So I have been throwing a yoyo for about 18 months now and have been really enjoying it but go through periods where I lose motivation.
The issue I have identified is that my interest in general piques when I am buying new throws or looking at new throws. I have gotten to an age and stage in life where I am no longer much of a consumer but for some reason with yoyos I want loads in each and every colour etc. I spend more time some days looking at throws than throwing and it annoys me, it kind of seems dumb!
I think part of the reason for this is that buying feels like it keeps me in the loop with the yoyo community , there are next to no throwers in my country, I dont realistically expect to ever see someone out throwing a yoyo. If I could join a club and go have real world conversations with humans and discuss and learn tricks then that would be the answer but I cant.
Probably a bit of a longwinded question but to summarise:
How do I stay motivated purely to the throwing side of things and block out the temptation to buy more? If any of you have done this I would love to hear your experience.
Modeling and 3D printing my own yo-yos helped me with the same dilemma. Still buy yo-yos here and there, but it’s drastically reduced when you can get that “try a new throw” sensation anytime you want for a dollar or two in filament cost.
Would love to 3d print a few counterweights for sure, not having access to a 3d printer throws a spanner in the works though! It must be really satisfying to design, make and then throw your own, even if it wasnt all that good.
I too have issues going through the trick list learning and it’s been over 12 years for me since starting out on unresponsive yoyos. To me the trick list doesn’t matter as much as my enjoyment for throws.
Like you, I do love to monger the BST for throws I can rescue but I constantly have to tell myself I don’t need it. That being said, I can’t resist a good bundle deal! I personally set a low total yoyo count to keep around. If I go over, then I need to decide what I keep vs what I sell. I’m not a collector nor do I gain any enjoyment from shelf queens. My enjoyment stems from the yoyos I absolutely love and enjoy picking up at least once a week. If not, it can probably go. You should set an arbitrary maximum for yourself too!
Now as far as feeling attached to the community, so far since returning to yoyoing, I’ve really enjoyed the forums here and have had many good private conversations with other folks about yoyos or anything! If you ever want to chat just hit me up!
This is what you need to do. You need to get your best playing yo-yo.
You need hire a Helicopter Pilot to drop you off directly in the center of Wild Killer Pig Country.
You need to think like a Native Islander. Wearing nothing but board short and a pair of flip flops, you need to seek out the Alpha Pig.
Draw a line in the sand and hopefully you speak a little Pig Latin. You need to embarrass the Pig in front of his Crew.
Double wrap the loop on your finger. Using your yo-yo as a Weapon of survival, you need to challenge the Super-Pig to a Death Match.
Once you survive your struggle of Death, you and your yo-yo will develop a bond stronger than Superglue Gel.
You will be inseparable and be motivated to continue on together, all the way to the very top of the YYE Trick ladder. Nothing will stop you. No trick will prove too difficult. I mean, what trick could possibly be more difficult than killing a giant mutant sociopathic Pig?
And you will no longer be cursed by the impulsive adventure of wanting countless yo-yos.
You will be happy with the yo-yo that you bonded with.
Do you have anyone in your circles that you’d want to yoyo with? It’s been less than two years since I found this site to try to get advice on how to bind and I’ve given anyone who might enjoy it a yoyo. Only one of those people ended up learning to bind afaik. And as much as I enjoy going to meet people and talk yoyo, most of it is me yoyoing by myself at home and reading this forum.
I haven’t personally figured out a way to stop wanting to get everything new that comes out, but at a certain point I started to pick up at a slower rate because a lot are going to functionally be the same at any particular skill level I happen to be at.
Watching videos of my favorite throwers helps motivate me to learn more rather than buy more as well. And although I mostly use the trick list/ladder on this site, I have to give credit to the YYTricks instagram account for putting out really clean content with quick & concise rundowns of a lot of tricks that are new to me. Good luck and don’t beat yourself up for wanting a new one every once in a while. Even some of the best players seem to also collect and enjoy that side of it.
The issue you need to figure out is why you’re tempted to buy new throws.
For me, I wanted to find “the one.” which meant I had to buy to try. So my solution won’t work for you.
For you, maybe you just like the look or want to start collecting. Is that necessarily a bad thing? As long as you like them, you can afford it, and it makes you happy, is there an issue?
I feel like the whole reason I joined this community, and continue to stay is because it’s really inclusive to everyone. You could throw 1 yoyo for 8 hours a day every day, or you could never throw and own 10,000 yoyos and no one would judge either differently. Both love our hobby and are enjoying it the way they see fit, in the way that makes them happy.
edit: forgot to add, if you’re just trying to balance buying and progression. Make a list of 10 tricks (pick a number) and reward yourself with a throw after you complete the list, then repeat.
You can set yourself goals in terms of new tricks to learn. Then you can reward yourself with a new yoyo when you learn enough tricks (or a hard enough trick) to reach one of your goals.
The struggle is real. I would only say that learning the hard tricks that made me quit trying to learn new tricks 17 years ago is extremely satisfying and its helping drive me to the next handful of tricks. I learned wristmout which leads to spirit bomb, and i started on cheeze whip to get into wristmount, and im getting better at magic drop and shockwave, and then i can start looking at superman (magnitudes harder than the afore mentioned tricks). I like to collect too, and my pursuit is of relics from my early days of throwing (playmaxx cold fusion gt im calling you out, lol), and finding the ones that feel the best help me land tricks, and make learning new tricks a little easier. Both are generally endless, lifetime pursuits. Yoyo_cubicle has a good idea.
I totally get what you’re saying about the dilemma of choosing which yo-yo to play with. It’s like having too many good snacks and not knowing which one to munch on first! Personally, I’ve been in that same spot more times than I can count. Sometimes, it’s tough deciding between two favorites, especially when you’re in the mood for different styles of play.
One fun trick I use when I can’t decide is a coin flip simulator. Just pop open a coin flip app on your phone, assign heads to one yo-yo and tails to the other, and let fate decide! It’s surprisingly fun and takes the pressure off making the decision yourself. Plus, it adds a bit of randomness and excitement to the choice, like a mini-adventure.
Trick progression is tricky honestly.
The following is my personal observation of myself.
I go through a bit of cognitive dissonance when I think about my trick progression.
I will make every excuse to why it took so long…
Then when I have it down,
I will claim it never really was that difficult, once I figured out this one specific part then it was simple. Oh it seems that one part is difficult for everyone.
That one part is different for everyone ?
In the end trick progression is highly personal not many people will be able to help you with it you will have to find your own way…
I will watch some vids or something to get motivated. I also like to learn a lot of tricks but I found I prefer to learn really short tricks bc then it’s easier to figure them out in one play session and I can use them to make combos. Also I like to learn a ton of tricks that don’t really push me but are easier. This still helps expand my yocabulary and has been a good way to stay positive and progress. Lots of small wins feels good. Some days I just vibe from mount to mount and not worry about real tricks or anything. Playing Yoyo is fun. Trick a week is also like an online club kinda and it feels cool to work on stuff with other people.
I took a break for a long time, like almost a decade where I basically didn’t learn new tricks, only threw randomly every once in a while and if I did it was the same tricks I always did. It was fine for me at the time because life was crazy, tons of changes, graduating, working, etc., but last year I felt like I really wanted to get back into it again. Watching worlds helped a lot with that initial spark, but I think trying something new this time around helped a lot. I started trying to record my progress on Instagram and watch other people and get inspired that way. I decided to try a new style and that helped a ton! Never underestimate how fun it can be to be a beginner again but with a solid foundation in yoyoing! Kind of rambling here but I’d say try to find something that is interesting to you that is different from what you normally do. Try a new style, try going to a yoyo club or a contest, try making videos, but whatever you do, try something you think would be fun. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break for a while until you feel the fire again. I will say that learning new stuff is usually a great way to get some inspiration and enjoyment out of the hobby and learning a new division is a surefire way to be learning a lot.
For me, there is nothing like the Hunt and scoring a previously released yoyo that hasn’t been available in years on the BST. It really is a “Hunt”. Sometimes someone beats you to it.
With that said, If I spent half the time I am on the forums throwing, I would be a heck of a lot better.
One of my methodologies is multiple styles. I am not very good at unresponsive 1A so…
Play Unresponsive 1A until I start to get frustrated.
Play Responsive 1A until I start to get frustrated.
Play Modern Responsive for a while.
Play Fixed Axel 0A for a while.
If I am feeling Froggy, I will get the loopers out and work on that.
I try to play all my Yoyos throughout the Month. I have my Go-To’s but I force myself to pick something different up each day. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised. A yoyo I didn’t get along with originally all of a sudden has a different experience as I get better.
How to stay motivated? That is a tough one. I always have a Yoyo on me. I am not always progressing, but always playing. A lot of time this is good enough for me.
I like what you said at the end about always having a yoyo on you. I’m similar.
And aiming to play and rotate through my whole collection every couple of days.
I always nail a trick I’m learning on every yoyo before I move onto the next trick.
When it’s not tricks or yoyos, it’s sometimes experimenting with strings or bearings or maintenance that keeps me motivated
Set goals. Learn some Yuuki tricks on an 888. Immitate gentry on a shutter. Ando on a superstar. Whatever you have.
No goals = no positive emotion.
I aim to make any interest I have as natural as eating.
Even if you don’t necessarily enjoy the plate you still finish it, even if you’re not too hungry you’ll still eat.
yeah, sometimes you crave a specific flavour or food but sometimes we just need to stay alive.
And every now and then we binge
I’ve found purpose in the boredom between working on goals, purpose in the unmotivated moments. It keeps me alive for when I get to binge and enjoy the hobby for hours.
Can’t tell you how much I resonate with this. @yoyo_cubicle 's suggestion is one way I’ve tried to work around this.
The other, sadly, is by being on the forum less. I really love the community and value some posts give though, so I compromise by focusing on trick threads or events like 5A May. There are also some really cool people to DM on here, so I still get some of that “community” or relational aspect without so much temptation.
