•THREAD FOR THE NEWBS• Hey all, so I been playing dama since Xmas 2019. What are people that have been playing for the same amount of time landing? Spread love
@RyBoy Since we have a whole section for Beginners I've moved your thread here. Check out Beginner's Resources for a lot of general info. Also the Japan Kendama Association website has a lot of info. Check under the "Learn" tab for trick lists. Additionally you might check Beginner Tricks for 28 Tricks Later.
I played for a tiny bit in high school but picked it up again last month. Yesterday i started landing lunar flips and now I'm learning lunar Tre flips. I just got a dwi greyscale and since then all my lunar tricks are on point!
Wow nice bro, I’m still trying to figure out the mechanics of a lunar, I’d literally never heard of a kendama until about 6 months ago then got one for Xmas and it’s safe to say I’m hooked
Honestly it's great you're enjoying yourself but I'd advise you to nit overcompare yourself to others. That has caused quite a bit of "dama depression" with me early on. My friends were hitting some crazy stuff while playing the same amount of time. It came as far as me not wanting to play "as they are way better anyway" just enjoy it! Don't pressure yourself
Yeah I fully get this tbh, I think it doesn’t help when I’m not playing I’m watching pro edits and the norx vlog etc on YouTube so I’m like whatttttt!!!!! Why can’t I do that hahaha but then remeber they pro and been doing it for years, but yeah the more tricks I land the more I want to try new stuff It’s an awesome community tbh and a very fun toy
nice nice bro, landed a couple Ken flips to big cup and ken flips to spike but lunar still evades me, Tried spacewalk for a while but will wait till I can get outside and not smash my house up
My biggest tip with it besides using your knees is to not try to over correct. Try to land at the apex and tilt the tama a little towards yourself! Its the best feeling ever when you land them!
Thanks my man, well tomorrow is gonna be devoted to landing a whirlwind then will crack on with the lunars
I have only been playing for a little over a week and most of my tricks have been level 1 type tricks a few level 2 airplane, j stick, around japan, I hit lighthouse a few times but didn't hold it for very long will continue working on those and trying to land my first Ken Flip
Update. Today is one month for me. I have practiced each day minimum 15-20minutes sometimes 1+ hours. I can land ken flips pretty consistently. Did my first bird today but don’t get the spike but was still stoked. Lighthouses and falling in, side spike, downspikes, swing spikes stunt plane, airplane, j stick, no lunars yet...
Been a while since this originally posted, but gotta echo what slothymane said, but it's not just that everyone learns at different speeds, but also that everyone will branch out to certain areas of tricks differently due to preference and where they happen to plateau ya know? Like I plateau very quickly on juggles and string tricks, so ended up focusing more on Birds in my first few months and weirdly now I can pull birds from lots of places... sounds weird when I put it that way... Curious to know if you've found an area you've been focusing on more than others since you made this post?
Had a kendama for all of 5 days. My thighs are killing me, but it's worth it...? Currently working on trade spike, whirlwind, moon circle, and lunars. I really like earth turns so I spent and entire day's session just throwing earth turns and around USAs. Really like them ngl. As for stalls...they are my enemy atm.
That's why I like to call kendama "sneaky exercise," you're having so much fun you don't notice all the work your doing (mainly mini squats). As for whether it's worth it or not I think you've probably already figured that one out. Good luck with your progress and keep on jammin'.
My progress seems a bit hopeless. I've been playing for a few weeks and still can't spike consistently from any position. I'm picking it up for a few minutes here and there, so perhaps I need dedicated practice sessions so I can get in the zone and problem-solve. I also need to get more serious about using the knees. I have a solid blue Japanese kendama, so it will help when my Kaizen arrives so I can spot the hole?
@Trentbent you're having trouble with the trick below? If so I'd recommend concentrating on the string hole at the top of the tama (ball). If that hole is pointed up then the hole you're trying to spike is directly underneath. If it's off center then you'll have a bit more trouble getting the spike into the correct position to catch the tama. Also you can practice your catch using a physics 'cheat' (spinning the tama). Once you can catch it that way consistently then you can start trying to pull up without the spin and see if you can keep the sting hole in the correct position (pointed skyward).
@goenKendama Thanks. Yes, I'd say I get that trick about 20% of the time, and earth turn, swing to spike, and big cup to spike more like 5-10% with little improvement in consistency. Maybe I should try to stay on the one trick before moving on... Edit: Just on my lunch break from work and getting this trick more by watching the string! Feels good, man.
As long as you’re having fun it’s worth it. It can get really frustrating when things don’t work, but if you’re still enjoying playing then keep going! i really like this article about bangers and personal progress. https://www.solkendamas.com/blogs/announcements/what-makes-good-kendama-tricks
Good to hear. The trick is almost linear so sometimes you might have the ball contact the ken as the 2 pass each other. If you pull the ken wide while the string is still taught the tama will tilt. Try not to move your ken hand until the tama is already in motion. As for just trying one trick at a time, I kind of like to have several tricks going particularly with different grips so my hand doesn't get worn out. You'll really find that a good idea when you're trying Candle (candlestick) grip.