I was walking to school with my kids today, and I was using my Unleashed. I’d been working on doing inside loops to an around the world. It’s coming along at least on my right hand.
My kids tend to walk way in front of me.
As I did the around the world portion, the person behind me said “Hey, look out”. Odd, I didn’t realize there was someone was like right behind me. I told the person “you don’t need to be right up behind me”.
Now, this got me to thinking: What it that person was trying to mug me? I could have just saved myself from a potential violent crime, or at least had a couple of extra tools on me to fight off an attacker, even if I only got one shot off.
The reality was it was a kid, and he was walking ahead of his mother who was pushing a stroller and he was trying to get a closer look at what I was doing. Apparently, another Ned-show fan who couldn’t get a crappy yo-yo from the school. I think this kid needs to make some judgement decisions about “personal space” and “how close is too close”.
I didn’t hear the kid behind me because of traffic noise, combined with me focusing on trying to do good loops and this new thing I’m working on. Also, shadows wouldn’t be of any help because the sun was in front of me. What is good is that he didn’t get hurt.
This also brings up an interesting point: Situational awareness. We need to be aware of what might be in “our space” when we throw so we can minimize or eliminate injuries to ourself(well…) or others. At YoLex meets, I’ve found this impossible since people keep stepping into my “bubble”. At the kid’s school, I’ve learned that no matter how far away from others I go, they still want to pass 3 inches from my face even if that means going way out of their way to do so. I also have to ask kids to back up/move away while I’m throwing so they don’t get hit.
Yoyo didn’t save my life. Yoyo wasn’t used as a weapon, at least not in this situation. Someone still could have gotten accidentally smacked though. Be aware of your surroundings when you’re trying to have some fun.
Yeah, man. For some reason kids just want to walk right into the area that I’m going to throw when I’m practicing trapezes and loops in the hallway at the school gymnasium in between classes. I Have no idea why…
But seriously, it’s hilariously frustrating to be throwing and somebody comes to talk to you and get a closer look and they REALLY get a CLOSER LOOK; and as I move to get them out of the line of fire they are moving farther into it :
When I’m at my kid’s school, I am on a blacktop area that is large enough to hold 8 basketball courts. I also move way away from everyone, so it’s not like I am in a crowd or anything. I’m usually 60-100 feet away from everyone else “doing my own thing”. So, people are going out of their way to be IN my way.
Yesterday, some kid was too close to the “line of fire”. He said “I won’t get hit”. I made him move anyways before I threw a break-away. I am pretty sure that kid saw he was probably not standing in the best place before I made him move.
I haven’t had this problem. I’m not exposed to many crowds though. Plus I do 1a which is fairly easy to keep close to you and not swinging around. Maybe in high school I will have this problem.
This past summer I went to Washington DC with my fiancé. On our first day out before we left I was throwing in our hotel room using my DM2. But right before we left I switched to my DV888. After a few things I heard about the city I figure better safe then sorry. I had it on a climbing hook attached to my belt loop. Thankfully didn’t have to use it other then throwing lol.
Haha! Thanks for clarifying in that last paragraph. But I honestly find it so annoying when I have been yoyoing in places, (Large cities such as Baltimore, Chicago, New York, and Orlando. As well as hallways of places like school, church etc.) and someone will walk right in front of me and either bump me or something ridiculous, its pretty clear they could get hurt and that I have no interest in their business.
84 grams of angled goodness. Pretty sure one could kill a man with one of those…
Of course, I live in the UK. So even if I got caught carrying around an undersized metal yoyo and bumped into a policeman that decided he didn’t like my face, I’d still end up doing 4 years in a 6’ by 8’ cell at the mercy of a guy they call “Big Trevor”.
I’ve experienced this more with poi than yo-yo as I’ve spun them in public more. People will expect you to stop before they walk into your poi! Poi spins in a very predictable pattern, and they spin behind me. I’ve had people walk right into the line of fire behind me where I can’t see because they expect me to stop spinning at their approach. I found it to be absolutely ridiculous.
I remember when I was yo-yoing outside with my brother. He did Sebby Brock’s clock trick and instead of landing on trapeze it hit my yoyo causing a smoking smell.
Right arm still bruised really bad but unless something hits it, it’s not bugging me.
When the incident happened, I was doing the around the world transition from inside loops with my right arm.
Left handed looping is a touch more consistent. Not where I’d like it to be but slowly improving. Then again, some days, forget it, it ain’t happening!
Better than my experience yesterday, where a kid was demanding I give him a yoyo. “Do you have another yoyo?”, he asked? “yes”, I replied. “Can I have it?”, he asked. “No” I replied. This followed by variations on “Can I have it” and “Give it to me” to “[expletive delete]”.
I didn’t realize I was a walking yoyo donation station. I ain’t giving stuff away.
My thoughts:
If parents want their kids to have a yoyo, they should be the ones facilitating that to happen, by procuring one for their child, or enabling the child to have the means to get one themselves.
Lol. 2 of my friends love to do this. i start yoyoing, and they start talking to me. They move closer, and i move away to try not hit them. They keep on talking and move closer, i move away, they move closer, until im at a wall. Its so anoying! Especally when they have bad breath.
I have never had this problem. People always stay back when I am yoyoing. by back i mean at least 1 foot from me. which has always seemed to be enough room.
That being said I have heard you complain about kids asking for yoyos many times. This is also something I have never had happen. I do nearly all my yoyoing in public places. I don’t yoyo at home much at all.
These two things lead me to believe I must look scary, or you must look really nice. or maybe a combo of both. Maybe just take people wanting to be close to you and think you will give them something for free as a complement? lol Anyhow this post was more for jest then anything continue on with your conversation.
