Interesting observations and other stuff nobody is going to read, July 26, 2012

General Yo-Yo
1

OK, I said I wasn’t going post anything like this until after my gigs this weekend, but the promoter/producer changed load-in to noon, so I can be up late.

I also know people DO read this. I thank you for tolerating me!

As many of you have been tracking my progres, you know I’ve been throwing 14 months now and my progress hasn’t been exactly stellar, but you also know I don’t care about that because I’m too busy having fun.

Last weekend, I did sound for YoLexTravaganza. While a small event, it was full of quality people, and as a result, it was a great event. Size is NOT important. You know if Dr. YoYo is there, you know it’s gonna be a good event. Joseph Harris was there, and he recognized me and remembered my kid and was talking about that to others. Gentry Stien was also there. Odd how the names recognize me. I mean, I’m just some nobody doing sound, and they are the stars. There were also some other amazing players. I love doing sound at contests.

After my gigs this weekend, I’m aggressively going after Nationals. I was going to contact them Monday, but the promoter/producer/friend who is doing the shows this weekend needed to ensure some work was done. Since I handle production and video editing, it was my responsibility. I’m angry because I totally did the job wrong, but it was all figured out before showtime, so all should be fine. Caught and fixed before showtime, that’s all that matters. But I was up late Sunday, Monday and Tuesday until 3 AM so I’m kinda wiped. I loaded the truck mostly by myself Wednesday. Thursday, my friend, theroybit, came over and helped me get some gear configured and repaired and finished loading. He’s going to be helping me at the gigs this weekend and we may be teaching some cast members to yoyo as part of the 80’s theme one show has. Nothing major but if we can get them to gravity pull and sleep some light-up throws, we’ll be good.

So, now the portion that “inspired” me to post here.

Again, those who have been stalking me and my yoyo progress, you know I’ve been struggling through Kwijibo. The Expert Village video staring Andre was very helpful, but it wasn’t really working for me. However, this isn’t a “slam a video”. It’s just merely saying I needed more help. Combining the presentation from Andre with the One Drop video by Brett Grimes and the High Speed YoYo video, also by Brett Grimes, I got what I needed to get started, and now, to be able to perform it almost every single time. Not bad for 3 weeks of progress for me!

The past couple of days, things started really coming together. But I think a little background is in order. Most of you know I’m 40 and I started at age 39 in this activity. Before I got into this, I can’t really say what I am trying to get out. I guess my mind was tired or bored or simply not fully engaged or something. Depression sure doesn’t help either. I’ve mentioned before that since I took up the yoyo, not only is my non-medicated(because I refuse to use the meds) depression seems to be more under control, but as well, my creativity has come back. That’s where I’m leading to things regarding the brain, or at least my brain, my reflexes and other senses.

The past couple of days, I noticed things were different. Before, I could land the trick once in a while, but it felt more luck than skill. I could do the first pop, but if I don’t land it, I know why. The second pop seemed luck, with SOME degree of skill. The last pop, well, I sometimes miss it, but that’s OK too.

Now, I’m actually SEEING the second pop and am able to make the necessary adjustments to ensure it lands on the string. The speed hasn’t changed, but I am mixing it up by using all sorts of yoyos. Why so many yoyos? I just don’t want to get too used to anything. The universe hasn’t slowed down. I haven’t acquired any super powers. It just appears that it seems that my brain seems to be working a bit faster, along with my eyes.

I’m serious. What was a blur a few days ago, it’s now pretty darn clear. I’m not really doing anything different. I think I’m finally acquiring additional skills over my time throwing that probably many of the rest of you develop earlier on, and probably comes easier for many of you. I think all this exercising of fine motor skills and making my brain do some extra work, I think its waking out of this fog it’s been lost in and has finally blown it out and is working at proper speed again.

This is great. I mean, seeing INSIDE the trick, seeing what I need to do and the body responding to it and acting properly. I know I have a long way to go, but I feel I’ve gotten over some sort of major hurdle here. Now it’s starting to make sense how all you guys(and gals) can do some of the amazing stuff you can do.

Just like anything else, if you don’t use it, it stagnates. I guess the brain isn’t any different. Doing IT has become routine. Doing audio has become routine. Doing events has become routine. It’s not the challenge it used to be. I always try to push myself and learn more, but I know so much that adding new stuff isn’t that big of a deal, it’s just a natural extension of something else. Yoyo is completely unlike any of that other stuff. I think it’s just letting parts of my brain wake up, it just took a long time for them to fully come back and engage.

What do you think? Or maybe I’m just up too darn late again and I should get to bed?

If you’re in Sacramento, check out the Colonial Theater this weekend. Friday we’re doing Rocky Horror Picture Show and Saturday we’re doing Repo The Genetic Opera. I’m handling sound, lighting and projections. Make sure you acknowledge my hard working crew, I can’t do this without them!

2

I’ve only just started yoyoing (can’t even bind) and waiting for a proper yoyo to come in the mail, but I got into yoyoing just by seeing a yoyo in a 2 dollar shop, buying it and having fun with the 3-5 second sleep time it provided, walking the dog and rock the cradle before it spun out, but since then I’ve been reading more and more on everything and discovered that what I thought was just a fun little toy that a whole underworld empire has been built upon ( I say this as for the 18 years of my life I’ve never heard of professional yoyos and such advanced tricks and so many people getting into it) as well as a lot of others that know nothing about yoyoing, got off topic, but all I wanted to say is that the majority of your post talking about yoyoing and how it has changed your life and opened up areas of your brain and the way you described the tricks was/is really inspirational and I wish you the best of luck in yoyoing and your Life in the future :slight_smile: can’t wait to get my yoyo so I can get into it :slight_smile: p.s can’t wait for your next update!

3

I just started to get on these forums and have found your entries very inspiring, also I think that it’s great that some well known people recognized you and your son. Hopefully one day I can start to even practice trying to get the Kwijibow, however I think that day will not be anytime soon. Mostly because I just ordered my first REAL yoyo, one that doesn’t have a “brain.” I am happy to say that the yoyo I ordered was a Dark Magic II and can’t wait for it to arrive. Hope you continue to post here! :slight_smile:

4

“seeing” the tricks was a big milestone for me as well, and I think for lots of players. (kwyjibo and brent stole were two that really pushed me to “see” how they worked) You can learn a lot of tricks just by “doing the moves” and a little luck and muscle memory. But once you can “see” how the string moves and how the transitions fit together you understand the tricks on a more fundamental level. If you can “see” it, you can probably do it – or somebody can – given enough practice. There is an ability component, to be sure, but most “tricks” really come down to lots of practice. I remember someone asking Kristian Kaluza on a forum how he did the horizontal thumb grind. His response was something like: it’s easy, just a horizontal throw, catch it on your thumb, and practice it over and over about a thousand times.

The other thing that “seeing” tricks changed for me is it gave me a whole new appreciation and respect for the difficulty and creativity of so many of the tricks I see in videos and contests.

5

I agree with yertle, you now have a vision inside the trick. Faster and more indepth string configurations depend highly on that skill and you will get faster and your vision should get faster. Sometimes i get going so fast, my eyes keep up with the yoyo and string then i look up and I’m so freaking dizzy it’s sad. But as with time and practice, being able to see the trick fully is going to allow you to progress faster now. I know it took me forever to get thru the intermediate section and the I started seeing the tricks and how they worked and blew throw the advance section in about 3 weeks total. And they were dead smooth. Like 2 months though for the master 1 and 2. Then moved to high speeds site. Have only done 80% of there videos but that is due to laziness. And about 10 or so from YouTube. Prepare, your about to pick up speed in learning. glad you hit this milestone. Congrats.

6

Just wait until you start doing more complicated tricks, those will be the days :]. It’s a good feeling.