September 18, 2008

Myachi, a really neat sport

If you missed this on the show today, Myachi is a very cool sport! I thought I would share with you this video on "The Fu." Visit myachi.com for more information.

Myachi is a new sport where a rectangular palm-size beanbag gets tossed around by players using the fluid hand motions of martial arts while performing tricks.

The sport has become so popular, many children are now referring to themselves as "Myachi Maniacs," and the Myachi hand sack has been the No. 1-selling item at FAO Schwarz for the past year. The rules of the sport are simple: You can use any part of your body to toss and catch except your palms, and you can never let it hit the ground.

"Myachi Man" Steve Ochs invented the Myachi bag in 1997. He was inspired by a drinking game college students played using cigarette lighters. Steve drove around in a Winnebago, touring events such as the X-Games with a borrowed sewing machine, fabric, and sand.

He started showing kids how to play Myachi. He took orders on site and sewed in the Winnebago. Eventually, he needed to have them manufactured on a mass scale. The original bags that he made in the back of the Winnebago are selling for hundreds of dollars on eBay as collectors' items.

A Myachi store, called Myachigon, is launching soon at New York's FAO Schwarz store. Combining sports, technology, and the Myachi lifestyle, Ochs is going to televise the kids playing at FAO Schwarz inside the store, but also will have kids from all over the world beamed into the Myachigon via the Internet.