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Tricks - Diabolo
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The diabolo is by far one of the
most exciting props to watch. The fact that
you can throw an object high up into the sky,
and then catch it on a tiny bit of string, astounds
people! It is very simple to do, although it
does take a lot of practice to perfect it! |
Main Rule
The main rule with diabolo's is not to
attempt any tricks at all until you have perfected
the art of starting up the diabolo and keeping it
spinning smoothly. Most people I have taught all have
one thing in common - the moment they have started
up a diabolo, they attempt to throw it in the air,
and are disappointed when they cannot catch it. Rest
assured, you will only be able to catch a diabolo,
once you have made sure it is spinning fast and smoothly.
So how do I get started then?
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In order to get to the stage where
any tricks are possible, you have to be able to
keep the diabolo spinning fast and smoothly. The
length of the diabolo string should be roughly
equivalent to your arms outstretched. What you
are trying to do is get a diabolo to spin in one
direction, so roll it along the ground, and then
lift the diabolo off the ground slowly and keep
it spinning by raising the stick sharply several
times a second (if you rolled the diabolo from
left to right, then you would use the left handstick
to keep it spinning and vice versa). |
TILTING: You may find
that when you are keeping the diabolo spinning, it
starts tilting towards you or away from you. This
means that the handsticks are not parallel to each
other, so you have to move one handstick either towards
or away from your body (while keeping the diabolo
spinning fast) to correct the problem. You will have
to experiment to see which way to move the handsticks
to solve the problem, but it will soon become instinct.
I can keep it spinning solidly, so what next?
| Throw and catch |
Start the diabolo
up and keep it spinning, then pull your handsticks
apart, and lift them up slightly (so that the
diabolo leaves the string). That's the easy
bit! Now for the catch! Depending on how high
you have thrown the diabolo, you have different
ways of trying to catch it. If the diabolo only
goes up a small distance (3-8 feet), then you
need to act quickly. You will need to pull the
string tight and try to line up the string with
the diabolo's axle (the middle bit). If you
throw it high, then you have time to hold the
string tight and look at the diabolo along the
string (sight it) while pointing at the diabolo
(sounds crazy, but you will see what I mean!).
As the diabolo comes back down, follow it with
the stick, and you should be able to catch it. |
| Trampoline |
Once you have mastered
the throw and catch, you can then try to bounce
the diabolo off the string instead of catching
it. Keep the string tight when it lands, and
throw it up again. Remember that the diabolo
can slow down while in the air, so you may need
to stop doing this trick and speed up the diabolo |
| High Throw |
You can throw a
diabolo very high, so be careful that you have
no roofs or trees to near you, as the diabolo
may get caught! Also make sure that there is
no-one too near you that may get hurt. If your
throw is off by a few degrees, the diabolo could
land anywhere! While the diabolo is in the air,
you have a good few seconds to do some tricks
(pirhouette, gymnastics, use the handsticks
and string as a skipping rope etc). The limit
is your own imagination and dexterity! |
| Over the foot |
There are many
body moves, where the diabolo jumps part of
your body. The easiest is over the foot. You
start by putting your foot on the string, and
toss the diabolo from one side of your foot
to the other. This can look great if repeated
so that it goes over your foot, then you slacken
the string to go under your foot, then over
again. |
OK,
now what?
OK, now you want to attempt some of those "cool
tricks" that you have seen others do, and
you are ready for them! Here goes...
| Need for
speed |
There are
many ways of increasing speed for your diabolo.
The method I use is called the horizontal
power whip. Get the diabolo spinning using
the normal method, then pull the right stick
out to the right, then swing it back to
the left so that the string hits against
the diabolo axle. Keep doing this and build
up your speed and intensity. If the diabolo
looks as if it is tilting, then stop and
correct it. (see tilting paragraph above)
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| Grinds |
Slightly toss the diabolo straight
up in the air. Point your right stick inwards
and keep it horizontal. When the diabolo falls,
catch it with the horizontal stick. Diabolo
should spin on the stick (this is known as
a grind). Because the stick is horizontal
and the diabolo is still spinning in one direction,
you then have to adjust your horizontal stick
accordingly to keep the diabolo on the stick!
Alternatively, you could make sure that the
diabolo rolls back onto the string ready for
your next amazing trick! |
| Whip Catch |
Very impressive trick, and you
never tire of seeing it! You start by throwing
the diabolo whilst having both handsticks
in one hand. That's the easy part...Now for
the catching bit! The reason for having both
handsticks in the one hand, is that it forms
a loop that hangs down. As the diabolo comes
down, you catch the diabolo using a whipping
motion. One side of the loop has to hit the
axle (middle part of the diabolo), and the
other part has to miss and go past one of
the two bowls (the end bits of the diabolo).
I must admit that I need to practice this
trick a lot to get it consistently (enough
to attempt it in a performance)! |
Rope
Climb
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People love this one! All
you need to do is get your diabolo spinning
fast and wrap around the axle with your
dominant hand's stick, then hold the string
vertically (pull the string tight), and
lo' and behold (or should that be "hi
and behold" :-)
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| Cross Cradle
Start by performing a standard
trapeze (Swinging the diabolo over the stick
and landing back on the opposing string:
Image 1) then insert the free hand into
the loop caused by the cross over on the
other string and pull them apart. This will
form the cradle in which to catch the diabolo
on. To escape simple flick off or tip your
sticks inwards.
Photos courtesy of Kirkby Diabolo Group
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| Arm Wrap-around |
Get the diabolo spinning fast then hold
both the sticks in your left hand raising
them above your head, put your hand into
the string above your diabolo and then force
your hand around and around the string and
the diabolo should orbit around your hand.
it might take a while to get but its worth
it! This is a trick sent in
by Todd from Australia.
 
Photos Courtesy of Kirkby Diabolo Group
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| Bounce Catch |
Get the diabolo spinning as fast as you
can then lower it to the ground and flick
off the side letting it bounce once on the
ground, make your string tight and straight,
as the diabolo bounces back up flick the string
underneath it and catch! But remember to keep
it spinning fast! This is a trick
sent in by Todd from Australia.
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What next?
If you have mastered all these tricks
and are ready to move on, then please let me know.
I will be happy to write more of the hundreds of
tricks that are possible with ball juggling. One
good way to reinforce what you have learned, is
to teach others. When you explain a trick, it sometimes
helps to reinforce it in your own mind (and you
will therefore understand the trick better!)
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