Hey! I am new to yoyo-ing, and I wanted to know if anyone had any good ways for me to become an expert. How do I choose a yoyo? How do I learn about the yoyo anatomy? Is it just google searchers or are there good websites and videos I can watch.
Thanks!
Congratulations, you’ve already found a great place to get you started. Check out the YoyoExpert Beginner Tutorials.
Most current yoyos sold today are good performers. Pick one that looks good to you and it will normally be a good choice. No need to spend a lot of money on it. A more expensive yoyo will not make you any better. As noted above check out the tutorial videos here for tips on how to do various tricks. After that it’s all practice. There’s no magic involved.
This thread may be of interest to you:
are you looking to learn Unresponsive? or Responsive? for a decent, but very cheap option, i’d go for the Magicyoyo N12. it plays really good for being like $12, but if you want a nicer option, you could look in the 'B-Grades" section, here on YoYoExpert.
you can view them here.
and these are pretty cheap options, that are decent yoyos.
Welcome to the Forums, and have fun learning!
This was super duper helpful. Thank you very much!
As a newbie who is going through this, here are a few tips that I learned by experience…
Realize that there are two phase to learning yoyo, responsive and unresponsive. You can skip responsive, but there is no need to. It is going to take a while to develop a good throw so might as well go through that stage while learning the responsive trick list. When your throw develops enough speed and spin that your responsive yoyo wants to bounce right back up to your hand, you are ready to move on to unresponsive.
There is no one perfect yoyo for everyone. I started out with the highly recommended cheaper yoyos and stalled out. Invested in a $50 responsive yoyo and started moving again. Now that my throw has improved I can get more out of those cheap yoyos. I’m 60 and out of shape. It took a while for my throw to develop. Beginner yoyos can be hard on beginners who are hungry to learn tricks fast. For me it was well worth the investment in a good responsive yoyo.
The tutorials from this site are great. YouTube is great. Learning to yoyo today is soooo much easier than it was 20 years ago. Find a trick list to follow. Create a schedule and dedicate some time each day. Set a goal of one trick per week to learn for three months. This will get you through the easier trick list and develop your throw. At that point you can evaluate your long term goals and commitment.
This, couldn’t have said it better.
One thing I would add a very hypocritical advice. Don’t buy too many yoyos now.
If I did it again I would buy 1 and learn tricks to death with it first. Would learn a lot faster that way by focusing on yoyoing rather than yoyos.
What would I start with having tried what I have so far. A OD VTWO with a centering bearing or a Cadence ES as it is. Or MK1 Diffraction if it is going to be your only yoyo for a while.
I do enjoy buying and trying yoyos and looking at them online. But my biggest progress was when I had just the VTWO and was spending every minute on it without worrying about all the other ones I had in my collection. I find jumping in and out of different yoyos while fun is detrimental to progress. Hence I am also downsizing.
Thank you everyone for your help! I purchased a B-Grade Genesis Aqua!
I think you will be very happy with this choice, and, I commend you for choosing a B-grade. I have purchased several B-grade products (from YoYoFactory as well as other manufacturers), I can say all manufacturers seem to have a much higher standard for quality than I do, since I have not yet found a B-grade to be substandard. It is a very good way to get a brand new yoyo at a significant discount.
Others have warned you not to fall into the trap of “it is round, shiny and spinny, so I need to buy it”. I second that warning. New yoyos are fun, but, no yoyo comes with tricks pre-installed. Don’t let yourself think that it is the yoyo you have that is keeping you from whatever trick you are struggling with. I often tell the story that when I was just starting out, I purchased a yoyo from someone on the BST (which is another way to purchase normally gently used yoyos for less than retail). He threw in an unresponsive YoYoFactory Whip. When I tried the Whip, my reaction was “what a substandard piece of junk”. Fast forward a year or two, I pulled the Whip out of the drawer it was in. Holy Moley, that yoyo got good sitting in the drawer. It was able to do so many more tricks, and wasn’t nearly as unstable as it used to be. [note: it wasn’t the yoyo attached to the loop end of the string that improved, it was the yoyo with the slip knot on his finger that got better].
Enjoy and welcome to the hobby!
As a fellow noob (the Elevator was my first trick just a few months ago), you came to the right place for advice! Everything in this thread is spot on.
Agreeing with @MoonageMin on the problem of collecting too many yoyos (it’s addicting for me as well), but I did enjoy the process of finding one that felt “right.” Enjoying the feel/weight/balance is a thing for me, and now that I have one I like it keeps me coming back to practicing and learning new tricks.
I have also found life easier with a centering bearing. I’ve read some who say it takes away the personality of individual yoyos, but as a total beginner I really appreciate stability (and weight) first and foremost. Highly recommend spending an extra bit on a nice centering bearing if you find it really hard to keep control early on like I did. I love my VTWO but the tilt made it a little tough before swapping the bearing. I’m playing for fun so I found no shame in making things as easy as possible.
For what it’s worth: as much as I enjoy this hobby, learning yoyo tricks is really difficult for me. Even simple ones. It can be maddening sometimes. As great as Andre’s tutorials are, it hurts my brain trying to figure out the order of what happens when. If you relate to this, DON’T GIVE UP. Sometimes walking away from a trick and coming back to it is the answer. It might take days/weeks, but eventually, it just kind of clicks.
Hope you enjoy your first new throw!
Some great advice here.
I too agree that for us mere mortal noobs that centering bearings probably seems the largest impact and benefit as it makes our poor form that much more forgivable. (Caveat: some may argue that this also breeds bad habits. So make your own decisions on this, and take this as a personal opinion of mine rather than guidance)
For what it’s worth, my VTWO with a DS bearing is my go to new trick conquering set up.
@ChefCombo how do you like your vtwo? 
We both jumped into a VTWO about the same time, didn’t we? I followed your journey and went DS Platinum bearing too. And I think we even have the same brown colorway. Twinsies.
I like the VTWO a lot. It has just enough heft that feel like I can control it, spins a long time and it’s just so easy to catch on the string. My only complaint is the shape (is it considered “H”?). I guess it’s necessary for stability, but the steep drop from the rims doesn’t contribute to a good feel in my hand. The pros outweigh the con, though.
Conversely, I also have a Turning Point Leviathan 7 (I also purchased too many yoyos on BST). I LOVE how it feels. The quality is incredible. It’s fancy and fun, but it wants to play so fast! It’s way out of my league 
I find myself learning on the VTWO and then challenging myself with the Levi.
Did you really narrow down your collection? Hard to believe 
Well I sold
since last night
and I have a MC possibly selling so yeah I would say so.
But I did just buy a unknown hummingbird and a TiShee… but yeah slim enough to keep me happier.
And VTWO still rocks the boat for me.
I think a yoyo like a motive or Banshee is currently my favourite shape. so VTWO works well.
Maybe try an organic if you want a more comfortable shape?
Ha! I have a Mythril Flux on the way via BST and I’m excited to try it out.
Seems like the Banshee (and Chief) are at the top of a lot of charts around here. Tempted to grab a Banshee when one pops up, but hesitant about the shape.
If you don’t like the VTWO shape, the Banshee is more aggressive.
If you like the way VTWO plays…well…
Not to drag this out, but is the Banshee that much of an upgrade from the VTWO? I could deal with the feel if it’s more-awesomer.
And unless someone is just collecting yo-yos, why own both?
Um I actually can’t speak much for Banshee I don’t own one, but I have the Banshee SS and it is awesome.
Not sure if it’s because it’s a bi-metal though.
To be fair, after having tried a lot of yoyos, it’s really hard to beat a VTWO so far.
pleasure is all mine Chef