A ranked trick reference
The Kendama
Ladder — ranked kendama tricks with step-by-step guides and video demos
A ranked progression of kendama tricks — from your first toss to dan-level balances. Watch the demos, learn the form, climb when you're ready.
- Ranks
- 5
- Tricks
- 29
- Guides
- Step by step
Climb in order
Every trick sits on a five-rank ladder. Master the rung below before reaching higher — the order is the shortcut.
Watch the demo
Each trick pairs with a video demonstration from the kendama community. See the form before you drill it.
New to kendama?
Start with the primer
A short introduction to the ken, the tama and how the two meet — the best five minutes you can spend before rank 一.
The ladder
Five ranks from first toss to dan-level mastery. Each rank ends with a readiness check — when it reads true, climb.
- 一
Rank 一 · First contact
Novice
Everything starts here: how you hold the ken, how the tama leaves your hand, and your first four landings. Nothing in kendama works until these are quiet and repeatable.
You can land Big Cup, Small Cup, Base Cup and Spike on command — ten in a row, each.
Open rank — 5 tricks - 二
Rank 二 · Flows & arounds
Beginner
The cup catches become sentences. Arounds teach transitions, rhythm and reset discipline — the core skill every combo you will ever run is built on.
You can run Around the World front to back without stopping, and your catches land quietly.
Open rank — 6 tricks - 三
Rank 三 · Balances
Intermediate
The ken stops moving and starts floating. Lighthouse, bird and their cousins demand a calm hand and still eyes — a completely different feel from catches.
Around the World is muscle memory and you can hold a lighthouse for five full seconds.
Open rank — 6 tricks - 四
Rank 四 · Air & transition
Advanced
Tricks that combine landings: flips over the ball, bounces that never stop, and balances that turn into catches mid-air. Precision stops being optional.
Your balances are unshakable and you land a lighthouse or a bird first try, most days.
Open rank — 6 tricks - 五
Rank 五 · Mastery
Expert
Dan territory. Multi-turn lighthouses, glide balances and full-flip spike landings — tricks that take hundreds of focused reps to make look easy.
You can land a one-turn lighthouse and a double lighthouse in a single session.
Open rank — 6 tricks
Trick index
Every trick in ladder order. Filter by name to jump straight to a guide.