Why are people here so tall haha
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TL/DR - ~41 inches.
Most, if not all of my strings, are cut to the same length. I string the yo-yo, hold it naturally in my left hand between the thumb-index-middle fingers (cup facing the palm), and extend my arm out to the side. Then I pull the string to my right shoulder with the right-hand wrist bent, pinching the string with my thumb and index finger. I tie the loop right above this point. Using Airetic strings, I get the same length every single time.
Using highly scientific measurements (/s), I stretched my current string down a piece of paper and guesstimate that itās about 41 inches - 104-105 cm.
Nowā¦ all that to say, Iām a HUGE fan of shorter strings. And this length is longer than what I usually like. But as my trick repertoire has expanded with more slack tricks, I needed more length them my previous length which was determined by the string I was replacing. (string both strings on the yo-yo, tug on the new string a few times so it stretches, hold the yo-yo with my feet, and pull the strings semi-taut and make the new one match the old one) All of this is to be consistent with my experience.
So with the new method, I use a modified hold that has the string wrapped around the back of my fingers, essentially shortening the string temporarily by about 8-10 inches (depending on if the index finger is involved in the wrap or not). This shortens the string significantly and allows for much more control, speed, accuracy, and then gives me the extra length at a flick/rotation of the wrist for slack/hooks/zoning tricks.
EDIT: irrelevant info that others are giving - Iām 6ā1"ā¦ height doesnāt matter at all as to oneās preference of string length. When I teach children how to yo-yo the string is usually cut just below the sternum, usually because I need enough string on the yo-yo that they can actually get it spinning. Once theyāve got a good sleeper we start adjusting the string to preference based on the style of tricks they naturally want to learn next (front style vs side style).
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I just measured mine because this thread made me curious.
When my yoyo is strung, itās nearly exactly 40" from the knot on my finger to the center axis of the yoyo.
Iām a little under six feet tall, not sure of my exact height. But with the 40" of string, if I throw a sleeper at belly-button height the bottom of the yoyo is about 5/8" (estimated) above the floor.
This length works best for me, double-or-nothings donāt feel cramped but I can do tricks like the Zipper without having to crank my throw arm uncomfortably far behind my head. And I havenāt hit the ground in months with this length.
Obviously my tastes might change as I learn more advanced tricks but right now thatās where Iām at!
Ivan
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I just usually cut the string just below my nips . I guess itās long . Cutting at the belly button for me has never felt right and always felt very short .
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Iām a fan of changing the length around pretty often. My days of competition are gone, so now everything is about what feels good instead of consistency . Some throws feel good to me w/ short string, others with long. Some tricks feel good w/ long or short string. And usually when I start hating a yoyo I loved, Iāll change the string length to get a different feel out of it.
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I throw my unresponsive yoyoās with Alphaline at full length these days. Its definitely a little on the long side, but Iām tall and have long arms and big hands so having the string a little bit on the long side helps me have the room to get tricks done consistently. I struggle with whips and magic drops when the string is too short.
I throw my respnosive yoyos with YYSL Ammo, but cut it to just over belly button length. Significantly shorter than my unresponsive throws. This helps keep the amount of string in the gap managable to control stalls, varials, flips, replaning etc.
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American genes man! I feel like Iām the shortest guy here at 178cm. Iām Asian so yeah, canāt grow to those heights lol.
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With zipline I go full length. Kitty I cut about 3 inches off of but have been experimenting going a tad shorter
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This is the length I aim for in all of my unresponsive throws.
I went through a learning phase where I thought long meant stylish. Full length Zipline was my normal go-to, but then it got a little longer. But then I started going shorter and shorter, and damn, I was able to make my tricks so much smoother, and do them faster with little effort. But in the end I felt that it made anything with a few string wraps feel small, and after about 6 months I started going longer again.
Ive said it before: Everyone needs a short string phase. It will really help you with wanting to land the tricks smooth and quick, but too short is just boring and lifeless. Too long is cumbersome and awkward, unless you are very skilled and a good slack player. I still have a yoyo that is strung up from the peak of my āshort stringā phase, and it is fun; I can go through my tricks lightning fast and it is cool do play at a higher tempo, but it feels boring to me now.
Id probably use that finger wrap trick people are talking about to shorten their string on the go if I wanted to play shorter, but I think ive found my ideal 1A length. I occasionally mess with going an inch or two +/- depending on the yoyo (thankfully longer string than Zipline exists), but ive found my mean and I probably wont deviate much from it.
edit: btw im 6ā tall, since people been asking about height vs string. And yea, I think it matters a bit. If you are a 5ā kid, you arent going to be using the same string length as me. Probablyā¦
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Another thing Iāve thought about is hand size. Iāve got pretty large hands and some tricks which arenāt even very dense feel near impossible if I go a little shorter than usual
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Yea, good point. My hands are between L and XL, so a bit larger than average. Hand size is probably a bigger deal than height in everything other than the breakaway. Sternum-length string makes breakaways too awkward for me.
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I used to use very long strings, like 130cm and even 150cm when available. I think that long strings have built my foundation with slack and dense tricks. There was a point where I simply couldnāt land a slack or a tech trick with a shorter string, I felt I just had no room to move! Then, since 6 months ago, I moved to what I think is a short string. To my belly button, which is less than 100cm. I was comfortable with all my trick repertoire and it allowed me to learn new tricks in less space, I feel now totally in control of my tricks and I would not go back to long strings, although, from time to time I use long strings just for fun.
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