So one of the things that seems to happen a lot whenever I bind is that the string knots itself around the axle. Are there any good tips for avoiding this?
I should probably clarify that this only happens to me when I perform a side backspin bind, not a front backspin bind.
Smaller bind / tail maybe?
This happens to me more on my smaller throws.
Good question, someone who’s a pro will help us out.
In addition to axle knots, I’d also like to know how folks deal with the situation where the string gets jammed between the coil of string wrapped in the gap (after the yoyo has returned to the hand) and one of the side walls of the yoyo. This prevents a smooth throw because the string is so tightly jammed in there; I find I am pulling the string loose a little between every throw to avoid this. But should this be happening in the first place?
Safety throw. Very important when you don’t have a clean bind and will prevent many future surprise attacks. Just a soft, usually front-style throw until the tail is out, then get your proportions right with binding.
A hard/fast spinning throw will need very little, whereas an almost dying slow spinning yoyo, at say the end of a trick, may need much more string binded for it to return.
If you have any video, it’s easier to diagnose what is happening 
