But isn’t that typically associated with sub-par skill? (Clarifying emphasis added by me.)
Well I’m not perfect so the centering bearing being able to aid me a bit vs the flat definitely means the centering is better in my book 
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Same here.
But that doesn’t seem to strike much sympathy with the “it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) make a difference” crowd. When they say things like, “That’s a symptom of a beginner’s lack of skill,” it comes across as somewhat dismissive, as if the needs of beginners who lack sufficient skill don’t count or something. The implied message seems to be that we should all be using flat bearings to improve our skill level so that we won’t be reliant on centering bearings (i.e., take off the training wheels ASAP). Which makes a certain kind of Tough Love sense, but which I can say with confidence would have led to me giving up on yoyoing had I tried to adhere to that advice.
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Come on now. I even made the point earlier that I use them as well and when learning I try to get any help I can get as well. The more and more conversation that happens makes me think about it more and more and the actual impact they may have may not be as much as I thought.
And by the way both of you are probably far better than myself.
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It is kinda hard to quantify impact on play–perceived or real–with any kind of useful precision. I can only say that it is enough for centering bearings to fix the “precession problem”, as I have experienced it, for me to be a devoted fan of them. They need have no other impact on play for me to use them somewhat religiously. For now.
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Agreed. I only started having the conversation when comments were made regarding they should put them into competition oriented throw. In a competition the effects that a flat may have would likely not impact their performance. If it helps anyone or they prefer it, by all means it will help you.
I am not advocating for any particular bearings. I have just about every type of bearing in my yoyos. I tend to use what is there when I get it. To me the yoyo is whats important and I don’t see an impact of the bearing. I do have a tendency to like the 10 balls especially in One Drops. But again it is likely a perception I have of them.
Regardless of the bearing I usually pull the shields and soak in acetone and spin them dry with an air compressor. One drop of lube and spin it again with the air compressor. After that I generally like any bearing to perform all three of my tricks!
If that’s the case why does every competitor use a centering bearing? If it wouldn’t impact their performance then why does nobody compete with flats? Sure, comfort is a thing but there’s gotta be a reason why every competitor is “comfortable” with a centering bearing and not a flat. Surely it can’t just be a placebo effect that all of the best players in the world are experiencing.
I would even argue the difference between a centering and a flat bearing in terms of performance is potentially a bigger deal than a bimetal vs a monometal. Not every competitor is using bimetals but every competitor is using centering bearings. You could argue its a cost thing but competitors find enough of a difference between monometals vs. plastic to not use a plastic for the most part.
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Yeah I find it funny that people will readily accept that centering bearings benefit beginners but not that they help high level players. Nobody is good enough to constantly prevent the string from making contact with the response when executing difficult tricks. Every advantage matters when trying to win. I’m sure they’d rather just focus on doing their tricks rather than also having to make sure they do everything 100% perfectly so that they don’t make contact with the response, shortening their sleep time and potentially snagging on certain tricks.
I certainly can’t answer that. And to reiterate I am not a competitor or even very good.
I am just trying to present an objective viewpoint to a subjective topic. It would be likely that there is a greater placebo effect for a competitor. They are trying to gain every performance enhancement they can, real or percieved. Alot of competitors are young and only ever played centering or told centering is the best or only way to compete. So it is possible. Not saying it is.
If this was true though, every competitor would be using max rim weighted bimetals, but that is not the case.
I would also think that the more wraps you put into a centering bearing the more impact it has on snagging or dragging strings. Whereas with a flat you have more surface area to cleanly lay strings.
We can’t keep making that argument there is a highly different feel to a yoyo in your hand and your feel with it. That is apples to oranges.
Like saying everyone must wear a glove or use the same string etc. We are only really talking about the impact the bearing truly has.
I would love to see how that assertion would go over in a room full of World’s finalists.
Likely not to well. But we will never know.
However an affect of a placebo effect is that you beleive it to be so regardless. So it would not make anyone think differently.
And that quote is just a very small piece of the statement I was making. It is true that a lot of things have a placebo effect on usc especially in situation like competeing at the highest level of anything. Again though, I was mearly presenting a possibility not a fact.
Swimmers shave everything except the bottom of their arms. The fine hairs give you better feel for the water. The slick body makes you glide faster in the water. But in reality there have been studies that have proved otherwise. Doesn’t matter swimmers will still do it. I was a swimmer, still shave. When it is pounded in that it helps, you absolutely believe it helps. If you didn’t shave and guy next to you won and shaved. You constantly be questioning your poor decision not to shave. By the way it does feel different in the water.
Oh, I’m familiar with the wacky beliefs athletes acquire, many of which verge on (or straight up are) superstitions that do not hold up to any sort of rational scrutiny.
However, I have to believe that something like the effect of different bearings in a yoyo is something that can be directly experienced, especially over the course of the many thousands of man-hours that are poured into perfecting one’s skills. The specifics of the very item they are manipulating in competition is something they are so intimately familiar with, that there’s little chance, in my opinion, that acquired beliefs would be equivalent to superstition or unverifiable placebo effects.
I wouldn’t be so confident in that. Even as yoyers there are so many things done because you believe it gives you and edge. Its competition, its the nature of competeing.
However you make a solid point about the hours of practice. Blood, sweat and tears. And is likely that those competitors started on centering bearings and the majority of their yoyos come with a centering bearing. So all those hours honing themselves with a centering bearings means if they switched it out to a flat, they would be at a disadvantage. They would feel and believe that change. It would be and is very real.
That’s actually not the case because if they are in the center of the bearing they are not making contact with the response, which is what would cause them to snag.
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Your viewpoint is far from objective. There is no evidence to support the fact that the benefits of centering bearings are more psychological than physical, whereas there is clear evidence that highly suggests that centering bearings provide a tangible performance boost.
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It’s not subjective though in terms of performance. Centering bearings keep the string from making contact with the response area. This is objectively beneficial from a performance perspective. The only subjective aspect is whether or not people prefer the feel of a flat, not whether or not they are actually better.
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By dragging and snagging I mean on the strings themselves. I don’t experience it on the response so much in either case.
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