Okay, so I have not been doing yoyo since I bought them. I’ve been having a tough year with anxiety and depression, and I would like to know because i’m really now wanting to get into learning tricks. Now, how do you know where to set your string? I was told, do you wanna put it up to your belly button but somebody brought something up to me that some yo yos play better. With long strings, some play better with short string. So how do you know.
I want to take yo yo more serious and definitely get into it. I had my doctor take me off all my medication, because all it does is make me foggy headed and it doesn’t really help it actually causes more issues than good. I’ve had more sickness and side effects from depression, medications than I have had relief
For me the bellybutton technique is too short. I would say that’s a good length for responsive play but when it comes to unresponsive I want the string as long as I can get before I hit the carpet on a clean breakaway
Hold your arm straight out, the length to the floor is about right. Some play longer, some play shorter. In the end, it’s really just your preference. Shorter string can be easier to learn on.
id start a little above your belly button. that’ll give you more control as you’re getting the basics. as you develop some skill you may begin to learn tricks that will require more string to keep your hands comfortably separated during denser mounts. as others have said, it will become preference and trick dependent but should have nothing to do with what yoyo you’re playing unless you’re going mini. my own journey i started too long, shortened it to about halfway between my belly button and my sternum while getting comfortable, then lengthened it over time as needed until now i just use the whole string which for the ones i use lands me at about the middle of my sternum
no wrong answers though and experimentation is highly recommended
So I was watching a Gentry Stein video and he places his string at his elbow. So if I do the strength to my elbow, that’s about two inches above my belly button, I actually don’t mind it being there. So I might just try it.
I bought two hundred strings, so I have more than enough strings to screw around with
Work your way up to avoid damaging all your yoyos. Couple of inches above your belly at a time. If you notice pros wrap string around their throw hands
In theory, taller people could have naturally longer strings. I think it’s all relative after someone’s been playing for a while though. We’ve all swapped yo-yos where someone has a longer/shorter string than expected, every string seems longer or shorter than something else, until something else that comes along that is longer or shorter than the last.
Something I run into is kids have shorter strings in general, because it’s easier for them to control. (I also tie a lot of string lengths for kids) But when I use their yoyo, I can barely bind because of my technique/muscle memory is used to binding with longer strings, and the short string makes it harder due to where I undermount and pinch.
Another interesting thing to think about is people with broad shoulders will theoretically have slightly longer string as well, due to the distance between their arms being naturally wider when holding a double or nothing or something like that.
edit: I’m probably worse off for it as I don’t control the toyo as well but I am happier this way and no fact or statistic anyone can shos up can tell me to cut my string shorter.
And honestly… with the beautiful string I get custom made from boutique makers, having the string be longer lets those BEAUTIFUL fades shine and not be lost from being cut too short . For me the string has a lot of personality and having it too short feels weird. I like having more to play with even if it’s going to be harder to learn with. Whatever works for you we all have our reasons!
shorter string gives you more speeed/control. i throw in cramped areas and around other people so i cut my loop to sit below my hip. this limits my tech potential because i run out of string faster but i dont do a ton of tech.
longer string will also make your play slower, and is what i theorize is responsible for that jerky awkward intermediate playstyle. so you dont want it to be too long where it feels like youre swinging a mace around because it affects your flow if youre counterbalancing a lot of torque or whatever.
basically, experiment! everyone has a different height and armspan. ive always felt belly button is too long fwiw
i put my left pinky finger in my belly button, loop the string over my palm and onto the back of my hand, and pinch directly where the inside of my thumb touches my hand, then that’s the top of the loop. i do this while wearing a specific pair of slippers to keep things consistent. obviously.
string length is a pretty specific thing for everyone from what i have observed. it’s down to personal preference.
i started 3 fingers above the top of my belly button. that was where the top of my loop was tied. now i base it on the bottom of my sternum (xiphoid process) as i have come to prefer a longer string. it’s whatever is comfortable for you though. also, this is just for non-responsive throws. for modern responsive/responsive like my RBC, string length is roughly a full hand length below my belly button, or from my outstretched middle finger to the center of my chest. it’s quite the scientific method of determining length, i know.
i would say to experiment with different lengths and see what feels best. strings are cheap and you just bought a bunch.
So I cut a couple of my yoyos to about five fingers above my belly button and i’m kind of enjoying it, right where it’s at the other good thing is because the strength’s not so short is when it comes back up to you. It’s not whipping up so fast. And I have a little more time to react to the catch.
Yeah, I ended up buying two hundred OT fat string and i have about twenty open another string that I don’t know what it is. It was given to me, and I can’t remember exactly what it was.
I’m going to start practicing starting todayI’m going to start practicing starting today. Because I borrow all these yoyos and to be honest with, you haven’t even touched any of them.
I mean, I do throw, but i’m only throwing forward for now. I really do need to learn a really good breakaway
I would start with the standard floor to navel length and play that until it becomes familiar (hopefully enough that you aren’t hitting the floor.)
Then cut a string several inches shorter. I think you will notice pretty quickly that everything moves faster, which can take some adjustment. You will probably also notice that some basic tricks/mounts will be easier to land. Others with mote complicated /numerous wraps will get harder because everything is more cramped.
Then leave a string a few inches longer. This slows things down as the yo-to takes longer to swing around. The extra time/length can also reduce accuracy. OTOH, there is more room between the hands for complicated tricks/mounts, and that extra lateral leeway can make things easier still.
Once you have a feel for the differences at the extremes, you can decide which is better for you right now, and make adjustments to the standard.
The key is, YMMV.
Edit to add: playing with a long string forces you to play with your hands higher to avoid dings, but I think this is also just a good habit to have in general.
. For me the string has a lot of personality and having it too short feels weird. I like having more to play with even if it’s going to be harder to learn with. Whatever works for you we all have our reasons!