i have been getting very very discouraged due to this trick. I have attempted it over the course of the last 3 days and haven’t been making any real progress. I was learning a new trick every day or so but now I am grinding to a halt due to this trick.. I suppose I am not only having difficulty figuring out what I am doing wrong, but I also don’t quite see its application..
swing spike is how most players get it onto the spike in order to start a combo or line. no one ever does a straight pull up spike once they learn the swing spike. once i learned it, it just felt more natural, and easier/more consistent, to swing it up to spike. it’s all about the little tug you give the ken to swing it up. visualize where you want the tama to end up and keep practicing. once you get it, it’ll become second nature and you will stop doing pull up spikes.
It's all about hole control. In JKA Kyu level testing it's the first trick that requires hole control with Around Japan and Around the World as follow up tricks that also need hole control. After that it kind of opens up to all sorts of tricks for which you'll find it useful.
Dont worry it took me about a whole school year to really get "down" (yes a year) and i quote it because i really still was trash at it I was always that guy that could get a guaranteed letter in a game of Ken because rumor was I cant swing peg dont give up it'll eventually make sense. What really helped me was making a visual cue of where to do the "yank" and just get that down first, then once you're good at that next master how hard to yank and before you know it you'll have it down. Dont focus too hard at it if its naturally too hard for you because it will most likely ruin the fun as it did for me just let it come natural by trying it every now and then when you notice your nice and warmed up and landing things consistently.
I'm also still struggling with this trick, I land it every once in a while. I had the same thing going for airplane which at first totally felt like a hit or miss kinda trick and now I almost always nail it. Try it every day a couple of times and mixed it up a bit. there are so many other great tricks to learn which may come more naturel to you.
just keep working on it, in the past I have spent months trying to learn tricks. Then one day like magic, it just works. Try a different approach, like swinging the ball less or watching for the hole or bending your knees more. You may have built up some muscle memory of how to not do the trick, so I find if i try something a little different it can help! good luck and keep lacing!
I landed my first one yesterday felt great and have not landed it since but lots of close ones where the spike hits but does not stick. I suggest you try another trick and don't obsess and then come back to it. I was landing airplane pretty consistently and then for three days it was gone I left it alone and then tried it again a few days later and hit if first try.