Freestyles

Below are the different forms of Freestyle activities that exist in Missoula, MT and will be presented during the Montana Freestyle Jam. If you already participate, or want to participate in these, you can create an account and easily add videos, posts, and forum topics to individual freestyles here. We hope for this to be a tool to help organization within these groups and to inspire others to come and try what we all do and love.

Freestyle Footbag

Jim Penske playing Footbag at the Freestyle Jam
Freestyle Footbag is the evolotion of Hackey Sack where tricks, dexterity & finese is emphasized. Truly on another level.

Freestyle Footbag is a footbag sport where players demonstrate their abilities by performing sequences of acrobatic tricks. The ending position of the bag on one trick becomes the starting position of the bag on the next trick. Tricks are created by combining different components between contacts (stalls or hits, usually stalls). Components can be spins, dexterities (wrapping a leg around the bag in mid-air), or ducks (letting the bag pass a few inches above the neck). Contacts are usually on the inside of the foot behind the opposite support leg (Clipper Stall) or on the toe, however many inventive possibilities remain and are used to create an endless list of tricks.

Juggling

Seth juggling tricky 3 ball
Juggling can be done with any number of any objects and has a nearly infinite number of possibilities.

Juggling has traditionally involved having more objects (going from juggling three things to five things) or different objects (going from juggling clubs to juggling flaming clubs) to indicate increased difficulty. In freestyle juggling, it is a much more loose, open approach. Different patterns are used and an emphasis is placed on the aesthetic interpretation. Patterns link in to patterns in an infinite way, leaving no two juggling runs the same.

Breakdancing

Breakdancing at the Freestyle Jam in 2007
A constant flow of motion, breakdancing combines contortionist poses with a smooth dance.

Strength, style, and rhythm are expressed in this well recognized art.

Fire Arts

Luke George taking a picture of Luke George spinning poi
Fire Arts involve any number of flaming disciplines: poi wicks, staffs, juggling balls, batons, & hulla hoops are all used.

Many things can be set on fire and played with. Fire Poi (two chains with kevlar wicks on the end), Fire Staff, Fire Ropes (chains with ropes at the end), Juggling balls, and even footbags. It is mainly fire poi that is done though. Twirled around the body in intricate paths that leave a very visible light stream, it is nearly as enjoyable to watch as it is to do.

Slacklining

Slacklining in Missoula
Tight rope walking on a strap.

At first it starts out as just trying to stay on the thing, but then the balance slowly comes to you. You slow down and feel the line. After a while you start to get to play with the way it can be walked and a whole world opens up to you.

Kayaking

Kayaking at Brennan's Wave in Missoula
Battling nature in style.

This is so much more than just hitting the wave. With smaller play boat kayaks a whole new world has opened up. So much movement is possible within the wave that wasn't there before.