As the title suggests, I'm looking for some tips on this trick. I've watched a handful of videos and tutorials on this trick but I cannot seem to get the pull up right. the turn is either really slow or extremely erratic. Any help is appreciated.
For x-turn airplanes, keep these few things in mind: 1. The twisting of the ken has gotta be good! The erratic motion you get is because the ken is tugged upward at a less desirable position for the ken. At the point of the tug, the big cup must directly face your body. The best way to practice is to land airplanes consistently, and the small cup always faces you 100% of the time. 2. Time the twist and the flip. You'd wanna slight, but sharp tug (towards your chest) on the ken when it has swung out about 30º-40º from your body. You've gotta experiment to see which angle works for you. Some angles can cause the ken to flip slower, and some faster. And by the time it reaches the tug, make sure the ken has completed the twist to achieve the best ken flipping motion. 3. Keep the string taut. At all times. Failure to keep it taut and neat also causes the erratic motion of the ken. Be gentle during the swing out, yet keep the string taut. 4. Kneeeeeees. Once the ken finally flips, use your knees to keep your eyes close to the ken. With practice, you can even spot where the spike is (in midair), and all you need to do is move the tama hole towards it. TL,DR - Twist, tug, flip, kneeees.
Thanks for the advice! I had some time to practice at lunch today and I totally understand the airplanes and the knees part. In fact, I've gotten really good at doing airplanes without having to swing them out so much now. My next question is, what do you mean by 30-40 degrees from my body? Should the ken be past the tama when I tug on it or should it be between my body and the tama? If that makes sense at all
The ken should already be swinging away from you (past the tama) when you tug. I find what helps as well is to tug in a downward diagonal motion toward myself. It has to be a relatively sharp tug. But as @azleonhart mentioned, making sure the ken is lined up correctly is hugely important as a first step. It will probably be a matter of some trial and error as you figure out the strength of the tug and where exactly the ken should be. When you get a good rotation that feels right and are close to catching it (even if you miss) remember that feeling! It will help.
@azleonhart did a fine job explaining. About the angle - I like to tell the beginners when they learn airplanes to release the ken (into the twist) at 5 o'clock and to pull around 7 o'clock. I'd say it's the same for 1-turn airplanes, but instead of the pulling motion snap the wrist towards your chest. The snapping wrist motion less exagerrated if you go beyond 7 and more exaggerated if less than 7 o'clock. Repeat it over and over. + once the twist becomes muscle memory you'll start landing them more consistently.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I think I've figured out when to tug the ken back up, it's all a matter of timing the swing and the twist and of course the power behind my tug. The ken is at the perfect height now thanks to you all!