Archive for January, 2004

Here is the initial group of videos, and this list will be expanded as we shoot more footage. The videos have been arranged in a logical learning order. Of course we have no actual control over what you do, but we recommend that you learn the first 10 tricks in order. It’ll make them easier to learn, and will result in fewer fits of rage and bouts of despair.

Normal Around The World (start w/a Froward Pass motion, so that the yo-yo starts in front, and swings around behind you), when the yo-yo comes back around to the front at about chest height, tug on the string so the yo-yo comes back, then regenerate (with an Inside Loop) into another Around The World in the same direction.

First make sure you can throw a good, long Sleeper. Once you can do that, all you have to do is throw a fast sleeper, very gently set the yo-yo down on the ground, let it walk in front of you, and then give it a tug to bring it back up to your hand.

Tips:
- Make sure that you start walking the yo-yo right next to you, or in front of you. If you start it out behind you, as the yo-yo walks forward there will be slack in the string and the yo-yo could come back up too soon.
- Set the yo-yo down on the ground gently so it doesn’t pop right back up.
- The faster the yo-yo is spinning, the farther it will walk. See how far you can go.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

Start as if you are going to do a regular throwdown, but lie the yo-yo down flat in your palm. Throw the yo-yo down and at an angle (about 45 degrees) across your body. Once it gets to the end of the string, quickly move your hand so that it is above the yo-yo, and the string will start to flutter. Now pick up the middle of the string with your free hand and watch the UFO fly.

To get the yo-yo to come back to your hand, pull up on the string in your free hand so that the yo-yo pops ups into the air at about eye level. At the same time bring your yo-yo hand out to the side so that the string makes a straight line from your hand to the yo-yo. If the yo-yo is still spinning fast enough it will wind up sideways and go back to your hand.

Tips:
- You don’t have to pick up the string with your free hand, but the UFO will fly longer if you do.
- Skilled players use this trick to tighten and loosen the yo-yo strings. Just remember “Righty Tighty, Lefty Loosey.” In other words, when you throw the yo-yo to your right the string will tighten, and when you throw it to your left the string will loosen. This is true for both right and left-handed players.
- It will be very difficult, if not impossible, to do this trick with an unresponsive yo-yo.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

Start by learning the Breakaway.  Then learn to do Around the World where the yo-yo stays in front of your body the whole time (the plane of the trick is parallel to your chest).  Now, instead of letting the yo-yo go all the way around, stick your finger out to catch the string and make the yo-yo land back on the string between your hands.

Tips:
-    Try to get your finger as close to the yo-yo as possible when you catch the string.  The more space between the yo-yo and your finger, the harder it will be to catch the yo-yo on the string.
-    This will be easier to learn with an unresponsive, Butterfly-shaped yo-yo, but is possible with just about any yo-yo.

See Laceration.  Invented by Spencer Berry.

Lean back and do your magic just like the name of the trick says.

Normal Around The World (start w/a Froward Pass motion, so that the yo-yo starts in front, and swings around behind you), when the yo-yo comes back around to the front at about chest height, tug on the string so the yo-yo comes back, then regenerate (with a Hop The Fence type motion) into an Around The World in the other direction.

Hold the yo-yo in your hand with your palm up. Make sure that the string goes from your finger to the TOP of the yo-yo. [picture] If the string goes underneath the yo-yo the throw won’t work as well.

On the left: upside-down —— On the right: correct position
Curl your arm up like you’re making a muscle, and then throw the yo-yo straight down, letting it roll off the ends of your fingers.  Your hand should still be palm up. Only after the yo-yo is on its way down toward the ground should you turn your hand palm down so that you can catch the yo-yo when it comes back up.
Tip:
- If the yo-yo stays at the bottom, just give the string a little tug and the yo-yo will come back up. If you’re still having trouble, check out our FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

This trick is one throw, and then two Inside Loops in a row. The first throw goes up, the second loop goes out, and the third loop should go as close to straight down as possible. Usually, in a contest, the third one is counted if it stays within the trick square. So since the tendency is for the last throw to go out a bit, you should just make sure that you are standing back on the far corner of the trick square to give yourself as much room as possible.

Tips:
- The whole secret of the last loop is moving your hand REALLY quickly IN and DOWN to guide that last loop straight down.

This trick looks deceivingly simple. It’s not.  Start with a Trapeze. Then swing the yo-yo sideways toward your dominant hand, let go of the loop of string on your free hand, allow the loop and the yo-yo to swing over your dominant hand, then stick the first finger of your free hand back into the trapeze loop when it swings back around.

Tips:
- First of all you need a very unresponsive yo-yo.  If you try to use a responsive one it will catch and wind back up when you do this trick.
- Be certain that your string is adjusted to be completely neutral.  This trick is nearly impossible if the trapeze loop gets all twisted up on the way around your dominant hand.
- Make sure you have good lighting.  For real.  It’s surprising how much of a difference this makes.  If you can’t see the loop of string well, it will be much harder to catch it on your finger.  Light coming from behind you works well.
- When you swing the yo-yo around your hand, release it so that it flies almost straight up, in a slow, gentle arc.  Follow the yo-yo a little bit with your dominant hand so that you maintain the shape of the loop while it’s in the air, and you aren’t accidentally pulling it closed in transit.
- When first learning, stick all five fingers on your free hand out to improve your chances of catching the string on one of them.  You only have to use your first finger for contests and coolness.
- This is a trick that will benefit from serious repetition, and lots of practice.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

The same trick as regular Stop and Go, but you turn your hands so the yo-yo is on its side before starting it spinning again.  When you pull your hands apart you have an instant Flying Saucer.

Another name for the Flying Saucer/UFO.  Usually done without picking up the string with your non-yo-yo hand.  Won’t flutter as long as the Flying Saucer/UFO.

The same beginning as the Throw-down, with three changes:
1) Bring your elbow up above your nose before you throw so you can get maximum power.
2) Keep your wrist really loose
3) Instead of throwing the yo-yo straight down, throw it almost straight out in front of you so that when it reaches the end of the string it swings out behind you. If the yo-yo goes straight down it is more likely to bounce when it hits the end of the string, and that makes it harder to get it to sleep.

Tips:
- You will need to pay attention to String Adjustment, especially if you are using a fixed axle yo-yo. It’s less important with a transaxle yo-yo, but still matters.
- It is much easier to get a transaxle yo-yo to sleep than a fixed axle yo-yo, and they sleep longer too. If you want to get good at tricks that involve long sleepers, you should get a transaxle yo-yo.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

Throw a fast sleeper.  While the yo-yo is spinning down at the end of the string, take the string off your finger and give a good tug.  The yo-yo will start coming back up toward your hand.  Let go of the string just before the yo-yo smacks you in the knuckles, and it will shoot up into the air.  The height that it flies depends on how fast the yo-yo is spinning, and how good your timing is on the release.  This trick will not work with unresponsive yo-yos.

Same trick as Shoot the Moon, but done with your arm nearly down at your side so that the yo-yo travels at about waist height.

Start by doing a forward pass upward at about a 45-degree angle with your hand up in the air above shoulder height.  As the yo-yo comes back toward your hand, flick your wrist to push the yo-yo upward and almost vertical (about a 15 degree angle) behind you.  When the yo-yo comes back to your hand again, push it forward into another 45-degree angle forward pass.

Tips:

- Make sure your first throw is up at an angle, not straight out or down
- The first push (when you push the yo-yo up) takes more force than the second push (when the yo-yo is going out).
- Some people find it easiest to keep their wrist locked, and only move their arm back slightly for the first (upward) push, and flick their wrist only for the second (outward) push.
- Unlike with continuous Loops the yo-yo should not flip over when you do Shoot the Moon.  If you use a yo-yo with different color sides the colors should always stay on the same side while you do the trick.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

Watch the video a bunch of times, then follow the tips.

Click Here to View the QuickTime Movie

Tips:
- Keep your thumb pointing straight out at a 90-degree angle, and pulling back to keep tension on the string.
- Try to hit the string as far out toward the tip of your first finger on your dominant hand as possible. These first two tips together will ensure maximum spread of the strings for the second landing on the string.
- When flipping the yo-yo over your dominant hand it is important that it not go any higher than the tip of your thumb. If the yo-yo goes too high, the string won’t pop off like it’s supposed to.