So the idea behind this thread is to list videos that inspired me to learn how to spin tops, along with the videos that continue to inspire me. I hope to post another video every other day or so, and by the time it is done it should be a descent little collection. Many top spinners have already seen all of these videos, but we forget the newer players may have not seen them, there’s a lot of stuff to sift through out there. Please do not hijack this thread.
THE Video that got me hooked on spin tops was this one with Gerardo Montero. The music is a little overwhelming for the video, but this was the first time I saw somebody putting runs of different regenerations together in a smooth cohesive package of awesomeness. And freshness. And he does it all with a top that is similar to a Duncan Imperial spin top, except it spins smooth and has a metal tip, and has awesome graphics, and well, anyway…
Matt Ritter is an a amazing spin top player with a distinguishable style; lots of whips and behind the back stuff. He even has his own whip called the Ghost Catch - that’s the one you see in slow-mo a couple of times. Matt worked at Infinite Illusions years ago and you can kinda see the yo-yo and juggling influences in his tricks. I still can’t do that dang Ghost Catch.
This video is on Takeshi’s You Tube channel, Yay!
The second catch at 3:23 is pretty much impossible.
Allright, this next one is the one that got me serious about regenerating. This is Catherine, a.k.a. “Spin Queen,” a.k.a. “Cowgirl Sam”. I have met her, she is a marvelous addition to the human race. Anyways, I found her videos inspiring because, well to be honest, there she was, this girl on you tube who could whip my butt at spinning tops. I fell in love immediately (like in a hero kind of way, not in a relationship way, i’m happily married and all ;D ).
Learning spin top regenerations is a downright frustrating and difficult activity that takes gobs and gobs of dedication. When you finally get it, that’s all you want to do, over and over. Some spin top videos are kind of boring for this reason, but if you get there, you will know…
This video is more recent, and it features who I consider to be the best top spinner in the world, perhaps ever. He is Gustavo Castro, and he is an amazing player.
Jakub Konečný is an amazing player from the Czech Republic. His brother Daniel is a fantastic player also. I have borrowed several moves from them, more than they have borrowed from me, I think. Anyway this is at 2011 Czech Nationals, where they do a round-robin best throw of three kind of format.
OK so here’s me. I feel a little odd posting a video of myself in a list of my favorite videos, but what I like about this one so much is the response from the crowd. This was at a juggling festival, so the other shows had a lot more “show” in them. Even without much showmanship on my part, the crowd was awesome, very receptive to the tricks themselves.
Takeshi Kamisato unveiled Top Tangler at 2004 Nationals in Chico. My head exploded.
While attempting to learn Top Tangler in 2008, David Buhrmester came up with Synthetic Tangler. My eyeballs popped out of my exploded head.
I like to think of David as the Doc Pop of top spinning. Genius player. He has a TON of videos up on you tube. If you think you’ve come up with something new for spin tops, watch these videos before hoisting your flag.
This is a compilation video I put together featuring Strommol8 spin tops and a group of players from the iTopSpin forum. It is sort of a snapshot in time of the active forum members in early 2011.
This is Tyler Young. He got second recently at the Czech yo-yo nationals, spin top division. Jakub Konečný won, but it could not have been by much because Tyler’s routine is solid.
OK this one is a little different, it is more about a single trick on the video rather than the video as a whole. This is Pulpowsky (top spinner from Spain) in one of his early videos that demonstrates some basic fixed tip tricks… at least I thought they were basic until I tried the trick he does at 0:53. It is called Acensor, meaning lift, like an elevator (there are a couple of tricks called Acensor actually, but this one is the more difficult one). Anyway, in my book, if you can do this trick you are a certified top spinner. You must exhibit control of the precession to be able to execute this trick, and you can’t do it if you lack patience. Can you tell I have been watching Avatar the last Airbender with my son again?
The week that Mark McBride, Steve Brown and I shot this video was perhaps one of the best times of my life. Steve only gave me a few weeks notice that I had better work on my top skills because we are going to shoot an instructional video. I was not an accomplised spinner then, but I was learning from two of the best at the time, Steve Brown and Jon Gates (Dave Bazan and Herman Lao were also incredible then, but I had no opportunity to learn from them). After this video I did’t spin tops again until 2009 when I met Ta0. That’s another story.
ANYWAY, there is a little bit of incorrect advice in this video. One example is to cut your string to be as high as your collar… don’t do that. DO have a ridiculous amount of fun with your top though.
In 2009 we took a family vacation to Orlando Florida, and we planned it so I could stop by the World Yo-Yo Contest and see what had been going on the last eight years. My mind was blown, unresponsive play didn’t really exist the last time I threw a yo-yo. It was actually un-inspiring in a way, the gap between my skill level and everyone else in the room seemed so vast I never even took out a yo-yo. I have caught up a little since then, but what really grabbed my attention at Worlds 2009 was meeting a guy who calls himself ta0. That’s T - A - zero, it is his screen name and the name of his website; ta0.com.
I saw ta0 off in a corner foot starting a top (like snap starting but by stomping the top in the ground). I was all like WAT. I approached him and he recognized me immediately from the video above; HTBAP vol 2. He showed me a couple of tricks that blew me away, including Stariway to Heaven, which is like corkscrew but you walk the top UP your arm. I joined his spin top forum immediately and I basically live there now.
ta0 has numerous you-tube videos and many more on his site, so it is hard to pick a video that shows all that is ta0, but let’s try this one. This was back when S8 came out with it’s second wave of tops.
These videos have all been amazing and inspirational. I have some spin tops and I’m still working at throwing them right. I don’t expect to be amazing, but these videos really keep me going.
I’m more into yoyo. But I do want some spin top skills too! Please, keep adding to this thread!
