We’re offering you the chance to grab a holiday gift for the footbag or juggling enthusiast in your family! Because after all, your footbag crew IS your family!!
From now until the end of the year we’ll be offering 10% off everything on our website! Get 10% off of a brand new set of Tossaball Phat Tyre 32-Panel Juggling Balls with a pouch or go old school with a Dirtbag All-Stars 3-Pack
Last year we sent 100 footbags to Rwanda to help teach kids how to play together cooperatively. This is the video we got back from our friends over there:
jonno | 
Customer Reviews, Flying Clipper, Footbag, Hands and Feet Juggling, Juggling, Sponsored Events, Videos | 
11 7th, 2012| 
Peter Irish, the world-famous juggler and footbag enthusiast, will be using our brand new Tossaball Plush Puppies Juggle Balls to attempt a world record with Guinness World Records for juggling three balls with his feet!
Peter Irish is one of our heroes here at Flying Clipper. He’s been pioneering the sport of Hand and Feet Juggling for quite a while, and we’ve been pioneering our hybrid Tossaballs based on his recommendations for just about as long. Here is a great video of Peter using some of our products in his unique and amazing style!
As you can see, Peter Irish is a world-class juggler. We’re absolutely confident he will set the World Record this winter. We’ll be sure to post videos, pictures and as many details as we possibly can once we know more information! Stay tuned!
Ivan, you can see, traveled to the event from Penn State University in Pennsylvania. Ivan’s video footage is pretty much entirely from Saturday, the first day of the event. It is a nice mix of footage from competition, casual shredding, and just the general scenery and crowd.
Molson Hart did a bunch of filming on the 2nd day, Sunday. His footage is pretty much entirely of the competitive events, and its pretty much unedited, except that he broke the videos out into different videos of different events, or, videos of individuals performing their solo competitive routines. He has a whole bunch of videos on his YouTube channel. Here are a couple of the videos of the individual freestyle routines from Sunday:
The Kikbo Company which was also there promoting the Chinese sport of Shuttlecock also has a ton of videos from the event, as well as some very exciting videos of their hybrid shuttlecocks in action!
Our Dirtbag® 14-panel footbag is a unique design and was given a patent by the U.S Patent Office. This hacky sack combines squares and truncated hexagons in a unique way to produce the visual of a soccer ball. Diameter: 2.25″ Weight: 40-45 grams
Dirtbag® 14-Panel Footbag
Love this bag
It’s tough, well made, fun to play with but slightly different than a plastic or metal filled bag (not better or worse, but different). Fantastic bag. My biggest challenge will be not losing it, other than that these things last forever. – Ethan
jonno | Customer Reviews, Flying Clipper, Footbag, Guest Posts, Hands and Feet Juggling, Juggling | 10 11th, 2012| Over the past couple of months I have had the privilege of testing and juggling of Flying Clipper’s
Tossaballs. The specific model I was using was their Hybrid 2.55” inch Orange Balls.Flying Clipper can be found here: http://www.flyingclipper.com/
The specific ball I was using: http://www.flyingclipper.com/home/fly/page_752_87/tossaball_hybrid_2.55_tx_juggle_ball.html
I figure that rather than giving a typical review, I would present this as only I can, as a Behind the Juggler
interview with Jim Fitzgerald, President of Flying Clipper. So, “Behind the Juggler” proudly presents:Behind the Balls: An Interview with Flying Clipper
Interviewer: It seems that Flying Clipper has a huge focus on footbagging, and understandably so from reading through your “About Us” and FAQ sections. When did the company start moving towards incorporating Juggling Bags as well?
Jim Fitzgerald: We have been making juggle balls since the very beginning. All if our footbag designs were enlarged to make juggle balls. As you have read, we (the partners) followed the footbag sport and competed at the world championship level but we have also been jugglers for fun. Most footbaggers juggle. Check out Peter Irish. He is doing the kind of movement that footbaggers have dreamed about for years. Using hands and feet together is what is fueling our latest line of products, the Hybrids.
Interviewer: How many workers does the company employ for the actual assembly of the bags?
Jim Fitzgerald:Right now about 20 people, the partners being retired from production sewing for a few years now, sewing more than 100,000 footbags and 50,000 juggle balls between them.
Interviewer: Obviously your bags have a high number of panels in comparison with other Juggling props on the market, what advantages do you see the extra panels give your bags?
Jim Fitzgerald:We have made juggle balls from four panel construction to sixty two panel construction. The roundest pattern we have found is the pentagonal dodecca hedron.. We also are designing a rhomboidal dodecca hedron for a near future release.
Interviewer: How do you find the process of designing and making juggling bags compares to footbags?
Jim Fitzgerald:Designing is the fun part, coming up with new ideas to make a better “mouse trap”. All of our products are hand made and therefore labor intensive. Juggle balls are as easy or difficult to design as footbags, but of course the parameters for each are different.
Interviewer: Explain about your concept of “hybrid” juggling balls, what makes them “hybrid”?
Jim Fitzgerald:Hybrids are our attempt to “crossover” as it were, and bridge the gap between hands and feet. Also hybrid juggle balls/footbags are an attempt to add heavy and light filler on the interior of the ball in an innovative way. The concept isolates heavy filler on the outside rim of the ball while light filler material on the interior gives the ball volume. Heavy filler material is trapped between two layers of fabric leaving most of the balls weight on the outside of the rim. The physics of such a design, we believe,gives the ball several advantages over all other hand made balls.
1. true flight
2. double durability (two layers of material)
3. rolls like a contact juggle ball
4. easy to stall
5. complete washability
6. keeps its shapeInterviewer: In my experience a lot of bags are filled with millet or a similar material, what fillings do the Tossaballs® use?
Footbags are filled with plastic pellets or sand. Our juggle balls traditionally have been filled with millet (seed) or plastic pellets. Millet never has set well with us because organic material breaks down, especially if it gets wet and also some people are allergic to millet, etc.. On the other hand plastic pellets usually do not give the juggle ball enough weight. Adding crushed rock adds enough weight to make a superior juggle ball.
Interviewer: Where did the name “Flying Clipper” originate?
Jim Fitzgerald: Our home town of Eugene, Oregon is the birth place of footbag freestyle. As far as anyone knows, the first footbag trick ever done was the flying clipper and that is how we took our name.
Interviewer: “Tossaballs®”?
Jim Fitzgerald: Tossaball® is our registered trade name for our line of juggle balls and they are very “Tossable”. We considered other names but felt Tossaball® was the most playful.
Interviewer: I know your products have a lot of history behind them, so tell us about the history as well as awards and competitions that your products have won.
Jim Fitzgerald: As far as competitions or awards for our products, I cannot say, however we have been producing footbags and juggle balls for more than 26 years now. Approximately 20 years ago an article was sent to us that showed the results of several different manufacturers’ juggle balls being dropped from a ten
story building onto the street in Chicago. Ours was stated as the only one that survived the impact. We build our products to last. Rhys Thomas of the Portland (Oregon) jugglers has Flying Clipper juggle balls he has juggled that are more than 15 years old and are still going strong. Many pro jugglers and footbaggers come to our products because of our quality standards and our commitment to service. I guess that is more of a reward than an award but it keeps us going.End of Interview
Needless to say, Flying Clipper creates incredibly durable and well made balls.
I might as well tell a little about my personal juggling ability so that anyone reading this can know where my opinions are originating. Juggling wise, I can juggle 7 balls, but I spend the vast majority of my time working on 3-5. I am particularly proud of some of my three ball work, but find no pattern more relaxing then a 5 ball cascade. As many jugglers know, the bulk of my time contributing to the juggling world is spent working on the Synergy Projects, as well as with my Behind the Juggler interviews.
As far as balls go, I have juggled my fair share since I started juggling. Originally I used “klutz” bags, and then moved on to lacrosse balls. I can most likely attribute the cleanness of my 5 ball pattern to the use of lacrosse balls and their tendency to fly away if even the slightest collision is made. After that I started
to make my own which was quite an experience unto itself. I made everything from 4 -8 paneled bags, though they were hardly ever spherical. I currently am using 6 panel fergie-like bags.These hybrid Tossaballs are certainly bags that I could not even dream of making on my own. The intricate design patterns detailed above are simply a wonder to behold. Flying Clipper creates a bag that no other juggling company can, because they have the knowledge of footbaggers. I have had the privilege of watching Peter Irish perform and there is nothing quite like the kind of manipulation that footbaggers can accomplish when mixing juggling and footbagging. That is exactly the idea that Flying Clipper is attempting to capture with their hybrid products. It is the fusion of footbags and juggling bags.
I personally do not footbag, and I so I bring a different perspective. I did wonder at first how these neon orange bags were going to hold up and handle. The first thing that of course deserves note is the fantastic color. I really needed something that would show up against both sky and gym, and these balls definitely do the trick. Of course the shape is another aspect that cannot be understated. The 12 panel hybrid design creates a near perfect sphere. Thanks to the unique “hybrid” design, they do not lose their shape or “sag” while they are in the air. At the same time they are able to come to a stop after being dropped without rolling away. They accomplish this much better than my set of MMX balls.
An understandable worry regarding any set of bags is how they will break in over time. Tossaballs not only break in to a comfortable and relaxing feel, but they do not lose their shape. No doubt due to their “hybrid” design and mixed filling, the bags consistently keep their roundness. In fact one comment I got about these bags were that the person thought they were oranges. In this case that is a definite compliment to Flying Clipper for creating great looking bags. [Trust me, I know about citrus comments because my personally handmade yellow bags were once called “lemons” and that’s how I know I did a bad job sewing them]
In terms of normal wear and tear, I would say that these bags hold up equally if not better than most that I have juggled. Simple soap and water will clean up scuffs and marks. Cleaning also brings back a bit of the luster of the color which understandably will begin to fade over time.
At first I only used these bags for my 4 + work because I did not like the feel that they had with my 3 ball patterns. Over time as they began to break in, I found them a solid substitute for some of my lower patterns. These balls have a unique property in that they almost seem to “float” through the air. Physics tells me that this isn’t the case, but be that as it may I still feel as though they have a great ability to hang. For this reason I really enjoy using these bags for my juggling with more than three objects. They really give patterns a great solid look and feel that cannot be found in “saggy” or “rock hard” bags.
Tossaballs look great, feel great, and juggle great; I have no qualms about slapping my seal of approval on these bags!
-David Stephens
jugglernextdoorATgmail.com
Derrick Fogle is a member of the Footbag Hall of Fame and a very good friend and former competitor with Jim Fitzgerald, or Toes, the President of Flying Clipper ! We chat with him a bit back and forth with our Twitter accounts and his @h4x354x0r Twitter account as well. We feel like he’s a real pal
Recently Derrick got an inspired idea to run a series of posts called The Footbag Gospel. You can catch most of the action over at his personal blog , but he’s decided to write a guest post just for our blog here at Flying Clipper. Thanks Derrick!
Today, something new related to footbag happened. That’s a bit unusual, considering I’ve been playing and promoting for over 30 years, and I’ve experienced just about everything by now.
But today, something new happened. Since joining Twitter, I’ve used it as a ‘gerilla’ marketing tool. First, I just tweeted out sessions and links to blogs and videos. Then, I started searching Twitter after each session, retweeting, favoriting, and replying to everyone’s tweets about the old, shirtless Hack Man (me!) in Speakers Circle. Last fall, I was excited to get 6 new followers in a week.
This week, I’ve snagged about 50 followers; almost all students. Since the start of semester, the interaction I’ve gotten there has been incredible. I’ve been catapulted well over the 1,000 follower mark.
But more importantly, I finally “connected” in a way that has expanded my vision. I’m following enough students now, that my twitter stream almost always has a couple tweets from local students on the screen. The majority, just bitching about school (including sometimes valid criticism), but… almost always funny. This entire school has a PhD in sarcasm. I love it!
For the first time today, I read enough tweets from students that I got a glimpse, a feel, an real understanding, of what the day was like out there for them. It was really cool, and I even got a couple chances to engage. I always try to tweet back some encouragement when I see a student mention an upcoming test.
So yes, today, once again, something new and cool happened, because I took a lifetime of footbag, shook with a bag full of Twitter, and baked in a campus full of students. Turns out to be a delicious recipe!
The 50-panel Dirtbag® combines twenty four squares, eight truncated hexagons and eighteen octagons, making this multi- panel footbag a dream to kick. Add multi-panel construction to a sand filler and this one will stay true to every kick.
Diameter: 2.25″
Weight: 45 gramsAwesome
jonno | Customer Reviews, Flying Clipper, Footbag, Guest Posts, Hands and Feet Juggling, Juggling, Videos | 09 30th, 2012| Lately he’s been pioneering the new art and skill of Hands and Feet Juggling, and he’s getting quite good! This new sport is gaining traction fast in the juggling and footbag community, creating a new merging of two sports we have always served dutifully here at Flying Clipper! Hand and Feet Juggling is one step closer to being the next big thing with our brand new Plush Puppies and the revolutionary Tossaball Phat Tyre 32-Panel Juggle Balls exclusively sold by Flying Clipper.
Check out this video if you’re not familiar with the name: Peter Irish – Juggling Monk (Promo Vid 2007) (by Flipside Productions)
He can even juggle footbags with his feet!!!
“The Flying Clipper Plush Puppies are by far the best juggling balls on the market for hands and feet juggling. This is the ball I have been searching for for years. Once I got a hold of them, I immediately retired my old balls, and began using these full time.
“This is the ball I have been searching for for years”
They require virtually no break-in and are a great consistency for stalls and body catches yet they retain their roundness and don’t “pancake”. These balls are undoubtedly the best resource for any juggler who wants to integrate the hands and feet together in their juggling. The colors are some of the brightest and most beautiful of any juggling balls I’ve ever seen, which is so important for performing. I have used these balls in several shows and dozens of performances and have been completely satisfied.
As well as all this, they are FUN to juggle, and have a feel like no other ball. I am grateful to Flying Clipper (and amazed) for creating a ball that exceeds my expectations for exactly what I do. I completely recommend these balls for any type of juggling, and especially for my specialty of juggling with the hands and the feet at the same time. Huge thanks to Flying Clipper!”
You can learn more about Peter Irish and his amazing juggling skills by using the following link:
The event will run in conjunction with the DUMBO Arts Festival 2012. DUMBO stands for “Down Under Manhattan Bridge Overpass”, and it is the nick-name of a particularly hip neighborhood right along the river-front on the Brooklyn-side of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges.
As an official sponsor of the event, we sent 30 footbags including multi panel Dirtbags and Phat Tyre footbags! Some lucky festival goers are going to walk home with a bran new Phatty or a high-quality dirtbag!
