So you want to know how to make combos?

Its a common question, you always see people in yoyo contest pulling off amazing tricks and long combos and you wonder: How can they think of all that? how can I do the same?

Well first you must understand something.

Its called a “Combo” for a reason.
Combo: Combination: combining thing together to make a singular thing.

So what is a combo? Its different tricks combined to make one trick.

Lets first take a look at a combo that is very awesome looking, but is easy to break down ok?

Lets examine the trick at 1:11

Its a fronstyle combo, at first it may seem beyond anything you mioght be capable of, but in reality, its many tricks you might already know!

Lets take a look,

He starts with a few reps of Nanda kanda, goes into a seasick, singapore sling and unrolls it into a quick mach 5 hold, unrolls that into a feww barrel rolls mixed with sumersaults, goes right into a few boingies, goes into a pop n fresh, into your basic mach 5, then into a reverse mach 5, in to a gunslinger, and wormhole out, into a double braintwister, into two inside suicides into a suicide, and finally an old school Jason Lee singapore sling.

This may be quite a bit but lets look at it for a second, we know most if not all these tricks right?

Its all a matter of putting them together in a way that flows well and looks good.

Keisuke placed 2nd this year and he got first above mickey the year before.

but maybe you are saying: Thats cool and all Josh, but I want to do something crazy! Something that the crowd will go wow!
Like a cool grind combo, or some whip combos!

Well lets look at that freestyle again!

Look at the trick at 2:44!

wow! Amazing ha?

Very cool and the crowd loved it!

But what is it?

Look at it for a second, he does a laceration whip but instead of landing it in a trapeze, he lands it on his palm, tosses the yoyo up a bit, and does a reverse laceration ang again, rather than catching it on the string, he lands it in his palm again, he tosses it up, and he does a Hidemasa hook!

A very cool trick, made up of things you already know.

So yes, very cool trick combos.

But maybe you want something even harder!

Well lets look at a different freestyle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L4BCNYG1HPE

JOSH!!! THATS MARK MONTGOMERY! ARE YOU CRAZY? I CANT DO STUFF HE DOES? THATS IT I AM LEAVING!!!

WAIT! Come back here. Yes come back and sit down!

Lets look at his first trick.
People love his braintwister combo he does, but whats going on?

Lets look!
pretty much, its breaintwisters, mixed in with some pinwheels and doubled up, sometimes tripled strings, a few inside outside braintwisters, but he pretty much got many basic types of braintwisters and added them together to make one very smooth and cool looking combo.

Some combos involve many different and unique mounts that cant be described, how do you do those?

Well first, just remember, you want to make your own combos, not just copy everyone else.

A good way to make up combos is to just yoyo! Fool around with odd string formations you think might cause a knot, do stuff where you have no idea where you are going with it.

I have created many a trick by just fooling around at random when all of a sudden, BAM! How did I do that?
(Helps to record yourself with a camera while practicing for new stuff)

It also helps to get some inspiration!

I want to show you a video that really made me want to get into harder tricks.

Have you ever seen something so fluent?
It drove me mad but also made me want to work on harder combos.

Anyways, go!

Try and make up some awesome stuff!

You can do it!

just takes some practice and perseverance but I know you can get it.

So what are you waiting for? Go and make some of your own combos and tricks!

You can do it!

J.
:slight_smile:

3 Likes

Thanks Josh! This is an amazing guide! A sticky or something to give it credibility would be great!

<3 Wuvsies.

AMAZING!!! I will so use this… It should be a Post-It (AKA sticky!)

this is great and it should be sticked to avoid that question “how do I make combos” and then it would be easy to find.

I agree with sticky worthy. Nice post man!!

thanks guys!

I was hoping it would seem helpful to any that may need it!

J.
:slight_smile:

That definition of a trick is very wrong. Very, very wrong.

Bump as requested

This never gets old for me

this is so right

I agree, this needs to be a sticky =P

Josh that was awesome :slight_smile: Everyone needs to see this.
Most people don’t realize that half of the stuff the pro’s do in their freestyles are just basic tricks crammed together and done really fast.

And I know what you mean about fooling around with the strings and then BAM XD
I’ve come up with a million tricks by accidentally hitting the wrong string on Double or nothing ::slight_smile:
Using a camera to record your practice sessions is really good advice.

except guy write. that guy makes some crazy original stuff

Yeah him and Jensen =P I never have any idea what they’re doing.