@sambarboo kendama takes a lot of the same things from skating (discipline, repetition, focus) without the injury factor. (well, aside from the fact that I just said I hit my nuts). As a 30 something I like finally having a hobby that doesn't injure me all the time.
I am totally on the same page as you. I apply the same practice ideas from decades of skating to slaying the dama. And it never EVER hurts missing a kendama trick like hanging a truck on coping and slamming 12 feet down onto concrete.
best: Since I fractured my lateral meniscus few years ago I had a really long downtime. I was no longer able to train bjj and my knee was far from ready for skateboarding. Until I got myself a dama, riding bicycle was the only therapy I had. At first I was worried if I was gonna be able to do deep squats (I'm a Slav, so you know it's serious business ), in order to lace tricks, without hurting myself. Time passed by. The muscle tone on my injured leg was up again and I was able to 'catch low'. worst: I used to hang out with more people. We would drink coffee, drink coffee, go out during weekends, drink some more coffee with some more coffee... I no longer want to sit at café bars, at least not that often. I want to go outside and play the dama. On the contrary, most of the people I know don't really feel like doing something dynamic and they'd rather sit at a bar than go outside. So I guess, in my case, the worst thing about kendama is losing touch with some of my friends (or not being able to get them to start playing ).
Dang a lot of injuries. Well that's how some people actually get into dama is threw like skating or skiing injuries. Best: All the people you meet and the places you go. Worst: not a lot of bad things about dama but it's a money sucker for sure lol. There was this one time I was jamming dama at school and a kid walked by and walked the tama with his note book and it swung up and nailed me in the head. I have anger issues(Thats why I got dama in the first place was because of my anger issues)so all I'm gonna say is it didn't go so well we ended up in the hallway talking tot he teacher.
best: meeting new people and seeing a little kid just get hype when I land spike or lighthouse worst: spending a crap load of money on kendama and the amount of time I got hurt by playing ken
Best: Jamming with everyone in my neighborhood at a kendama event. Worst: When some guy and all his friends started harassing me and making fun of my partial blindness, and high risk of diabetes.
Since I‘m playing for like 7 months now... there literally was nothing bad that happend to me haha.. but there are severel positive things that happend to me.. I met a lot of new people that I can call my friends now.. and that‘s just because of that little wooden toy.. it‘s amazing (sorry for bad english doe)
Worst thing: My wallet is dead lol. Best thing: I won a kendama giveaway on FKC and had so much loot for a while! Also, I met Ben Herald when I visited San Francisco 3 years ago, such a hype moment!
Update. Best: Purchasing and creating these 2 setups (recently bought the blue/orange ink was REZ x Mugen Musou Breeze Orange setup from someone on FKC). Worst: Spending the money on these setups