object manipulation that
involves the deft
manipulation of a writing
instrument with one's
hands. Although it is often
considered a form of self-
entertainment (usually in a
school/office setting),
multinational competitions
and meetings are
sometimes held.[1] It is a
form of contact juggling.
This pastime originated in
East Asia,[dubious –
discuss][2][dead link] and
is referred to as "pen
mawashi" in Japan.
[citation needed]
History
There is no information
on the origins of pen
spinning. The earliest
record of pen spinning
comes from a student in
pre-World War II in Japan
(Asahi Shimbun January
31, 2008, 37th page).
While some in Asian
countries did pen spinning
in the 1990s, these were
basic tricks such as the
Thumbaround and the
Finger Pass. Today, there
are more variations and
types of tricks, for
example the Shadow, the
Bakfall, the Twisted Sonic
Bust or the Inverse Sonic.
The number of pen
spinning websites and
forums have increased
since 2006, opening up
more regional boards
from France, Germany,
Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.
Tournaments are
organised on the Internet
and live tournaments are
held in Japan and Korea.
Finger slots
Finger Slots
For convenience pen
spinners have adopted a
common numbering of
fingers and the spaces
between them ("Finger
Slots"). The fingers are
numbered sequentially
from "1" the index finger,
to "4" pinky. The thumb is
the letter "T". Finger slots
are represented by
combining any two of
these. For instance the
space between the middle
and ring fingers is "23". A
pen held between index
and pinky is in slot "14".
(Sometimes the space
between the thumb and
index fingers is called
"TF" (thumbflap).)
Fundamental tricks
The four basic
penspinning tricks are:
ThumbAround
Photograph of a
Thumbaround.
The "ThumbAround" (
previously known as "360
Degrees Normal") is
performed by pushing a
pen by one's middle
finger (the index finger is
also used to make it look
smoother in combos) so
to initiate the pen to spin
around one's thumb a
single time, then catching
it in between the thumb
and index finger. There
are many variations, but
one used most often for
combinations uses just
momentum and only a
rotation around the
thumb with a jerk of the
hand or a push with the
middle finger. To do this
the 1st finger is put on the
eraser, the 3rd finger near
the middle, and the
thumb in between.
Pressure is then added on
the pencil/pen with the
thumb.[3] This is most
easily done with pens and
pencils with a center of
mass nearer to the writing
tip, such as mechanical
pencils and cheap
disposable pens.
FingerPass
The "Pass" involves
spinning the pen through
the fingers. A combination
of Passes are called
FingerPasses. The
FingerPass was used in
the James Bond film
GoldenEye by Boris
Grishenko, but is a
variation with only three
fingers instead of the
usual four.[4]
Sonic
Photograph of a Sonic.
The idea behind the Sonic
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 (but could be
performed with other
fingers using mapping)
and is moved so that it
ends up between the
middle and index. As this
trick can be executed in
very short time, its name
means a supersonic
movement.[5]
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 rather
than pens. It looks like the
pen is spinning in the two
fingers.[6]
fingerpass:
charge:
thumb_around:
sonic:
