Regarding new tutorials:
Sometimes it’s best to do a “wholesale swap-out” type of thing. One day it’s the old stuff, the next day it’s gone and replaced with all new stuff. Granted, the backside work is greater, but then the long term “nickel and dime maintenance” is reduced and most people will agree(of those who do that kind of work) that this is a better way to go.
Also, to properly produce videos, it takes time. Most of the people here bang out a video like it’s no big deal, and trust me, it shows. This “need” to “share”, and thanks to the ease of sharing by places like Vimeo and YouTube have put quality on the back-burner as everyone using Microsoft Movie Maker and iMovie suddently thinks they are a film producer. Sorry. I see the same thing in audio: Guy gets a ProTools interface and some software, now he’s a record producer and has a record label and a recording studio, despite the fact he can’t use any of it.
The tutorial videos on here currently, well, as far as overall quality, aren’t great. But then again, so are many of the other tutorial videos. But, what I’m saying here is “image and production quality”, not CONTENT quality. The tutorial videos here, from a content point of view, are way up there. The videos are shot almost from the concept of “you’re in the room with Andre and he’s talking TO you and showing you the trick”. For the time put in and the information shared, they are actually pretty good. Of course, he’s making it look easy, which is why it’s kind of nice to see mistakes not edited out, only to “keep it real”. All I can say is that it’s obvious that the yoyo is something he enjoys, which is why he put so much time and effort into it. To top that off, he enjoys it so much that he wants to share what he knows to help grow the hobby/sport. You have to like that attitude.
At the same point, not all of us can related to all the tutorials here. Thank goodness there are other sites as well that do tutorials as they can help fill in blanks or clarify things. Sometimes we need extra information.
Now, going back to what I said just a big ago, Andre has no doubt spent countless hours practicing and refining his skills, and probably still does just to stay current and in touch with the game. This is something even touched on in his videos.
WE ALL need to practice. No matter how good we are, there’s always something we can work on. If we’re new and/or not so good, well, then we just simply need more practice to continue to improve. If you’re like me, where this isn’t all coming naturally, then I gotta work a bit harder to clear more time to practice. So, we all should practice whenever we can. I’m working hard to get my fundamentals down, maybe harder than some, maybe not as hard as others. My goals are for my own amusement/entertaiment and enjoyment, so I have no schedule other than to have fun while learning and doing.
I just beg people to slow it down a bit, especially kids banging through tricks. Get it down, get it consistent and get it smooth. Then move forward, but also keep the previously learned stuff tight as well. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Above all, have fun. I’m not saying my lack of a competitive or performance objective is perfect for everyone, but I do think that many people are just rushing through things too fast. Maybe it’s because I’m older, but I have learned a lot in my many years. Slow down and enjoy more. Maybe not to my “it takes me a week to really get to a point where I don’t totally suck on an easy trick like Ripcord” slow. Just slow down so you can really enjoy and appreciate where your hard work is taking you. I may spend days failing at a trick, and yes, it can be frustrating like mad, but I’m still having fun.
