Hello all, I just started playing with a yo-yo again a few weeks ago after years of hiatus. Anyway, after reading about how tricky the one-handed bind can be, it seems like it’s way too easy.
Basically, to bind the yo-yo I position my throw hand palm-up with the string resting across my index finger and use a short beckoning motion to pop the yo-yo upward, immediately rotating my wrist so the hand is palm-down which appears to send a single slack loop running down the string. Then, when I feel the yo-yo start to clutch, I pull slightly up to tension the string while the yo-yo returns.
Did I just get lucky and hit the right vibe for this “trick”, or am I using a method that’s going to bite me later when I incorporate it with actual tricks?
I’m having what I gauge is the average difficulty learning the basic side and front mounts, but this one-handed bind seemed to happen very easily compared to what I was expecting, which makes me a little suspicious that the method may be frowned upon for practical reasons that I don’t know about yet.
I’ve linked a short vid of the bind, pointers and criticism would be much appreciated!
On the other hand, if my technique is awesome and I happen to be a one-handed-bind savant, then glowing praise will be accepted too.
First of all, welcome back! Yoyoing is cool, and you are cool for yoyoing.
At first glance I thought the whipping motion looked far too small. The motion of the wrist should be larger and slower. This will create a larger loop in the string.
Looking at your video frame by frame, you can see a few wraps of string around the axle before the loop even reaches the yoyo. Watch the motion of the string; the loop isn’t causing the bind, but rather the yoyo is pulling the loop into the axle.
It looks to me like your yoyo is “semi-responsive” (this happens when response isn’t quite right, the bearing is over-lubricated, or there is some debris in the bearing). So the yoyo won’t come back with a small tug, but any amount of slack buildup in the axle will cause it to return. My hunch is that a fully unresponsive yoyo wouldn’t bind with that small amount of slack. (Not that this is a big problem or anything; plenty of unresponsive tricks can be done on a semi-responsive yoyo.)
Keep in mind that the hardest part of this trick is hitting the gap of the yoyo, which you seem to have down! Your throw looks straight and powerful, so all that’s left is to accentuate that whipping motion.
You’re right, the string is collecting in the gap before the loop hits it. I’ll inspect the bearing to see if anything made it in there. The yo-yo is a YYF Replay Pro with a worn polyester string, it’s nearly new so I haven’t touched the bearing with any sort of lube.
It’s funny because I can’t get the yo-yo to return just by tugging it up and giving it slack, somehow he hand-flip motion seems to do something (voodoo perhaps?). Next time I order more strings I’ll probably buy another bearing just for science, in case this one came a little tight. But I kinda like that this yo-yo behaves like this, it’s handy when I’m shopping or carrying something to not need two hands.
The main thing is that as long as I’m not building any muscle-memory or form mistakes that will have to be un-learned later, I’m happy! Thanks for the kind words!
Lido, I’m curious to know if this works for you and if so, what kind of yo-yo do you use for it?
Just a quick update for posterity. I got my new NSK concave bearing in today and it’s a world of a difference! I can no longer get the yo-yo to return using the motions in my video. The new bearing is also about a billion times smoother.
I’m going to keep the original bearing around for when I want semi-responsive while I learn a true one-handed bind using the NSK.
