[Rec] Challenge! A roundup of kendama tricks
The traditional toy, kendama.
You might strongly associate it with children’s play, but in recent years it has spread worldwide as a sport—there are even world championships.
Nailing tricks to music has that dance-like vibe—it looks really cool!
In this article, we’ll introduce kendama tricks.
From basic moves to advanced ones.
If you’re thinking of giving kendama a try, be sure to use this as a reference!
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[Rec] Challenge! Kendama Trick Compilation (11–20)
Princess Pinky
Make it look like you’re about to swing the ball up and spike it onto the ken tip, then catch the ball with your pinky on the hand holding the ken—this is the “Pinky Princess.” It’s a unique, high-impact trick that’s sure to get a “Wait, that way?!” reaction when you show it off.
First, it’s essential to master “Furikens”—swing the ball forward and catch it on the ken tip.
Once you can do that, you’re practically set for the Pinky Princess.
After you get good at spotting the hole and reliably landing the ken tip, move on to practicing inserting your raised pinky into the ball’s hole!
Kendama Fencing
Let’s play by arranging the game! Here’s an idea for Kendama Fencing.
Fencing is a sport that originated from medieval European chivalry, where two athletes face off one-on-one using swords, right? This time, let’s use kendamas instead of swords.
Split into two teams and keep a distance of about five meters between them.
Choose one player from each team, and have them aim for the opposing team’s side while balancing the ball on the kendama’s cup.
The rule is: when they pass by each other, the player who knocks the opponent’s ball off with their hand advances.
In conclusion
We’ve introduced lots of tricks, but I think it’s best to start by trying “Small Cup, Big Cup, and Middle Cup.” They’re the absolute basics.
If you search on YouTube, you’ll find tons of videos of people landing cool tricks, so definitely check them out.
By the way, kendama is “Kendama” in English too—use it as a search keyword!