Is there some technique to help prevent top from bouncing?
I’m very new to tops. My throw is at best description Fair. I have about 70% to 80% success for the top landing on its tip and not tilted much. However, a high percentage of throws bounce 2 or 4 times and continue traveling away from me.
How can I help this problem?
Do you mean when the top lands it hits the deck and keeps bouncing?
If that is the case, I would guess it is not completely unwound. On a typical throw, when the top reaches the end of the string, it loses its fwd momentum and kind of stalls, just drops down. If it is still unwinding it might land with some force.
The top lands on its tip, bounces 2 to 4 times kinda skipping across the floor eventually stops bouncing and spins tilted.
Hard to say if the top is tilting as a result of my throw, or tilting because of the bouncing.
It sounds like maybe the body is hitting, not the tip. If it is consistently tilting the same direction, try compensating by releasing the top tilted to the opposite side, or experiment with the string length.
I’ve rectified this problem. I more closely examined my throw, and found my estimation of 70 to 80% was wrong. I was less than 50%.
Now I’m getting better spin without much tilt. My throw is well… best described as unique. But it’s working. If it’s working…well then it’s working.
Side note: I received my BC top 2 days ago, it’s turning out to be highly favored. Makes me what to add a wood lathe to my wood working shop.
Solid wood tops are not the easiest things to throw, they may have a tendency to bounce more than hollow tops, I don’t have a lot of experience throwing them.
Depending on what you want to do with tops, you may want to get some more forgiving models like a Short Circuit. At any rate, learning to throw better is something you can always work on. It took me a while to get in the ballpark, and I am still trying to improve. Some tricks require very fast spinners and others require a slow spin, you have to learn how to adjust and it’s hard. Also the size, weight, and balance of each top requires adjusting your throw for.
Glad to hear you’re making progress. Eventually you’ll just sit that top down nice and easy with a little thunk, but you’ll never stop throwing stinkers now and then. The bounce “could“ be caused by aiming a little too far away from you, causing the top to be released higher off the floor. If you aim closer, your throw will naturally angle down slightly and gently place the top on the floor. Keep your throw dynamics the same just bring your point of aim slightly closer to you.
I picked up a lot of tricks fast, but i can’t get the boomerang to come up and float back towards me. Any advice?
Well, it depends on where you are at with your throw, but basically,
Try outside or in a room with high ceilings and lots of room. Make sure you have a tight wrap, throw it down normally, but about half way or so down, start pulling back like you are just putting the throw motion in reverse.
You want to keep it all in the same throwing plane, like you would throwing a trapeze with a yo-yo. If it doesn’t respond enough, pull back with more speed, if it goes over your head pull back with less speed. If it comes back at your head, you are not pulling back the same direction you threw it down.
Practicing outside takes a lot of the potential chaos out of it.
I’ve really got to put some time in on this but it’s hot out and I can’t take too much of that.
Well, go out early, that’s what I do, it is really hot here! One thing that might speed your progress up, if your throw is just not getting the top to do much, is to go significantly harder on purpose, just keep the motion in front of you. When you pull so fast that it comes flying back, you get the feel for what you are doing, then you can slow it down to get it to your hand. That’s why it is an advantage to practice where you won’t smash your top into something.
btw, when you switch to a different size and weight of top, the throw has to be very much adjusted to the new top. If you throw a heavier top a while then pick up a Closed Circuit, it is very easy to throw it into the ceiling if you are not careful. Trust me on that one.
Do you know where I can get thick and small top string? I want to experiment with length and thickness.
When I do boomerang my motion is not to pull back toward you but to pull straight up. You just throw as normal but about half way between release and what would normally be landing on floor you move your throw hand straight up, not back toward you at all. This should result in the top gracefully rising on the throw, ready to catch in palm. Try that it might help.
There’s a little vid to demonstrate
