As I’m struggling with learning how to tame my yo-yo, I wonder if my difficulties come from me or from the yo-yo.
My yo-yo is a YYF One, with its narrow bearing (responsive mode).
Here’s a list of my current “problems”:
can’t sleep for long. Like, maybe 10s. Yet, I think my throws are quite powerful given how it hurts my palm when it comes back in my hand.
the yo-yo often wobbles when I throw it
the “response” is not consistent. Sometimes the yo-yo comes back easily, sometimes I can tug it again and again and it stays down.
I tried with the wide bearing, in non-responsive mode, to see if it would give me more spinning time to try and learn how to bind. But without much success; The time to try to “trapeze” it, it stops.
So, I was wondering:
is it just a matter of training?
would a heavier/better yo-yo make it easier?
should I wait to manage a consistent behaviour and master binds before I buy a new yo-yo, given most have 4+mm gaps and are, I guess, non-responsive ?
In case a better yo-yo helps, I was looking at:
YYF DV888 - narrow gap, aluminium.
Top Yo Creater - same weight, same width, smaller diameter, narrow and wide bearings
YYF Wedge - plastic, but similar specs (from what I can see) as Creater, except it has a wider gap, so I guess it’s not responsive.
Do you have any other suggestion, for around 30/40€ max ?
I’ve tried a lot of beginner yoyos and I don’t really like the One. Probably because it comes with protruding response pads, which cause a lot of issues with string tricks unless you’re very careful.
Similar yoyos that I like a lot better include the YYF WHiP, Recess First Base, and SF PLSTC.
The whip upgrades to a pretty capable unresponsive with a wide c bearing (which it sounds like you already have):
Best thing is it’s actually available!
If you want to move into unresponsive play I’d recommend getting a yoyo specifically for it, like the Wedge that you already mentioned.
While I am one of the least experienced yoyoers here I can tell you that I went through the exact same thing. I stalled out, frustrated that short spin times that hindered my ability to learn tricks. The solution I chose was to buy a better responsive. In my case, I got a One Drop Deep State. While the thin pocket design is not great for tricks that involve landing on the string, the increased spin time was great. It got me interested again and I started progressing. 10 months later my throw had developed to the point that I could do better with the cheap yoyo that I started with.
The DV888 starter kit may be a good alternative. Warning, the B grade DV888 is not responsive. The standard DV888 comes responsive with the bearing necessary to make it unresponsive when you are ready.
For the response, do you use thick lube? Also try to make sure your using fresh string. For the spin time, make sure there’s no hair in the bearing. If not it’s probably your throw. Try to practice throwing harder and make sure your throwing straight. The harder you throw the less the yoyo should wobble. It might hurt your hand at first when it comes back up, but with time and practice it shouldn’t hurt anymore. I used to complain about my spin time as well, but as I got better it improved. It is true that unresponsive yoyos spin longer, but they take more skill. I’d say once you know some of the basics like trapeze, trapeze and his brother, brain twister, etc. you should be ready for an unresponsive yoyo. The wedge is a good choice for a first unresponsive. If your looking for a response, the yo tricks sage is good, also the Yoyofactory whip is good. There shouldn’t be any problem with the one. Hope this helps!
I was in your same exact shoes a little over a year and a half ago. I tried to start with a MagicYoyo K1 and it was a complete waste of time and money. I switched to a Yotricks Sage and I was off to the races. Having a really good starter yoyo is key to getting past the early stages of development.
That’s why I would recommend either a Recess First Base or a Yotricks Sage. Both of them are normal-sized yoyos and can easily be upgraded to unresponsive play with a simple bearing change. Furthermore, both are excellent reliable performers in responsive mode as well. Just keep the bearing lubed (but not too much!) and keep fresh strings on it. The rest is up to you and your technique, which will improve with practice.
I tend to nudge new players away from really cheap throws like the One or the Whip because neither is designed–especially in terms of shape and overall specs–to feel or play like the metal throws you will eventually transition to. However, for $20 and $13 respectively, the First Base and the Sage really can’t be beat IMO.
One problem I have is I live in France, and most of the yo-yos you tell me about are not available in the shops I’ve found in Europe. And transportation+importation fees can double the price… so I’d rather buy in Europe.
So far, you’ve talked about:
YYF Whip => found, but with a wide gap. I guess I just have to change the bearing to a half spec to make it responsive ? Fun fact: it’s not available on YYF’s EU shop.
Recess First Base => found, but out of stock.
SF PLSTC => didn’t find in EU
OD Deep State => found it, but I had discarded it because of the thin pocket design.
Topyo Selene => didn’t find in EU, but anyway it looks like it’s unresponsive.
YYT Sage => didn’t find in EU
That’s not very convincing…
I guess the best is to just order some thick lube and keep training on my One, until I am good enough to have fun in unresponsive setup. Then I can invest in a powerful and beautiful yo-yo.
(maybe I’ll fall for a DV888 or a Creater, just to try and for for the object’s beauty if it does not do the job)
Local yoyo sellers are a rare breed, even here in the USA. I live in Los Angeles and there is no local store to buy high quality yoyos from. In this day and age you need to be buying online, no matter where you live (unless you live near the YYE store or something).
I’d stay away from the DV888 set up as responsive. Lots of people have complained about that throw being snaggy and not being a great first metal throw.
A physical store I could go in and try the yoyos would be great! But I’m not expecting that.
I’m looking for online stores, but in Europe so I can pay in € and not have additional importation taxes.
And even that seems hard to find.
Yeah I don’t think I’ve heard of any online retailers in France. There’s one in Denmark and there might be one in Spain but a lot of the EU throwers here end up eating the shipping and import costs and order from North American retailers like YYE.
My favorite normal size responsive is the Weekender, followed by the Alleycat 650b. They may be just out of the price range you are hoping for, but they are far above the starter yoyo’s. Got my Firstbase today. Was disappointed. It is nice for a cheap starter yoyo, but still is not close to the Weekender or Alleycat. You might want to start watch the BST forum for one.
If I’m not mistaken, @rv06 is a beginner, and as such I would not recommend a metal slimline (or similar) as the yoyo he’s going to learn 1A on. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Weekender–it is my favorite metal responsive at the moment–but I would have been supremely frustrated had it been the yoyo I tried to learn the very basics of yoyoing with (1A in particular). I would not wish that sort of frustration on any beginner.
I’m also a beginner. I can honestly say that that learning on a OD Deep State, much narrower than the Weekender, was much easier than dealing with the frustration of short spin times. I bought the Weekender a month ago. Wish I had it 8 months ago.
I have been, and remain, frustrated by short spin times too. However, I don’t feel that sacrificing a usable catch zone for more spin time is a wise trade-off during the early stages of learning. The OP will obviously have to decide for himself what he values more, but there’s a good reason why 99% of players recommend yoyos like the First Base, Replay, and Sage over yoyos like the Deep State, AlleyCat, or Weekender for beginners, and it isn’t the price (though that can be a factor, just not the factor).
In three or four years, when my throw is more developed and I have forgotten the headaches of short spin times, I will probably join the masses and also recommend cheap starter yoyos to all the new players.
I don’t think my journey is all that different from most, and I moved from responsive plastics to unresponsive metals in about two or three months. Most beginners, if they are truly interested in 1A and make the effort, won’t be stuck on slow-spinning responsive plastics for very long. And if they aren’t that interested, then why would they spend much more than 15€ on this?
Back in the day, the og FH used to be considered wide (it’s not, quite the opposite) I think a slim yoyo really isn’t a problem for a beginner since catching a trapeze is more about pulling the yoyo onto the string rather than actually catching it. I see a lot more beginners struggling with catching a double or nothing on the wrong string than missing a trapeze with the right technique.
Although IMO It’s a good idea to go for a more standard yoyo since that’s the equipment he’s gonna end up using. Go on the yoyofactory europe site and buy a wedge, you can put the responsive bearing from your one in it or practice the bind.
As for throwing, flex your arm like flexing your muscle and throw down as straight as possible. Start throwing slowly and make sure the yoyo goes down straight then increase strength when you throw clean.
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