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Tricks - Yo-Yo
The
yo-yo has been around since the time of the Ancient
Greeks. It was however a man by the name of Donald
F. Duncan who made the simple yo-yo the vast success
story that it is today! Enough history though, as
you are here to learn some tricks!
|
Yo-Yo Book written
by me!! Aimed specifically at children/beginners,
this 48 page book is part of a series called
Mini Maestro and comes packaged with a yo-yo
and yo-yo stickers.
On Sale Soon! Visit
Yo-yo Tricks
page or Yo-yo
Shop page to find out more about the
art of Yo! |

Basics
Got to start you with the basics first of all though.
Boring as these may be, until you know how to create
a slip knot, wind up a yo-yo and do the normal up
and down throw, you will not be able to progress
efficiently!
| STRING
LENGTH: |
The string should be about the
length of your belly button to the floor.
If you need to cut the string, remember to
leave a few inches extra at the top as you
will need to make your first loop and slipknot!
Of course you might decide that you like it
the length that it already is, as it all comes
down to your own preference! |
| SLIP
KNOT: |
Not just the name of a popular American
band who wear masks! They perhaps took their
name from this popular knot which should be
used to attach the yo-yo string to the middle
finger of your favoured hand. First of all,
you have to make a loop (most yo-yo’s
come with this loop already), then push the
string a little through the first loop, so
that you have another loop, and this is where
your finger goes. You will notice that the
first loop by itself will be way too slack,
but it is meant to be like that, so you can
push another loop through it and therefore
customise the pre made yo-yo string to your
exact requirements (it’s all very clever)!
The yo-yo slipknot should reside somewhere
between the first and second knuckle of your
finger. |
WINDING
UP A
YO-YO: |
When the yo-yo is at the end of the string,
grab one of the yo-yo disks and place your
finger over the groove that separates the
two discs. Wrap the string once round the
yo-yo and over your finger, then on the second
and third times round, wrap the string round
the yo-yo and underneath the finger, then
remove your finger and keep winding up (not
too tight). As you reach the top of the string,
wrap it a bit tighter round the yo-yo. Finally,
when the yo-yo is wound up, do the basic throw
and catch (see below) to try out the string. |
| BASIC
THROW AND CATCH: |
Wind the yo-yo up. Your palm should be facing
upwards with the yo-yo on it. It is a backhand
throw that you should start with. When you
are ready, let the yo-yo fall over the edge
of your fingers and once it has left your
hand, you can turn your palm over, to prepare
for the catch. As the yo-yo hits the bottom
of the string, pull the yo-yo up with a sharp
wrist movement. It should return to your hand,
where you have the choice of catching it or
repeating the same move or doing some tricks! |

!! DANGER !!
Playing with a yo-yo can be a dangerous activity
(mainly to onlookers), so please make sure that
you have enough room around you to throw the yo-yo
in any direction. You definitely do not want to
practice too near a glass window, or priceless furniture
or even worse, near other people who you could hit!!
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|
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Yo2 Triple Action Yo-yo |
Yo2 Delta Yo-yo
(yo-yo/spin top) |
Yo2 Flexgap Yo-yo |
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Sleeper
| SLEEPER: |
Start in exactly the same way
as the basic throw and catch, but as the yo-yo
reaches the end of the string, try to soften
the impact that the yo-yo feels as it reaches
the end of the string. If you can do this
properly (it will take a bit of practice to
perfect), then the yo-yo will stay at the
end of the string. You can let it spin for
a few seconds and then, with a sharp flick
up of the wrist, send the yo-yo back up the
string and catch it again. Try to see how
long you can make the yo-yo “sleep”
at the end of the string and still successfully
return it to the string. Once you get better
at this trick, you will be able to throw the
yo-yo down and still have it sleep at the
bottom. |
HAVING TROUBLE SLEEPING!!
– If the yo-yo doesn’t seem to want
to stay at the bottom of the string despite your
best efforts, then don’t despair! It may
be that your string is wound too tight around
the axle, or is way too loose. If you let the
yo-yo reach the end of the string, you can watch
it spinning horizontally. When it spins anti-clockwise,
you can see the string getting tighter and when
it eventually starts spinning clockwise and you
will see it getting looser. You can judge for
yourself the best place to stop the spinning and
wind the yo-yo up again ready to try another sleeper.
It is also worth noting that some of the more
cheap yo-yo's don't have the ability to sleep,
so if you are still struggling, then you may want
to purchase a slightly more expensive model!

More Tricks
| FORWARD
PASS |
Throw the yo-yo horizontally
in front of you (instead of towards the ground)
using a backhand throw. When it comes back,
catch the yo-yo with your palm facing upwards.
This trick is used to start many moves. |
| WALK
THE DOG |
Throw a sleeper (see above), and then place
the yo-yo on the floor as gently as possible
and simply walk along behind the yo-yo as
it rolls by itself along the floor! |
| Around
the World |
Make the yo-yo do a full circle! When you
have learned the sleeper and forward pass,
you can combine both tricks with this move.
Throw a ‘sleeper forward pass’.
This is when you throw the yo-yo forward
(as described in the forward pass) and make
it stay spinning at the end of the string.
Move your arm in a circle past your head,
over your shoulder in a backwards direction
to complete a full circle. The yo-yo will
follow, remaining asleep at the end of the
string. Once a full circle has been completed,
give a quick tug on the string to pull the
yo-yo back into your hand which is facing
palm upwards.
|
| Hop the
Fence |
Throw the yo-yo downwards (it doesn’t
have to sleep). Instead of catching the yo-yo
as it comes back up the string, let it flip
over your wrist so it can go down once again.
You can repeat this trick again and again,
but be warned, depending on the hand the yo-yo
is in, the string will either gradually get
looser or tighter!
|
| Over
the Shoulder |
Throw a sleeper. Raise your hand to about
ear height and put your elbow in front of
the string. Drop your hand down and jerk the
string so that the yo-yo wakes up from its
sleep. It will then follow the string back
up over your shoulder and into your hand.
|
| Loop
the Loop |
This trick looks great with 2 yo-yos! Make
a forward pass. When the yo-yo comes back,
don't catch it. Instead, direct it over your
wrist and then back out again repeating the
forward pass. This will make it loop. Depending
on which hand you use, you either end up tightening
or loosening the string with each repetition! |
| Reverse
Loop the Loop |
This is where you send the yo-yo in the
opposite direction with a loop the loop. It's
much harder than you think! |
| Spaghetti |
Throw a fast sleeper. Using your free
hand, grab the string about halfway down.
Now swing your yo-yo hand down and gather
up the string using both hands. Hold the
spaghetti bunches near your mouth when you
have collected plenty. Return the yo-yo
to your hand, then rub your stomach and
tell the audience how good it tasted!
NOTE: As you let go of
the string, make a loud slurping noise and
the string will look as if it has been swallowed! |

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 tricks that are
possible with the yo-yo. 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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