If you already have a hacky sack, and you know the basic hacky sack kicks but wish to learn some new hacky sack tricks this article is for you. Let me introduce you to 30 hack sack tricks that will take your game to the next level.
Read next:
- The 5 Best footbags for beginners (personal experience)
- Benefits of playing hacky sack
- How to get good at Hacky Sack (3 solo practices)
- What is in a hacky sack? All different filling materials explained
Source: Flicker, Malone & Company Photography
I am writing under the assumption that you know the most basic kicks and stalls (inside, outside, toe, knee, etc). These are the kicks that we know naturally and have been used by every player since the original hacky sack came out. These basic kicks will be the foundation of everything else in kicking games that we discuss from here forward.
It’s important to practice the hacky sack basics as much as possible until they become a reflex. Once you have the basics down, along with the basic hacky sack rules, this is when the real fun begins.
30 Footbag tricks and kicks
30 Hacky Sack tricks and kicks
Basic terms:
Let’s kick this off with an explanation of potentially unfamiliar terms you might encounter:
- Set = toss/ make airborne/ launch the footbag.
- Kicking leg, contact leg, setting leg = The leg making contact with the footbag
- Support leg = the leg that stays on the ground as a trick is initiated, and does not come in contact with the bag at first.
- Delay = stall the footbag on your leg, knee, shoulder, toes or head.
1. Flying inside kick
A “flying inside” kick is when you are kicking the footbag while Jumping. Jumping and kicking with the inside surface of your foot at the same time.
2. Flying outside kick
A “Flying outside” kick is the same as a “Flying inside” kick only it’s performed with the outside of your shoe. To perform it you need to be kicking the footbag while Jumping. Jumping and kicking with the outside surface of your foot at the same time is what a “Flying outside” kick is.
3. Hacky sack tricks: Spin(s)
360°
Just like it sounds, a “Spin” trick is when you spin your entire body around 360 degrees in between kicks.
4. Butterfly
“Butterfly” is one of the most famous footbag tricks, it’s a bit tricky and requires quick movements. Think “clipper delay” after bringing your leg over the bag as it is falling back down.
To do a “butterfly” delay the footbag with the inside surface of the foot in a cross body clipper delay. As you set the footbag, bring your support leg over the bag, plant it, then catch the bag in the “clipper delay” position.
Again, this is another trick where you’ll benefit from using a metal or sand footbag because of the weight and stallability. Also, for this trick, conventional wisdom suggests remaining over the bag and staying on your toes.
Butterfly footbag trick:
5. Hacky sack tricks: Clipper Kick
To perform a “Clipper kick” you simply kick the footbag with the inside surface of your shoe while your leg is crossing the support leg from behind. This kick may be confusing at first, but with a little practice, it will become easy after a while.
6. Forehead delay
To perform a “Forehead delay” you stall the footbag using your forehead. One useful tip for performing a “Forehead delay” is to lean your body back when catching the bag. That way the footbag will almost stick to your forehead, especially if you’ve worked up some sweat. This is one of those hacky sack tricks that really impress people even though it is pretty simple to do.
7. Shoulder delay
A “Shoulder delay” is much like the “Forehead delay” only you use your shoulder instead of your forehead. When you first try to do it make sure to lean with the bag to keep it from rolling off. A “Shoulder delay” is great for when you need to catch your breath for a second.
8. Hacky sack tricks: Sole Kicks
A “Sole kick” is when you perform any kind of kick, front or back, flying or standing but you kick the footbag with the sole of your shoe instead of with the top or sides of the shoe. So every time you make contact with the bag using the sole of your shoe/foot its called a “Sole kick”
9. Pendulum
To perform a “Pendulum” you toss the ball to your front and then catch it with your leg then you need to swing your leg from in front of you to as far back as you can while keeping your toes pointed upwards in “flex” position and your leg as straight as possible.
* Keeping your toes pointed upwards is vital to pulling this trick off.
When your leg is as far behind you as possible, then bend your knee inside, and make a flick with your foot to send the bag flying in front of you. It helps to pivot at the hip of your support leg as you move from the front to back. The key with a “Pendulum” is to accelerate your contact leg in one smooth motion and discover the point of release.
See this video for “Pendulum” example:
10. Cloud Kick
To perform a “Cloud kick” you need to make contact with the footbag using your calf muscle. This takes some time, but you’ll get the hang of it with practice.
11. Hacky sack tricks: Heel delays
As the name indicates, a “Heel delay” is when you catch and delay the bag on your heel. This one requires a bit of accuracy and balance, but it is definitely possible if you practice it enough.
12. Walk Over
To do a “Walk over” you need to delay the bag on the inside of your foot, then place that foot with the inside delay, firmly on the ground. Once the outside of your foot is firmly on the ground, then step over the inside delay with your supporting leg.
13. Hop over
To do a “Hop-over” you need to do an inside-stall and hop over it with your support leg while still holding the stall. Hop overs take a lot of practice to keep one foot in the same space while moving the rest of your body in the air. This is easier using a low to medium filled metal hacky sack. The weight keeps it from moving so much.
14. Leg over
A “Leg-over” is when you set the bag down from the air, hop over it with your support leg and also catch the bag with the toes of the same leg.
15. Flying Clipper
To do a “flying clipper” you need to Jump in the air and do an inside kick when the contact leg is under your supporting leg. A good tip for this move is to jump and kick with the leg you jump from using the inside of your ankle for contact.
16. Knee Clipper
The “Knee Clipper” is performed much like the flying clipper, to perform it you need to jump, lose contact from the ground, and kick the bag with your knee that is opposite to your supporting leg.
17. Probe
After you master the shoulder delay, then try the “probe”. From a shoulder delay, launch the bag behind your head (blind) and catch it in a clipper delay. Once you find your range, this becomes easy.
18. Fairy
To do a “Fairy” begin with delaying the hacky sack on the toes of your contact leg. With the same leg, set and circle the footbag from the outside to the inside (counter-clockwise) and catch it on the toes of your support leg. As you circle the bag, hop a couple of inches to the inside to make stalling the footbag easier. As is the case with all the rest to these hacky sack tricks, this one move requires timing your movements right.
Example of fairy footbag trick:
19. Clipper stall delay
A clipper stall, to contrast with the clipper kick, requires you to add a short delay before launching the bag back into the air from the position of having your contact leg behind your supporting leg.
20. Around the World
The “Around the world” trick is when you’re circling the bag with your foot. The best place to start practicing this trick is with a toe-stall.
Set the bag slightly in front of you, and then use either one of your feet to circle and catch the bag before it hits the ground.
Once you get your timing down, this is an easy and impressive trick. Eventually, try circling the bag multiple times before catching it. When incorporated, this will add a lot of “flare” to your moves.
21. Pixie
To perform a ‘Pixie’ begin with stalling the sack on your toes, which is known as a toe-stall, then set the bag and circle it from inside to outside (clockwise) and catch it with your support leg.
22. Pincher
The “Pincher” is another somewhat easy and very impressive hacky sack trick to perform. To do it, you toss the bag upwards and then you catch it with the crux of your leg behind your knee. Squeeze until you figure out what to do with it, for example, an inside kick or pincher Launch/release.
23. Mirage hacky sack tricks
To do a “Mirage” begin with a toe stall or a clipper delay. Then, set the bag straight up, and swing the support leg from in to out over the footbag, catching it with a toe delay on the setting leg. The set from a clipper delay is easier once you know how to do a clipper.
Mirage hacky sack kick example:
24. Pincher Launch/release
Once you have the pincher trick down, then you have to figure out what to do from there. One option is to lean forward and quickly extend your leg, launching the bag into a new kick. Another option is while squeezing, bring your knee in front of you as much as possible and release the pinch allowing the bag to drop in front of you.
25. Eclipse hacky sack tricks
“Eclipse” is essentially a “hop-over” move performed in the air. To perform it you want to initiate an inside delay in mid-air while jumping over your delay foot. As you clear the “delay foot” you then set the bag again as you touch the ground. After mastering the inside stall and the “hop over”, it’s just a matter of combining the two to create this amazing hacky sack trick.
“Eclipse” footbag kick:
26. Flail
To perform a “Flail” set the bag from around waist height into a toe delay, jump off and circle the bag with your supporting leg from outside to inside. Quickly plant your support leg, and scoop the bag with the setting leg. The setting leg does not touch the ground at any point.
Example of flail hacky sack move:
27. Osis hacky sack tricks
This move requires that you master the “clipper delay” with both feet. To perform an “Osis” begin with a cross-body “clipper delay”. Once you set the bag behind you, you’ll need to reposition your body to catch the bag with an inside delay on the other foot while the footbag is still behind you.
Like so many of these hacky sack moves, it is a matter of teaching your body how to move in new ways through a great deal of trial and error. The inside surface of your right foot.
Example of the “Osis” move:
28. Flapper delay
To do a “Flapper delay” you start from the same position as a clipper stall, pop the hacky sack up and perform a “sole delay”. This is a cross body inside delay because the “delay foot” is behind the support leg.
From here you set the bag just enough so that you can switch into a “sole delay”. The key is to rotate your hip and ankle inside and point your knee towards the ground. Practice and patience are required to master this hacky sack trick.
29. Bubba hacky sack tricks
To perform a “Bubba” set the bag from the clipper position, from there kick the footbag to about thigh height and bring your support leg over the bag from outside to inside. After replanting your support leg, catch the footbag with your toe into a “toe delay” on the foot you used to set the bag in the first place.
The focus here is a quick outside to inside leg over. Once you have this mastered, the rest of the trick comes easily.
Bubba footbag tricks example:
30. Rake
A “Rake” means catching the bag behind you with a forward-moving toe-stall. This is kind of like the pendulum in reverse. You are catching the bag by scooping it from behind you to in front of you.
To perform a “Rake” you want to start with a toe-stall, and then you swing your leg from behind to in front launching the bag over your shoulder and scooping it with the leg that the bag was delayed on. Try launching it to the side until you get the hang of it. For me, this is another trick that is easier with a heavy sand footbag or metal hacky sack.
Example of “Rake” hacky sack trick:
The 30 hacky sack tricks and kicks on the list are a great starting point. I selected many of these hacky sack tricks because some of them look more difficult than they actually are. Just like the basic moves, each trick requires practice and patience, and eventually, they become second nature.
General tips for hacky sack tricks
- Supporting leg
Remember to pay just as much attention to your support leg as you do your kicking leg. You have to be relaxed to do almost any trick. I’ve found this small change in focus has helped me figure out moves I was stuck on.
- Focus
I would suggest selecting one or two of these moves to practice at a time. Practice till your legs get wobbly. Sometimes it’s helpful to just go through the motions of the hacky sack moves with or without a bag.
- One by one
Once you get the hang of one hacky sack trick, then move on to another. Keep practicing till you get them down pat, and then you can start linking moves together. You’ll end up impressing yourself before you know it.
- Start with delays
most of the moves that involve a delay are typically easier with footbags that have some weight and are not completely filled. This means that sand footbags and metal hacky sacks will better your chances of pulling these tricks off.
- Be creative
When attempting hacky sack tricks and kicks, you will only be limited by your own creativity. New tricks require you to pay attention and understand how you move. The only way to acquire new moves is to get out there and practice. Have fun and stay in shape and relaxed, that is the key to great freestyle.