Gunn High School junior Taita Nakayama is always, in one way or another, covered in LED lights in mid-October. That’s because every year, he represents his class at Airbands, Gunn’s annual homecoming rally performance, with what he does best: tricking.
Tricking is a sport that combines kicks, twists and flips while fusing disciplines from martial arts, gymnastics and break dancing. Nakayama, who now trains at Loopkicks Tricking in Santa Clara, has been tricking for around five years, earning titles from tricking tournaments along the way.
Why tricking? It began with one simple reason: Nakayama wanted to learn how to backflip. A quick search brought him to the Loopkicks Tricktionary, a comprehensive guide to tricking created by the Loopkicks gym.
At the time, Nakayama had been learning karate for 11 years, but ultimately chose to commit to tricking over karate. This was mainly because tricking is “more dynamic and interesting” compared to karate, which he said is bland in comparison. What’s more, Nakayama said he admires the freedom and asymmetry of movement compared to sports that outlaw imperfections.
Although some of Nakayama’s tricks don’t have the greatest visual aesthetics, he’s not in for the “clout” of appealing to others or gaining viewership on social media platforms.
“[Tricking is] more about that freedom, and a popular phrase we say is ‘For the culture, not the clout,’” Nakayama said.
Los Gatos High School senior Aidan McCullough, Nakayama’s teammate, said he believes Nakayama’s perseverance and self-confidence have been instrumental to his success in completing tricks.
“I’ve seen him fall on a lot of tricks, but he keeps pushing and knows he’s gonna land it eventually,” McCullough said.
This mental approach was evident in Nakayama’s journey to the triple cork, which he said is the trick that separates hobbyists from professional athletes. To challenge himself, Nakayama made it a goal to land the trick before the end of the year. Starting out on the trampoline and slowly progressing to trying the trick on gym mats, he repeatedly attempted the trick until he finally landed it days before the new year.
After landing the triple cork, Nakayama posted a compilation of his failed attempts on his Instagram, @taita_nakayama. It went viral and went on to inspire others, as shown by the positive comments left by viewers.
“I was always the one getting inspired, but before I knew it, I was the one inspiring people,” Nakayama said. “That was a really big realization for me.”
Tricking is both an emotional and physical outlet for Nakayama.
“He’s been able to express himself with the more tricks that he lands … he’s always really happy and hyped up when he lands something new,” McCullough said.
Last March, Nakayama participated in the Rose City Gathering in Oregon, which was one of his first appearances in a major tricking competition. Stakes were high for Nakayama; he had qualified for the top 16 bracket and needed to prepare a grand total of 12 back-to-back freestyle combos.
“A lot of people, when they battle, they either choke or get overwhelmed,” Nakayama’s coach Mark Rusmantijo said. “They don’t perform at 100 percent. But Taita is able to pull it out and he’ll get to perform at 110 percent.”
This ability to withstand pressure pitched into Nakayama’s championship title at the Rose City Gathering, a win that only furthered his dedication to tricking.
In the future, Nakayama hopes to continue the sport, add to his trick repertoire and prepare for upcoming tournaments. Even outside of the sport, Nakayama has begun to integrate his tricking mindset, which entails resilience and resisting pressure, in all aspects of his life.
“I think having that mindset, if you’re strict to one discipline, it tends to push you towards success,” Nakayama said.
