Dry Hands

General Yo-Yo
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Okay, so I have a question and the obvious answer is “buy a yo-yo glove.” But I don’t think that’s the right answer in this case, for reasons I’ll describe below. First I want to discuss the actual problem.

I have exceptionally dry skin. It’s very dry. While this wasn’t a problem in the past, it is now. The weather is changing. It’s getting colder here in Colorado. Also, it’s Colorado, so there’s no water in the air. There is zero humidity here. In the summer, it’s warm enough that my throwing finger, despite being dry, can still keep a pretty good grip to the loop of the yo-yo string.

But between it being colder, it being Colorado, that I have dry skin, and that I am pretty constantly washing my hands anyway… When I do side throws for UFO/Sleeping Beauty, or for a Trapeze (note that I throw to the side, not a traditional Break Away - See this video for details).

The result is that the string loop swings around my finger. I end up with the string coming off the side of my fingers, or even the back of my finger, and subsequently I lose complete control of my yo-yo. Sometimes the string loop spins around my hand right as I’m launching my UFO and it causes my yo-yo to spin out before it even gets halfway to the end of the string for my trick.

A yo-yo glove seems excessive to me. Maybe I’m mistaken, but it just seems like that’s a bit much for just trying to keep my string “gripped” to my throw finger. To me it seems like I’d be putting my entire leg in a cast just because I have a hang nail. I really just need a better grip for the string on my middle finger.

In the past I’ve used Band-aids to some success, but frankly, I’m running low on Band-aids and sometimes they still slip.

I also started using a lot of hand moisturizer, but frankly I think that’s ridiculous, and it probably gets the string dirty faster. I tried Chapstick, but that actually just made it slip more.

I was wondering if any of you guys use anything on your throw finger to help the string grip your throw finger. If so, what do you use?

Is this what the gloves are for? Bear in mind that I’m not worried about string burn or anything like that. Mostly, I’ve got that covered and Band-aids work just fine to prevent that even when I’m practicing heavily. But maybe that’s the solution and I just don’t like the idea of wearing a glove. Frankly, people look at me like I’m weird enough just for having a yo-yo in my pocket to begin with. Maybe I’m just being self-conscious though, and the glove really is the solution.

I don’t know. Perhaps one or more of you can enlighten me.

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If your string is slipping check this out: http://yoyoexpert.com/forums/index.php/topic,66609.msg724622.html#msg724622

Although the thread is about preventing pain, the described methods will also help prevent the string from slipping.

2 Likes
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(Edit: Skitrz you ninja. bows respectfully)

A lot of people have this issue when they use slicker strings like Toxics’s etc, so the topic came up here:

http://yoyoexpert.com/forums/index.php/topic,72865.0.html

Greg posts up a link to a specified knot that grips the finger tighter and might help. There is some other good advice in there as well.

Also, not to venture off the beaten track, but I also have had trouble with dry skin on my hands and found that this stuff is just fantastic:

Make sure it’s the concentrated stuff. :slight_smile:

You’re not alone in your distain for gloves, I’ve never liked them myself. I’m pretty sure there must be a way to remedy this without resorting to them.

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Thank you very much!

Also, I suppose this might be informative. I use yo-yo expert 50-50 string these days. Next time I’ll get them in different colors, but I have 98 of these suckers left so…

Anyway, they do not grip as well as the 100% cotton strings from Duncan that I started with, and they’re thinner, so that may have something to do with it.

Thanks for the bit about others not liking the gloves too. That makes me feel better about my own weird dislike of them as a concept.

I never liked batting gloves either. Or driving gloves. I just never saw a reason for them, and I think people that wear them look ridiculous (as opposed to a 40 year old executive walking around with a yo-yo at a marketing meeting in the first place, so I suppose I may have already crossed the threshold of ridiculousness).

Anyway, yeah. I just don’t like the gloves. Thanks for the tips!

I’ll try that double knot.

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Yep. That did it!

That double loop on the finger works perfectly. That takes care of that!

It’s weird though, when I first did the double loop, it “felt” like my string was substantially shorter, even though I know that I only shortened the string by an inch, at the most. But it “felt” like I had taken a good 6 inches off the string just from it being that little bit shorter.

Weird.

Anyway, yeah, the double loop helped. Thank you for providing a simple, fast, and free solution!

This forum rocks.

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I know the feeling.

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Are you…uh…speaking from experience?

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Good, glad the double loop helped. I was just about to mention this to you, as well as twisting the finger loop multiple times so there’s a good twist in it, then put in on your finger and tighten it. That’s what I do and it also works just as good as the double loop.

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Glad you found a solution. What I’ve found in the past is that flipping the string around also works.
i.e. If the loop/knot is on the thumb side, flip the loop over so it’s on the pinky side.

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I also have dry skin issues. It really used to be an issue for years, but less so now that I have built up resistance. I say resistance and not callous, because it still rips through my toughest callouses and yet not other places with no callous that are receiving far more friction. Still happens, but not so much. For me, this happens anywhere the string rubs. I use moisturizer far before I play. I cannot put any kind of moisturizer on my skin before I yoyo. I have to wash it off, or it cuts through my skin worse than when they are dry. I do use gloves occasionally when my skin starts splitting and I want to keep playing.

EDIT: Just wanted to clarify my reason for posting what I did. I know that I did not answer the OPs question, but I wanted to relay what helped me and how long it took just in case anybody else has a similar situation and is frustrated. Gloves actually make the slipping problem worse for me. I have had the string slip off my finger and had the yoyo fly away more than a few times with gloves on.

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Look up yoyo tape on google it helps me out a ton and is just a small strip.

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It is also sold by YYE right here.

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It’s just the medical tape that sticks only to itself. Pretty cheap stuff.