Introduce yourself!

[MasterKatra42]

Hi everyone,

I'm Joe Showers, and I've been juggling since 2004.  Got my first kendama as a present for hosting a Japanese student in my apartment for a few days back in 2008.  Don't know what make it was, but after about a month of practice I got a lighthouse and called it quits because nothing could possibly be harder than that trick and I was the freaking man.

Then I met Matt  Hall for the first time.

BOOM!  Find the old kendama, start doing harder tricks!  Completely obsessed for about two months.  Then disaster struck.  My string broke.  Apathy took over and I did not get another kendama until about a year ago.  TK16 master and me went a long way until it got lost at Turbofest.  Now I own a few Sweets Kendamas, and two TKs.  I'm also in the process of making a kendama out of plungers to use in my juggling show (I'm a professional juggler).  Can't wait to see how that turns out and what great American style comedy I can bring to the act with a kendama!  Recently, Void popped me an email, asking me to join the BKA forums, and now here I am!

I love the kendama culture psych about tricks and style and swag and everything.  It's great to meet other players and swap tricks.  So much fun can be had with such a simple little toy.  That's why I love kendama.  Hope I can meet you all someday!

[BKA]

Nice to have you on board, Finn, Shalafi & Joe!

Mat Hall has a lot to answer for. He's the godfather of the BKA! :-)

[shalafi]

To be totally honest, I was about to buy one kendama at the BJC 2008, but I did not, and I regret that a lot.

Then I kept trying to find one at the EJC 2009, where there were none, and finally got one at Finland. Then I spent all EJC practicing and end up at the second place of the beginners ladder

Nowadays I have a SunRise, an Oozora and a TK 16

[LarsVegas]

Hello everybody,

let the introduction be my first post.
My name is Lars, I'm from Stuttgart, Germany. I actually started playing kendama, when I bought a bilboquet in France in 1994. I studied there for some months and had a few fellow jugglers with whom I played a lot. After my return to Germany, there was no one else to play with and it fell a little bit into oblivion. Yet it had a nice place on a living room shelf because it looked so beautiful and was a nice gadget for visitors.

Many years later I found a kendama (probably in a juggling shop) and bought it. It was (is) a red no-name where the string is only squeezed between ken and cross piece -  I only discovered recently, that the string always hangs down if the big cup points towards the player :-) - resulting in many ball flights. Over the years I played on and off but never really advanced beyond cups, spike, some simple swing tricks and combos (with an awful catch rate).

Nevertheless, recently I was rather "on" and taking it to EJC 2011, I compared my kendama to the real ones and - struck by its beauty and nice handling - bought a blue Oozora. No joking: some moves were immediately easier for me - the proportions, the balance, the weight is quite different. And I was more or less directly enrolled for the European Kendama Open. Void was so kind to explain and show me the beginners trick list. I only knew about 30% of them, but what could go wrong with a whole day to practice. I actually managed to do all tricks a few times but the lighthouse and had some qualifying runs up to #11 of 12. If only the list was differently ordered I would probably had a better result in the competition. But hey, 15th place is not bad for a newbie with a horribly shaking hand.

Since I'm a juggling coach for a youth circus here, I plan to find some students who like to continue with me. I'm definitely on now and ... managed the lighthouse yesterday three times!

lars

[KendAlex]

Hello Everyone,
i also forgot to introduce myself here on this Forum, so now i grab my chance.
(sorry for my bad language)
this post is maybe a little too long, but i never get a second chance for a first impression.

I'm Alex Ruisch aka Kendalex aka Supernog73 (i have some edits on youtube).
kendama came into my life in 2009 when i was watching Franky Morales(inline blader like me) his kendama edit, right after that i bought a Blue TK16 and start to play.

after a few months i also get interested in Bilboquet, Dutchkendama was playing one, so i have to get one too.
Since that time i have learn to play with both hands and get some experience, i start to mix those 2 styles, like a spacewalk with a Bilboquet and bilbotricks with a kendama,
now 2 years later, my collection is taking over my house and my life, i can't imagine how my life was now without those wooden toys.
i think my collection is counting 115 pieces now, in all colors and sizes.(some self made customs as well)
my favorite kendama is a Oozora.
my favorite kendama players is Dutchkendama (style, always refreshing, and highly recomended edits to watch)
my most special kendama i've is the PAW 3 spike kendama i get it before the Yumu came out. (thanks to Jake Wiens)

my best bilboquet edit is the double up 2

my best kendama edit so far is the one i did made for the Kensession Stand contest (make a funny 2 minutes edit, i've won second place)

the edit i'm most proud of is the one that Jeffrey have been editting, and we play with eachother, 2 person kendalex & dutchkendama edit.


i guess it was a lot of me.
my goal is to play in the BKA open someday, to play agains and with other players.
since last week i'm a 1st Dan Kendama player.


if there are any questions about kendama, Bilboquet, or me, feel free to ask anything.

Cheers.

[BKA]

Welcome aboard, Lars and Alex. It's great to have you both here.

[donald grant]

Should have filled this in ages ago, sorry, had a dead computer for the last few weeks!

I've been involved with the juggling scene for the last twenty years or so, and probably got my first cheap kendama back in 1993.  Like most folks, I learned a few basics, then it retired to the box of forgotten props.  I studied at the circus school in Montreal back in '94-'95, and a kendama did live on top of the fridge, but we pretty much used to just challenge each other to do aeroplanes and the like....

Cue many years forward, and a career as a diabolo performer, and it was always lurking around in the background: playing with Stefan Csiszar at the IJA in 2000, bothering Matt Hall with a purple "swingamejig" at the Scottish convention....

Finally got developed the full-blown "bug" at the BJC in Donacaster, 2008.  Alas, couldn't make it to the competition, but managed to do a bit in the public show (heck, you can get away with a lot when you're the compere...)

So now, I'm on the Team KD roster,  on the "First Clicks" dvd, and am guilty of scribbling all the illustrations in the "Spike" and "Knees" books.  So I guess I'm hooked now!

Great that there's now a dedicated forum, hi to all who know me already, and hope to meet the rest of you at a convention sometime.

Donald
(who sometimes uses the kettle, but prefers to race trick ladders against the toaster....)

[shalafi]

(who sometimes uses the kettle, but prefers to race trick ladders against the toaster....)

Love it, race trick ladders against the toaster! Checked.

[grotesquecub]

Hi,

I'm Paul (a.k.a. grotesquecub) ------------ [don't worry, i don't resemble in anyway shape or form, a very ugly 'big' cat!

From the other people who have been posting, i guess i would consider myself a toddler amongst adults (where experience is concerned). I've been playing properly for 79 days and i am hooked! SERIOUS..do you know how i got these scars?..LY!

Saw/tried my first 'dama after Kendamatty showed me one his roughly a year ago. I loved it, but didn't take it any further. NOW HOWEVER! I play with my own kenny (Green Sunrise ) everyday, i cant seem to put it down (never mind cups of tea...i'm sure i wake up with it in my hand ).

I've seen lots of edits and i'm baffled by the tricks some of these guys pull off, I'm slowly putting together my own and i'm just like "practise, practise, practise, practise...".

Hopefully see some of you guys down in Bristol, my first comp. should be good fun and an experience to put in my own metaphorical book.

SWEEEEEEET!
Paul

[BKA]

Donald and Paul, you're both most welcome. Enjoy the forum!

[Cand1ez]

Hi, im andy.

i play kendama on and off.  but recently have been finding myself indulging in 'album long' sessions outdoors where noone will interrupt me.
im hoping that joing this forum ill keep up the progress ive made over the past few days and not flake out like i have before.

[BKA]

Good to have you on board, Cand1ez, and thanks for the reminder to listen to more albums!

[SamB]

Hi I'm Sam (officially down in the BKA comps as Sam B)

First picked up a kendama at the 2009 Manchester Juggling Convention after going for diabolo tips.
My diabolo isn't up to too much but quickly got addicted to kendama especially during exams/ project write up time.
I won the BKA beginners in 2010 in Huddersfield after entering just because it was close to my parents house.
Then surprised myself at the BKO in 2011 by coming 3rd overall and winning the moshi kame competition (me mum was well proud).

At the moment kendama is competing with my physics PhD and a whole lot of cycling although I have tried to combine these by having my trusty old TK16 in my office (occasional competition has broken out between my colleagues) and moshi kame-ing whilst climbing hills on the bike - video evidence will be provided once I can get a decent camera and a willing Tour de France style moped film crew.

I find slip grip specials and gunslingers surprisingly satisfying and have so far only broken one plate and got one black eye whilst attempting mad suicides.

I'll defo be hungover and probably still in hallowe'en garb in Bristol so hopefully see you all then!

-Sam

[BKA]

Good to have you on board, Sam. Nice picture in your icon, too. 

[ian]

Hello kendama players!

I'm Ian.  I first picked up a Kendama Void's workshop at Passout convention in Hilden, around New Year 07/08, but have only got serious about it in the last couple of years.  I entered the advanced competition at EJC in Munich this year and cam 8th!  More by luck than anything else I think.  I'm now looking forward to the Southern Regional event in October.  Hope to see some of you there!

-- Ian