We all have those times where we can't lace tricks and/or feel like progression has stopped. What do you personally do to get out of those dama slumps? Personally, I'm in one right now where I want to make new edits to share and where I'm always trying to think of new tricks but I don't have as much drive as well as lacking in ideas. What's been helping is trying to practice on everything I know I'm not good at.
Jam tricks that I know 100% that I can hit everytime. Get the confidence up and then just gradually start working in that new stuff I want to hit.
I re-watch Kendama edits to try to hype me up again. Also, after attending Kendama events or mini-jams, I usually become inspired to mess around with new tricks I learned or a line I saw someone do.
During my more slump times, I spend a good bit of time developing new concepts and ideas for edits/projects. Whether it be a new edit or new product you want to create, you have to start somewhere.
I've found myself getting into slumps on and off. It sucks. But, I usually try to find other ways to incorporate Kendama into my other usual habits / new hobbies. Ie: I've been really into shooting photos / video pieces. You may not have a dSLR camera, but and iPhone is a pretty good tool (if you have that). Get outside, listen to some music and just shoot photos. See what does and doesn't look good. Research some editing softwares to enhance your photos. There are a million Kendamas out there of colors, styles and shapes. Find some cool wall art or inspo on the interwebz. And while you're shooting some photo content, you can be brainstorming new tricks / ideas to lace. That's been something I've been doing recently to get inspo to lace.
@teejkolesnik ha, weird, I'm kinda the opposite. If I'm bored of dama or in a slump, I'll just go do something else. Forcing it never works well for me, plus since kendama is my job, its nice to have unrelated hobbies so I'm not just ball n' cuppin' 24/7. Getting out to snowboard, rip some laps or learn some tricks on my bike, going to skate with some homies, gaming, or some creative work are my go-to hobbies lately. I have a little stack of books I need to get back into as well. Taking a break and coming back fresh, that works well for me. Best inspiration is playing with others though, sometimes watching edits is good too, but these days it takes some really tight video stuff to get me hyped. Some of the recent KROM vids are really on point in my opinion, super funky and fun to watch. The weirdness reminds me of some Palace skate vids or something. A couple years ago I was slumping hard, popular tricks moved away from what I liked and was good at, and I was definitely feeling bummed and uninspired for a while. Ended up on a trip to Hawaii with Keith and the rest of the KUSA crew, and was up until like 3-4am with Keith almost every day, just jamming games of DAMA or whatever. Kendama is best with friends, especially those that push you to learn new things and be your best. I left there fully inspired, it was a complete 180º turn.
Slumps are usually a signal to step back, maybe go paint. When you try to make it your job it can be all consuming, especially if it isn't as full tilt as you need it to be just yet to keep it busy enough to keep you intellectually satisfied. I agree with Alex though, jamming with people you feel kindred with and also love dama makes for amazing times and even better results in your game. Everyone is different, knowing what keeps you "sharp" allows you to come back and grind. It doesn't have to be grind all the time. -Curtis
I rewatch edits that inspire me, or I will go through my dama collection and start jamming kendamas I usually don't play. Or even picking up a different skill toy has been help for me. I usually go to pill, or yoyo and jam that for a few days then it makes you appreciate kendama and want to slay again! I hope you get out of this slump soon Adrian. You're a slayer, and I remember watching your videos on the FKC and your tricks are so creative and your flow is nuts!
I dont play with others, so watching edits is the only inspiration I get. I like to watch edits that got me hype when I first started playing and try to land the tricks/lines they did in the video. Being able to lace those tricks get me hype and proves that I have progressed as a player. For some reason, playing a fresh ken. It worked for me when I use to skateboard, nothing like skating a fresh deck. @htimSxelA lacing on KUSA snap gets me hype too.
Yeah i agree with curtis. You would probably know better than us what would be best for you. I know i like to watch some old videos. I often see a trick that i wanted to do when i first saw it but now i might be more able. Also i would recommend working on your weaknesses. I suck at stalls so because of this post im going to start doing some consistency lines. But one of the most fun things about dama is being creative and funky. judging by the video you posted on insta recently im sure you understand. but yeah in the end of the day do whats best for you!
I just take a break from dama and try other skill toys for a bit. Currently trying cardistry and begleri. and then i browse IG for mini edits and rewatch my fav edits on yt.
I am with smith 100% just gotta go do something else for a while. you get away from it for a bit then something small drags your attention back then you start to remember why you fell in love with the game at first. forcing myself to play dama is the least productive thing i could do for my kendama progression i learn the best when i am having fun!
Yea i feel you on this,I paint and play for KendamaMastaz so sometimes im just fucking over kendama but doing something completely different usually helps me reset and i geet back into it. especially after events when im the most hyped on dama
Well what I do personally is not worry about it at all you know your in a slump but that's okay your just at a plateau and soon to go up again personally what I do is just think about Kendama heavily reflect on your past accomplishments and what you have done mainly know your soon to sesh again but don't worry and think about it as much as you can
I scroll through your instagram feed whenever I'm in a slump. I also try to do tricks I'm not good at during this condition. I would also watch something that would make me laugh a lot and play some video games.
Usually if I ever have enough time to get in a slump I have something else I should be doing (schoolwork) haha. When I get all caught up with those things that I needed to take care of then I am super excited to play kendama again and out of my slump. Going outside to play rather than inside helps me a lot... if the weather is nice and not windy. Most of my slumps happen in the winter because I can't go outside without freezing my hands off. Definitely finding inspiration helps. Maybe even through something unrelated to kendama. Its nice that I wood burn kendamas as well because when I am not playing I am burning, and when I am not burning I am playing. These two activities take turns and feed off of each other. Sort of like @teejkolesnik said by trying to incorporate kendama into life in a different way. The support I receive from the community is my anti-slump drug though. I love all of you guys so much.
usually a bike ride or two clears my head of most things and if it doesn't i just go do something else for a few days then when i feel ready i pick my mama back up do a few moshikames and some cup tricks and remember why i ever got into this lil thing