So I am literally only a few days into learning how to throw. I’ve watched many “how to” videos and have done a lot of reading. One of the first things I’m struggling with is where to place the string on my finger. I see most everyone has the string near the middle of their finger. If I do this I have a hard time catching the yoyo. If I move the string back to the base of my finger I seem to be able to catch it much more often and more comfortably. My question is…am I build up a bad habit by moving the string back on my finger? Do I need it near the middle for doing tricks later on?
No base is fine. You will just be able to get a bit better flick in the middle. So you end up with stronger spins. As for catching the yoyo. Let it come too your hand rather than reaching for it.
Some people learn with the string at the base of their finger and eventually move it to the middle as their skills increase. Heck, I learned that way a billion years ago.
Overall, I encourage people to learn with the string in the middle. But it’s not something to stress over.
String in the middle for sure. The base will work OK at first, but think of it this way. . .
The yoyo wants/needs to be an extension of your hand. It requires finesse, not force. The strength (force) of the hand comes from the center, but it is not agile. The agility (finesse) comes from the fingers, but the strength is less.
You want the yoyo to be a natural extension of your fingers, not your palm. The control youll have its 10 fold over what you will from controlling the yoyo from your palm.
It will feel strange at first, like it wants to slide off and go flying, but that does not seem to be the case in practice. You will get better sleep times, need less energy/umph to get them zinging due to having tighter control, and will help avoid hard bone hits to the palm since the gap of the yoyo will suck up to your finger to contour in, vs coming up into your flat palm.
Also by putting it on the base you have more lost energy based on the yoyo having to “roll” over your finger to get to the end, before it can start to fall. This gives worse spin times, and increases the procession (tilting/spinning off axis) of the yoyo thuse leading to further friction = less spin, more loss.
But most of this comes natrually from just doing. Try both and see what works best for you and stick with it for a while. Then try the other way again. A VAST majority of throwers do not put in on the base, for these reasons and more. 
Hope that helps!
Dust
2 Likes
I learned the basics with the loop at the base, but I moved it up after 6 or 7 months because I felt it gave me more precision/control