Spin a pen

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Everyone must have been sitting in class, and seen a peer spinning their pencil or pen around their thumb with infinite ease, and wanted to know how to do it. You may have even tried to do it your self but failed miserably. This manipulation is called pen spinning, can can be done with any pen like object, and is a fast growing craze. The name for this particular trick is called the Thumbaround Normal


  1. It takes a while to learn a trick (to get a basic trick to a good standard may take a week).
  2. Be patient, if you feel you are getting stressed, then just leave it for a while.
  3. Try and find a pen that is evenly balanced (center of gravity is in the middle) and is roughly the same thickness.


Step 1
Step 2
Step 3
Step 4

Step 1

Hold the pen as shown in the picture. Use only the thumb and middle finger to hold the pen, the index finger just touches the pen and is use for the push.

Step 2

Use your middle finger to push the pen in a circular motion around your thumb. Only a small force is needed, most people push too hard at the pen flies off. Try to maintain contact with the pen for longer, so it is a push, not a hit.

Step 3

The pen should travel around your thumb, and when it is halfway around your thumb, the center of gravity should be directly above your thumb. Adjust the starting position if necessary (Step 1).

Step 4

Move your index finger away from your hand to allow the pen to finish its rotation, and it allows you to catch the pen between your thumb and index finger.

Where to go from here

After learning the Thumbaround Normal, try the Thumbaround Reverse, as you would have guessed it, it is the exact opposite of this trick. If you are confident, try letting the pen spin on the top of your hand before you catch it, commonly called a Thumbspin Normal. There are endless tricks available in Pen Spinning, just look around on a search engine or in the Pen Spinning Wiki.


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See Also

OpenTutorial's Kids Department

External Links