I made a similar topic about finding out if my Skyva had a defect because it was only fingerspinning for about 10 seconds, and it didn’t. The problem was that my fingernail was too short. The thing is, I can’t really do fingerspins consistently, so do you have any tips on how to land fingerspins smoothly and consistently?
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I went through a couple weeks of learning how to fingerspin from scratch earlier this year. Here are the important things in order:
- Strong, horizontal throw
- Quickly getting the yoyo under control so you can pop it up
- Consistent, small pop up to land it at the right hight
- a. Following the yoyo with your finger so it lands just right inside the dimple
b. Adjusting after landing to move it into the dimple if it didn’t strike true - Bending at the knees to cushion the landing on your finger
- Keeping the finger loose so it doesn’t cause the yoyo to wobble
- Keeping the string away from the wall of the yoyo
Improving each of these steps can help. If you record yourself doing fingerspins you’ll be able to identify where you need to practice the most. Anything that takes away spin before it’s on your finger is the biggest enemy, I think.
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Thanks for all of the advice😄. I only have one more question: what is a good hight to pop the yo-yo up on my finger?
Aim for chest height, and once you land you can bring up or down for your comfort zone.
I’ve also found using a glove helps spin time, once you can consistently catch it, while you work on your binding!
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Thank you so much!
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So, the chest hight thing was working the first few times I tried it, but now the yo-yo is just bouncing off of my finger. What an I doing wrong?
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It was bouncing off of my finger too. Try to get a “soft finger” and maybe try bringing your hand down to absorb the impact of the fall.
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What’s a “soft finger” and how do you do it?
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Curl your finger gently and relax the muscles, instead of stiffening the finger.
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Ohhhhhhhh, now I get it!
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So the soft finger thing worked the first few times I did it, but now whenever I don’t land directly into the dimple, the Yo-yo just orbits around my finger a few times, and then flys off of my finger. What’s going on?
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It sounds like the yoyo is touching the soft part of your finger while it is orbiting. Just try to catch the yoyo dead center and it should stop.
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To get a good spin you really do need to land it right in the dimple. Sometimes the skyva (with a strong spin) will help guide your finger into the dimple, but that outer area has a shallower angle AND it’s grippier if you hit it with the pad of your finger. So, you gotta get it into the dimple quick if you don’t hit it right on.
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Try to meet your finger to your yoyo at the apex of the “pop up”. You don’t necessarily want the yoyo to drop down onto your finger, as this will make it more difficult to land on your finger and cause you to lose spin time. Also, don’t have your finger stiff, use a “soft finger” to help absorb any impact.
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I have a few tips, taken with a grain of salt. I am by no means an expert on finger spins. When i picked up the Delrin Wedge it made me feel like I was.
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I catch the yoyo as it is rising. I make contact between waist and sternum height. It makes for a super soft catch. I also throw at a slight angle and it seems to help lock it in. It also helped me get the feel. Now catching it higher is easier.
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For longer spin, after I catch it, I turn my hand over. Looks like I am pointing up at 45 degrees. It puts it directly on my fingernail. I bind it there or turn it back over.
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Last week I was at @YoYoExpert, and @AndreBoulay showed me a trick for catching different yoyos and centering them quick. It seems counter intuitive but catch with 2 fingers. Some yoyos balance better and you can immediately drop that middle finger. I was having some trouble with the shutter at times catching the center. The 2 fingers instantly put me there.
Hope that helps.
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Also, when it’s on your finger you can level the yo-yo (make it horizontal) by constantly moving your finger away from the direction of the tilt (i.e. toward the highest point on the edge of the yo-yo). It’s a circular horizontal movement, the same as leveling a spin top by moving away from the direction of the tilt, which is counter-intuitive.
When you get the hang of this, you can control the tilt of the yo-yo rather than relying completely on a soft finger. You can make it more or less level as you please.
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If you still need some help.
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Here too. 
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