Throws, Happiness and When you will stop yoyoing

General Yo-Yo
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I would love to hear everybody’s opinions here.

Do you think the amount of throws that you have, or the amount of new throws you get (per month, week, year, etc.) , affect your happiness and do YOU think it helps to not stop yoyoing?

  • i am currently in the state of getting kinda tired of my yoyos. I want something new. I rarely ever get throws, and it succs. I bet a few of you know that feeling, when you just look at the amount of throws that other people get and just tell yourself ”dang, i wish i was in their place.”
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Pretty much guaranteed that getting new throws will keep you throwing. I can’t remeber ever getting a new yoyo then not throwing it! Not saying that new throws should be a driving factor in continuing to yoyo, but it’s hard to deny the enjoyment that trying a new yoyo can bring. Next best thing to a new throw is learning a new trick though!

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So I just realized yesterday I’ve been throwing for 5039 consecutive days (lol I missed 5k by like a month). I started earlier than that, but that’s EVERY day for almost 14 years now.

In my experience it’s not number of throws, but having a few different throws which you LIKE to throw which makes the difference. If you have some which feel good to you and which make YOU feel successful that matters more than a massive case. Some variety helps for sure, but I’ve had times where I just had a handful, and certainly times where I only cycled between a couple for months. Now I’ve amassed a pretty big collection, but what has kept me in it WAY more than the yo-yos themselves has been personal investment in the community and in improving/creating. Having close friends for 10+ years where the relationship is tied to yoyoing even if it’s not our most fundamental connection has kept me wanting to maintain that touch point. Going to events and developing relationships is probably the biggest thing you can do in terms of longevity as a yo-yo player.

BUT longevity also is an empty goal in and of itself. Your goal shouldn’t be to keep yoyoing forever - it should just be to stay happy and interested in whatever you are doing. If you can keep yoyoing interesting that’s awesome. It’s a part of my life where I feel relaxed, effective, and MYSELF. I would never keep at it if I felt it became a chore.

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Always wishing I had more throws!!
But at the same time, I have too many and seem to focus on playing just a handful.
I say buy what you think you will enjoy the most. A large collection isn’t necessarily a good thing…just a different thing.
I mean realistically, you only throw one or two at a time. Why have a huge collection of untouched yoyos?

I know that was a bit contradictory, but it is how I feel.

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I’m a big collector so I love to expand my collection. However, I play with them for at least two hours everyday and I practice for competition. So I’m a player when it comes to the yoyoing scene when it comes to yo-yos, but I also like to collect. Some that don’t get a whole lot of play are because I’m scared of scratching them. Like my Orca, rebirth, Terrain and what not. But they do get played with.
I do think that new yo-yos are a driving force. But more then new yo-yos I think new tricks are the biggest driving force.

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honestly, i dont think i really need much more throws (as of now). im not trying to keep myself invested, im trying to build my skill; thats what keeps me invested. new throws are cool, yeah, but when i get a new throw, whether it be metal or wood, fixed or bearing, unresponsive or responsive, clyw or yoyofactory, it all boils down to the tricks i practice and how i yoyo. the throws might influence my style, but just because i have a lot of yoyos doesnt mean im necessarily good or happy with my skills.

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Getting new yoyos definitely helps keep me interested in all this. Having said that, there are two main reasons I continue to buy new yoyos:

  1. I want to try a yoyo that I’ve just discovered.
  2. I want another yoyo that I already like but in a new color.

Having different colors helps keep me motivated to throw because I am often in the mood to throw a certain shape/style of yoyo, but also a certain colorway. And if I don’t have the right yoyo for the mood I’m in at any given moment, I’ll probably go do something else.

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I got into yoyos on a whim and from a desire to stretch myself. I have been largely isolated from the yoyoing community and have met very few people through yoyoing. This forum is the most I have done in terms of making connections to other people through yoyoing. I took up yoyoing as one of several mechanisms of stress relief, so I’m not exactly 100% devoted to buying and learning all things yo.

I’d say, yes I’ve felt that way before. I think we all have. Although I have a fairly extensive collection, their quality is considerably lower than others’. For instance, I have a total of 3 CLYWs, all fool’s golds, but I have lots of old YoyoJams and a number of YoyoFactory throws. Nonetheless, I could easily look at another’s collection of ODs, CLYWs, SPYYs, and General Yos and feel that way. It’s similar to what some might call “Facebook Depression.” It’s a feeling of depression that comes from looking at your friends’ FB feeds at the highlights, seeing who’s getting married, having kids, getting a promotion, and going on amazing vacations and feeling like your own life is less-than. However, those friends are not posting about the difficult times, hard work, and sacrifices in the midst of many of those highlights. You look at someone’s huge case of amazing $100+ yoyos, but they don’t tell you that they have passed up other things to get them; things you might have felt were essential for your life.

We all need a hobby: something that keeps us from coming unhinged when times get tough. If that’s solely yoyoing, that’s great! You can probably amass a terrific collection, the likes of which will be admired and be the envy of many. If it’s yoyoing plus other things, then the collection will be more modest. In the end, your happiness will only be satisfied by doing what makes the rough patches of life feel better. If that means more ODs and CLYWs, then that’s what it means. If it means tearing through the expert tricks on the YYE tutorials and reading the latest yonomicon, go for it. If it means hanging up your yoyos and focusing on something else for a little while, those yoyos can always be there for you if you need to come back to them later.

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Oh man, I can’t wait to do that!

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No doubt I am missing something here?

My motivation to yoyo is because I enjoy throwing(relaxing) yoyos.

It has nothing to do with having to force feed motivation to myself to stay inspired because I get/got/am gonna get a new yoyo.

I am not saying people can’t/don’t/shouldn’t think that way. But I sure don’t hinge my continued interest on getting new yoyos or I’m bored.

I love throwing yo-yos. And I know I do because I’m not even very advanced after all these years.

To me; it is like: breathing, eating, laughing, and anything else that people may naturely do.

You don’t have to tell yourself to breathe. You eat without anybody forcing you to. You laugh when something is funny; right?

If you truly like yoyoing; you throw because you want to. Because you like the mood it puts you in. Not because you have a new throw. Not because others throw. Not to prove anything to anybody.

21 years ago; I threw a yoyo at Goldenapple Comics. I never had a yoyo when I was a kid. My older brother had a Duncan on the dresser. My mom would tell me don’t mess with your brothers’ yoyo; you are gonna break something.

Here I was; several decades later; an hour from home. In a Store I had never been in before. Throwing a yoyo… I am not well known in my hometown for making quick decisions. I consider things from many different angles before actually drawing a conclusion. Supposidely my left handed Pisces mind plays strongly in this mindset🤔.

…Surprisingly; within 60 seconds of throwing down ‘that yoyo’; I knew I would Always throw yoyos. I didn’t guess. I didn’t dream into the future. I didn’t have an instant fantasy about being great eventually. I just ‘knew’.

I am happy that All you guys currently yoyo for one reason or another. But there are some of us that just yoyo because we do. Yoyoing ‘is’ the motivation.

I don’t yoyo because I know others that yo. I don’t yoyo because I have cool yoyos. I don’t yoyo to attempt at any level to impress others.

As I have mentioned in a few other posts over the years. Many people pass through the yoyo phase/scene/pastime; and they just keep going. That is sometimes the way life moves. But I truly believe that if they stick around for any length at all; I think they are better for it. I honestly wish everybody well; that are just around ‘searching for something they don’t find through yoyos’.

The folks that stay with yo-yos are mainly those that see deeper into what yoyos offer.

Those that continually harp on the ‘ yoyos are just toys; so what’? They are not just toys.
They are toys… But they are not ‘just toys’.

Once you achieve that awareness; you will be around for at least the foreseeable future.

Anybody that doesn’t understand this reality will be long gone before I put my yoyos in the garage.

New yoyos don’t keep me going. Yoyoing keeps me going.

I can’t throw yoyos without smiling.

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I’ve been preaching this almost from the day I joined the forum! :+1:

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Quoting for ULTIMATE TRUTH©

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Throwing makes me happy.

Learning a new trick makes me happy.

Landing a trick seamlessly and clean makes me happy.

Hitting a snappy clean bind makes me happy.

Getting a new (to me) yoyo in the mail makes me happy.

Sending yo-yos and homemade string in the mail makes me happy.

Making string makes me happy.

Yoyo maintenance makes me happy.

Interacting with this community makes me happy.

Watching my yo friends progress makes me happy.

I will most likely be throwing for the rest of my life, because pretty much everything about it makes me happy.

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Other people’s happiness makes me unhappy :frowning_face:

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you mean other people’s happiness that came from the dv888?

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I get the feeling it really broke my reputation with @codinghorror.

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That’s illogical, captain. It is not possible to derive happiness from a dv888.

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I view yoyoing just as I do every other hobby I have/had. The most important part of yoyoing is obviously the throwing of the yoyo part. However, variety spices things up a bit, and id probably get bored more easily if I didn’t have a few different kinds of yoyos to pick up depending on my mood. Getting a new yoyo provides additional excitement, and it can honestly be quite addicting to keep getting and trying new ones, expanding your collection, etc. But in the end, what brings me back to yoyoing is the act itself. I am at a point where I am comfortable with the tricks I have learned, and can start learning more difficult tricks that I couldn’t land a few months ago. This also adds to the fun, but I can also get satisfaction out of just throwing old combos and experimenting with random ideas.

When will I stop yoyoing? idk, when I either don’t have the time, other things interest me more, or if I just don’t feel like throwing anymore. Ive cycled through hobbies in my lifetime before, and sometimes your interests change, sometimes you go back to old ones, etc. Ill probably never completely stop yoyoing, but I imagine that sometime in the future I will possibly go months without even picking one up. Currently I yoyo every day, even if it is only for 5 or 10 minutes.

However, yoyoing is just one of my hobbies. I cycle through more obsessive times with every one of them. The great thing about yoyoing is that you can get something out of a 30 second throw session, but some other hobbies (skiing, dirt bikes/ATVs, motorcycles, etc) take all day. Reading takes up a lot of time, and so does dedicated music listening. Not really sure where im going with this, but yoyoing can do it’s job in a very short time-frame, so fortunately there is almost always time for just a little bit of play.

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lots said here already. I enjoy getting a new yoyo as much as anyone else, but, for me the fear of being featured on “Hoarders: Collector’s Edition” keeps me from abusing my bank account and buying every new throw I see. That said, I’m not trying to make fun of people who have the disposition to be a hoarder, from watching some episodes of the show, it is truly a serious condition.

I enjoy throwing yoyo for the sake of doing tricks I already know, and, when the mood strikes, learning (or relearning) tricks. Playing yoyo puts a smile on my face, and, like Smileypants, I find so many aspects enjoyable (yes, even bearing maintenance).

Would I ever stop yoyoing? Maybe, if it became not fun anymore. I am busy enough with things that need to be done that I don’t feel good about spending leisure time doing things that don’t give me enjoyment.

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“Joy comes not through possession or ownership but through a wise and loving heart.”
― Gautama Buddha

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