Have you ever been throwing when you thought no one was around and then have someone walk in or by you and then ask to see more and have that jinx you? Last weekend I was sweeping and wiping things down in my area of the rec center at work so I took a minute to throw and it was going okay until a lifeguard walked up on me and said, “are you yoyoing!?!” He startled me. I said, “yeah, I always bring a couple of yoyos with me to work” and showed him my Replay Pro and Zeekio Anarchist. He asked me to show him some things so I somehow genuinely impressed him with a missed front mount, two attempts to get a successful bind and a frontstyle combo that started with an off-kilter throw that never straightened out through the combo. At least I ended with a tight bind. My heart was beating like crazy with disappointment and frustration for the next 20 minutes. I laugh about it now. Tell me your stories!
Every time, and it’s every time I go to show a trick, my yo-yo gets stage fright. If I go to show the Mrs or friends/fam I can guarantee that it will flop first attempt.
Not to worry because I’ll adjust my string tension from the trapeze and they lose their sh**.
After saying it wasn’t a trick the first time to the good lady I’ve smartened up and I’ve changed my tactics. Its now on the trick ladder guys 
I spend a week learning a single trick and they just love the tension unwind.
Seems trick wise - Buddha Gerbil ect =< trapeze tension release.
I think I’ll just do that a few times when I meet someone who hasn’t seen any modern yoyo:rofl:
I don’t throw in front of people because I’m so overly anxious about things like this. I’d be beating myself up with a baseball bat for months after fumbling around in front of others.
It’s been 2 years since I used the words, “watch this.” I’m getting better at throwing at work where someone / a guest may walk up on me. Who cares? At least I can do something interesting. My co-workers usually have their heads down six inches away from their phone screens.
I hear ya. I now realize that I will be the only one who notices my fumbles unless I point out the fumble. If I ever meet an advanced thrower…THAT’S who I would feel intimidated to throw in front.
I think coz it’s all so new to me and others (I’m nearly a year in) the child in me escapes and I’m eager to show my stuff. I 
yo-yo.
And Twitch, your good bro, I’ve seen some of your stuff 
I KNOW!!! Sometimes I learn an element and want to show someone. From now on I am bringing to work the yoyo that I can hit things most consistently on AT work…my Topyo Colossus V. I still will never say, “watch this” but slowly I am getting less discreet with throwing at work since it’s a recreation center and guests are there to have fun.
It’s awesome to throw down the perfect performance in front of others but it’s also good to fail in front of others. The balance of success and failure more accurately represents what yoyoing is, rather than the quality of the yoyoer . Yes, more skill verses less, but to the non- yoyoer?
I find that when I make mistakes in front of non-yoyoers they still smile, cheer, and love it. Why? I think it’s because they feed off of my enthusiasm and love for what I’m doing. Watching someone refuse to give up until they get it right, is always worth accolades.
It’s been my experience, having spent my life working in jobs that require some type of public performance that if you communicate your desire, love, drive, and enthusiasm for whatever you do, the world will usually support you. (As long as you aren’t robbing banks or participating in illegal activities lol.)
Exactly! Well said. When I messed up in front of that lifeguard I just said “sometimes I mess up!” He asked me how long I’ve been yoyoing and I said 5 years and told him I’ve always felt physically uncoordinated and yoyoing is a real challenge for me and I am amazed I learned tricks. You’re right, people probably admire the determination and practice that goes into it. That lifeguard told me he could never get a yoyo to come back to his hand. I’m gonna bring in my Butterfly XT and teach him when I see him this weekend.
Ummm, I seem to remember a national Yomega contest a few years back where you did very well by winning your division…
It’s fun doing tricks in front of pple and coworkers they really see it as very hard to do tricks even if we do simple rolls or atomic bombs lol
Those are indeed difficult tricks until they are learned and then they are no difficult. Even a sleeper is difficult to the uninitiated.
I love throwing in front of people and I usually dont mess up to bad especially now because I get noticed so often. Although for some reason I cant hit tricks in front of my dad. He is super supportive but there is just something that makes me suck in front of him.
When I throw in the break room I no longer stop when someone comes in. I still will never say “watch this” though. No one has ever showed the slightest interest like asking me to teach them or anything.
I always land a cool combo when I practice in isolation, but as soon as I go up to someone to show them the combo, I bomb it. I always have and still do. (Well I only started 2 years ago with a 6 month gap for RC) but still, I feel you.
I can relate. At first I was like this on camera, but I’ve been recording around a trick every week for ~4 years, at this point it isn’t an issue for me.
BUT, for some reason, whenever I’m showing anyone a trick I’m working on, I always miss it the first few times I try. Doesn’t matter how easy it is.
I just thought of this: Even if we mess up in front of non-yoyoers, just recovering and going into it again will look so incredibly complex that no one except us will realize we messed up.
Yeah, for my friends occasionally I will say watch this trick. When I mess up and start over they always say that they can’t tell I messed up. It still looks cool to them.
I taught my neighbor to throw a year ago and he’s now way more advanced than I am (I went intermediate in 2018) and first got into yoyos in 2015. We usually throw together once a week. 10 minutes usually turns into 3 hours and it goes by in a blink of an eye. We both mess up but it’s no big deal and get into remounts. I think mess ups are good because for me at least, I learn to recover from the mess ups quicker and just get into a new mount and go into whatever element feels good to go into.