I like to yoyo even when I’m not really working on combos or new tricks. And I’ll do it anywhere, any time.
On one occasion not too long after I started, I was just practicing a basic front bind at McDonald’s. A sweet old lady asked, “Oh, now that was NEAT! What do you call that trick?” I told her it was called a bind, and demonstrated a few more times. But I was thinking to myself, “I’m really just practicing getting this darned thing back to my hand!”
More recently, I’ve been kinda into tricks based on the wrist mount. Although I’m not really “practicing” (the mount and dismount are virtually flawless at this point), I do find myself just going into wrist mount and dismounting; often practicing the suicide bind as I come out of it. A friend of a family member commented on how amazing it was and that she can’t understand how someone gets that good at yoyo.
Although I wasn’t doing anything I thought of as a trick (well, the bind is a trick bind), I took a step back from myself and tried to think of it in non-yoyoer terms. Let’s face it, a wrist mount is pretty neat. The dismount is a bit more involved than some other dismounts. And a suicide bind requires more “flipping the yoyo around” and is kinda flashy. Put that all together and I can totally see why someone might find it impressive!
Goes to show that even with the humblest tricks, modern 1A is a whole other world than what most people are used to from a yoyo!
This time last year…I hadn’t seen anything vaguely resembling modern yoyoing. I honestly thought the Eiffel tower, Ursa Major and Minor, and trapeze put me in the top percentage of all yoyoers. Hadn’t learned a new trick (or seen anyone do anything cooler) in 25 years.
The split bottom mount string tension loosening thing is always the one that gets people. I’ll finish banging out a series of GTs, slacks, etc…and when I pause to adjust tension almost everyone say’s that’s their favorite “trick.”
Haha, that’s awesome! I think anything with that “fluttery string rejection” element pops people’s eyes open, that’s for sure. Was intentionally “wowing” a colleague with a fingerspin, and it was moderately impressive to him… but when I raised the loose string above the spinning yoyo and it started doing that “flutter”, he was blown away.
This is one of the coolest things about yoyoing is that some of the easiest trick just make people stop and say hmmmmmmm… haha
When I yoyo for people who are not up on modern tricks (which is about 99% of the public) they are just mesmerized by what they see… And yes they want to see walk the dog!!! hehe
I think when someone not familiar with modern yoyoing sees a bind they just freak… It is such a cool thing to see… Especially the slack/whip binds that are poplular these days…
This. The fact that I can take an absolute dead yoyo, and get it to wind back to my hand without wrapping it manually…blows everyone that has ever seen me yoyo away lol.
Whats that called?Oh spirit bomb? Thats cool. Black Hops? Thats cool…WHAT YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO WIND IT AFTER YOU MESSED UP??? OMG!
so funny lol.
snap starting a yoyo with your feet.
Now that will definitely impress people. but only do it on carpet.
you gotta either emphasis the motion alot or act like you can do it in your sleep attitude. people wont understand what just happened and be impressed!
In this day and age of yoyo, most yoyoers now are so used to the high technical skill within the community so they can clearly see what is the new-new/all the mechanics behind a trick. This is just how it is when anyone gets into a hobby that they are passionate about.
But when you throw in front of “yuggles”, the most simplistic things amaze and or bore people. I remember when I threw in public, I did a barrage of technical string origami message in a store. People did crowd around me but it wasn’t until I noticed people were looking glum at me did I start doing some beginner tricks like shoot the moon and rock the baby that it really brought smiles to everyone.
Something to think about when yoyoing in public. One can do the best tricks they ever made but can be unimpressive to 99 percent of non-yoyo folk out there.
I can relate to these stories. I have done very little yoyoing in front of others over the course of 3 years, unless you count a few videos. When I have played yoyo for others, they are most impressed by snap starts and binds in general. People also seem to be impressed at the wrong time like when I mess up.
My kids don’t notice anymore, and my wife has always been more impressed by clever word play than feats of agility so I don’t really bother unless I’m trying to get comfortable with a trick in front of people.
This thread is great! I can totally relate. People always freak out when I release string tension from a split bottom mount (Washing Off). I tell them that this is just to set me up for the next trick, but they find it more impressive than the slack / suicide combo that follows… lol.
I also love it when I mess up, and non yoyoers think that it was on purpose. Like missing a GT, and hopping the yoyo through the triangle to undo your knot.
My favorite trick that still wows people in a simple finger grind then where you whip the excess string up and bind. Made my friends who are very desensitized by now impressed
Oh another thing like that is they didn’t even know it would spin at the end of the string. And I second the notion that “yuggles” are name of non throwers from now on
Doing any 5a trick impress any of my peers/friends or doing a bind (even a simple one),also when they learn how to bind they think they’re like magic are something.
