How to Play Hacky Sack
Hacky sack is a favorite game of children and adults alike. There’s nothing like throwing an object in the air, and kicking away at it to keep it airborne. While hacky sack is a popular American game, many variations of the game exist all over the world, including jianzi in China, sipa in the Philippines, and sepak takraw in Malaysia. Hacky sack is endless of fun and excitement for kids of all ages. If you want to play hacky sack, here’s a quick guide to playing the game.
The Hacky Sack
Hacky sack does not need sophisticated courts or playing fields. The game can be played anywhere and at any time. The game is usually played on the school playground, although the game can be played on any open space with a flat, level surface. Just make sure that the field is free from obstructions, and that it’s wide enough for you and your playmates to move around.
Unlike other sports, hacky sack needs only one piece of equipment: the hacky sack. You have many options that you can use:
Footbag. Footbags are small, crocheted pouches filled with beads or seeds. Footbags used by beginners are usually filled with sand and bits of gravel to give the bag some added weight. Hacky sacks can be handmade, but they are usually available from sporting goods stores.
Tasseled bottlecaps. Some players opt to improvise and improve the footbag, and use tasseled bottlecaps instead. The bottlecap itself is lightweight, and shredded strips from nylon sacks or shopping bags are attached to the bottlecap to give it aerodynamic qualities.
Wicker balls. In sipa and sepak takraw, balls weaved from rattan or wicker are used for kicking. Wicker balls are very durable, although professional players have been known to wreck a couple of balls halfway into a game or a match.
Playing Hacky Sack
Hacky sack is a very simple game that can be played for fun or for sport. There are no strict rules for playing hacky sack, although the objective of the game is to keep the ball in the air for as long as possible without touching it with the hands. Hacky sack players should only use their feet during the game, but some hacky sack players may opt to use their knees or elbows to keep the ball in the air.
Here are some common variants of hacky sack:
Circle kicking is the most common and popular way to play hacky sack. The players stand in a circle, and pass the footbag around by kicking it along and across the circle. A “full hack” is completed when everyone in the circle has kicked the ball at least once. While there are many rules for circle kicking, the rule is that everyone should kick the ball; no person or group within the circle should hog the ball.
Freestyle footbagging emphasizes skill, finesse, and tricks. Freestyle footbagging is all about keeping the footbag in the air, while making all sorts of impressive tricks like kicks and even flips. The game requires a lot of flexibility, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination.
Sepak takraw and footbag net. Hacky sack can also be played as a team sport. Team games like sepak takraw and footbag net incorporate many elements of tennis, badminton, and other sports. The goal is to keep the object airborne without touching it with the hands. Professional players will often perform acrobatic and flashy tricks to impress the audience and to give more speed and velocity to the ball.
Hacky sack is a very simple game with simple rules, but is loads of fun for everyone who plays it. If you see someone kicking around a footbag, you may want to join in on the fun and find joy and bliss in something as simple as kicking a ball in the air.