Battle at the Border 2026 unfolded as one of the most memorable, time-demanding, and defining chapters in the event’s history. Held on Friday, January 23rd, 2026, at Rocketown in Nashville, Tennessee, the event ultimately became a sixteen-hour test of endurance, adaptability, and community, one that the kendama world rose to meet.
Originally scheduled to take place across two days, January 23rd and 24th, BATB 2026 was forced to adapt when forecasts confirmed a major winter storm set to arrive early Saturday morning. By Thursday evening, organizers, working closely with the Rocketown venue, made the decisive call to condense the entire event into a single day. The revised schedule ran from 10:00am until 2:00am, ensuring that every planned division and final could still take place without risking participant safety.
That decision proved crucial. The storm arrived as predicted, causing closures and extensive power outages across the entire city.
The winter storm that hit Nashville was severe, delivering 2 inches of snow followed by 0.75 inches of ice. The accumulation shattered the city’s utility infrastructure and triggered the largest power outage in Nashville Electric Service history, leaving more than 230,000 customers without electricity or heat.
Against this backdrop, Battle at the Border carried on. Some attendees made the difficult but responsible decision to leave once their divisions concluded. Others canceled travel plans entirely and chose to watch via livestream. And still, nearly 250 players and spectators remained inside Rocketown until the very end at 2:00am, embodying the resilience and commitment that define the kendama community.
Despite the weather and shortened timeline, total event headcount reached 444 attendees, a bit lower than 2025, but an extraordinary turnout given the conditions.
Even under an intense one-day schedule, every division was completed, and podiums were crowned for Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Am Open, Pro Open, and Freestyle. The only structural compromise made was within Pro Open, which ran as a single-elimination bracket rather than the originally planned double-elimination format.
Competitor participation across divisions reflected the scale of the event:
Pro Open: 101 competitors
Freestyle: 81 competitors
Am Open: 86 competitors
Advanced: 43 competitors
Intermediate: 51 competitors
Beginner: 32 competitors
In total, roughly 450 competitors, spectators, and staff filled Rocketown throughout the day.
BATB 2026 delivered one of the most compelling storylines in recent kendama history. In 2025, Yasu claimed the Freestyle title while Ryoga stood atop Pro Open. In 2026, the two traded victories, Ryoga winning Freestyle and Yasu taking Pro Open, marking the first major wins of their careers in those respective divisions.
The Pro Open podium featured two American players and one Japanese player, with Johnny Kress finishing second and Miguel De La Torre securing third. In Freestyle, Yasu earned second place, while Adrian Vilau of Romania completed the podium in third. The Freestyle podium reflected kendama’s expanding global influence, with two Japanese players and one Romanian competitor represented.
The total cash prize pool reached $3,500, with $1,000 awarded to each Pro Open and Freestyle champion, $500 for second place, and $250 for third in both divisions.
Freestyle itself stood as a reflection of kendama’s evolving lineage. Once heavily shaped by early American scenes in Las Vegas and California, the format grew through Denmark, influenced by Krom Kendama’s Copenhagen roots, and has recently surged in Japan, driven in large part by the Freestyle event Catch & Flow and young Japanese kendama crew High Receipts, whose edits and stage performances have helped redefine modern Freestyle expression.
The Freestyle Top 16 was guided by two of the most iconic MCs in modern kendama: Jake Wiens and Kevin DeSoto. Kevin’s role at BATB has expanded significantly in recent years, serving as co-host, Freestyle MC, and the primary architect behind the competition brackets. He also co-MC’d the Pro Open Finals alongside BATB Admin Calum Rodgers.
Earlier in the day, Brockman and Rodney Ansell energized the venue as MCs for Freestyle qualifiers, setting the tone and pace that carried through the marathon schedule. Chad Covington and Kevin DeSoto opened the event on stage and worked continuously behind the scenes, alongside Calum Rodgers, to maintain a fast-moving, tightly controlled timeline throughout the entire sixteen hours.
Freestyle judging was entrusted to a carefully curated panel of three highly respected figures:
Kota Kagoshima (Matsumoto, Japan), representing GLOKEN and the Kendama World Cup, with judging experience across EKC, NAKO, BATB, and major international events
Finn Pounds (Boston, USA), representing Kendama Depot and PDOX, making his BATB judging debut after experience at events including NAKO 2025
Lyndon Whalen (Atlanta, USA), a Sol Kendamas pro, making his debut as a freestyle judge at a major kendama competition this year at BATB 2026
Each year, Battle at the Border intentionally assembles judging panels that reflect diverse regions, play styles, and deep understanding of the evolving trick meta. The 2026 panel exemplified that philosophy.
BATB 2026 was powered by an extraordinary group of volunteers whose contributions cannot be overstated. From bracket management to logistics and floor operations, their efforts kept the event running under extreme circumstances. The team included:
Nick Dodenhoff, Stacey King, Hawaii Kendama Club, Mike Lee, Adam Barnard, Henry Monts, Kyle Germain, Joe Brackman, Clay Fuller, Luke Ford, Thomas Swafford, Austin Johnson, Nick Bradshaw, Sean Tokunaga, Graham Hovel, Benji Kocsis, Darius Gonzales, Camden Chitwood, Ross Burdge, Zachary Arnett, Brandon Adams, Drew Favors, Carter Justice, Gino Gaxha, Daniel Lawless, and many others who stepped up when it mattered most.
Battle at the Border 2026 was supported by an unprecedented network of brands and organizations from around the world.
Platinum Sponsors included Sol Kendamas, Kendama Co, Honrui, GLOKEN, Grain Theory, O Kendamas, Locked Studios, Erratic Squirrel, Lotus, Sweets Kendamas, Question Kendama, Kendama USA, BIRL, Kendama Depot, Occult Kendamas, Kendama Israel, and Kendama Cares.
Gold Sponsors were Originz, Quad, Terra, Amadama Kendamas, Krom Kendama, and Ghostown.
Silver Sponsors included Mugen Musou, Ozora, PDOX, Catalina Kendamas, Acid Labs Kendama, Side Door Coffee, Whaledog, EKC, NAKO, KWC, Dapper Raves, Roddama, and Kendama Yearbook.
Bronze Sponsors rounded out support with Active Kendama, Cereal Kendama, TNB, One Kendama, Ken Cards, KNT, Kodaman, Patrick-san, Harudama, and 430.
Battle at the Border 2026 will not be remembered for perfect conditions or an easy schedule. It will be remembered for sixteen uninterrupted hours of kendama, for decisive leadership under pressure, and for a community that showed up despite snow, ice, and uncertainty.
When the lights finally went down at 2:00am, nearly 250 people were still there—not because it was easy, but because it mattered. In a year shaped by adversity, Battle at the Border once again proved why it remains one of the most important events in kendama.
From your Battle at the Border Administration, thank you!
- Chad Covington, Kevin DeSoto, Calum Rodgers
(photos by Kota Kagoshima)
