Now how fast one can improve yoyo skills ?

General Yo-Yo
1

Hi, sorry, it’s not a “I’ve learned a new trick” topic, well, not quite

I basically play alone, there is one guy (very nice) around who’s also playing but we don’t see on a daily nor even weekly basis.

So I’ve been practicing for 3 weeks (and a few more days) straight, day in, day out but with work and family duties in between (I yo at work during ALL my pauses tho, or when I go pickup the kid at school or sport)

So that might be alot of practice and I’ve come what I feel is a decent way through these weeks.

but now I’m wondering

where are most players after 3 weeks in, 1 month, 1 year ? am I progressing well or am I rather slow ? with nothing to compare it to, I’d really like to know where I’m standing.

Anyways, so here’s where I’m at

  • I definitely lack smoothness in most of my tricks (I’m starting to become slightly smoother on the intermediate level tricks, split the atom, barrel rolls/atomic bomb etc…)
  • I also lack speed
  • my throw is getting better, straighter and I can do 2 or 3 reps of matrix and bind it in the end
  • I’m working my way through advanced lvl1 on YYE tutorials (thanks Andre, you’re the last voice I hear every night before I go to sleep since 3 weeks ago)

I’m starting to feel really comfortable with the yoyo, but I still have to give it alot of thought during tricks etc… I can’t land the mounts every single time (I can with split bottom or other basic mounts but I’m not very consistent with double or nothing or 1/2 mount for example, I can do them but sometimes it won’t work, and I really am very bad landing a trapeze, don’t ask why, but I can land a double or nothing more easily than a trapeze, go figure)

so there’s my question

  • where am I at ? am I doing good, average or rather bad ?

I’ll record a video later (probably during the week end), maybe it’ll be better to show.

sorry to bother you but this is really bothering me not to have the slightest idea about how I’m doing.

2

Honestly, does it matter? If you’re yoyoing because it’s fun and something to waste time (in a good way) then it shouldn’t really matter how well you’re doing.

Anywho, it seems like you’re progressing very well.

3

thank you for your reply

about your question, actually yes it does matter alot to me because when I decided to start practicing it was a real challenge to me, I’m notoriously clumsy, I mean they could actually make a movie about how clumsy I am, so it kind of matters to me to see how well or bad I’m doing.

I’ve picked up a few things in my life, photography and other things (I’m still doing), and on everything, the learning curve seemed pretty steep, but with yoyo it seems very fast which is enjoyable, but according to my previous experiences in other fields, it felt I was progressing fairly fast (you can pick up piano or photography, you probably won’t be doing anywhere close than remotely good in 3 weeks of practice, I’m playing piano since 25 years and I don’t even consider myself a decent pianist.

So yes, it does matter actually. now if you tell me I’m doing allright, maybe I’m not that clumsy (people who know me don’t even believe I started yoyo).

it feels silly to say that but what I’m getting out of yoyoing is very deep very strong as a feeling, I can not explain but it’s a little bit like a drug, it makes me feel good and ruins my social life (somewhat, I’m alright tho, no worries, but it’s just that wherever I go whoever I’m with, I’m throwing)

as I see it, I want to use yoyo to express myself (like music or photography or, you can probably tell, writing -not in english tho, I wish I could), I’m not really into competition (maybe abit old for that, not THAT old but still) but I feel like now I’m learning to speak, the words, the grammar etc… and hopefully I’ll be able to make sentences at some point, say some things.

But the feeling I get when I play is unlike anything I know, some inner peace, like if time stops, I just enjoy it SO much.
Before I was a gamer, minimum 3 or 4 hours a day on workdays, way more on week ends or free time, since the first time I picked up a yoyo in my hands, I never turned my games on again and I’m actually thinking about selling all my gaming stuff.

So in a way, if you tell me I’m doing good, it makes me think that I should just go all out for it, see what happens (not talking quitting my job, but more about my level of involvement/commitment)

if you’d have told me I was doing not that good or pretty bad, I would have kept training for the fun I get out of it, but maybe not the same way, just do it “on the side” (between piano, photography, work, my family/kid and everything, it’s not allways easy, but I don’t watch TV which leaves me with TONS of free time compared to “regular” TV watching folks)

man… I just don’t know when to stop writing, sorry for the book guys

2 Likes
4

You’re doing good man don’t sweat it. Most of us learned all if that basic stuff in jr high when we had the time to play for hours and hours. So for an adult it’s really hard to pick this stuff up and have the time to practice. But don’t get ahead of yourself. Practice that trapeze till you can do it with your eyes closed it’s the most important trick you’ll learn and if you can’t hit it normally it’s going to be frusterating when you need it in the middle of a trick and something that easy is holding you back from completing a complex trick. I recommend trying to forget everything you’ve learned about the trapeze and just try it a new way, like try practicing it with a forward pass first and after you do that then go back to a breakaway. Or try to catch to really close to your throw hand it will be easier to line it up onto the string. What I’m trying to say is if it’s that hard for you and you can already do all those other tricks you might be doing something weird, if your practicing wrong it doesn’t matter how much you practice. So attack it differently it should be easier then your making it. Or try holding the yoyo different on the throw, turn it sideways in your hand, just play around with it.

5

Hi, I totally feel you on that trapeze thing, I was doing it much better before I started to work on double or nothing and 1/2 mount, now it seems that my left index is somewhat “rotating” when the rope comes around

sometimes I land it spot on, it’s actually sometimes even easier to let it swing a big curve and hit the middle of the string rather than just going around the finger which is supposed to be easier

so I’m sure I’m doing it wrong, I did it right last week, I got it, then I lost it. I can do it, but sometimes it takes a couple tries or a rethrow

6

You sound like we are in the same boat together. I work 8-10 hours a day and have other stuff to do. I have been throwing about 3-4 months, and have Matrix and Kwijibo down pretty good. But like you I am not smooth at all, and have to really think about what I am doing. Sounds like you are progressing well. I feel that if I learn one more trick some switch will flip and I’ll get it. Hasn’t happened yet. Not sure what the key to that next step is? Practice?

7

It depends is the answer to your questions.

I have thrown for 4 months now. My skill is up for debate, In a word, “I aint got no learnin’”, I never learned kwijibo or spirit bomb etc… After 2 months I started making my own tricks up because I have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to learning tricks :-[ . So, do what you want, theres no right way.

8

well it looks like it’s always down to practice.

I want to do my own tricks eventually but I feel like learning the vocabulary before I try to make words, but I’m pretty sure this is personal as some people might be simply more talented than others, I guess some like me have to go through all the steps while others get a very good understanding from the start and can go their on way pretty much right away.

9

Hadoq,

It definitely comes down to practice, like a lot of the guys on here will tell you. Yes, there are a lot of people on here (particularly the younger guys who don’t have work and family) that can master the beginner,intermediate, and expert tricks on here after just a couple of weeks of throwing. I’m not one of them (probably because I’m not very coordinated). I’d say that being able to do what you can after three weeks is great progress. I’m still working on Split the Atom, Mach 5, and Double or Nothing after 8 months. :slight_smile: Having somebody else to practice with would help a lot, I’m sure, but I really haven’t had the opportunity to do that without driving 90 minutes to the closest club meeting. So I just keep chugging along and having fun. Having fun with it is the most important thing.

10

whilst making your own tricks from the get-go does give you a lead in terms of speed, you will be frustrated if you don’t know enough to make tricks, I actually sat down and watched the whole rethink yoyo videos from beginner to expert to be able to make tricks. Try watching other players like Vashek, guy wright or other inspiring players.

11

of course, I’m not really making tricks as for now, just mixing elements and combining things I already know

the tricks are starting to flow a bit more and I picked up some more speed so I can combine tricks.

got a new tricks down as well from a friend, like green triangle (and then back to trapeze) or the one (I don’t know the name) looks a bit like a “poor man’s” suicide, reverse trapeze (i.e. on my throw hand side) and then throwing the yoyo over, a bit like jedi backflip only with throwing/catching the string involved.

atm working on magic drop and wrist whip

I still feel I lack vocabulary so I’m probably going to concentrate on learning new moves that can be used in various tricks rather than just learning the tricks.

thanks for your help

12

I can land a trapeze with my eyes closed XD

13

ive been yoyoing a month and im on the master tricks. I learned all of spirit bomb in one day. working on superman and ladder escape