Hello! I wanted to ask the community, how do you guys stay motivated? Since I'm a beginner I get stuck in a loop of tricks that I know, then I try tricks that I don't and I keep loosing my motivation. My usual stuff that I do is either Moshi into baseball, base cup downspike or Airplane, base cup, downspike. I tried messing around with KWC ladder lists but no matter what I do I can't progress. Any tips ?
Take a break, do something else and come back to it. No point in forcing yourself to do something. Playing with other people really helps. Don't know how big the scene is in Slovakia though. In terms of trying new tricks, take baby steps. If your usual jam is airplane, basecup, downspike, try adding a downspike earthturn afterwards! Progressing is all about incorporating new tricks little by little. Its like studying, a little bit at at time (unless you cram like I do ). Here is the Sweets playlist of tutorials. I learned off of the old ones, but the new ones are even better! My goal was to be able to do all of the tricks in beginner, intermediate, and advanced when I first started. Watching edits also really inspires me to play. Browse our video section to take a look at what some other people can do and what you'll be able to do one day as well!
Well the scene is "larger" in the Czech Republic. I don't know about Slovakia so I'm pretty lonely I guess Kinda wish I knew people that played that were local.
Asking for advice or any sort of direction/challenge is a great way to stay motivated. Keep checking in with the Downspike community. We always have something new for you! @Mercadus sounds like you are into Sara grip! Try working "Around Europe" with Sara grip: small cup, spike, big cup, spike, base cup spike! You can incorporate downspikes, you can stall a "frying pan" before the spikes (aka slip spike), and another idea is to "orbit" when catching the cup. These are some awesome fundamentals that add style and technique to what you already know. Here's an example of what I described above. She added the penguin catch since she is in ken grip and used both sides of the "frying pan"
what is motivation? Motivation is wanting to do something so bad, you will lose sleep over it. it’s the drive, the passion to keep going, no matter what. kendama is all about motivation. if you don’t want to play, then don’t. I’m not saying give up, definitely take breaks, but as my friend @Nel.slay says, there’s a “spark.” you feel it when you land a new trick you’ve been grininding on for months. it’s when you pick up the kendama after months of not playing, and you can’t put it down. find the “spark.” it doesn’t have to be kendama, but find what YOU want to do. Because without motivation, all is lost...
Having a buddy who plays helps a lot. You can challenge them to a weekly game of KEN and wager some money or old damas to actually care enough to train. Also, new damas keep anyone hyped.