Hey guys, long time no talk. I need your guys’ help, which I know I can rely on.
I’m starting to lose my passion for yo-yoing. Not to say I’m quitting, but as the title says, I’ve lost my vibe (dawg). I’ve forgotten my favorite combos, and I’m not as smooth with a yo-yo as I used to be. The second part I can fix no problem, it will take time but I think it’ll be worth it to ‘save’ a hobby like this. The first problem however, is where I need your guys’ help. I feel like I’ve seen every yo-yo tutorial that exists, and I’m simply not capable of creating my own tricks for whatever reason. How do I make up tricks? It’s a weird question, but I must ask. If not, just link me to some tutorials for unique stuff, and maybe you could help save me from losing this hobby.
I’m off school soon, so hopefully I can be more active here like I used to be. I hope to talk to you soon.
I don’t know if my advice counts for much since I don’t make my own tricks on yoyo yet. But I have other hobbies that rely on creation (painting, music, woodworking…) and the constant factor through all of them is:
Do a tonne of really crappy stuff that doesn’t work. A LOT of it. I don’t mean go out of your way to be crappy, I just mean don’t fear the garbage, just plunge into it and make heaps of mistakes. Get a lot of knots. Along the way, you will find some awesome stuff that DOES work, and I bet you’ll be hooked.
If you wanna make up tricks just do things that feel weird, bounces and hops that youve never done, as well as underpassing are just a few elements you might want to try. Look at othere videos for elements you might like.
What I did in the beginning where I really wanted to make my own combos, I would try to take elements for each trick I knew. For example, lindy loops in Double or Nothing, unravel, use momentum to continue to unravel into a trapeze, do an eli hop, etc.
If you want totally original tricks, just go to random strings in known mounts. Maybe hop onto the middle string of Double or nothing, and try to get something out of that.
Once you get past the overly long intro… there is a ton of stuff in this video. No tutorials for specific tricks, but just small little elements you can use to add to your arsenal of existing tricks to add your own flavour and spice to some old recipes:
Go into counterweight, off string, or something else (If you haven’t already). As far as making up tricks goes, start by stealing elements from your favourite tricks to come up with what I call “collage tricks”. Once you’ve done that, you can start making your own mounts and everything. Just get the yoyo into a new position and explore everything that you can do from there. Chances are you’ll come up with something completely unique.
I usually take up a new skill toy. I just got my first kendama friday. A lot of times getting a new yoyo helps get through that lull. Even if its a new cheap plastic. You should really try out kendamas or spintops though. It givess you something to go to when you get bored with yoyos
Maybe you should try a different style. You can get you hands on some 2A yoyos for around 10 to 15 dollars each. If you don’t have money, find a counterweight and use it for 5A. And for making up tricks, I just to something completely radical and viola! I have a new trick. I then teach it to my friend and he improves it. And if you lose sight of yoyoing, it may be how your life is supposed to go. If not, then you might find it again in a couple of years.