If you have been playing Kendama long enough, you know that after a while, you have to retire your setup. At some point, your Kendama is just going to get worn out. Newer players may not know how to tell the signs of a defeated Kendama. so here are five major signs that will let you know it’s time to replace your Kendama and get a new setup.
1. The easiest sign that your Ken is beaten is when your spike is totally flat.
Yeah, maybe you can do a border balance now, but anytime you go to spike, in the back of your head you know that if you miss it’s because your spike is as flat as the screen you’re reading this on. If you didn’t add any kendama glue to the spike, it is inevitable that it will flatten out completely with normal play. Don’t even get us started if you yank spike often. If the spike doesn’t inspire confidence with every down spike attempt or gunslinger to spike, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.
2: If your base cup looks like it has been put through a woodchipper, it’s time to replace your kendama.
Look, taps are cool. In the past few years, the community has made taps a huge achievement in one’s Kendama journey. Two taps, four taps, nine ??? It’s crazy. All those taps are basically nibbling away at your base cup over time and just like water over a rock, your base cup will start to wear away. Chips in your base cup not only prevent you from landing a handle stall, but also makes tracking hard and lighthouses painful. That’s why experienced players shed a tear when their ken chips at the base. If your base cup is chipped and worn out, then it’s time to replace your ken.
3: If every time you play your Kendama you spend half of the time pushing the cups back down, get a new kendama.
Yeah, there are fixes for this, but not without consequence. Glue your cups together? Good luck if your string breaks. Sticky notes? Get ready for residue all over your ken if you do it wrong. Especially if you have a hardwood, the amount of time lost pushing the cups down while grinding a trick is annoying at best. If you’ve been playing a setup for a while and can’t get the cups to stay down, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.
4: If the tama paint is making your balance tricks suffer, replace the tama.
Experienced players know that every Kendama paint has a certain amount of time that it’s best for lighthouses, lunars, and technically even birds or stilts. The condition of the paint plays a big part in all of these tricks. While some paints may need a few hours of play to break in well, others might take just one or two sessions to get them to the right condition. That sweet spot is heaven for every Kendama player. The feeling of making your Kendama better just by playing it is like nothing else. All good things come to an end though. At some point, you can tell when lighthouses and lunars just won’t stick anymore. Considering people are lacing four-turn lunar flips like pull-up spikes today, you want to make sure your setup is honed for every game of KEN or lighthouse race. If the paint is well past its prime, then it’s time to replace your Kendama or get a new tama.
5: If the bevel is beaten to pieces, it’s time for a new kendama.
A well-beaten bevel is a beautiful thing. If the wood around the tama hole is slightly curved from play, then birds and stilts are twice as easy. Just like the paint though, the bevel will go beyond its playability. The edges will start to go beyond the curves of the cup, and the chipped wood will make spikes much more difficult from friction. An overplayed bevel can even make lighthouse flips challenging. So if your bevel is chipped beyond comfort, then it’s time to replace your Kendama.
This year marked the 30th anniversary of JapanFest Atlanta. Kendama USA had the pleasure of participating in the event for the 3rd year in a row. Going to JapanFest is always an amazing time for us to experience the culture from which our favorite toy comes originates. It also allows us to meet new people and get them excited to try out Kendama. There is so much to do at JapanFest from drum shows, sumo matches, Kabuki Shows, and even eating some amazing authentic Japanese food. It also provides the opportunity to pick up merchandise from your favorite animes while getting to know new people and trying new things. This year, Jake Kopanski and Ryan Plourd were holding it down for KUSA, putting on 2 shows and a workshop to teach Kendama to everyone who was interested. It was great teaching new people how magical Kendama is and we hope to see you there again next year!
We’d also like to give a special shout out to NANA, a company we had collaboration with during the weekend. You can check out their app by clicking here.
Thank you to all of the local players that came out and helped with the event. Damafam is strong!
We are so proud to announce that Nobu Nori is the newest member added to our Tribe team. Nobu is our first Japanese team member and has always impressed us with his incredible Kendama play, style, and positivity.
Hang with Colin Sander, Kristian Aynedter, and Micah Marsh in the MMAK apartment for a few minutes while they give you a look at what one of Colin’s sponsorship boxes holds. We open Ozora, TK, Krom, Sunrise, and Kendama USA Kaizen product and talk about the subtle differences between each and the things we like about them.
After mixing and matching tamas and kens to find that perfect pair & weight… a couple of tricks are laced to break em in. We love seeing all of the unboxing videos you guys do so thought we would shoot one from this side! Thanks for all the support and keep shredding.
Japan this year was a unique experience. We were deeper into the country than we had ever been before. The entire team was together for the very first time. With obligations like the Kendama World Cup, it wasn’t easy to find time to just play and lace some tricks. We worked in some stompage for the sake of having memories of this classic era of the team. We are stoked to see it evolve.
While taking a ride on my skateboard with a friend we came by this parking lot which was looking like a fun place to film some tricks. We stopped by and did a little session with the pink and blue Beech wood Kaizens. Enjoy!
Ever wonder what it is like to get a sponsorship package from KendamaUSA? Well Jake goes all out in this video and shows off all of the kendama’s that were sent his way! Enjoy!
Want to get your hands on one of the kendama’s in the video? click HERE!!
KAIZEN. The Japanese philosophy of constant improvement.
To us, Kaizen is about striving to become better than we were yesterday, even in the smallest details. It’s about never giving up, and never settling for mediocrity. The Kaizen mindset inspires us to continuously refine our craft, and stay focused on creativity and innovation. Since Kendama USA was founded, we have approached our Kendama play, our products, and our company with this concept at our core. We have come a long way since we started, but we’re always looking for ways to improve. With input from players all over the globe, we have made improvements to our production process, our handle shape, and the finest details of our products. The result is a premium Kendama specially crafted for the serious enthusiast. Each part of this Kendama was meticulously thought out by the Kendama USA team with the future of Kendama play in mind.
The Kaizen Kendama features a 3 piece construction with traditional Japanese handle assembly. We have updated the Ken shape for precision balance, and the tama bevel has been widened for enhanced play. We’re also excited about our refined silk paint, which adds extra durability and grip. Balance and spike length were a very important consideration when designing this line. On many of our favorite classic style Kendamas, it would be really frustrating when the spike length was perfect out of the bag, but would settle far too low on the Ken after playing for a few days. The Kaizen bevel intentionally starts shorter out of the box, so that it will settle into an ideal length after a few jam sessions without easily going past the “point of no return”.
We are proud to finally release the KAIZEN Kendama. Available today in beech, padauk, and cherry wood models. Get yours today in our online shop HERE.
