Pen spinning

Pen spinning is a recreational activity of using one's fingers to manipulate a pen in aesthetically pleasing ways. This is done through the (hopefully seamless) combination of various tricks.

Sometimes pen spinning is classified as a sub-discipline of the contact juggling field. However, pen spinning may also include actions that are outside of the scope of contact juggling, such as toss of the pen. Although this discipline is still a growing field in the juggling world, its fast growing popularity can be attributed to the fact that pen spinning can be performed conveniently in virtually any location, as long as a pen is available.

A single trick in pen spinning might be balancing the pen on one's thumb as it spins several times, or weaving it between one's fingers in a circular motion. A combination of tricks is generally defined to be the linkage of 2 or more tricks in any sequence. Currently, pen spinning tricks number no fewer than 100. The easiest tricks can usually be learned within several hours, but it is not abnormal to hear that some of the most advanced tricks require several months to learn. While most single tricks are usually short in length (lasting no more than 2 seconds), the linkage of various individual tricks may form longer sequences that are considered to be more aesthetically pleasing. Mastery of such is something most pen spinners would strive for.

History

This pastime is also supposedly referred to as "rōnin mawashi" in Japan, allegedly because pen spinning is more prevalent among "rōnins", or high-school graduates who take a year off in order to study by him/herself in preparation for university exams.

Presently, there is no documentation to show who started the pen spinning phenomenon. It is though, understood that a Japanese pen spinner named Hideaki Kondoh is one of the earliest pen spinners who started a pen spinning website.

Fundamental Tricks

A seasoned pen spinner usually has mastery/significant competence in what are considered the 4 fundamental pen tricks - by no coincidence, these are probably also the most well-known tricks.

ThumbAround

As the name suggests, the ThumbAround is performed by pushing a pen by one's middle finger so to initiate the pen to spin around one's thumb a single time, then catching it in between the thumb and index finger. This trick is often popular among high school students due to how simply it can be performed. ThumbAround was previously known as 360 Degrees.

Variations

The ThumbAround Reverse is not nearly as easy to perform, and does not look much more impressive. It can often be caught between any two fingers to allow more varied combos and can also spin multiple times.
Fingerless for both ThumbAround Normal and Reverse are commonly used in combos.
The ThumbSpin starts identically to the ThumbAround, except that extra rotations of the pen are performed before the pen is caught.
The ThumbAround Double is a combo of a ThumbAround to a Fingerless ThumbAround. Note this is very differently performed from a 2.0 ThumbSpin.
ThumbAround Harmonic is a combo of ThumbAround Normal then ThumbAround Reverse

FingerPass

The FingerPass involves spinning the pen through the four fingers of the hand, ideally without the use of the thumb for balancing. When executed properly, the pen should move in a single direction, either clockwise or counter-clockwise, without stopping in between. This trick is probably the flashiest of the four fundamentals when performed at high speed.

To see an example of the FingerPass, one can watch the James Bond film GoldenEye to see Boris perform the FingerPass with the pen. However, it is to be noted that the FingerPass Boris performed is a variation which involves only three fingers instead of the usual four.

Sonic

The Sonic is a very common trick. The idea behind this trick is to move the pen from one finger position to another finger position in as little time as possible. In this trick, the pen is normally held between the middle and ring fingers and is moved so that it is between the middle and index fingers. As this trick can be executed in very short time, its name is derived from the famous video game character, Sonic the Hedgehog, who is known for his speed.

The trick starts when the pen is moved in the same fashion as the Charge (as described below). When about one-half of a revolution of the Charge is performed, the middle finger is bent out of the way, and the index finger replaces the middle finger in holding the pen. Finally, the index and ring fingers are bent inwards as the middle finger replaces the ring finger.

It is a common error for first time learners who do not fully understand the motion of the Sonic to not catch the pen with the index finger. The pen may fly out of the hand or spin around the middle incorrectly and return to its original position. This trick mistakenly executed is commonly known as the Neo-Sonic, so named because it is the neophyte's Sonic. The best way to ensure performing the Sonic instead of the Neo-Sonic is to touch the index finger to the ring finger as the pen passes the middle finger.

Variations

Sonic can also have more spins per trick, by spinning the pen on the knuckles before catching it. These are named X Sonic (where X is the number of rotations in multiples of 0.5), or for whole number revolutions, also Double Sonic etc. Collectively, they are known as Multiple Sonic.
Variations in which the pen jumps more than one finger are named Sonic 2x, etc. where 2 is the number of fingers jumped.
Sonic Reverse is moving downward in the reverse spin but same path of a sonic.
In Inverse Sonic and its reverse, the jumped finger moves back, instead of toward the palm, so the pen spins in front of the jumped fingers.
One of the most popular Sonic variations has its own name, Shadow. The simplest makes 1.5 revolutions and does not jump any fingers. Shadows are variations of Multiple Sonic that either clips (lands in the same fingers as it starts) or falls (lands closer to the pinky).

Tricks named after sonic

Twisted Sonic (called windmill in some countries): Starts between middle and ring finger. It does a Charge 23 then, smoothly passes it off to index and middle finger
Neo-Sonic: Beginners accidentally do Neo-Sonic when they are trying to do Sonic. The pen starts between middle and ring finger then does a vertical 360 turn ending in the same position.

Charge

The Charge does not involve spinning the pen around any fingers or any body parts, rather, the pen is manipulated in such a way with two fingers, that it seems to spin in a very fast motion, in a conic-shaped path. Its conic path and its speed thus create an illusion of the charging motion of the pen. This trick is often performed by drummers using drumsticks instead of pens.

Utility tricks

Utility tricks are tricks that helps do fundamental tricks and any other tricks. They are quite simple to do.

Pass: A utility trick that is used while doing a FingerPass. A FingerPass is a series of four Passes traveling in the same direction. The basic Pass is done by passing the pen from index finger and middle finger to middle finger and the ring finger creating a 180 degree turn without leaving the fingers. If the pen is spun clockwise the Pass is a normal, a counterclockwise spin would be a Pass Reverse.

Wiper: A utility trick that helps do the Infinity. The pen starts in the writing position. Then, with the grip held between the index and thumb the pen is swung downward. The reverse motion is preformed by pushing the pen with the middle finger back up into it's original position.

BackAround: Not as easy as the other tricks. Start off by holding the pen in writing position at the center. The pen is spun by releasing your grip and flicking your wrist to the left in a way that the pen hits the webbing between your index and middle fingers. Next, the hand is tilted toward a palm down position and the pen passes though your fingers onto the back of your hand. The spin is concluded by tilting the hand back and catching the pen with your thumb. The BackAround is one of many 'back' style tricks credited to David Weis.

External links

Pen Spinning Discussion Forum