I feel like a good-natured debate this morning.
So does playing sloppy and unsmooth really that bad if you have zero intention to play in front of others (including videos)?
What prompted the question is I put together a combo. When throwing, it feels fun and I enjoy doing it. I wanted to see what it looked like so I recorded myself and man was it cringy.
I have zero goals to play for others and I have zero ambition to be a video star. So I say play like no one is watching. 
Well, I play the way I like, even if thatâs for a video.
Iâm not pro, so I donât care. Hahahahah
I like watching others playing, and when the video isnt edited I think thatâs even better. I can learn from the same mistakes. Thatâs why I love:
You can learn, share and have fun.
Iâll agree the most important thing is to play and throw so you yourself enjoy⌠but if you want to improve and get more difficult tricks under your belt you probably have to practice playing cleaner. I also think itâs a good idea to watch yourself, so video yourself and just watching it on your own is a great idea. As you practice more and repeat the combo over and over you will naturally get smoother and have better flow.
only if it bothers you to a personal level tbh.
Or if it hinders your ability to progress in any manner.
If any of the scenarios above is true, then yeah. Practice to minimize sloppiness as much as you can.
Yeah, thatâs real. Despite playing for fun, sometimes technique and attention is needed to accomplish a trick. So sloppy play must be avoided. I meant âplaying for funâ, it is really different from âsloppyâ, the last one will give you a yoyo in the face. 
Canât remember the exact way the saying goes, but something like âPractice what you want to get good at.â So if you want to get smooth only practice playing smoothly. If it starts getting sloppy, stop and correct it. So itâs up to you what you want to get out of your playing. Eventually things will become habit and routine, so if you continue to play sloppy itâll become your norm.
This is like a deep philosophical question akin to:
âIf a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?â
Always try to play smooth. It takes a lot of time. If you feel yourself getting sloppy try to figure why and correct it. Donât put unecessary stress and pressure on yourself to play perfect as yoyos are just toys but try to smooth things out and those toys will end up being more fun.
Does sloppy eating matter if no one is watching?
I had the opposite experience. My play feels (and is) clunky and I screw up a lot, but when I watch the video it still looks pretty cool.
I like to play in public to entertain people so looking good is important to me. Itâs hard to maintain flair while picking knots out of my string but I still try.
Ivan
Iâm with AaronW, practice the way you want to play. That said, if you are happy playing sloppy, play how you are happy. There really is no right or wrong answer, aside from play in the way that lets you have fun.
Know your goals and throw with that purpose in mind. However, if your goals change from nonchalant and sloppy to smooth and accurate, you will need to overcome bad habits. Habits are so easy to change. Right? 
Right, reinforcing bad habits. It reminds me of piano/keyboard⌠if you keep using inefficient fingering, it will become your âgoâtoâ but there was a more efficient way you missed out on⌠and it will never be as smooth. Unless-you gave the ârightâ way a good go, and went down your own path.
Like so many hidden bad habits that people have. What makes us ashamed of some habits and proud of others.
I took golf as a gym class in college. I remember the coach saying she loved having students that had no prior experience with golf because she didnât have to break them of their bad habits.
When does a âbad habitâ just actually be a particular style?
Speed and flow in yoyo really do it for me personally. If my tricks flow together itâs almost like a cool dance or art form or some â â â â ⌠that said just do what makes you happy man :). Youâll undoubtedly get better with time so if you are âsloppyâ I canât imagine it stays that way for long!
I think there is a difference between âlazy sloppyâ and the sloppy you get when pushing yourself. Lazy sloppy matters because like mentioned, you can develop bad habits (consistency will see a drop, and to me this is important). The sloppiness of pushing yourself just means that you are learning what you need to practice. So in that sense, sloppy play is fine.
Muscle memoryâŚ.
I remember decades ago when Bowling was âbigâ a guy once told me, âIâm always sloppy when Iâm warming up. But once the game starts, I try harder to make strikesâ.
He literally âforged his formâ and never did achieve a very high level of scoring skills.
He unintentionally conditioned himself to be âsloppyâ. Once certain things are engrained into your brain, itâs like a tattoo> itâs there for life.
Whether people are watching you or not, you cannot develop good form if you practice with bad form.
If you are determined to get better, you will make the effort to play with a cleaner more coordinated style.
If you have a lazy mind and little initiative to actually get better and look good doing it, you wonât.
You will just be the sloppy guy that can do sloppy tricks.
If a sloppy tree falls in a smooth forest and no yoyoer is around to throw a fresh horizontal bangerâŚI forgot where I was going with this.
I do agree with this in team sports, sports played on a course or tracks. Playing sloppy hurts the team or could even cause injury to others.
To me, yoyoing is a very personal activity. Landing the trick feels great. Being judged on form ruins all that. I have done many hobbies where judgment is a key part of the hobby. Itâs nice to have one where I can just be.
