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Survey

Results of the pen spinning notation survey

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4&5. Opinion

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Questions 4 and 5 dealt with opinions on notation. These were open ended questions designed to help understand how people used and what people expected from notation. The wide consensus was that notation did a pretty good job. The majority (10/18) pen spinners felt that notation should be used as an aid along side an actual video, while a few (4/14) felt that notation should be complete on its own. Others had different opinions on what notation was, from a method of making money, to plagiarizing others works. No matter how notation was used, it seemed to be common throughout that notation accomplished or satisfied the personal needs of each spinner. A few pen spinners brought up the fact that more complicated notations were difficult to understand or dictate, a valid point in line with the responses from the interview and my own observation on the topic.

2&3. Skill Level and Experience



​​The average self identified skill level of responders was Intermediate. Only a few people identified themselves as being advanced, although it was never specified int he survey whether this referred to pen spinning, or notation. This was to try to find correlations between pen spinning skill and the ability to understand notation. The chart above shows the distribution of skill level, There is a slight skew towards beginners, which is surprising when compared the the chart of skill level and self identified years of experience. The chart based on years of experience shows a high number of spinners at only 1 year or less of pen spinning experience, with a slight bulge at four years, when both skill level and experience are compared to the skill level of the breakdowns it is surprising to find so many competent notations.



Interestingly, as predicted by Daniel when interviewed, many of the older spinners (in years) used archaic naming conventions. Hybrids such as "Devil's around", or "Gunman" which have ambiguous meanings depending on country and context.

1. Breakdowns

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To analyze the breakdowns I ranked each breakdown from 1 to 3, 3 being the best possible score. 1 included anything from no breakdown at all to only a few tricks. A score of 2 ranged from partial breakdown to a deeply inaccurate breakdown. A 3 meant the breakdown was highly accurate and/or advanced.

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Examples:



1: thumbaround >something > midbak 1.5 > finished

This breakdown would receive a score of 1 because it is incomplete and a lack of basic notation ability.



2: TA rev. > Pass 12-23 > Twisted Sonic 23-12 > Pass 12-23 > Pass 23-34 > Pass 34-23 > Twisted Sonic (PD) 23-12 > Bust > Bak to fl.TA rev. > Index Bak > Mid Bak 1.5 4x > Mid Bak > Pass rev. 12-23 > Pass rev. 23-12 > Double Charge rev. > Gunman 12-T1 > Charge T1 rev. > fl.TA rev. 2x > Inverse Sonic 23-12 ~> Pass 13-34 > RA > Twisted Sonic (PD) 34-23 > Twisted Sonic (PD) 23-12 > Shadow 12-23 > Twisted Sonic (PD) 23-12 > Bust > something like Shadow T1 Still, IDK > Charge T1 > fl.TA

This breakdown would receive a score of 2, the survey responder interjects with words like "something" when he/she can't identify the trick, and contains inaccurate trick names, such as "gunman", which should actually be notated using hybrid notation.



3: TA Rev T1-12 -> Pass 12-23 -> Twisted sonic 23-12 -> Pass 12-23 -> Pass 23-34 -> Pass 34-23 -> Pass Reverse 23-12 -> IndexAround 12-12 -> BakAround ~> TA 12-12 -> BakAround 12-12 -> Pass 12-23 -> Midbak 1.5 23-23 (x4) -> NeoBak 1.5 23-12 -> Pass Reverse 12-23 -> Pass Reverse 23-12 -> Pass 12-23 -> Twisted Sonic 23-12 -> Charge Reverse TF -> FL TA Reverse x2 ~> Pass TF-23 -> Inverse Sonic 23-12 ~> Pass 13-34 -> RingAround 34-34 -> Twisted Sonic 34-23 -> Twisted Sonic 23-12 ~> IndexAround 12-23 -> Twisted Sonic 23-12 ~> IndexAround 12-12 ~> FL Pass Reverse 12-TF ~> Charge TF -> FL TA TF-TF

This breakdown would receive a score of 3. There are no major errors in syntax or accuracy. Proper use of hybrid notation and trick naming convention are used.



Using this criteria  I identified 5 breakdowns as scoring a 1 or beginner, 9 in intermediate, and 3 as advanced. 

Responses

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18 people responded to the survey in the first 48 hours, after which the survey was closed.

The questions asked were:



1. Breakdown this combo to the best of your ability:[Video Right)



2. How long have you been pen spinning?



3. What skill level do you consider yourself? Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced?​



4. What do you consider the purpose of notation?


5. By the purpose you identified above, how well does notation accomplish this goal?



>>Visit the responses page to see all 18 responses 

Video used in Survey

Question 3, Self Reported Skill Level

Question 1, Breakdown Skill Level

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Question 2, Self Reported Years of Experience

Click image above to see a larger version.

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