US ASTROJAX Blog

Myachi - Way of the Hand Sack

What is Myachi?

If you have action figures, it makes an excellent body pillow for a G.I. Joe or Barbie.

If you're a Jaxologist, it is one of the greatest skill toys ever created.

It seems like only yesterday (by yesterday, I mean 1999) that I received my first Myachi in my hometown of Salida, Colorado. It was summer. Fibark was in full swing. The sun was shining and the river roaring as people swarmed around vendors selling at marked-up prices. I was 17 years old and like any teenager with money, it was burning a hole in my pocket. Between $4 funnel cakes and $2 junk toys, I arrived at destiny; The Myachi guys. I was already familiar with hackysack and quite good at it. So when I saw these guys throwing down a version of hackysack that broke the rules (see: playing with hands) I knew I had to see what was going on. 

What I discovered opened my eyes to hackysack play and the world of skill toys in general. What I learned was:

• You can bend the rules of a game if you'll just bend your mind.
• There are way more skill toys in the world than I could've imagined
• I would look pretty lame in comparison to these guys when I try Myachi

 
And I did look lame. It was hard at first. These guys were total rock stars. But most importantly? They were supportive, positive, and they opened my eyes. I plunked down $10 cash (the price back then) and left with my very first purple crush velvet Myachi.

So what is Myachi? In short, it's a hand hackysack. But the beauty of a Myachi is that it functions as a regular hackysack for like, you know, your feet. You can stall, kick, flick, spin it the old fashioned way, and now you can use your hands. There's only one rule-

NO PALMS ALLOWED! 

Or more simply- using the back of your hand exclusively. The first thing you will learn as a Myachi noob is the lotus position. How to form and hold your hand the proper way in order to effectively use your hands with a Myachi. If you've played hackysack but are not familiar with stalls, then the next thing you will (quickly) learn is how to stall. That simple technique that everyone claims they can do but cannot (technique is everything in a stall). Stalls are essential in Myachi. It's not all hits like in hackysack. Can you hit? Sure. It's just not the predominant move. But eventually, you will learn how to catch or stall. When you start getting the hang of it, you will find that you feel (and look like) a ninja with this thing! Once you find your Myachi flow, you'll find your body moving in ways and rhythms you may have never experienced before!

Below I've posted videos of some seasoned Myachi players (see: Myachi ninjas) so you can get an idea of how Myachi works because words just don't do it justice.

Much like hackysack, the Myachi is formed on the ideal of community. There are many skill toys out there that are meant for solo-use. And while you can practice/play Myachi on your own, the real fun comes in getting a group and jammin' together!  Learning new tricks. Showing off new tricks. Everyone laughing when someone gets smacked in the face "on accident". It's revolutionary and much like Astrojax, Myachi is open to new ways of play and interpretation based on the individuals playing. So, check out the videos and if you like what you see, click here to order your very own Myachi from USAstrojax!