Calling centering bearings the “training wheels” of yoyoing is like calling compound bows the “training wheels” of archery. This analogy does not track by the simple fact that all top competitors rely on them to perform their best.
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It’s a “performance enhancement” item? So basically it’s yoyo steroids 
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Centering bearings make things easier. Less friction because the string doesn’t rub on the response as much. More stability because the string is always centered, both halves are perfectly balanced so there’s no precession. Yes you can say precession shouldn’t be as much of an issue if you’re actually doing tricks but it still makes the yoyo slightly turn and tilt more than if you’re using a centering bearing.
All of these things are even more extreme when you’re doing horizontal tricks. It’s so much more difficult with a flat bearing. Keeping the yoyo stable and stay on the horizontal plane is so much easier with a centering bearing. I think it’s straight up ridiculous to say there’s no benefits of a centering bearing with horizontal tricks.
But it’s not just limited to horizontal. It affects vertical play as well. Think about 3a. 3a is so much more difficult with flat bearings than with centering. Even if you keep the yoyo moving and involved with the string as much as possible the yoyos will still turn much more with a flat than a centering and that makes it much more difficult when you’re dealing with two yoyos at the same time.
All of the issues with flat bearings with horizontal play is still there with regular 1a play as well. 1a is much easier and more forgiving than horizontal and 3a so people may not notice as much but it’s still there. The issues you see with horizontal and 3a play don’t just go away just because you’re playing 1a It’s easier for the yoyo to turn slightly throughout a combo rather than staying on that same plane it started at.
It’s not just the precession either, I can definitely feel the difference in overall stability when I switch from a centering to a flat and I would bet money that I can 100% detect the difference if I was put to the test.
I also hate how people say centering bearings are like training wheels. Training wheels are supposed to make things easier as a beginner but a hindrance as you improve. Think about actually bike training wheels. It’s easier when you’re starting out but it’s actually much easier to do a lot of things without the training wheels. Why don’t cyclists use training wheels if it really makes things easier? You want the performance edge no matter what it takes.
You can say responsive is training wheels for unresponsive 1a play because it makes things easier at first but more difficult once you get better. It eventually becomes a hindrance.
Centering bearings do make things easier but it doesn’t make it a hindrance later on so you can’t call them training wheels. I would bet 19 or 20 of worlds finalists used centering bearings. There is a reason for that. It’s not just preference.
I honestly can’t believe there’s an argument for this. There’s so much more I could say too. It’s fine if you enjoy flat bearings more than centering. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I wholeheartedly believe that centering bearings do make things easier and therefore do make them better from a performance standpoint than flat bearings. And I will never understand the training wheels analogy. If centering bearings are training wheels then bearings in general, bimetals, rim weight, wider gaps, those are all training wheels too. If you’re not doing your tricks on an imperial you’re using training wheels.
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Is different than “Centering bearings are training wheels.”
Just sayin’.
Maybe “more like a golf handicap” is a bit more accurate.
At any rate…
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It’s not just you, so many have said this.
I still stand by everything I said. If you’re saying centering bearings are “like” training wheels you could say everything above imperials are “like” training wheels
I don’t think they’re training wheels. I don’t think they’re “like” training wheels
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I do agree performance wise centering bearings are far superior. I rock DSs in most of my Yoyos.
But don’t feel flats are outdated, just a different preference.
Lately I’ve been wanting to clean up my game so I’ve been putting some flats back in.
The two feel much different than each other.
If you’re clean on flats, you’ll more than likely be flawless with a centering.
**not talking about horizontal. Don’t play it, nor do I want to. Speaking on 1a.
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“Centering bearings are training wheels” is just a shorter way of expressing the simile, “Centering bearings are like training wheels.” They are semantically equivalent in this age of abbreviated communication.
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100%. They’re different. Some like one some like the other. To each their own. I too use flat bearings and undersized yoyos to clean up my game.
If you can go clean on flats, you can go clean on centering. If I was about to compete though and someone switched my centering with a flat I’d definitely be sweating a little more
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Yes, I feel a strong need to say “I think” and “like” on these forums
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It’s not just these forums, in my experience, but pretty much all forums everywhere.
Without the benefit of tone of voice, where you can inject a sense of reconciliation with competing ideas, it becomes necessary to preface everything with “I think,” or “I feel,” or “Maybe…” so that nobody gets the mistaken impression that you are trying to make grand statements of absolute truth, when in fact you are just expressing an informed opinion.
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I’ve been doing that in my regular speech since like 5th grade.
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I’m a little ashamed to say I didn’t start that habit in regular speech until only a few years ago when I picked it up from listening to a colleague at work do it.
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At that level of play when fractions of a second may mean another point in a freestyle it matters. At my level of play and lots of other people here… not so much I think.
That being said I do like original KK bearings best of all bearings that I’ve tried. They have by far been the most consistent and maintenance free.
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Agreed. However, to my mind, the above fact only supports my assertion that centering bearings aren’t just a form of training wheels, which while not expressed precisely that way, is most definitely the implication whenever this analogy is trotted out. The simile is meant to marginalize their use, just like the claim “Yoyos are just toys,” is meant to marginalize yoyos so that nobody dares take them seriously (presumably, not even world championship contenders).
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Centering bearings are more akin to the ProV1 golf ball. Pro golfers will still do well regardless of what ball they are using, and the clubs they use have advanced as well, but the proV1 and balls like it just give that extra edge of performance, and you don’t need to be a pro to reap the rewards of using it.
Edit: that being said normal bearings were standard and centering bearings were more of a premium item when I was around last so i don’t really care too much either way. I definitely prefer the more flat centering bearings to konkaves though.
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I like this better but I still think this would be a better comparison for monometals vs bimetals rather than flat vs centering bearing
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This, though, is not a flaw of the bearing.
I say this not as an advocate for any bearing. I’ve got every bearing you could probably think of. I don’t really care what bearing I’m playing with.
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I guess I just don’t understand why anyone… cares?
Electric guitars are louder and more versatile than acoustic guitars. Almost all the biggest most popular bands play them, and they’re super popular with beginning players as well. It could be said that acoustic guitars, being quieter, harder to play and maintain, more fickle and generally functionally inferior, are outdated. But some people still like playing them. They just provide a different experience of playing the same notes.
So I guess I understand that flat bearings are outdated. I just don’t understand why anyone cares or wants their mind changed. “Outdated” isn’t really a liability if the item in question works fine, offers its own play characteristics, and no one is forced to use it.
I will say that in the context of responsive yo-yos, this premise is BS, as flat bearings and fixed axles have enabled an innovative and creative approach to what was considered outdated. So even if the hardware is old, the ideas it’s enabling are new, and NOT available with an unresponsive string-centering setup. That may not be what you’re talking about, but I can hit an Archery Flip on a Deep State with a flat 10-ball waaaaay easier than I can on a CT. So in some contexts outdated is a-ok w/me.
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this is a topic to stir people up. Do with it what you will lol
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Yea, which is probably why people didn’t agree with my post liking the comparison above. There is a distinction between being “like” something and being a literal 1 to 1 comparison. Centering bearings are like training wheels in the sense that they help center the yoyo. They arent “training wheels” exactly because they don’t prevent you from being able to lean (as training wheels resist). Like =/= equivalent. And yes, I am one of those grammar guys who oppose the degradation of the language due to the proliferation of online casual-speak. Our language has nuance for a reason.
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