Too sticky? Is there such a thing?

[Anthony A]

So I've been on a quest to find a kendama with good paint. All the kendamas I've had in the past (TK-16, new Oozora, various Sweets) have all been super super slippery. I would pick up friends kendamas and land tricks that were impossible on all of mine.

The JKA and the EKA have their standards as to what is acceptable for competition but there are a ton of kendamas being made right now with no restrictions. Some companies are even making rubber tamas which many players feel is a joke. (which lead me to think about this issue)

So where do you draw the line between what is cheating and what is just innovation and improvements in the making of the kendama?

[The Void]

In terms of "cheating", then if you're just playing your own game, there are no rules to break. Just don't kid yourself that that triple lunar flip you did on a rubberised AeroKD means anything.

If you're talking about a competition though, then there certainly should be some form of baseline for what kendama is acceptable or not. That's exactly why the BKA has an approved list . But as long as whoever is running any comp has a clear guideline that all the players are aware of, then there should not be a problem.

If you've been learning on slippy kendamas, you've probably done yourself a good favour, in terms of nailing a good technique from the start.

But I suppose that you could make an argument for using a high-grip KD in some circumstances. eg "I'm trying to learn Hyperwarps, and I can get the Black Hole entry part okay, and the middle Teleport section works reasonably often, but I can't for the life of me get anywhere close to the Anticide Megawhoop ending......   .... so I'm using this rubbery KD to help me get the hang of what it feels like.... Once I've got it a few times, I'll switch back to trying it on an Oozora..... Honest...."

[SamB]

A question for the guys in Japan right now. Am I right in thinking that the JKA will turn your kendama away in competition if it is too worn in and therefore not slippery enough?

In my opinion it is great to practice stuff on box fresh slippery tamas just for the extra challenge and to perfect the technique. I also think they're at their best a little worn in but not battered so you can still slide around a little.

On the sticky side of things I have a Deathray Fugen which has the cups painted with "deathgrip" in order for it to stick at all, and it really sticks. What this actually means is the ken doesn't slide over the tama so once it is caught it either stays where it is or rocks off - there is no chance for sliding the ken over the surface and correcting the balance. This is fun and all but I prefer the classic slightly slippy feel.

In terms of "cheating", then if you're just playing your own game, there are no rules to break. Just don't kid yourself that that triple lunar flip you did on a rubberised AeroKD means anything.

I also agree when your not competing do whatever you want! [nb]Also as a cyclist an "AeroKD" sounds very appealing, make it out of carbon fibre or titanium[nb]hint hint Kendalex...[/nb]and I'll take it![/nb]