I read the World Yo-Yo Contest rules, because I was curious if there was a way to compete, using one responsive yo-yo. It appears that you have to use two looping yo-yos to get technical points for 2A. Why are we allowed to use one unresponsive yo-yo (1A), but not allowed to use one responsive yo-yo to compete? 1A and 3A are companions. It seems 2A needs a companion too. 0A perhaps? I am asking because I’m sure there are people who are very, very right handed, or very, very left handed. They might be able to work wonders with one hand. But, if they cannot work with two, they are not qualified for 2A.
There must be a reason for this, so I’m asking you guys to clarify if this is correct, and perhaps offer the reason why. Have you ever met anyone who was at an advanced level looping with only one hand? It must apply to someone in real life. So, is there no interest in competing this way? Or, is it just accepted that you are not ready to compete in looping, until you get both hands and two yo-yos working properly?
It’s a lot of questions, so answer what you can. Thanks.
That’s what the old trick ladders used to basically be: 0A.
I’m not sure, but I don’t think it would be easy to do a 3 minute routine with a single looper. I mean, you could. I just don’t think it would be all that great.
Essentially yeah, with looping, 2 yoyos are better than one. And realistically you can use 1 responsive butterfly-shaped yoyo for 1A, you justnnever see anyone do so!
^ Ah Ha…so you can get on stage with one responsive yo-yo for 1A, but no one does it. So, that’s what I have been missing. Thanks for clearing that up.
So, no looping yo-yo though, it must be a butterfly? Is a one handed looping yo-yo user left out?
Also, check YoYoNews. They had some article about the best 3A players of all time. One of the players was using 1 responsive yoyo(left hand) and unresponsive on his right hand. You would not have guessed until he brought the yoyo back with a tug.
1A requires a string trick yoyo. It doesn’t matter of it’s fixed axle, ball bearing, responsive or unresponsive. Only 1 yoyo can be in play at a time.
2A requires 2 modified shape yoyos or otherwise set up for looping tricks. No more than 2 yoyos can be in play at a time, and points are only scored with both yoyos in play.
3A is like 1A, but with the 2A rule of “no more than 2 yoyos can be in play at a time, and points are only scored with both yoyos in play”
4A doesn’t require an off-string specific yoyo, and there’s generally no rule limiting the number of yoyos in play, as well as it doesn’t require the yoyo be tied to your finger.
5A is like 1A as far as what kind of yoyo you need, but isn’t entirely mandatory that you use a wing-shaped yoyo. You could probably go modified shape if you wanted. There is generally no limit to the number of yoyos in play.
I don’t think too many players for 1A, 3A and 5A are gonna go out there with a responsive yoyo.
Also, 2A is rather easy if you just focus on it as a 0A category and learn looping tricks with one hand, then the other. I’m having a hard time using both hands at once. Single, I am not having too many issues.
You can use whatever yoyo you want for 1A. Back in the 90s, it was pretty common for 1A players to use modified-shape yoyos and do looping tricks during 1A freestyles (the modified shape used to be considered a halfway point between imperial and butterfly that could handle both looping and string tricks, rather than just for looping as it’s mostly seen now). I don’t think there are any rules that prohibit that now, though it probably wouldn’t score very well in a contest. It’s just that string tricks have progressed well beyond what you would want to try with a yoyo that is also designed/set up for looping, and anyone who wants to devote themselves to just doing looping tricks and does well enough to fill a freestyle with tricks is likely to learn 2A anyway.
I think the main reason there is no separate one-handed looping division is that most, if not all, of the one-handed looping tricks people do can be done by 2A players. It’s not like 3A vs 1A, where the 1A players are using their free hand to do more difficult/complex tricks that 3A players can’t replicate. It would just come across as watered-down 2A, and would likely never approach the same level as two-handed looping.
3A developed when responsive yoyos were still the norm for 1A, so a lot of the older 3A players started off using responsive yoyos. Daisuke Shimada used to do shoot the moons in his 3A freestyles.
I can always count on your for a good answer Yossarian. It appears I made a presumption that you could not loop during 1A, because I had not seen it done. This makes a lot more sense now. I don’t compete, so I have to rely on the rest of you for this information.
It would be nice to ask a judge how he/she would score someone who was looping during their 1A performance. That would be interesting.
Honestly the answer is just that 1 handed looping tricks are incredibly easy. In the 90s I clearly remember the point at which I had to go from doing “complicated” string tricks in local competitions to 2 handed looping stuff to compete in the highest division/freestyles. I could (and still can) do any looping related trick hundreds of times in a row with either my left or right hand if I started with proper string tension. It took me ages to just be able to do 20 inside loops with both hands at once. I’m sure some people are much more coordinated for that sort of thing than I was but my personal experience is that the difference in difficulty between one handed looping tricks and two handed looping tricks is astronomical.
Now I almost want to try and learn 2A again 15 years later. Almost.
I don’t think its entirely accurate to say 1A - 0A, 3A - 2A. With 1A, there is an insane amount of tricks of various difficulties, plenty of room for innovation, etc. However, with 0A, there is only a really limited number of tricks. So, enter 2A. Unlike looping, string tricks don’t need two yoyos, because they are already so complex.
I agree, that is likely added to the list of reasons we do not see 0A…the limited number of tricks. It seems there is a recipe, or long list of reasons why we don’t see it done…and that, I would agree, would be one of them.
