I threw a lot back in the late '90s, and I thought I had a decent basic front throw and breakaway down. So 20 years-ish later I’m picking things back up, but every time I throw a modern metal, I feel like I’m throwing into a bowl of pudding. I just feels slow, and like I’m chucking into resistance. I experimented some today, and I think my problem is this: Even on a very hard throw, I’m not putting much spin into the throw, just mostly relying on the string to get the revs up. When I really focus on imparting more spin as the throw is leaving my hand, it feels much better. Before I start rebuilding my skillset based on how things feel, does this sound legit? Thanks in advance!
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Would you be able to show us a video? Really hard to tell what you’re talking about.
As for speed, you should really just throw a breakaway in the same fashion as you used to. You can put a lot more stank on unresponsive throws without worrying about them cracking a knuckle.
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Thanks for the reply. I’m not sure what I’d show if I did a video, since it’s more about what it feels like. If I can’t sort it out, I may post something, tho. All my modern plastics (PLSTC, Mojo) feel like I’d expect, it’s just the metals feel odd. I’m going to watch some of the basic tutorials, and some freestyles, and see if I’m just missing something obvious. I mean, I don’t feel like I’m getting bad results from what I’m doing, sleep times seem decent and all, so I probably just need to get gud.
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it sounds to me like you might be in your head a little. Be sure your strings are the same length, but other than that, I doubt it has to do with the yoyo itself. Go through the basics and make sure your string is wound around the yoyo the correct way, that you’re practicing a good throw and that you’re throwing straight.
What do you mean when you say you feel like you’re throwing into resistance? Does it feel like the yoyo is physically spinning more slowly or does it have a harder time leaving your hand? Also, what metals and plastics are you using? There could be a sizable weight difference affecting the feel of your yoyo.
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Make sure the string is facing the right way. Other than that, I don’t know what could be causing that. I agree with @quinton that it sounds like you’re in your head about it.
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I think I might know what you’re talking about. Some metals with a steep catch zone kinda pinch the string a bit, and you can feel resistance from it as you throw. The yo-yo also kinda swings towards you more than out. Fatter, stiffer string minimizes it. You can also adjust your throw a bit and release the yo-yo a bit earlier. But I agree with quinton, you’re in your own head a bit.
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@ryanmcg Yup, that describes exactly what I’m feeling. The early release thing does seem to compensate quite nicely, so I’m just not going to worry about it.
I may try a different string once this one wears out, but otherwise, I think I’m good. Thanks everyone for the replies, I totally appreciate it!
And yeah, most certainly got in my own head about it, and appreciate y’all calling me on it. It’s def a thing I do.
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Safe to say, we all get inside our own heads a bit. I’m glad you figured it out, keep throwing, and remember there is no right or wrong pace for learning and getting better, it is all whatever pace is letting you have fun!
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Since this is helping, I think what you’re feeling is the additional rotational inertia of the metal yoyos compared to plastics. They require more energy to get to the same RPM, and if you let them roll off with just gravity it takes them longer to get to the bottom of the string. Eventually you’ll get used to this, and the plastic yoyos may feel lighter and less substantial by comparison.
As Ryan mentioned, using thicker string also compensates for that feeling somewhat.
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Unless you have an issue with the string not being wound right, like from a really loose bind, the way you tend to throw is not going to change because of your yo-yo. Maybe you could brush up on your basics before you go on to unresponsive. You may do well to get a fixed axle and just work on your throw a bit. I learned on fixed axle and I notice I tend to throw quite a bit harder than folks I know that started with bearings or transaxles.
Yeah, I actually clocked a lot of hours on fixed axle, in days of yore. And when I started back up again this year, I threw my old fixies for about a week before taking the plunge on modern. The metals just feel a bit different, to me. And I realize now that it’s just not a big deal. I’ve got something that works for me, through the help of everyone here, and it’s not holding me back from learning tricks or anything, so I’m just going to get on with it and not worry about it. Besides, my old Yomega RPM still clocks me at over 7000rpm for an average throw, and 8000rpm if lean into it some, which ain’t exactly world class, but is good enough for what I’m trying to do. But I am going to get new fixie, once I’ve got enough for a Spinworthy from @Glenacius_K! 
@MarkD I hadn’t thought about that. So, if I have this right in my head, metals have a higher proportion of weight in the rim than plastics and thus take more energy to come up to speed?
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That’s right. However, because they are also more stable at lower speeds than plastics (usually), if you put the same energy into it, you’ll have a lower RPM but it’ll still work out for your tricks.
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I felt the exact same thing when I started throwing again. Felt like I was throwing into water instead of air. I used to throw a “high quality” yo-yo in the mid to late 90’s. The throws of today seem to be rim-weighted more. I’d say @MarkD is spot-on here.
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