So I figured I’d start a thread about practice. Now just to figure out how to write this out right…
So lets see… Practice, how long and how far has it gotten for you. Do you practice during certain times, or just whenever you feel like it…
For me I have been practicing for around 4 1/2 months. And for the first 3 months I practiced about 4 Hours a day. Which got me up to the advanced part 2 section and even some expert tricks. But lately my health hasn’t been all to great,which cut down my practice time tremendously. But with feeling better some days than others I can practice a bit more…
So what about you guys and gals?
How many hours do you spend a day practicing? In just how long of practice have you seen a great improvement in your tricks and style? What keeps you practicing those long hours… Or… Do you only practice an half an hour to around 2 hours a day? And if so where has that taken you now??
What trick took you the longest to learn. I know for me Spirit Bomb took me about a 3/4 of a month of my practice to learn and get it down…
What about you? What do you have to say for yourself?
So here’s my take on “practice.” To me , practicing is focusing on a single trick (like I’m doing with Magic Drop), repetition and such. Then there’s just throwing with no real focus, just doing different things you already know.
My yoyo practice routines though happen during my 2 15 minute breaks at work every day, and will throw for a few while my food warms up for lunch.
Weekends my play sessions are sporadic and random, pretty much when I feel like it. I’ll play in short bursts, maybe 10 minutes at a time doing several sessions. I’ll take a yoyo with me too when I go out to the store. I’ll find moments where I decide to take a pause and throw. I feel ‘naked’ without a yoyo with me, much like if I forgot my phone or wallet.
If I wanted to put everything together, I’d say about 1.5 hours total a day.
As far as my practice habits, I try to work on 2 different tricks at a time. This saves me frustration in the long run, if I get annoyed with Kamikaze’s magic drop, I’ll set that aside and work on And Whut (another trick I’m still working on). This is part of what keeps me going. Also fellow YYE member (you know who you are, you started this thread ) and I will try practicing the same tricks that we’re new at, and end up exchanging tips and helping each other through. It keeps both of us going.
I’ve been yoyoing for quite a few years, so I’m on to making my own tricks and elements, and creating my own combos. I practice like maybe an hour a day tops. I got more practice today than usual because i took my girlfriend to the hair salon, and yoyo’d the whole time she got her hair cut. I can usually start creating new elements that will eventually turn into combos in about 2 or so hours of practice time. It takes a very long time for those ideas and elements to actually turn into a combo that i feel is complete. If my yoyo still has spin time left when I’m done, i feel the need to add to it.
I mostly just throw, instead of practicing. Like what Gumball said, I practice when I want to learn a trick, create elements and combo’s, and practicing for a routine or contest(like what I’m doing now). All of this just happen naturally, when I’m just throwing because it’s fun and when I feel like it. I’m a recreational yoyoer.
To answer ThinkH2o’s questions; I usually throw for 1-2 hours daily. I’m still a high school student, so I have quite a lot of time on my hands This amount of time can be increased or shorten, depending on what I’m doing that day; but I do notice that I can play around this amount of time. Now it’s a bit longer, due to me practicing a routine for IYYC
When I first started playing, I practiced a lot less, than compared to what I do now. I can take me only a few minutes, when trying to learn a trick or element, but making it smooth is a different story. It probably took me about am hour a day to get up to where I’m at now. Developing combo’s can take me weeks, or even months. I like to constantly change certain elements and movements in my combo’s; taking me a really long time to finalize that trick. But hey, at least I’m having fun ;D
I have “practiced” when I’ve been trying to learn elusive tricks. But for me, inching closer to completing a new trick still feels like fun. So, it’s really just all “playing” to me.
Even when working towards an elusive trick, I’ll break it up with other tricks. Have some fun, y’know?
For 1a I just play with it while not concentrating on a special trick. Like I watch a tcik try it if I feel it right then I’ll try other whize I’ll do my other elements or stuff. And there was a contest which I had to learn pop n fresh and I did give it many days of perfecting it but that wasn’t fun. While I tried magic trick felt right and I learned it and that was more fun.
So 1a is a bit casual.
For 2a it took me 5 moths to understand looping and near 1 year too perfect it but that was fun like if it felt even a bit boring to me I wouldn’t have learned it.
For 4a just fun don’t even think to learn new I mean I try but not like I don’t get frustrated for it.
5a just fun.
So 1a 1 hour. 2a 1 hour. 4a half hour and 5a half hour.
What I do is break down tricks that I see (sort of like reverse engineering) that I like and a it to my trick arsenal then I tweak it to my liking or to make it easier or fit my style. Some times I make my own tricks (which mostly have all been made by others but I figured it out by myself) usully starting from double or nothings. Depending how I feel n what Ii have to do, my practice time can range from 1-8 hours although on average 2-4.
Your practicing for IYYC!? Man, I wish you the best of luck and hope you have a great time, make sure to have a good time for me as well since I can’t go anywhere due to stupid health issues. So make sure you live it up for me there.
Also thought this thread would get more action. But I guess no one practices anymore… Everyone on the forums are just that good.
i started practicing for kansas states 2014 (in may) in october 2013…
for competition, i set aside 3 hours every day at the very minimum
as far as how much i yoyo each day…
summer: generally 5-6 hours at the absolute least
school: i try to hit at least 3-4 hours as best as i can
but then with homework, a dog, family i have to talk to, and friends i have to keep in touch with, i dont get much sleep. (actually typing this at 1:15 in the morning, lol)
This. Back when I started I used to schedule in hours of hardcore practice, but now it’s got to the point where whenever I get a chance after work, I chuck in my headphones and do some throwin’ just for the love of it. ;D
I probably get about 30-45 mins a day in nowadays. Not as much as I’d like, but things have got a bit busier recently so I don’t have the time like I used to. :-\
Wait, what? No, it’s joy! When you can play a toy for hours… your skills are improving, but you just think of it as “having fun”, not “practicing”. That’s a GOOD thing, not a sad thing.
for me i pratice about 2 hours a day i am working on advanced 2 mainly cold fusion i try to work about 4 or 5 days a week and repeat what i am working on over and over
) and I will try practicing the same tricks that we’re new at, and end up exchanging tips and helping each other through. It keeps both of us going.
This amount of time can be increased or shorten, depending on what I’m doing that day; but I do notice that I can play around this amount of time. Now it’s a bit longer, due to me practicing a routine for IYYC 
but I will get there one day. And I look forward to it