Lots of good discussion in these related threads: Your opinion on sticky paint and bigger holes? Is it cheating? Are you looking down on it? Sweets Prime vs Slaydawg JKA kendamas
The JKA chose the size at least in part to match the handsize of Japanese school kids. So bring on the midsize damas plz! I have respect for what the JKA has done in the past, but see absolutely no reason to be beholden to their ways moving forward. There certainly should be some sort of standard, but it should also be allowed to evolve over time. I think your analogy of the hockey goalie's stick is flawed. A gigantic stick can create an absolute advantage for the team, guaranteeing a win (so long as the other team doesn't have an equally large stick). If they have to beat up the goalie to score a goal, then I think most people would say"this game is no longer about who is better at hockey". In the same way, if two people are competing against each other using LBB kendamas, I don't think anyone here would say "this game is no longer about who is better at kendama". Maybe a better analogy is golf: the technology in golf clubs has advanced in the last 50 years, from wooden drivers and shafts, to steel, carbon, titanium, etc. The PGA sets restrictions within this evolving industry, but they have definitely moved on from the days of wooden clubs. At any rate, I think there is an ideal range for playability that players will naturally gravitate towards. So perhaps an even better analogy is a snowboarding contest: the idea of heading to a contest and having to get your board checked to make sure its the right size, shape, and composition is laughable. As long as you show up with something you can strap both feet to and ride down the hill, you're good to go. Would snowboarding be 'better' if there was a strict standard for what equipment is used, and what tricks will be performed? I can't imagine so. All of that said, I do actually think a heavily restricted contest would be interesting in its own right. I think a lot of players would be excited to compete in a contest that has an oldschool tricklist, and a requirement to use a fresh red TK16 (or whatever). I don't think that contest should be the mainstage of what kendama culture currently looks like, but it has still has its place. Slaydawgs are the same height as a JKA ken (~16cm), but they have a wider sarado (~7.3cm compared to ~6.95cm), and a larger tama to match it. So they're only like... sorta a midsized dama? Cups are big on them though. (The GLOKEN box is 17cm tall, 7.5cm wide, just in case anyone is interested in what the maximum dimensions are) Lastly, for what its worth, Van Jam has grown to be a reasonably well known and attended event, and I don't really care what people play with. LBBs are just fine, and they're probably the largest anyone has used, I'm not really sure what someone would show up with as a bigger dama? Maybe a viking, but I honestly don't think you'd have an advantage playing a viking vs someone on a cushion cleared LBB or a slaydawg or whatever. Maybe a few tricks are easier, but many will be harder (this relates to my guess that players will slowly gravitate towards an 'ideal' size). Either way, Van Jam is not really about the contest. Yea, someone will try too hard and win, but the jokes on them because everyone else is chillin & having a great time already
The ice hockey argument stops here. Nobody in their sane mind would wanna challenge a Canadian on ice hockey; it’s one of the few pre-installed softwares all Canadians get at birth. I’ll stand corrected and say that hopefully the JKA standard can be updated to a kendama that is scaled to fit Western hands (17-18cm in height?). A small difference in scale would definitely help with this use case.
when i was younger i worked in construction and had a bit of an accident with my hands. this caused me to develop tendonitis and subsequentally, mostly because i refused help, i have prolonged pain and tightness in my hands that must be stretched out daily for my hands to have normal range and motion. because of this problem playing regular sized kendamas is sometimes very painful and i can only play for a hour or so before my hand begin to hurt. however because of recent advances in kendama technology and making larger oversized kendamas i.e.: LBBs, Slaydawgs, Craft plus etc etc. i can safely play these for an entire day if i like. it simply fits well and doesn't stress my hands out. so i guess for me i prefer them because it doesn't hurt me.
For what its worth, from the GLOKEN history page: -------------------------------- "According to the designer, JKA models such as old-Fuji or old-Sakura were modeled on S-17 type. At the time, ken(handle) was designed to be 16.8cm height, however, JKA members measured its shortened ken, the JKA model was made at the height of 16cm." -------------------------------- From the sounds of this, pre-JKA players actually preferred something closer to 17cm in height.
@Sir Spike @Carlos Habbenero @KendamaJas you guys flatter me haha, thanks! I try to keep up on the kendama scene as best I can, but this forum would be a lame and lonely place if I was the only one around. The more posts from everyone, the better!
On the subject of plus-sized damas, how are the sol flows? My local shop has a few for a good price, and I've been eyeing them for a while now.
They are only slightly bigger. Like 5% bigger I think? I got the mahogany cups flow and the grain is amazing and the feel of the Ken feels nice and smooth in my hand. Only complaint is the tama is slightly heavy but I might switch it out with an OG grain theory tama.
I LOVE mine sooooo much (walnut stripe) def my fav jammer rt now and I got it two days ago! It is already decent for lightys (the loon balance is pretty bad, tho). Hit my first dub slinger on this baby and I no I'm going to hit a lot more firsts in the future!!! And, my hands are tiny (I'm a 5 foot 14 year old) but it still feels great in my hand. bevel is wide, tracking is good, stalls and slingers are insane, cop a flow! @Emil Apostol
Personally I don't like the feel of walnut, but they're good damas. For durability reasons, I would recommend the mahogany cups. Ash and oak are both chippy, but ash might have better grip on the tama in the short term