Finger Spins

Thanks @yoyo-man92! Yes, one of the main intentions of the design of that cup with the finger spin dimple was to facilitate the landing. We literally transferred the same cup design from the original Basilisk into the Basilisk-D.

I remember yoyojoe mentioned this feature in one of his reviews if I am not mistaken.

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I found it easiest to learn on the easiest yoyo at the time, a Czechpoint Pivot. After I got comfortable with that one I was able to transfer most of the skills to trickier designs, like flat cups, plastics, etc. Those require more finesse and a softer finger, but much of the technique is the same for all of them - strong accurate throw, yoyo control, pop up height, and landing it in the correct location. Then, the whip and bind.

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Personally, I agree with @MarkD here, once you learn how to do a fingerspin with an easy yoyo you can use the same technique on tougher ones. I started yoyoing with a TopYo Impulse, which definitely does not have a cup that’s conducive to fingerspins. It was miserable trying to learn on that. I moved on to the Muse and used the spikes to learn how to bind with it spinning on my finger (I think it’s harder to learn if the yoyo isn’t spinning because 1. the yoyo doesn’t stay up so you have to hold it awkwardly and 2. you can’t tell if you got it right because it will never bind if it’s not spinning). While I was figuring out the bind, I was practicing landing a yoyo on my finger using a Hero (also from Circle City, but with a dimple instead of a spike). That made it so much easier to learn than when I was trying to learn on my Impulse, but once I could fingerspin consistently, I was able to do it on my Impulse too.

It’s like learning string tricks on a really forgiving yoyo with a wide catch zone, vs learning on an unstable slimline. Some folks love playing with more challenging yoyos because it forces them to have precise technique. But it’s always easier to learn on a more forgiving yoyo, then practice on something more challenging. Same applies here with fingerspins. Learn on something that makes it easier, then refine on something that requires a little more precision.

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I learned on a Speedaholic XX and it is ridiculously easy to do finger spins on. The Skyva is also really good.

Just get yourself something with a dimple and eventually you’ll get comfortable enough to do ‘em on pretty much anything.

Edit: I should add, not all dimples are easy to finger spin with. The Sherpa being a good example.

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You can also practice whipping the string into the gap without the yoyo spinning. Just hold the yoyo sideways by the lip in your off hand and practice the whip with your throw hand.

I first learned to spin on my Speedy XX, but I actually found that the Shutter Wide angle is easier to land a fingerspin on and also spins longer so it gives you time for a few attempts at a bind. From there it was off to the races with practicing the “soft finger” technique, and now I can fingerspin on almost all my throws!

Ivan

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Yeah, you definitely can. I just think it’s more useful to have the yoyo spinning, because sometimes you can hit the gap and not hit right for it to actually bind. If it’s not spinning, you can’t tell. But yeah for just practicing the aim it’s definitely not useless to hold a non-spinning yoyo. Sometimes I can aim it right into the gap but pull at the wrong time, or with too little tail to bind, those kind of things are why I think having a spinning yoyo helps more.

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Yeah I had trouble even hitting the gap at first, so it was worth the time to do some stationary practice. Once I could hit the gap reliably I moved on to getting the bind motion right as the next step. No point worrying about getting the bind right until I could hit the gap to start with! :stuck_out_tongue:

Ivan

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Haha fair enough!