I spent a semester learning how to be a machinist.
My favorite E fan trick, Cross Arm Pops.
Learn the basic E fan to GT for the 25th day of 5a May!
Is there a day 24?
Late into 5A May, Iām finally getting back into trying it out. For the longest time, I played with a PSG just because I used to drop the yoyo practically every 5 throws and those things are practically indestructible. Now though, Iāve pretty much gotten over that (even though I still drop it occasionally), so I was thinking about using a metal. Would the Avant Garde be a good throw to try 5A on?
I remember enjoying it when I first tried it out, but I didnāt spend much time with it. Try it out and see what you think. The worst that can happen is that you use a different yoyo.
If youāre looking for a plastic yoyo to beat up while playing 5a, Iād recommend the YYJ Classic and the C3 Speedaholic. I prefer the Classic, but both are very solid options for 5a.
Alright. Iāll try it out. Thanks!
I still call helicopter by itās proper nameā¦ Super Hyper Magic Twirly Bird.
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I have a bunch of high end metal yoyos especially good for 5A. The Turning Point Prominence, the Yoyomonster Agonist, the Yoyorecreation Laser, the Sturm Panzer Eclipse Ogre.
The Turning Point Leviathan 5 is supposed to be good, but I donāt have one yet. Also the specs on the Sturm Panzer Leo Sniper MK II make me think it would be great, and Iām getting one in the mail tomorrow so I could tell you then, but as for now Iām just guessing.
Which one is best for you depends on your preferences, like whether you prefer large yoyos, small ones, heavy ones, light ones, etc. What most good 5A throws have in common is a fairly low diameter:width ratio and the ability to get a lot of spin without much effort.
The Prominence is really good but itās kind of beastly huge and heavy. The Eclipse Ogre is also huge and heavy but somehow feels easier to throw. The Agonist is 62 grams, mid-sized, and fast fast fast. The Laser is kind of in between the Eclipse Ogre and the Agonist. Before I got the Eclipse Ogre my favorite was the Agonist. Now I think I might like the Eclipse Ogre more because it has great stability and spin times, but Iāve only had it about a week so I canāt really judge for sure yet.
Canāt go wrong with any of the ones I mentioned though. For something a little cheaper you could try the Yoyomonster Checkmate. And YYR makes some others like Mr. Butcher, Z-ON, and E=MC^2 that are 5A signature throws also. They tend to be small and heavy but I havenāt thrown them. It should be noted the players whose sigs are on the Z-On and E=MC^2 are both using the Laser now.
Even cheaper still you could try the Duncan Torque which is pretty much a Checkmate ripoff so Iām guessing it performs fairly similarly.
The first metal yoyo I used I dinged up really bad. But now I lined the walls of my practice room with pillows, and I use a Monkey Ball for a counterweight when trying any tricks that could damage the yoyo from a counterweight collision (most of them). Itās actually a pretty good counterweight, has a mass of 11 grams I think and is easy to catch, and it wonāt mar a metal yoyo even on hard collisions.
Or you can stick with plastics or delrin until you get better. I have a YYR Diffusion and itās a pretty good 5A yoyo.
My 2 cents, for what itās worth.
Bee Sting Switch
Day 24 was supposed to be a guest video. Unfortunately the footage got ruined. Iāll either have to come up with a different trick to do, or see if I can get together with the guy again to refilm it.
Roundabout Underpass can be very tough and requires precise timing. Get practicing.
Alternating Neck Wraps is a big and flashy trick. Iād recommend learning it somewhere where you wonāt break anything.
Very nice.
For the 29th day of 5a May, my all time favorite trick, Z Rolls.
This trick can be extremely tough to learn. If it isnāt performed perfectly, youāll end up in a knot.
Keep practicing and good luck.
I have been making some progress. My main problem is that I canāt seem to figure out how to throw the yoyo and counterweight in opposite directions. I can do it occasionally, but not very well.
great tutorials Jake, you really inspired me to play some 5a. Iām not that good obviously, but Iām having so much fun 
Looking good. Keep working on that 5a!
Here are the last two videos Iām putting out for 5a May 2014. Repeating Bee Sting and E fan Deposit. Thanks to everyone who watched the tutorials and good luck learning 5a.
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Something newā¦
Itās hard. I think the easiest trick to learn this ability on is Angel Wings, BUT if you suck at this skill you will ding up your yoyo when practicing Angel Wings. If you have a soft counterweight like a Monkey ball that would be good for practicing tricks like that.
Otherwise, the trick that really helped me learn how to do this was 5A Trapeze and His Brother. Took me about 10 hours to master. Super frustrating. But once I had that, 5A Double or Nothing wasnāt that hard, and once I had that, 5A Hand and a Half Mount wasnāt that hard, etc.
Some of Jakeās tricks are relatively difficultā¦if you havenāt already Iād try to learn most of the Level 1 and Level 2 tricks in Miggyās tutorials before trying the ones in this thread as they tend to be easier and will teach you basics like moving the yoyo and counterweight in opposite directions.
Regarding the Magnetude I think itās a really interesting concept but wish Duncan had used a better yoyo design for the base. Itās way too narrow for me. A Barracuda with magnetic hubstacks would be a cool yoyoā¦the Magnetude is closer to a Freehand Zero in shape. Just not very modern IMO.