Footbag is a new American game, which was invented in 1972 in Oregon City, Oregon by John Stalberger and Mike Marshall. Initially the game was called “Hack the Sack” but it is popularly known as footbag. Its trademark is Hacky Sack™. The game soon caught the eye of the public and subsequently was accepted as a sports game. Today it is mostly played in Europe and North America. It has now become a competitive sport with a number of tournaments and festivals being held every year. It is now governed by the rules set by International footbag committee.

What exactly is a Footbag?

A footbag is a perfectly round bag, which is filled with plastic pellets or any other material with a particular softness. The footbag filled with pellets or the soft material has a particular weight. The game is played by keeping the footbag in the air with your feet. You cannot use your hands while playing the game.

What is Competitive Footbag Sports?

Footbag net and footbag freestyle are the two most popular games. 

Footbag Net: It is played like tennis or volleyball wherein the players use their feet to cross over the footbag over 5 feet net. It can be a singles or a doubles court game.
Footbag Freestyle: This is game is akin to dancing competition where in the game is judged for choreography, difficulty, variety and how well the moves are executed. It may not be possible to follow the difficult moves executed during the game. The number of variations involved with freestyle, make it difficult to follow and judge the game accurately.

What are the Benefits of the Game?

Footbag is a game of fun, which keeps your body fit. Your foot and eye coordination improves; both sides of the body are equally exercised thereby balancing the activity of the muscles on both sides of the body, your balance improves, you become more sharp and the game immensely helps improve your cardiovascular work out.

What are the Rules of the Game?

The game is more of etiquette than rules. The game does not have any set of rules,  but you have to play with your feet and when the footbag touches the ground, you have to pass it on to another player of your side to serve. Whatever rules are there can be found on the website http://ifc.footbag.org/contents.html. These rules actually cover footbag consecutives, footbag net, footbag golf and footbag freestyle.

Where can I get Footbag?

Footbag being a comparatively new game, most of the public is fully not aware of the game. Therefore, it is not easy to locate a footbag. A good footbag can be purchased online from World Footbag Association online catalog, or from the sports store in your area, or a club supporting footbag. You may find it difficult to get footbag in stores outside North America.

How Can One Learn to Play Footbag?

You can learn to play footbag by watching lessons given online, reading the frequently asked questions and equipping yourself with proper sports gear. You should also buy the book from this site as it was written by exponents of the game and very authorative. You also join the nearest club to sharpen your skills about the game. to find a club near you check out www.footbag.org for clubs by country and district as a good starting place.