Coming back to yo-yoing

Hi everyone! I’m 57 and coming back to yo-yoing after 45 years :flushed: It’s been a few weeks for me and I’m fairly good at a basic bind & trapeze(and side bind). I’m just looking for some encouragement as sometimes I feel too old … but ironically I can’t put my yoyo down! I’m very good at buying yo-yos, which is fun, but that doesn’t make me any better. Any over 50 throwers around?

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Welcome back! I’m 41 and plenty of us middle aged oldies around. While I do enjoy unresponsives, I’m on a responsive yoyo kick as it never ceases to reproduce that magic of when we first picked up our yoyos to me. Everytime I throw a yoyo and return it I just get all warm and giddy inside! Enough to make me spend thousands of dollars in pursuit of more magic in a month… Don’t do what I do. :wink:

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I’m also 57, and I also got into yoyoing after a 40+ year hiatus back in 2018. In these past four years my collection has grown to embarrassing proportions, particularly when compared to my extremely modest level of skill.

And yet, despite how bad I am at it, I am still addicted. I like being surrounded by yoyos. I wear a yoyo-related t-shirt most days. Yoyoing is a great dexterity hobby that I feel I can grow old with, and so I try not to be much concerned by how slow my progress is.

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Welcome back! I’m 60 and carry a Duncan Butterfly everywhere. Throwing is therapeutic, harmless fun for anyone of any age. Check out the great tutorials here and on YouTube covering every style of play and enjoy your route back into the joy of yo :smile:

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I’m 65 and started 4 years ago. I suck, but I have fun and my growing collection sure is purdy!

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Thank you for all the replies … you guys are awesome!

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If you have instagram I would give him a follow for encouragement. It doesn’t hurt his photography is amazing.

YotoyImages shared a post on Instagram: "An Old Man Yoyoing and the Hybrid, by mowl_jp 
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#yoyo #todaysthrow #throwoftheday #yoyoing #yoyophotography #yoyophoto #yoyopicture #skilltoys #skilltoy #returntop #yoyos
#yoyocommunity #yoart #mowl ...

https://www.instagram.com/yotoyimages/?hl=en

(edit: idk what’s up with the video not playing, sorry)

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Welcome back to the wonderful world of yoyos and skill toys! I’m 55 now, and I originally got into yoyoing in the late '90s when the Playmaxx Turbo BumbleBee was popular. I was pretty into the hobby back then, and could do the basic stuff like brain twister, trapeze, etc. I don’t recall how long I was into throwing back then, or even what caused me to quit. However, I picked up the hobby again with a vengeance in 2021 during the pandemic after finding some old yoyos in my closet. One thing lead to another, and I’ve been throwing every day since then. I’m guessing that I don’t learn tricks nearly as quickly or easily as I used to 25 years ago, but I’m confident that 1) it’s still possible for an old dog to learn new (yoyo) tricks, as I’m living proof and 2) it’s good for your brain and hand-eye coordination, especially as you age.

FWIW, if my past self could see my present self busting out boing-e-boings and eli hops I’m sure he’d be suitably impressed as those tricks were well beyond my skill level back then. And if you want to try something really fun, learn how to fingerspin - it’s a blast! I’ll admit that none of these tricks came easily to me this time around, and I still can’t do them without the occasional screwup. However, I have a great deal of perseverance and over time I’ve gradually gotten better and better at them. Besides, even if I’m way behind all the youngsters, I’m guessing that I can still throw better than 99.9% of the world’s population :grinning:

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Thank you!

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How many @zslane?

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A little over 400 at this point. :woozy_face:

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Today I learned I’m one of the young ones :laughing:

I just turned 37 and have been at this for about 3 years now. I think the other elders already touched on what’s important. Go at your own pace and have fun. The only person you should be competing with is your past self.

And welcome to the forums! You’re in a good place. You will find no shortage of generosity and kindness here.

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42 picked mine up last year. Keep it up!

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I’m 60. Played as a grade schooler as did everyone else my age.

Started learning tricks and a little collecting after going to Worlds in Cleveland.

Being less physically demanding than some of my other pleasures, I figured yo-yoing was worth exploring. I’m liking it.

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Currently I’m still alive at 71. I started messing with yo-yos around 1997. When I was a kid only my older brother had a yo-yo. Anytime I picked it up my parents would say put down your brothers yo-yo before you break something. Then, decades later I find myself in the skill toy store, buying a Yoyo.

Being a professional Car painter, Hot rod and custom Harley builder, Yoyos immediately looked to me like something I could customize for whatever reason. I spent years cutting up yo-yos and I’ve never looked back.

I like messing with yo-yos for several reasons and never tire of them, ever.

And landing on this hobby has made a major difference in my lifestyle. It is giving me something to focus on and burn off some random energy. With something else to keep me busy I have been able to keep my promise to myself to never Kill again.

Currently I’m in the process of having a small pyramid constructed in my backyard. So that when I die I can be buried like a pharaoh right next to all my yo-yos.

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You don’t quit yo-yoing because you get old.
You get old because you quit yo-yoing.

Which I guess means you got old at like 12, but hey now you’re young again which is GREAT! Welcome back! :smiley:

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You posted your only video here in the fall of 2018. You said the video made the yoyo look bigger than it was. It was gold or orange or yellow. I remember. I forget what my point was supposed to be. Oh, I’m sure your 2018 self is pretty darned impressed with your skills now!

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58 here. Welcome to the forum!

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  1. I’m too old to grow up.
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That was my gold VTWO.

My 2018 self would be disappointed that I am not a lot better than I am by now. But I don’t spend hours a day playing yoyo, so there’s really no surprise there.

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