Yeah, maybe I should’ve said “1 minute freestyle”…
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The pads on my G2 Ghost and the response area in my OD Cabal are starting to get the neon yellow color of the strings I use.
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I probably barely have 3 minutes. And ive been in the game of yo for 10
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That’s kinda wild! I never would have thought that would happen but it makes complete sense. Not sure if I consider that a bug or a feature (of white plastic yoyos). 
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You post a different trick like twice a week tf you talking about 
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Lol, sometimes when in learning a new trick that involves an intermediary element that is in one of my typical combos, I’ll absentmindedly abandon the new trick and fall into my usual flow by accident.
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I feel your comment. I like to remember that all of us are better at yoyo than 99% of people everywhere… not just those around today, but all people ever. Not that better matters much 
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I’m not looking to impress civilians who have no interest in and little appreciation for what we do with these things. Being better than 99% of the GP at something they don’t even think once about (much less twice) is setting the bar depressingly low. My personal measure of success is more along the lines of, “Could I hang with the dedicated enthusiasts out there and not embarrass myself?”
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Here’s a change in topic…though it still relates seeing as so many of us are obsessed with this hobby.
How do you prevent burn out? Not with just this hobby…but with any hobby you’ve been super into.
I have a long history of jumping into hobbies head first like I’ve done with yoing…these hobbies become my world! It’s the only thing I care about…it pumps me up and I love them deeply.
Then something negative happens and flips a switch in my brain. I very rapidly burn out at that point and then it’s like I just wake up one day and completely drop it like it never meant a thing to me. All the passion and obsessing, the enthusiasm and momentum…it’s just gone.
Anyone relate with this?
I’d love to find a way to work on this. To find a balance and to find a way to push ahead instead of quitting completely.
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I tend to move away from a hobby only after stumbling into a new one that comes to dominate my attention and fascination. So I guess you could say that a big reason I’m still yoyoing after a year is that nothing else has come along to displace it yet.
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Yoyoing is something I’ll always come back to. There’s nothing else quite like it for me, too many memories associated with it.
When I was going through chemo I had to give up a lot of stuff, most notably playing hockey at a really high level. I was that kid who was good at everything they picked up, but I didn’t envision myself ever doing anything in life except playing hockey. But when I got cancer that was all gone. I still could play street hockey and I was on what was essentially team USA for street hockey for my age range, but I was off the ice for too long and could never go back to playing at the same level.
When I found the yo-yo world it was incredible. The forums, especially TheYo but YoYoNation as well, were a great source for me to stay positive and i spent many hours with my IV machine next to me at the hospital online interacting with the community. My mom, stepdad and dad would take me to Northampton,MA from New Hampshire to the store Andre now runs for yo-yo school and to the once a month yo-yo club meet and it was the most amazing thing to me. Not to mention the various contests like NER and MA states, and the IYYC in New York.
Everyone I’ve ever met has been incredible to be around and the yo-yo community has always felt like a second family. Andre and Eric Koloski, Daniel Dietz, and all of the other Northampton throwers were great to me. And Heath of Vs Newton was super cool to me as well and it’s why I can’t stand when people give him crap. I may never have been able to play hockey professionally, but I got to be a sponsored yoyoer.
Anyway I didn’t plan to type that much but I’m not exactly sober right now lol. Sorry for the wall of text. Yo-yo people are the best even if we can be jerks like with Gentry situation sometimes.
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How long have you been throwing Durfee? I wasn’t aware you were ever sponsored…that’s really cool man! 
I loved theyo forums. A ton of great regulars there when I was a part of it.
You ever get out and do some street hockey still?
I enjoyed reading your so called ‘wall’. 
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So I’ve been throwing probably around 13 years, but the last 7 or 8 years I’ve gone months and at times over a year without even picking up a yo-yo, and it’s been very sporadic.
And thanks for the positive comment, I didn’t necessarily want to say anything before because i didn’t want to cause you pain by thinking about it but I totally relate to your story about your mother. Mine did almost everything for me during my years of treatment and for quite a few years afterward. It’s only been the last few years where I’ve started to feel confident in myself again.
I think we would really get along if we ever met irl. Oh and I’ve played in some men’s leagues here and there but don’t have as much time for it now that I’m working more.
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Just go at your own pace and dont force yourself to throw. Just throw because you enjoy it.
I went through a phase where I was really inactive in the yoyo community from like 2012 to 2016 give or take. I didnt really create any new tricks, buy yoyos or follow what was going on but I would still throw for enjoyment.
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bruh stop eXPoSinG mE
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It is super weird! On pads i get it but for solid machined delrin to absorb the yellow dye of the strings, it is indeed wild.
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Play with yoyos because you enjoy playing with yoyos.
Sure, collecting and following what is happening is part of the hobby for some but to keep that up you either need a lot of money or no other interests in your life. Appreciate what you have instead of always wanting more and most importantly to reiterate, do it for the pure enjoyment!
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I can partially relate, but every hobby that ive obsessed over incredibly hard always has a place in my life. I have stopped riding my sport ATV on a daily basis, but I still enjoy it a lot when I ride. Though at the moment id rather get my HD back on the road and go for a cruise than ride the Z400 or WR450 (dirtbike) offroad.
I also went through a 10 year span where the only thing I wanted to do was either read manga or watch anime. If i found a new series I was obsessed with, I could get right back into it like it was yesterday, but I havent watched a single new anime in almost 2 years.
Another hobby I have is playing tennis, but the difficulty with that is finding competitive partners at your same level to play with. I also busted a string on my racket and need to restring it before I go play again. I still want to, albeit im a bit out of shape atm.
I also love to read. Always fiction, I love my sci-fi and more recently fantasy. There was a time in my life where I was burned out (college), so I didn’t read for fun at all during that time period, but once I got to the point where I wasn’t studying 24/7, I got back into it heavy for a while, and still listen to audio books whenever possible.
So, I can understand where you are coming from to a certain extent, but I find that hobbies im passionate about always come back in full force once I indulge in them again. The great thing about yoyo is that is doesnt necessarily require a lot of time. You can throw for 5 minutes and still get something out of it. I may not be as obsessed with it 10 years from now (or I will, idk), but ill probably always have a yoyo in short reach on the counter to mess around with. Unlike other hobbies, yoyo can be just a quick session to relax yourself here and there. It is almost like a cigarette addiction, except with no negative consequences.
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I’m the same with reading. Reading is a big part of my life even though I sometimes go months (sometimes even years) reading very little. When this happens I don’t worry because I know it is always there and that I WILL return to it when it feels right.
The one constant for me and has been since I was 14 is music (I;m now 36 so that;s 22 years)
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Oh yea, I forgot to include my main hobby which is metal (mostly death, stoner, and heavy, but black and thrash as well). I have been into music for as long as ive been alive (4th grade), and have been obsessed ever since. I have a huge collection of CDs, vinyls, and cassettes, and have gone to several hundred live shows (ive seen ~50-60 bands this year alone, festivals included). I also have a love for classical as well (contemporary as well as traditional). I can go months without a dedicated album listen, but I always go back one way or another.
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