UPSB v4
Linkages & Combos / What Makes a Good Newbie Combo?
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 18:03:19
Hey crew. I'm just about ready to start putting a combo together for the first time - who's got some good advice? What makes newbie combos stand out? What basic mistakes and irritations do you constantly see? I'd say my strongest tricks (90%+) are devil sonic, powerpass, FLTA rev, shadows and baks. My weakness is downward passes. I don't have any power tricks yet. Get me some good wisdom guys. :) mpc
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 18:23:14
Before you make combos you should maybe try to master as many tricks as possible. But with your strongest tricks i'd suggest: Devils sonic 23-12>Shadow reverse 12-12>Pass 12-23>Midbak 23-12>Shadow 12-Tf (just keep it spinning until it's in your thumbflap)>Fl Ta Reverse. Also try to not move your elbow too much. It might become a bad habit that looks really awkward in videos. Hope I could help :)
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 18:33:19
the things i like to see in beginner combos are well executed links/tricks, a good flow to demonstrate understanding of combo structure, and trick/link variety (as in no spamming). execution is an obvious one... but when it comes to a flowing combo, some people dont understand it right away. sometimes they seem to not know where to go after a link/trick and the combo takes an abrupt turn that hinders the overall appeal. probably the most common problem i see is spamming a trick/link. i once saw a 30 second combo (i think it was from a 6 or 7 month spinner) that had a lot of decent links and tricks in it, but there was so much spam that he could have just done a 15 second combo if he didnt repeat things so much. there are also people who will spam infinity or double charge 6 or 7 times mid combo. that really doesnt make your combo look better since its a simple trick thats easy to do continuously. show that you know how to use these tricks in a combo by using them in different ways... besides that, a lot of people tend to worry about doing hard finishers, but it really doesnt matter that much. a TA is a decent finish, but i suggest ext TA if you can do it. other examples are palmspin, bakfall, thumbspin, or TA release. hope that helps. EDIT: almost forgot... i suggest finding a good angle and camera first. this is important because, even if you think you are bad, we need to see what you are doing and how you are doing it in order to critique/help you.
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 19:04:01
Try not to repeat tricks that much, even if it means its short. Don't try to go for really long combos just yet cuz its boring to see the same trick done over and over. A good camera angle helps a lot, just look at videos and try to emulate an angle you like. Don't get too frustrated, it can take a while to film even a short combo without drops or blatant errors. The more you film the easier it will get
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 20:22:33
As the others above me stated, the real principle of a good combo, is making it look "nice". Generally stated, pen spinning is an art, and therefore it is up to interpretation how good something is. However it is quite noticeable, the factors that make a combo "good" and another combo "bad". Take this for example, if a person drew chicken-scratch, and you compare it with The Mona Lisa, it is clear that the Mona Lisa looks better. However this also depends on experience. Personally a kindergartner should be compared with Leonardo Va Vinci. So in order for something to be unique and a combo to be good, you need to have experience and creativity to be great. But since you are talking about a Newbie Combo, the same principle can be applied but on a much lesser scale. Your combo needs to be something that is unique, since you don't have experience. The chicken scratch if unique could be better than another person's chicken scratch. As artists we must further develop new ideas in pen spinning so we can make it unique. Experience is easy to attain in the future, but creativity is something you either have or don't. So in order for a Newbie Combo to be "good" you need to stand out from the other newbies, and this means no spamming tricks. This is basically the only thing that deters one self from spinning at his best in the beginning. Therefore in order to fix this problem, learn basic linkages, and learn more tricks that's it. Regards Zen
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 20:43:31
Maybe learn a power trick as a finisher?#powerTricksFTW
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 21:05:04
As a newbie, finishers aren't something a newbie primarily focuses on. Power tricks are good when you get intermediate, but doing a power trick poorly is no accomplishment as a newb.
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Date: Wed, Apr 9 2014 21:12:04
Maybe do a bakfall finisher
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Date: Thu, Apr 10 2014 20:55:39
The end position of the pen also plays a key role of how good your finisher is. e.g. Look at pinky bak.
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Date: Thu, Apr 10 2014 21:09:28
He is a NEWBIE, (no offense mpc2014) therefore why would he focus on a finisher? It's not that important. He needs to at least end the combo before he can use a finisher. The real deal is the bulk of the combo not one small part. Like i said before, a trick that is poorly executed is no trick at all. Maybe when he gets a little more advanced he can study, finishers and the linkages along with them.
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Date: Thu, Apr 10 2014 21:26:47
Can I ask a question, would it be weird to use power tricks like ayatori trick in the middle of a combo? Cause apparently it would look weird or something?
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Date: Thu, Apr 10 2014 22:16:39
ShadowParadox wrote: Can I ask a question, would it be weird to use power tricks like ayatori trick in the middle of a combo? Cause apparently it would look weird or something?
if you link it right then it would look fine (maybe even better)... but thats an entirely different question. -
Date: Fri, Apr 11 2014 00:02:32
Thread moved to appropriate section.
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Date: Fri, Apr 11 2014 06:30:05
This is some good wisdom dudes. Thanks. :) Regarding finishers - I agree with @Reason said. There are a couple of tricks that I know, but have no idea how to link them in: 1) How do you link into a tipped sonic fall? I use a swivel to link out of it, but there must be better options. 2) What is half-tap used for? It seems to have the same start and finish position, so what use is it? 3) Linking out of powerpass is a problem - I have such a solid catch with my pinky that it kills the rotation. Any advice? mpc :D
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Date: Fri, Apr 11 2014 22:27:03
mpc2014 wrote: There are a couple of tricks that I know, but have no idea how to link them in: 1) How do you link into a tipped sonic fall? I use a swivel to link out of it, but there must be better options. 2) What is half-tap used for? It seems to have the same start and finish position, so what use is it? 3) Linking out of powerpass is a problem - I have such a solid catch with my pinky that it kills the rotation. Any advice? mpc :D
1) palm side tws sonic 23 12 > pass 12 t1 > tipped sonic fall. thats the most classic way to do it at least... 2) this is a more complicated one... most people dont use these because of the positions it leaves you in. i use them with half tap rev for a cool counter effect. 3) i suggest looking at this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPRUyvTIzUE (btw that still is a powerpass... its just labeled wrong). if you learn to go back into pass rev from power pass then it will open a lot more options. you can also end with a pinky spread... hope that helps a bit -
Date: Sat, Apr 12 2014 15:44:18
Do u have an actual mod other than a pencil? @mpc2014
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Date: Sat, Apr 12 2014 18:02:41
I believe he has a Zhigoa v11 pen mod. (It's not even a pen mod though, it's like penzgear, manufactured)
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Date: Sun, Apr 13 2014 21:41:01
I actually have quite a few now - a buster, a few comssas, an RSVP. I wrecked that old Zhigao, although I liked it while it lasted. But overall I just prefer my little modded pencil. It's the one in my profile photo, with the bees and butterflies on (bit girly, but bright and happy). I just prefer it. :) mpc