Easy

Put the yo-yo down on the floor, put your toes on top of it and apply pressure until the yo-yo pops out forward from under your foot.  It should wind up at least a little bit. Then just yo-yo it back up to your hand.

Tips:
- Be careful not to literally stomp on your yo-yo and crush it to bits.
- This works best on carpet, although other surfaces work too.  If you get in trouble for ruining the floor it’s your own fault.  Don’t blame us.

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Place the yo-yo on the ground so that it can roll.  Hold your hand near the ground and walk backwards pulling gently on the string.  Keep walking backwards with your hand near the ground until the yo-yo winds all the way into your hand.

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If you are having trouble getting the yo-yo to wind at all try this. Wind the string over your finger once, then wind under your finger three or four times, pull you finger out of the loop and continue winding normally.

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The same set up as the Forward Pass, but instead of catching it, you push the yo-yo out a second time on the outside of your arm. See if you can do it several times in a row without stopping.

Tip:
- Be sure you can do a good Forward Pass before you work on the Outside Loop.

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There are several ways to do Around the World. This is the safest of them.

Start the same way as the Breakaway, just throw the yo-yo a little harder, and swing it a bit so that it will go all the way around, over your head, and back down again so that you can catch it just like the Breakaway.

Tips:
- In order to really do Around the World the yo-yo must spin at the end of the string all the way around until you pull it back to your hand.
- Make sure you swing the yo-yo around fast enough so that there is no slack in the string. Slack can make the yo-yo come back before you want it to.

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Start by “making a muscle” like a muscle-man showing off at the beach. Then throw the yo-yo out and away from you to the side so that it will spin at the end of the string. Swing the spinning yo-yo all the way to your other shoulder before you tug the string to bring it back to your hand.

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Do a regular throwdown, but when the yo-yo is on its way back up, let it get right up against your pant leg, and the yo-yo should bite the fabric and get stuck.  It’s hilarious.
Tips:

• Works best with thinner fabric (not denim)
• Will not work with an unresponsive yo-yo

For teaching purposes, place the yo-yo flat in your hand. Turn your arm around and hold it straight out behind you. [picture] You don’t actually hold on to the yo-yo, it only rests on your hand. Keep your arm perfectly straight, only move your shoulder, and swing your arm forward quickly. The yo-yo should fly out in front of you. Turn your palm up and catch the yo-yo.

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Once you have done a few Forward Passes you are ready to hold the yo-yo in your hand the same way as you did for the Throw-down (with the string going from your finger to the top of the yo-yo) before you turn your arm around behind you.

Tips:
- Make sure you are not holding on to the yo-yo. You simply pull your hand out from under it.
- Swing your arm forward fairly quickly so that the yo-yo has enough power to come all the way back to your hand.
- When you swing your arm forward, stop the swing at about shoulder height in front of you. If the yo-yo is going over your head it’s because you’re holding your arm up above your head.
- It’s ok to catch with both hands if you need to at first.

Gravity pulls the yo-yo down, and you pull it back up. Let the yo-yo drop toward the ground, then give it a steady pull before it reaches the end of the string. See how many times you can do it in a row without stopping.

Tip:
- If the yo-yo spins at the end of the string, just give it a little tug and it will come back up.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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