Footbag (Hacky Sack) games, information, and getting started.
Hacky Sack and footbag are interchangeable words to describe a small, round bag filled with sand, pellets, metal, rice, or other material. This bag is then kicked into the air in different game styles as part of a friendly or competitive activity. The most common game of footbag consists of two or more players standing in a circle and trying to keep the sack off the ground for as long as possible but there are many different games of footbag.
CIRCLE KICKING Click here for our recommended hack for circle kicking.
The goal of this game is to keep the footbag from touching the ground while as many players as you want stand in a circle and keep the bag moving around or across the circle. To start the game, any player will pick up the sack and toss it to the chest of another player. Once it hits the chest, this player will let the hack fall to their feet to kick it on to another player. Play continues until the sack falls to the ground, at which point a player picks up the sack and starts the next game. The object of the game is to keep the footbag in the air without touching the ground as long as possible and hopefully allow every player a chance to kick the sack resulting in a "Hack". If every player gets two kicks before the sack hits the ground, it is known as a 'double-hack' and so on and so forth.
Rules:
It is common to come up with variations of play to have a winner at the end or a friendly game where everyone wins. You can set rules to kick people out if they drop the hack, rules such as after X many hacks, one can kick the footbag at another player to get them out but if they defend it, the player kicking the hack is out, etc. Have fun and hack it up!
FOOTBAG FREESTYLE Click here for our recommended heavy stalling hack or click here for our recommended light hack for higher kicks
The goal of this game is to perform cool tricks with the footbag. Tricks are created by combining stalls or kicks with the bag while doing a variety of tricks with your body while the bag is in flight or stalled on a region of your leg. Tricks could include jumping while the bag is in flight or stalled, spinning, ducking under the bag in flight, using your leg to circle or cross the footbag in mid-flight, stalls on your toe, the outside, or inside of your foot. There are many possibilities that can be used to wow onlookers with your endless list of tricks. If you want to know the Official Rules click here.
FOOTBAG NET
The goal of this game is to volley a footbag back and forth over a five foot high net. The game can be played individually or with teams (normally 2 vs 2). The game can be played to 11 or 15 points. The winner must win by 2 points. A player must serve by kicking the footbag diagonally across the net. A player must be serving to score. Upon a successful serve, the team will rally with a bump, set, spike until the footbag is dropped or an upper-body foul is committed. An upper-body foul consists of the footbag touching any part of the player's body above the shin. If you want to know the Official Rules click here.
4-SQUARE Click here to check out our recommended hack for a challenging 4-square game..
The goal of this game is to get to the server square and stay there. Every time a player serves a round and does not get out, they get a point. When a player reaches the agreed upon point threshold, they win. The game is played on a square court split into 4 equal squares with a line of people that want to play waiting. The server stands in square 4 and calls out their score and then passes the footbag to another player and the play continues until the bag drops in someone's square, if a player kicks the bag and it lands out of bounds or on a line, if the pass is too low, they step out of their square, they interfere, etc. That person then moves to square 1 or the end of the line if more than 4 people are playing and all people in lower squares except the server move clockwise one square. It is one of the more complicated games to understand. If you are interested and would like the Official Rules, Click Here.
BASSE
The goal of this game is to defend your circle. Normally there are 5 to 6 players and everyone is for themselves. Try to get the bag to land in someone else's circle while making sure it doesn't land in yours! This comes from an old Norwegian game of bag ball.
BUCE
The object of this game is to juggle the footbag across a field into the opponents side of the field and score a goal by kicking the hacky sack into a small, cylindrical container such as a plant pot. This sport comes from Australia.
CONSECUTIVE Check out our favorite bag for consecutive kicks here.
The object here is to keep the footbag in the air using only your feet and knees. Due to the fact that the world record almost took 9 hours, modern competitions normally do a timed consecutive competition. If you would like more official information on consecutive footbag, click here.
HACK SLAP
The goal of this game is to keep the hack in the air without using your hands. If the footbag is within your square and you fail to hit it upward or into an opponents square, you are eliminated.
FOOTBAG GOLF Click here for a heavier sand filled flat hack that would be excellent for footbag golf or if you want a lighter sack for non-windy days, check out this bag.
The object of this game is to navigate a 9 or 18 hole course by kicking the footbag at an 18X18 inch target. Any number of players can play. The game begins by each player taking a turn (tee off). In a 6X6 foot box, the player will toss the bag up and kick the bag as close to the target as they can. Where the footbag comes to a complete stop is called a lie. Once all players have teed off, the player with the bag furthest from the target again tosses the footbag in the air and kicks it again. Each player must stay behind their respective lie until the kick is complete. Once all players kick their bags into the target, they move onto the next hole. The players record how many kicks it takes to hit the target. The player with the lowest score wins. If you want to know the official Rules, click here.
HORSE
The goal of this game is to mimic the freestyle kick of the player that passes you the hack. Any number of players can join in. The first player performs any freestyle move they want and then passes it to another player to perform the same move. If they perform the move properly, they then perform another freestyle kick of their choice and pass the bag to another player. If they fail, they get an H and pass it to a new player who chooses a freestyle kick to start it off again. Players will do this until only one player is left that has not spelled out Horse.
KICK BACK
This is a simple game of which you kick the footbag against a backstop of a handball court to make it bounce back and try to keep the bag in the air. You can play this game with as many people as you choose or just yourself for practice.
KILLER
The goal of this game is to peg your opponents to hit them and knock them out of the game. To begin the game, you must determine how many "nice" hacks you want to kick up before allowing someone to kick the footbag at another player and try to peg them out. If the bag hits them and they are unable to kick the hack back into play within the circle, they are out. You must not self-serve. If you do self-serve by tossing the bag to yourself, another player is allowed to throw the footbag as hard as they can at you!
KNOCKOUT
The goal of this game is to keep the hack in the air if it comes within 2 feet of you. Any number of players can join. The hack is passed at random around the circle and if it comes within 2 feet of you and you miss, you are out. If the hack lands more than 2 feet away from any player, the player that kicked it is out. Some groups kick you out if you even lift your foot in an attempt to kick it but some do not.
NUMBER CATCH
The object of this game is to score as many points as possible. The players must set the score to stop at before play begins. Scoring occurs by hitting the footbag as many times as you can and then must catch it with a stall to collect the points. If you drop it while trying to catch it, those points are subtracted from your score.
NUMBERS
This is a circle hack where the first person kicks the hack one time, the second kicks it two times, etc. If the hack hits the ground, the player gets one more chance to perform the number of hacks they were on. If they achieve that number, the player that passed it to them is out. If they do not achieve the number, they are out. Play continues until one player is left.
SHARK
Before play, you must set a number of hits that must occur before saying "Shark". The object is to hit the footbag this many times before catching it and saying "shark". Once you have said "shark", the other players must stay still and you can throw it at any player. If the player is hit, they are out. The last player standing wins.
WAR (aka Applesauce, Pelt, Red Dot, Three Balls of Fire, Three Hit Kill, and Three Hack Wack.
Before play, you must set a number of kicks you must have before catching the footbag. Once you hit that number of kicks, a person can catch the footbag and throw it at another player. The other players are allowed to try to dodge or catch the hack. If you get hit, you are out but if you catch it, the thrower is out.
Check out our line of Hacky Sacks to get started!
