whats a good dama to practice on and hone in on tricks? Ive been in this for a week so far. I have a few damas and they behave differently from one another, any tips?
I got the Colin Sander pro for my first one and it's totally awesome. It's definitely more expensive, but once you get into some of the harder stalling tricks the textured paint on the Tama makes a massive difference. Highly recommend.
Craft - Ash - Kaizen 2.0 Shape - Tracking Tama Prime Custom - Marble Low Stripe V1 w/ Pro Clear (Blue, Purple White)
Very good choices... just FYI, the pro clear will take a sec to break in, but it gets really really tacky and nice later on.
FWIW I've kind of noticed that kendama are like tools in a toolbox for me. I use different ones when I'm working on different things and sometimes just that way I feel will change what I pull out of the pile. Some are great at lunar or lighthouse some flip or sling well others just fit in my hand and sound really different. Lately I've been trying out different kinds of wood for the sound and look of them as much as the way they play.
indeed, that is what im noticing, many damas have their own characteristics. Ive been practicing on a viking, its larger size feels more forgiving and since its larger in size, tricks are slower. I notice the tricks ive been landing on the viking, i transition down to standard dama and with minor adjustments to compensate foe the weight, i can actually land now.
For me it's a Bahama Kendama Grand Bahama (jumbo size), rather than the Viking, for the same purpose particularly for stalls.
Have you compared weights? Besides tama texture, weight distribution is another variable to consider. Weight of sarado vs. spike tells you if it's balance vs top or bottom heavy. Tama weight vs ken will explain the funny movements when doing various string tricks. You can then swap tamas with kens (but don't swap sarado and spike parts, as there will probably be design compatibility issues). All of this, of course, after an espresso
. yeah ive compared weights but im too much of a dama n00b to understand how it impacts play. In many cases, Ive noticed that I like heavier damas mainly because the tama doesnt bounce off the cups as much, but thats just telling me I need to improve on my dama squats
@goenKendama ones said to me, if you could tricks like a pro, do it on a JKA-shape kendama then see for yourself if you really can lace it the same other brand damas. i've been grinding on a tk 16 & pretty much can do some advance tricks although there a tricks still i can't do an a regular jka setup. still wish i could cope some mid/top tier damas when i got the budget. never tried this before but try sweets prime. competition sized & share the HG shape which is quite hone for any tricks. for set-ups: KUSA silks X tk's or oz yumu rubber X tk (kinda works like kusa but paint can get beat somehow & still tacky) in fact any set-up can be honed depends on yourplay style...
I know you have said you have already ordered some Dama's, but i have found that i have really learned a lot from playing a natty HG. The setup i have is an OG full maple and I love it, and actually it is probably my favorite dama so far. I also recently go a fruit punch cushion next gen homegrown and it does live up to the hype for sure, and i Have a 2017 coop mod that slays too so needless to say im a huge sweets fan.
how well do the laminates hold up to beginners? I have a mojito gt-1 as part of my arsenal but not whipping it out until i get better.
I have an OG HG fruit punch with cusion clear and love it too! I consider myself a beginner and have been messing around with kendama since October but with a shattered ankle. It's only recently that I have been able to stand and bend at the knees to really be able to advance. I mostly do cup stuff with an attempt to spike at the end (around Japan and around the world type stuff). I play on carpet and it hold up just fine, but I only use it occasionally and stick to my beechwood F3 or maple kaizen 2.0 for the same reason of not wanting to wear it down too quickly because of my skill level. I have 2 sweets promods that are still in the box that are still waiting for me to terrorize once I'm more comfortable with what I'm doing.
Well ive only had mine for a couple of weeks and i dont really abuse it too much, I dont really do any crazy spacewalks with it or anything that will do any real damage so i basically use it for basic cup play and balance stuff such as lighthouses and lunars and stuff, I mean i have only been playing for a few months now so i really cant do any real crazy tricks that could do any real damage but i just play it over grass or carpet and its all good. I have played it a couple of hours at least every day since i got it and it feels really solid and has taken a couple of drops but its all good. And other than the durability thing though, it has great balance, as well as the other two Sweets i own as well but the next gen really does as it says it does, it is my favorite dama so far.
Sweet, and yea the birch ken and cushion tama is awesome for sure and another thing i always do to minimize wear to the spike is super glue just the end of the spike with a couple of thin layers and it really helps a lot too. And on a side note i say dont worry too much about wearing it out and have some fun with it because i havent played very long either and do miss some spikes now and then but its a blast and would be torture for me to have such an awesome dama and not play it.