THE OG

So, in your opinion,
1. who is the most OG kendama player there is
2. who is your favorite OG player.

I'm referring to the guys that pioneered kendama from the beginning, putting out edits, conceptualizing new tricks and all that. It seems like these guys don't get near enough respect now-a-days, so I thought we would pay tribute to them.

For me, #1 is Colin Sander
#2- either @htimSxelA or Jake wiens. Alex needs no explanation on downspike, and I love jake's flow. Both of these guys are also pioneers in the field of dama entrepreneurship as well, Alex with terra and Jake with Gt. Their premium kendamas set a standard of quality I'd say unmatched by any.

 

Another interesting topic would be who is the best cross between old and new.

 

Turner Thorne. Such a sick blend of styles. So tech yet creative in how he approaches his combos.

 

too many to just name one. Alex smith, colin sander, Keith matsumura, jake wiens and many more

 

Personally, I’ve always been inspired by Turner and Keith. Their edits (even though they were already years old) blew my mind when I first started playing. Even to this day, landing tricks from their edits is one of the ways I track my progress (i.e. landing Turner’s dub stilt flip and Keith’s stilt backflip). When kendama first started growing, they were among the many OGs that showed everyone kendama’s true potential.

 

Yourd and Chaz Edwards have both inspired the way I try to play. Yourd has this sort of chill vibe from him while Chaz has all this tech in his tricks before they gained popularity in the community. Really cool guys, but I wish Chaz was still jamming daily...

 

I forgot about Keith! I watched his 7th edit at the beginning of my dama journey when I was trying to learn lunars, and it blew me away! I miss that guy.

 

Alex ruisch is OG af too

 

Franky Morales is by far the most OG dama player

 

I do not think Dave Mateo gets enough credit. He has pioneered a way of playing kendama that many had not done before.

 

Keith Matsumura has by far always been my favorite. From Count me in to where we are to inside the mind, he has always been my inspiration for everything from his dama style to his attitude about life. Hope he comes back one day. I will always look up to him.

 

Gotta throw out super nog and void.
Both awesome players who've been at it a long time

 

. True OG's will say this man is the OG

 

I have to say Colin Sander takes it simply because he was the only person with an edit I could find when I was first introduced to Kendama.

 

True! Also, I think I saw this on a random forum a while back, but did he die of cancer?

 

In my opinion, the true OGs are the Japanese Kendama Association. I don't know much about the organization, but if they didn't formulate and disseminate a standard for how kendama is played (kendama-do, I think it's called), I don't think kendama would be where it is today.

EDIT: as for my favorite OG player, it has to be Jake Wiens, cause he's one of the OG players who has successfully bridged the gap between OG and New Gen play.