Best thing, made a lot of new friends. Worst thing, broke a glass table with My GT, (my mom was not very happy about it)
The single best thing is probably that it helped spark my interest in video and film making which I try to do as much of as I can. The worst thing, is a few of the people I met. When I first started playing (Think I had played for like 3 months), me and my friends who played met up with these kids who were a bit younger than us to play some ken and what not. We were like 20, and they were maybe 14-15. Two of them had this really elitist approach to the game, where they would bash people for not being able to land triple lunars or tricks like that. They were REALLY good at the game, but they were such assholes about it. We had a facebook group, and this one guy posted a trick vid which was like: juggle to big cup -> double turntable -> spike -> whirlwind Perfectly fine combo. They started calling him out for his juggle looking slightly awkward, calling him chubby and talking about how his pants were of a cheap føtex (danish supermarket) brand. I was like: SERIOUSLY? HIS PANTS?! WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING? I couldn't even believe that they would say stuff like that completely out of the blue. They just felt like they could do what they want because they were the best in the group. It was really lame, because they were cool when we were hanging out and playing in the park, but they were total keyboard warriors bashing everyone online, and it was such a middle-school mentality. For the record, I think they were 7 kids, and 5 of them were totally cool and calm guys who just liked to learn from us and vice versa, but the last two were completely oblivious to what a lot of people like about the game.
Worst: I don't think anything super bad has happened to me through kendama, but I know for a fact that my knees are shit due to playing kendama lol. My knees crack every time I walk or just kinda twist my legs (like if I were to do the dance "the twist", they'd crack). Also probably some postural problems that those long grinding sessions where you're hunched over have most likely affected my neck and upper back. I'm actually going to physical therapy rn for those problems, so I guess you could say that's a bad thing that's happened to me through kendama. But it also probably came from bad posture over the years. Best: probably the people I've met, the friends I've made, and the places I've been to that I might not have ever been to otherwise. Kendama has allowed me to interact with other new perspectives, other creatives, and go to places I would have no reason of going to other than to just go. It's also given me something to be creative with and has gotten me off my phone. It definitely seems silly that a toy has allowed me to do this at times, but then I remember that without it, I would just be like a lot of the rest of people my age. Living a mundane boring life where all I do is go to school, work, and party and search for cheap temporary thrills. At least with kendama I can do stuff that's fulfilling. Nothing like gifting somebody a dama that's super stoked on it
Yeah, they were just kids though, so hopefully they'll mature out of being douchebags, but it's just such a stupid mentality. What kinda sucked too was that I really wanted one of those "movie moments", where I'd kick their butts in a game of ken and "set them straight", but they were so much better than me so I never challenged them haha
Best: finding something I really enjoy and meeting people who share that notion. Worst: spending A LOT of money that could have gone to more important things
Best: Having a chance to bring kendama to a country that didn't know anything about it and meeting some pretty cool people from all ages and walks of life in the process. Worst: Tearing my bicep muscle away from my forearm just after landing in Manila while loading the car at the airport. The bags were mostly kendama and related stuff so I guess it's technically a kendama injury. On the good side of it though, I got a lot better at lefty tricks. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Best: Meeting some of my closest friends at MKO and other kendama events that shaped me to be the players that I am today. Worst: I think my anger issues have gotten worse because of not getting a trick or a long grind.
Best: All the new homies and places I've been able to go to Worst: Breaking my wrist going for a downspike (don't play near waist high tables lol)
Best: being given the ability to start this community. Educating myself on digital business models and meeting tons of cool people in the process. Worst: toss up between the tama hitting my balls really hard or the fact that I've probably spent a few thousand dollars on ball in cup toys.
After they put me back together it was about six months before I played kendama again right handed; wasn't doing any Penguins though. It's gotten a lot better but it's still not quite the way it was; still weak. They said it'll take a while before it gets back to "normal" even though it's already healed. I went to my first JKA event in October last year and played lefty which was all sorts of stressful but they were really nice about it. Got a cool brace out of the deal too.
Worst: It's hard to pick a worst because of all of the good things that kendama has brought me. Best: First of all, the people. All of the people that I have met through kendama have been amazing. When I first started I went to the sweets kendamas ken club to see what it was all about. While I was there, I ran into some old friends who were there for their first time too. I ended up switching schools and because of kendama, i instantly had a bunch of friends. The other great thing that has happened to me is my job at sweets. I love going there every week and hanging out with some of the best and most creative players in the state. It has forced me to grow and become better at Dama.
Best: The DAILY self confidence I gain as I continue to grow by 1. lacing new tricks, and 2. by becoming consistent with older tricks. Worst: I skateboard a lot less now that I've found Kendama. (But hey, I've been skating for over 30 years now so something new is pretty awesome! (My one year Kendama anniversary is coming up in a week in a half... What a journey!!!))
We share the same 'worst' answers. Have lightly tapped myself in the kiwis with the tama and had to sit out for a couple minutes too many times