Guide For Begginers

General Yo-Yo
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Want to know how to start Yo-yo-ing? Read on!

Choosing a Yo-Yo
There are many Yo-Yo’s out there. Prices range from $2 to $200. I have compiled a list of recommended Yo-Yo’s here. (Note prices may be different from the ones listed.) Also, remember, a Yo-Yo doesn’t have to be costly for it to spin longer or for you to be good at it. Just practice.
Another thing to keep in mind, is that these Yo-Yo’s are unresponsive. That means that they will not come up with the tug of a string. You must perform a “Bind” for them to return. Although I don’t think the Bumblebee is unresponsive.

$10 * For just wanting to try out the sport

  • One
  • Whip
  • Bumblebee
  • Classic “I recently just started and a friend who’s been throwing for quite some time told me to get the YYJ Classic. I absolutely love the thing and he is very fond of it as well. It’s also insanely cheap, $10 for the Yo-yo and you can just pick up a bearing for cheap to make it unresponsive.” - LuckyBogg

$15 * For just wanting to try out the sport while buying a better Yo-Yo capable of more tricks

  • F.A.S.T.
  • Kickside

$20 * These Yo-Yo’s are great because they can achieve more tricks. This is pretty much where your Yo-Yo does not affect your skill level.

  • Velocity
  • LynFury

$30

  • Trigger “For $30, a better choice in my humble opinion is the YYJ Trigger. It doesn’t “feel” like a metal (it’s still a plastic after all!) but it performs the same as many metals… stable, long-spinning, etc.” - GregP
  • Grind Machine
    The Grind Machine is practically a $20 Yo-Yo, just that it has hubstacks. Hubstacks are bearings on the side of the Yo-Yo which allow the player to grab the Yo-Yo in mid air.

There are lots more Yo-Yo’s out there, these are just recommended. If you really can’t decide, try looking for some friends near you who Yo-Yo. They might let you try their Yo-Yo out. If you wonder what I started with, I got a DV888. It costs $50 dollars. (Yes pretty dumb of me but it turned out fine as I learned how to bind in a day)

How to Yo-Yo

There are a lot of people who make tutorial videos on Youtube. Here is a list of tricks in increasing difficulty.

-Sleeper
-Side Throw
-Rock the Baby
-Elevator
-Braintwister
-Trapeze
-Split the Atom
-Double or Nothing
-Mach 5
-Cold Fusion
-Pop’n’Fresh
-Gerbil
-Plastic Whip
-Eli Hop
-Boingy Boingy
-Gyroscopic Flop
-Kwijibo
-Hook
-Suicide Catch
-Iron Whip
-Kamikaze
-Sprit Bomb

After learning these tricks, you should start experimenting by thinking of your own, or making combos. A combo is a series of tricks put together. For example: Sleeper+Trapeze+Eli Hop+Braintwister= Combo. I personally only learned 9 or 12 tricks before making up my own tricks and combos.

(This concludes today but I’ll be back)

(Thanks for suggestions GregP and LuckyBogg)

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I like this idea, when I started I was so lost. I didn’t no anything.

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I have a question about your Yo-yo suggestions. I recently just started and a friend who’s been throwing for quite some time told me to get the YYJ Classic. I absolutely love the thing and he is very fond of it as well. It’s also insanely cheap, $10 for the Yo-yo and you can just pick up a bearing for cheap to make it unresponsive. I guess really I’m just suggesting you maybe put it on the list!

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Seconded. The problem with lists like this is that they are hard to complete and also hard to maintain. The benefit is that at least it’s “somewhere” to start. :wink:

The Classic with the large bearing will handle string tricks more easily than the Lyn Fury, which is a little bit on the “light, short-spinning, and slightly unstable” side (not that it’s bad; I love it… just that it’s a more challenging throw).

For $30, a better choice in my humble opinion is the YYJ Trigger. It doesn’t “feel” like a metal (it’s still a plastic after all!) but it performs the same as many metals… stable, long-spinning, etc.

Runner up for me in that price range is the YYJ Chaser. I don’t like the Grind Machine at all, but that’s just preference.

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