Interviews are very interesting
to read. It's real pen spinners' views on pen spinning. I try my
best to get them for you so here you go...
Jason Chan Interview
Jason Chan has his own website – PenSpin
Palace – which I highly recommend if you want to be amazed
by some of the most extreme tricks and combos. This guy makes it
look way too easy!
First off, before we start I would like to
thank you Jason, for taking your time to take this interview.
AC: What inspired you to start Pen Spinning?
JC: Like 95% of pen spinners, I started because
I saw someone spinning. It took me about 2 weeks to learn 360 Thumbspin
because I didn’t have anyone to teach me, and maybe about
2 more weeks to get it consistently. A non-spinner friend told me
about Pentix, and at that point, I made a vow to learn every trick
on the site. That’s what kept me motivated.
AC: Where do you see yourself in the world
of Pen Spinning?
JC: I quote from Spiderman, “with great
power comes great responsibility.” I feel that it’s
my responsibility to teach others how to spin pens. Before I started
spinning, my school had about 3 people who could do Charge and maybe
1 person who could do Thumbspin. However, as I started to become
skilled at spinning, I taught others how to do Sonics, Inverse Sonics,
Reverse Thumbspins, etc. Now there are about 15 people in my school
who can spin a pen, and maybe 100 more who wish they could spin
a pen. This puts me in the world of pen spinning as a teacher, but
still a learner. I try to teach (or at least describe and demonstrate)
mysterious tricks on my website, and I am constantly learning new
tricks and occasionally inventing some.
AC: Do you think that Pen Spinning is growing
in popularity? If so, why?
JC: Pen spinning is definitely growing in
popularity. Basically, if someone sees you spinning, they get amazed
and try to spin, at first to no avail. 25% of them keep trying to
spin and eventually are able to do so, while 75% of them give up
and continue to watch others spin. Thus, from my knowledge of Algebra,
Pen Spinning is growing at a rate of ln(5/4).
AC: What tricks did you find the hardest and
easiest to learn?
JC: The hardest tricks for me to learn, believe
it or not, were the basics: Thumbspin Normal (4 weeks), Thumbspin
Reverse (6 or so weeks), Sonic (3 weeks). This was because I didn’t
have the convenience of someone showing me. I had to learn Thumbspin
Normal all by experimentation and Sonic and Thumbspin Reverse by
looking at pictures that usually made me confused. The tricks that
were easiest to learn were Thumbspin Multiple (i.e. anything more
than 1) and believe it or not, Backaround (Backaround 1.5 is amazingly
hard). Using the word ‘easiest’ is a misnomer though
because I don’t think there are any tricks that are easy to
learn.
AC: How would you overcome difficult tricks?
JC: Practice! There is no other way to learn
hard tricks. Your hand and fingers have to get used to a motion
before you can do it. For example, Thumbspin Double and Shadow seems
like tricks that a rookie would think is something that you just
get lucky on. When I was first learning the tricks, I would land
a lucky Thumbspin Double sometimes, but with a ton of practice,
my fingers and hand have now ‘memorized’ the technique
and I am now able to do Double Normal with 90% consistency and Triple
Normal with 50% consistency. The best advice I can give for learning
tricks is practice until the trick becomes second nature, and if
available, have someone show the trick for you because it makes
tricks easier to understand.
AC: What do you believe is the most important
part of Pen Spinning?
JC: The most important part of pen spinning
is enjoying it. This isn’t a competitive sport. It’s
more of an art, like dancing as opposed to running. Sure, part of
Pen Spinning is pushing yourself to be able to do difficult tricks,
but remember that you are doing this for fun so don’t get
frustrated. Remember that even if you only can do Thumbspin Normal,
people will still be very impressed.
AC: What influences have the likes of KAM
and David Weis had on you?
JC: Like I said before, Pentix gave me motivation
for pen spinning. After browsing the site enough, I found David
Weis’s site and was completely stunned. The two are role models
for all pen spinners because of their skill and the amount of effort
they have put into making new tricks and into making the pen spinning
community grow. I hope to eventually be as good as KAM and David
Weis are now.
AC: What tips would you give to beginners out
there that wish to be as good as you?
JC: If you can’t do a trick, don’t
be discouraged. If you have the will to learn a trick, you will
eventually get the trick as long as you practice. If you know anyone
who can do the trick, watch them do it because it’s better
than any video you can find on the Internet. Also, try to get other
people to spin and support the community by joining the Pentix message
board to give and receive help.
AC: Why do you think that people have become
fascinated about pen spinning?
JC: Pen spinning is so fascinating because
it is a show of effort, patience, and most of all, skill. You can
do tricks that seem impossible with only a pen – no hidden
secrets or anything like that.
Thank you very much Jason for this interview.
If you wish to just say anything please do here:
Please visit my website http://pentricks.cjb.net
I guarantee you will like it.
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