I have encountered a new phobia that is related to yoyoing. I’m afraid to throw the yoyo because I am afraid that it will have some kind of knot, and come right back up and hit me in the face. So far TODAY I have had 8 encounters of it being VERY CLOSE to hitting me. And had already had it hit me 2 times in the face and 1 time in the “area”. 11 today! And counting. I am getting knots a lot because I am new to binding and get knots every single time I bind (I’m learning) and have to untangle the dang string every single time I bring a bind back. How can I have this stop? Lol, I flinch every time I throw and can’t help it no matter how hard I try.
Don’t throw a break away after you bind. Throw a front throw, make sure you dont have a knot, then start.
1 Like
I also have a minor form of this phobia, try being very jerky when you do the bind, I know it sounds a bit weird, but short and choppy binds prevent less room for there to be knots, and when you are proficient enough to do binds easily you can start binding, and throwing without worrying (much) about hitting your head. I hope this helps.
You should be getting to where you can feel when your getting one.
2 Likes
Actually I have been doing front throws this whole time and also, I should not have to untangle the string every SINGLE time I throw. If this problem happens with my poly strings and DM2 that arrives tomorrow, then I quit. Hopefully it won’t happen
The only way to get rid of it is to stop worrying about it. If you believe it will happen, it will. But really, use your reflexes. You’ll be fine. Once you get a scar? Good. You’ve become a real yoyo player. We all get hit at some point. Some tips to avoid it would be
- Don’t leave tangles. Ever. Ever. You WILL forget.
- Do a gentle test throw to get any kinks out
- Manage your string tension. Spaghetti string causes knots and tangles.
- Just have fun. Your reflexes DO exist. If you aren’t afraid of it, it’s less likely to happen. You may not believe me but this is a placebo effect. Just don’t worry about it, like I said. You will be just fine. Feel free to message me if you ever need more tips. Hope this helps!
2 Likes
WHich bind are you doing? Are you using the one at 54 seconds in the bind video from the brain twister mount? That one knots more.
Do the one at 1:30 in andre’s bind return video. You should get fewer knots.
1 Like
I had this same problem. Throw very lightly until you get over your phobia. Worst comes to worst, you get a little bonk on the head.
Once you get better at binding, this shouldn’t happen. And not to state the obvious, but to avoid this, just check if you have a knot…
If I know correctly, I believe I am doing the front-mount bind. And to everybody else, my New Velocity isn’t a pro yoyo, and it messes up quite a bit (sometimes is it me, sometimes it is the yoyo) sometimes it will bind perfectly, sometimes when I yank the string for it to come back to me when I am in my bind position, the yoyo will fall right back down as if I did not do anything. So I guess the true tester to see if it is me or the yoyo is when I get my DM2 tomorrow. And I know, it happens. Sometimes I get knots, but, I have to check for them EVERY SINGE TIME I throw! It’s crazy! I’ll just order a custom face mask and put some bulletproof glasses on LOLOLOLOL.
If it helps, it won’t just happen with binds. My Chik snagged on a trick yesterday and launched itself into my mouth. Thank goodness I wasn’t smiling otherwise I would have lost a tooth. It flipping hurt. 
First, you just have to play more, then you’ll get over it. I rarely even get bind knots now. I think the reason is I’m doing a “better” bind.
I found that, when doing the bind, pulling your throw hand UP instead of your non throw hand DOWN actually helps you to bind better, and with less knots.
Wow, I can’t believe that that actually helped quite a dang bit! Thanks! And to the guy above, jeez that really does stink. You should get some custom made bulletproof mouthguards.
I didnt hav problems with my velocity when i started. Its what i used to learn to bind, it has a b bearing so it’s easier to bind then stuff like the dm2 which has a c bearing
Yeah, I found the Velocity to play pretty well. More than likely, it’s not the yoyo, but your technique. It’s okay though, after a bit, you’ll smooth it out naturally.
Glad to have helped!
It has an A bearing, not a B.
Harry Truman said; “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.”
However that is not really my advice. The fact of the matter is developing your skills will take lots of practice, until then you gotta be careful. Take it slowly at first, don’t throw so hard you’ll chip a tooth on an errant throw. Don’t hope to qualify for World’s your first month. Give yourself time to progress without biting off more than you’re ready to chew right off the bat. Give yourself a break, don’t put unreasonable expectations on yourself early on. When watching the tutorials André can make things look so easy we tell ourselves; “Well shoot, I should be able to do that.” But it ain’t that easy my friend. It takes time and lots of practice. In the mean time realize you’re probably on par with other kids who have thrown as long as you have. I’d bet you’re doing a lot better than you’re allowing yourself to believe you are.
Don’t get too discouraged and give up. Don’t quit. You have to realize the folks you see videos of throwing on here and YouTube and stuff have been doing this for quite a while and they too have had to bob and weave to avoid catching a high speed spinning chunk of aluminum in the eye.
(BTW, just today at lunch I bounced my Arctic Circle off the top of my head. It happens. You come to bear your scars as a badge of honor.)
every way into a knot has a way out.
find it. ;D
It’s a tough fear to get over. I myself busted my forehead because of a knotted yoyo hitting me. Just be confident that it’ll never happen again. While you’re at it, you can work on your binds so it doesn’t knot. Most of the time it’s a bad bind that gives you that knot. And keep your string tension on check :]
Or work on your reflexes. Seems like you got it down 'cause you got near misses :]