More grip

I found you can use a balloon on the tama and it works great for more grip.

I’ve heard of this before but only do it for a little bit of practice. If I were you I wouldn’t do it at all! I don’t think it’s the best way to get grip but that my opinion.

I will keep that in mind thanks

I prefer how bare wood feels on bare wood. It is not sticky. Sticky and tacky works a LOT better. Painted sucks as it’s just slick on smooth wood.

I don’t care which way people go. I just happen to like the lok of the bare wood. Maybe I’m a purist. If I am, it’s not be intent. I just think there’s some thing clean about it being just wood an no paint, so that’s just my preferences.

So, you’re putting a balloon around the tama? Well, it’s gonna add a bit of cushion and rapidly slow down the tama on impact and will provide a bit of grip. This seems like a rather cost effective solution if you ask me. The only two problems I can see is:

1: The balloon wears out. Big deal. Get another.
2: Usually at the top of the balloon there often tends to be a tiny bit of extra rubber material there due to how balloons are typically made. This area be a touch inconsistent in play as a result. Odds are you’re punching this out anyways so the hole on the back side of the tama can pass through anyways.

Again, I guess I’m more of a purist through my own independent conclusions. Still, I think this is a clever idea. As far as I’m concerned, anything that can help you get started and help learn how to land those tricks is a good thing. You can always NOT use the balloon later on.