Best Kendamas
A kendama is a Japanese skill sport: a wooden handle with three cups and a spike, a ball on a string, and hundreds of tricks between them. Sticky paint on the ball is what makes learning kendama tricks like Lighthouse or Lunar easy.
Starter Kendama Set – Learn How To Play Kendama Toy & Tricks
Original price was: 38,98 €.34,99 €Current price is: 34,99 €.Sticky paint. That is the whole secret.
Glossy paint slides off the cup and the spike. Sticky paint grabs, so the stall holds long enough for your knees to learn the rhythm. The Starter Kendama has it, in a modern shape built for tricks, not for a shelf - the one to learn on. The Starter Kendama Set adds the strings you will break.
The pro model
The Davide Pro Kendama is pro player Davide Leonardi's model: maple ken, bamboo tama, matte clear coat, a freestyle shape he designed for the tricks he plays. Strings snap - the String Pack has replacements, bearings and the tool.
Learn it properly
How to play kendama - the grips, big cup, around the block, the first spike. Then the SkillAddicts app, one trick at a time. YouTube shows you the trick. SkillAddicts gets you there.
Kendama FAQ
Which kendama should I start with?
One with sticky paint, a modern shape and regular size. Sticky paint is the difference between landing a lighthouse in your third week and giving up in your second. That is the Starter Kendama; the Starter Kendama Set adds the strings you will need. Move to a pro model like the Davide Pro Kendama when your spikes are consistent.
Starter Kendama Set – Learn How To Play Kendama Toy & Tricks
Original price was: 38,98 €.34,99 €Current price is: 34,99 €.
Which kendama brand is best?
The brand matters less than three things: sticky paint on the tama, a modern cup shape and regular size. Those decide whether tricks hold. A cheap kendama with glossy paint teaches you nothing except frustration; a well-made one with the wrong shape is a collector's piece. The SkillAddicts Starter Kendama is built on exactly those three points. The Davide Pro Kendama, pro player Davide Leonardi's own model, is the step after.
Starter Kendama Set – Learn How To Play Kendama Toy & Tricks
Original price was: 38,98 €.34,99 €Current price is: 34,99 €.
What is the difference between a yoyo and a kendama?
A yoyo spins on a string and the tricks are about spin, mounts and string control. A kendama has a ball on a string attached to a handle with cups and a spike, and the tricks are about catching, balancing and timing - your knees do as much work as your hands. Both are skill sports with a long history and a modern freestyle scene, and both live in the SkillAddicts app.
How do I play kendama?
- Get a sticky paint kendama.
- Learn the three grips.
- Land big cup - catch the ball on the big cup, knees bent, eyes on the ball.
- Then around the block - all three cups in a row.
- Then your first spike: pull up spike.
The SkillAddicts app takes it from there, trick by trick. The how to play kendama page has the overview.
Why sticky paint?
Because balance tricks need friction. Lighthouse, lunar and every stall depend on the tama gripping the cup edge or the ken gripping the tama for a second longer than smooth paint allows. Sticky paint gives you that second while you learn. It wears in over time, which is normal. It is why the Starter Kendama ships with it. The Davide Pro Kendama has a matte clear coat instead - a pro model, for when your spikes are already consistent.
All products designed in collaboration with professional players.
Pair our skill toys with the SkillAddicts app to take your tricks to the next level.