By Marc Larocque

It was a bustling September day on campus and a group of eight young men descended onto the Snell Library Quad to work on their footwork during a “shred session,” or gathering of “footbag” practitioners. They would soon attract an audience as students circled with camera-wielding parents.

Pete Bowler jumped from the shrubs, kicked the air with his Reebok sneakers, then bounced up and down from the ground. He was warming up for what he said was the best-attended gathering for the biggest footbag organization in Massachusetts.

They are the Boston Footbag Association, also known as Boston Footbag (For Life), or the Boston Shred Crew. For more than five years, Bowler, 20, of Dorchester, has been at the center of the Boston footbag scene, scouting out anyone new “to kick with,” while scanning footbag forums for fellow players.

Footbag has been compared to hacky sack by comedian Jimmy Kimmel. But for Bowler, footbag is definitely not hacky sack, he said.

The Hacky Sack toy is a registered trademark of Wham-O, Inc., although the phrase is used to describe the product, marketed as a toy, and others. This is just one reason the Boston Shred Crew separates itself from hacky sack circles.

Unlike hacky sack, footbag is competitive and employs a point system. The sport has its origins in the games of ancient China, Thailand and Native American culture, but became popular in North America in the early 1980s. In 1972, Mike Marshall, business man and footbag inventer, along with John Stalberger Jr., a former professional football player, met, kicked together and popularized footbag.

“You don’t need to have a sports physique for footbag,” Bowler said. “It’s for everyone.”

The sport has an international organization – the International Footbag Players Association – and tournaments are held regularly throughout Europe and the midwestern United States, according to the association’s website, www.footbag.org.

“When you see it, you know it’s different than hacky sack,” Bowler said.

Kicking off the practice, Bowler scooped a hand-made bean bag with the sole of his right foot and launched it waist level. He tapped the ball up again with the side of his left ankle, and then hurdled the ball mid-air with his right thigh while spinning his entire body, only to crouch and cradle the ball. He then flicked the footbag to another player.

Francisco Dias, a sophomore computer science major, then stalled the footbag on the sole of his foot. He flipped the footbag up toward his shoulders and ducked his head below and around the flight of the ball, before stalling it on the outside of his right heel.

Dias and Bowler said the goal of footbag is to keep the ball in the air, but, whereas hacky sack is more about making sure everyone gets to the touch the ball, footbag is centered on individuals performing moves and encouraging each other to improve. Footbag is about becoming aware of ones extremities, they said.

Since they met last year, Dias and Bowler have become permanent fixtures of the Boston Footbag Association. The group encompasses a diverse age and social spectrum and is actively looking for new members. Their most recent recruit is Doug Tank, a freshman electrical engineering major.

“I knew he was coming three months in advance,” said Bowler, who found Tank on the Internet.

Through the Internet, a modern footbag culture has emerged. Bowler said when he is not playing, he is on the computer, either watching footbag videos or researching other aspects of the game.

The ball is small and is smooth on the outside, unlike the hacky sack. The footbag practitioners said shoes are an important part of their attire. Five members of the Shred Crew wore Adidas Ron Laver tennis shoes, while three wore low top Reebok G-Unit shoes. These shoes are often modified, or specially laced, and have worn-down sides.

“I wonder if 50 Cent knows about footbag,” Bowler said, before more ducking, diving and spinning, while keeping the ball in the air.

The crowd of students, parents and Northeastern employees grew. Onlookers echoed Dias and Bowler’s sentiments highlighting the differences between footbag and hacky sack.

“It’s almost like it’s less about keeping it up, and instead, seeing what they can do with it. It’s just really impressive,” said Sarah Jenson, a freshman chemistry major. “We both have seen hacky sack in our hometown, watching kids do it before school and stuff. But they were just kind of spacing out. It was nothing like this.”

The Boston Footbag Assocation will hold shred sessions Saturdays at 1 p.m. in the Snell Library Quad.