Join us in celebrating the newest Kendama USA Pro; Zachary Magnuson! Zach’s dedication to the sport and community can be seen in his progression as both a player, a member of the community, and a videographer. Zach began his Kendama journey in 2014, while in high school and started competing shortly after. We first met Zach at Dama in the D2 and was asked to join Kendama USA’s Tribe team in 2018. Zach’s tenacity to pursue his passions and perfect his skills lead him to exactly where he wants to be.
Zach is currently a senior in college studying photography and film. When he isn’t studying he’s either playing kendama or working on a project he continues to be an inspiration to people and players around him and shares Kendama wherever he goes. Lets all welcome Zach to the team!
CCS tama•Keyaki Ozora Ken
The CCS•keyaki is a very sentimental setup to me. I used it to compete in MKO which was my first real event. Not to mention the colors go extremely well together.
Natty Classic
I’ve been jamming my natty classic non stop and has grown to become one of my go to setups. I love seeing the work and break in put into a Kendama, especially natty’s.
Green Ozora
A green Ozora was my first Kendama and is still one of favorite Kendama to play till this day. I love the classic feel of an Ozora and it always brings back memories of my first tricks.
Half Split Kaizens
Half Split Kaizens are one of my favorite Kendamas from Kusa. They’re extremely jam-able and colors always come correct.
Zebrano tama•Tk-16 Ken
The zebrano•tk-16 is probably one of the best natty setups I’ve played to date. It breaks in perfect for stalls, durable, and looks super clean in my opinion. A solid jammer forsure.
The 2nd Annual Let’s Dama event in Long Beach, CA was an amazing event. It was put on by local LA crew; LEZDAMA.
Over 100 people attended the day long event as did sponsored players and vendors from several different companies.
Many sponsored players that attended the event showed up with some fantastic giveaways. One of which was one of a kind REZ Kendama that went to Charity Cristobal.
We showed our support with Colin Sander, Derek Astin, Haley Bishoff & Dylan Westmoreland all in attendance.
(Pictured below from left to right)
Other sponsored players included EJ Williams from RWB, Steph Lussier & Kristian Aynedter of Grain Theory, Chelsea Perez & Alex Hirota for Sweets Kendamas and Molly Harney from DWI plus many more.
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The winner of the Advanced Open Divison was local Emmy Evans. Reppin’ hard for the all the lady shredders out there. In 2nd and 3rd were Tribe Members Derek Astin and Dylan Westmorland
For the intermediate ladders we had Kevin Luong taking 1st . Gabe Romo taking 2nd . Parker Smith taking 3rd
For the Beginner Ladders they had Dylan Trast taking 1st @btampu taking 2nd taking 3rd @mgdama
Haley Bishoff described the event as “an incredible day for the progression of female Kendama. The event was put on by all girls and the winner of the open division was a young female who actually won the beginner bracket at last years’ Lets Dama. Seeing how female Kendama has evolved makes me psyched as ever and I’m very happy I can be apart of it.”
We are honored, humbled, and excited to announce Dave Mateo as the newest member of the Kendama USA Pro Team. Dave brings a unique flow, energy, and style to the world of Kendama. Dave’s raw talent, passion, and dedication continues to be an inspiration to countless Kendama players around the globe. He has been a leading force for developing strong grassroots Kendama scenes, most notably in Sacramento and Las Vegas. He has also spearheaded multiple community projects, including the National Kendama Retreat.
Since day one, Dave has been extremely generous and selfless in his approach to enrich and spread Kendama culture. His passion for Kendama is undeniable, and his signature style is unmistakable. Dave has been a key part of Kendama USA for several years now, helping both publicly and behind the scenes. He continues to challenge his own limits and is committed to pushing others toward their dreams. We’ve been truly blessed to have Dave as part of our family, and we’re excited for this next chapter to unfold. Please join us in welcoming Dave Mateo to the Kendama USA Pro Team.
People often talk about a ‘flow state’. Where water flows, there is life. This edit showcases some of the Los Angeles local kendama players on a trip to el rio Kern. California’s drought has made everyone more aware of conserving and appreciating our natural resources. Kendama USA supports getting outside, spending time with your friends, and making kendama a part of a lifestyle of personal growth. In Sequoia national forest, we tried to lay down some tricks, though the hiking legs and short winter days made it a battle.
Here at Kendama USA, we believe that playing Kendama can be an eye-opening part of a complete adventure and sporting lifestyle. The Kendama USA team believes in the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, a striving for constant improvement of one’s self. Many of the team members pursue other hobbies with the same deep fervor that helped them progress in the sport of Kendama. Whether it be skating, snowboarding, skiing, slack-lining, climbing, hiking, or gymnastics, our players pursue a variety of hobbies that can yield improvements from the lessons learned through playing kendama.
Sometimes after failing to grind out a heavy-duty trick on camera, or having fatigued legs from too many days of dama squats, it’s important to refresh your body and mind before coming back stronger. Enjoy this ‘Kendama Day-Off’ edit, featuring Colin Sander guiding you through a famous bouldering area in Pennsylvania, McConnell’s Mill. Colin likes to boulder to stay flexible and build hand and arm strength, while also getting to experience the outdoors. We encourage you to continue expanding your personal horizons, applying the lessons of balance, patience, and perseverance that kendama offers into the rest of your hobbies.
Kendama USA gives you a behind-the-scenes look at the weekly session in Los Angeles, CA at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Their outdoor sculpture ‘Urban Light’ is a meeting place for friends, tourists, dancers, couples, jugglers, and now Kendama Players on Tuesday nights from 8-10 PM.
In our second LACMA lights video, Kristian Aynedter is leaving to move back to Lake Tahoe, and friends say goodbye and lace some tricks with him.
Enjoy an inside look at the attitudes and techniques of Keith Matsumura as he experiences a spring in Colorado. Kendama, school, skating, skiing, are all part of Keith’s embracing of the ‘kaizen’ attitude- Continually improving ones self. Keith teamed up with Colin Sander to create a short film that would capture these insights and hopefully help evolve your play, and personal journey as well. Sit back and enjoy the eye opening perspective of one of the original pioneers of high-technique, american kendama-play.
Brought to you by Kendama USA
Score by Summer Swee-Singh
Directed by Colin Sander
Keith is also supported by Icelantic Skis and Royal Outerwear.
Enjoy an inside-look at the National Kendama Retreat weekend, held at camp Wasewagan in Angelus Oaks, CA. During the fun-filled weekend of contests, video-shoots, instruction, exploration, and team bonding… there was still time to get some extra trick footage with the Kendama USA crew as well as plenty of friends. See you all next year!
A word from Dave Mateo:
“National Kendama Retreat would have not been at all possible with out all of you who believed in it. Spike Hard Catch Low in Collaboration with Kids Ken would like to personally thank all of you who have attended, sponsored and spilled all of your time and energy into the retreat. This is only the beginning of something we hope to make bigger and better every year as NKR begins to grow.”
Special Thanks to all Sponsors:
KendamaUSA
Terra Kendama
Gloken
Sweets
Roots
BLK
Lion Head
KendamaCO
KROM
LYONKEN
AKO
SOL
44RPM
DealwithitSF
KendamaMastaz
KenLab
Kendama Syndicate
Good times at the 2015 NY Toy Fair. Maybe Fox News doesn’t get it yet, but that’s ok. They’ll catch up eventually.
Check out their news coverage of the NYC toy fair including Kendamas where our very own Pros can been seen below.
The NYC Toy Fair is the largest Toy Fair in the world. 2014 was our third year in the show and we are about to head out to our fourth. Each year the Kendama USA crew heads out and jams kendama all day and night for 4 days at the fair. Even with all the other games and products at Toy Fair we always find ourself back with the kendama and jamming. Why? Because we truly love Kendama. Enjoy some of the footage from the Streets of NYC, Toy Fair, and the Ferry Session with the locals.
As the SoCal kendama scene grows, Kendama USA wanted to show it’s support by hosting a grassroots event where people can meet fellow players, learn new tricks, and expose kendama to those who might not see it otherwise.
Colin Sander, Kristian Aynedter, and Micah Marsh host the ‘Sesh @ The Lights’… a jam every 1st and 3rd tuesday of the month from 8-10 pm at the public-space sculpture ‘Urban Light’ at the LACMA in Los Angeles.
Bring some friends, make a trip to jam, Enjoy some mini games, prizes, and more. ** WARNING sesh may not actually end at 10pm : )
