How to play kendama and learn tricks

You hold the kendama by the handle, swing the ball up on the string, and catch it - on a cup first, then on the spike. Everything else is a variation of flips, balance tricks, catches on the cups and on the spike.

You are not playing against anyone. You pick a trick, land it, then link it into the next one. Start with the four steps on this page: kendama grips (how to hold the kendama), Big Cup, Around the Block, Spike.

Start with the grips, then work through the cups before you try the spike.

The first five

• Kendama grips - how to hold it
• Big Cup - your first catch
• Around the Block - all three cups in sequence
• Pull Up Spike - the one everyone recognises
• Around Japan - a longer cup sequence

Every one of these is in the list above, with tutorial videos.

Ken grip, Sara grip and Tama grip - named for the part of the kendama you hold.

The 3 grips

• Ken grip - you hold the handle and catch the ball in the cups
• Sara grip - you hold the cup body instead
• Tama grip - you hold the ball and catch the handle on it

Which grip you use changes which tricks are possible, so the same trick can have a Ken grip and a Sara grip version.

One with sticky paint. The paint is what makes the ball hold instead of sliding off the cup. Use a standard size kendama with a modern shape. Avoid mini and oversized kendamas, and avoid cheap toy kendamas.

The Starter Kendama is a sticky paint kendama in standard size and modern shape.

Big Cup, a few minutes. Around the Block and Pull Up Spike, an afternoon. The beginner ten on this page, a few weeks of short sessions.

Lunar, Lighthouse and Spacewalk take longer, and that is the point of them.

When it breaks, or when it gets full of knots and worn out. There is no set time frame - replace it as soon as it stops playing well for you.

Replacement strings come with the bearings and the tool you need to fit them.

Work through the trick list on this page in order. It is a trick ladder - each level builds on the one before it, so the beginner ten tricks are what make the intermediate ten possible.

You do not need a club or a coach nearby. The SkillAddicts app has a video tutorial for every trick on this page, and a guided path that keeps going past them with pro player Davide Leonardi.

It builds coordination, timing and patience, and it works anywhere with no screen. Big Cup is landable on day one, which is what keeps children with it.

What it trains

• Hand-eye coordination
• Timing and rhythm
• Focus and patience
• Balance and fine motor control