I'm coming along with my kendama practice with getting the tama in the various cups and sometimes also the spike, but I notice that the tama often turns after straightening my knees to make it come up. I use a KendamaUSA tribute so the hole to string the ken is in the middle instead of at an angle like a traditionally strung kendama. Is it easier to pull the tama up straight with the traditionally strung kendamas? Do you have any hints or suggestions to help with this situation? I know that being able to place the hole in the tama where you want it is essential for various tricks, so I need to get this down.
Thanks in advance!
Hello mate.
I've not used one strung like that but I'd imagine that you might need to tilt your cup on the same side as the string hole down towards the floor rather than the usual cups facing you hold. Hope that makes sense
Hi,
@Blackhawkfan , yes, as John said, possibly tilting your kendama over *slightly* may help. Back to basics? Getting the lift straight, from the knees....
http://juggling.tv/4039
Thanks for the replies, but I can't visualize what you are suggesting. As I am doing it now, since the hole in the ken is in the middle, I am holding it so the ken is parallel to the floor. Should I hold it so the spike is more pointed to the floor, or the base cup? I've watched this video, and I am trying to pull my knees up straight (at least I think I am). Should the pull be only with the knees or should there be arm pulling too? In the video it looks like both but they only mention the knees
Base cup should be nearer the floor than the spike.
There *is* lift with the hand, BUT beware - the more you focus on the pull of the arm, the more the tama is likely to turn on the way up. Biomechanics mean it's natural to pivot your forearm at the elbow - which doesn't happen in a vertical line. So, you need to focus on the line of the string for the lift with the hand (which the video does mention, btw), but focus *more* on giving lift with the legs.
Keep going, you'll get it! :)
I'll work with keeping the base cup angled more to the floor. I do know I've been paying attention to my arm because I've been trying to keep it in one place and it doesn't seem to stay, but now I'm going to try focusing on my legs to do the lift as you suggest.
This kendama stuff is so addicting!
Practice lifting from the knees and nothing else for a while. Don't worry about getting it on the spike. It will be second nature after a while, but feels strange in the beginning.
Focus on the string hole at the top of the ball and keep this as still as possible.
Keep your hand /arm still, lift from the knees and wait until the ball is travelling upwards without rotation. Once you have this down then do the same, but when the ball is travelling upwards and the string is slack you can spike it.
Hope this helps, let me know how you get on with your practice.
I've had some good luck with slanting the base cup more to the ground. Not consistently getting the spike but at least the tama is rising in what is closer to the proper angle. I've also been working on raising the tama just using my knees--that has not gone as successfully. As an older kendama player, I'm not able to crouch down as low as some of the players in the videos I've watched, and also am not able to rise up with enough of a springing motion to propel the tama upwards with enough force to go higher than the spike. I'm going to see if there is any way I can work around this. Thanks for the advice and encouragement!
Quote from: johndmc on 29 June, 2016, 06:35:16
Practice lifting from the knees and nothing else for a while.
This
i'm very new at this.. maybe a month or so in. getting tama to come up straight is hard, but not that hard. lot of tricks, it seems, require hand and eye coordination. and it helps me, at least, to focus on specific places. for getting tama to come up straight, i look at where the string goes into to tama. and focus there to see what movement keeps the tama to come up straight. also, i occasionally, practice sitting on a chair. same idea. look at the attachment point, and move the whole arm.. pull spike is going along rather nicely. i'm still working on how to get the ken to come up straight..
Hi
@bullet08 , glad you're getting the Spike. For help with Lighthouse, try this thread: http://kendama.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,215.0.html (and the tutorial videos in http://kendama.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,905.0.html )
Cheers!
thank you
@The Void . took me awhile, but i'm landing lighthouse. there were several steps involved. one of most important thing was getting the tama to bottom cup when the ken was at its highest so the ken doesn't "drop" on the tama. once i figured that out, the question was "placement" as indicated in one of the post on the forum. that wasn't too easy to resolve, but keeping my eye on the bottom cup helped to move tama into the right place. getting ken up straight is little more tricky since the himo is on one side of the ken. it requires using the knee, and at the same time, slight pull on the side of the ken where the string is. very slight. and once the ken is on the tame.. balance.. and all these have to be in place without thinking at all time :)