What you preach about sticking with plastics for a while is great stuff. Because it’s -for the most part- true. I agree with you to a certain point, but once you’ve reahched a stage for unresponsive play, I feel your ready for a metal. I think that a message of responsive play for a long time would be more useful, in that- a lot of people don’t stick with responsive play long enough to benefit from it. And when you talk about sticking with plastics, I think you may mean responsives Which I completely agree with.
You can make most any plastic unresponsive as a metal. I have a YYJ hitman (or two…) that are as unresponsive as any metal I have. The trick is in cleaning the bearing and applying just the right amount of lube to make it smooth.
I don’t get why people always say “don’t buy a metal (or unresponsive)” at all…
I’m certainly no pro, but if i hadn’t bought a DV888 after 2 weeks, i would have quit yoyoing i think…
Why? Because i had a Freehand 2, no spare stickers, and it sucked… And then it ain’t fun anymore, just frustrating…
Also learning new tricks on an unresponsive yoyo is 100 times easier…
I practice a new trick till i actually know what’s going on in the trick, try it on a responsive yoyo, and practice the trick some more…
Are my tricks “smooth”? I really don’t know, hell “smooth” isn’t really defineable imo… , but i couldn’t care less… Also, i’m not a speedfreak, most tricks look way neater if you do them slower and in nice flow…
And metals or plastic doesn’t make any difference…
The difference only occurs on responsive and unresponsive…
If he uses plastic but unresponsive, then it’s the same with metal…
Just wanted to clarify, there is actually a difference. Metals are way smoother than plastics, due to the density being more consistent throughout the yoyo. Thus, metals help to improve the yoyoing experience significantly.
I know…
But I mean like…
Smoothness of yoyos doesn’t really makes you better…
But responsiveness do help you with that stuff…
So if you play responsive first it will be better…
But if you play unresponsive plastic then go to metal…
It’s just the same… Just the matter of smoothness…
My original post was not to insinuate that metals are a necessity for becoming a good player. I was originally trying to state that I finally purchased metals and are in love with them for all of the various reasons that people love metals.
I understand that a good yoyoer can do tricks with pretty much any plastic. I understand that players good with plastics are good with metal.
I love yoyoing - and I now am in love with metals as well as plastics. I didn’t purchase them thinking “Hey now i’m a pro just cause I have a metal.” I wanted it because it was shiny and new and a good player too. That’s all there is too it. If anything they will make me a better player now because I want to shine with them even moreso. It’s kind of that “carrot on a stick” type of motivation I enjoy having.
Not only this but in most cases, the weight distribution of plastic throws are such that they require you to have a strong, steady and straight throw with which most metals will be more forgiving. Preaching about sticking to plastic is more about getting your foundation rock solid than it is smoothness or responsiveness because you can get away with more sloppiness on a metal than you can with a plastic, which can easily lead to formation of bad habits and the use of metals as a crutch.
vpextreme, your post brought me back to right around this time last year when I first tried my Boss - the first metal and the first undersized throw I ever got to try. I shared in that same experience of awe and mind boggled-ness as you did, thinking that it was so small yet it could easily blow all my plastics and hybrids out of the water. Quite honestly, I love my level of proficiency and skill that I’ve achieved now compared to then, but I think that’s the time that I miss the most in my yoyoing career- that period of discovery and mystery finally unveiled with the first metal. Now for me it’s all about refinement, building the collection, and narrowing the search for that perfect throw. Embrace this period of discovery for yourself because it just doesn’t last long, but it’s probably some of the funnest time you’ll have in this hobby.
Thanks for the inspiration words Ratface! I’m most definitely in that phase of discovery and it is a great feeling. You are so right about the forgiving nature of metals… I notice that most throws there is very little or no tilt as is with my protostar. Granted it is that age old argument of technology vs traditional skill… I’m all for the traditional skill, but better and newer toys are what pave the way for the future and make life a little easier one step at a time.
If I stuck with plastics, I would have hit a ceiling with the frustration of needing to refine. Use of the metals is like a vacation from the mundane frustration of learning. It is also a good teaching tool as forgiving as metals are. Sometimes the concept needs to be learned before the fundamentals and vice versa depending on the occasion and mood of the student. With plastic and metals, I have both options now.
, but i couldn’t care less… Also, i’m not a speedfreak, most tricks look way neater if you do them slower and in nice flow…