight and have been known to come off mid-kick. So, the main thing you are looking for is flat canvas that protects the foot while not being overly bulky. A shoe with a flat insole, face and outer edging is ideal. This means no big fluffy shoe laces, no air pump, and no tags dangling from the shoe. One of the best things about buying a pair of shoes to help your game is that since they need to be plain they are almost always inexpensive and can be found at any discount shoe store. Quality footwear can also be a simple and plain shoe, it does not always have to be the most expensive shoe in the store.
Once you have found the right shoe, now you can play an enjoyable game of Hacky Sack. Good luck! I hope to see you a Hacky circle soon.
