So i’ve been following yoyo expert and yo tricks on youtube for guides on tricks. I started with the basics of trying to learn the mounts, trapeze, man and his brother, one and a half, double or nothing, kamakaze, etc. Whilst im not perfect with them im slowing getting there practicing them. I just dont know where to go next. I dont want to try slack or hooks just yet as i think those are quite advanced . I understand the concept of a combo, when i look at tricks like the matrix or buddahs revenge etc i can see elements of the mounts, my question is how to players progress and start linking tricks together? Do you look at other players and go he’s combos x → y → z or do you just start from the mounts and try stuff until it works? More of an open discussion i guess than a specific question but im interested in your guys thoughts.
Lets say i learn how to do the matrix, once i land the trick what would i do next to combo the matrix into something else? A good example of watching players just do stuff is watching the brandon vu intros where he’s just spinning his yoyo about completely effortlessly performing a random combo of tricks, how did he get there, how did he know what links into what etc?
Have you completed “the first 50” on yo tricks? These are a great foundation to play with. Once you’re comfortable with many of these you’ll start to find mounts that are common amongst them. Those are your good transition points. Sign up for an account and “level up”. YouTube is great for their stuff but the account keeps track of your progress.
Mounts, mounts and mounts are super important to have down.
Trick a week TAW on YYE is a great spot of a huge variety of tricks. Some I can’t get all the way through but you can pick different elements out of them to tinker with. You’ll all of sudden realize the common mounts that’s you’ve practiced.
Yeah it’s honestly just learning loads of tricks and then finding the commonalities on them.
Combos can be made in all sorts of ways.
You’ll soon find that a lot of “tricks” are actually built up out of smaller tricks which we often call elements. And those can be used within other tricks.
After a while I’ve found that learning elements becomes more interesting than learning full tricks.
i am working my way through the tricks on yoyoexperts progression. Im trying to see how they all come together but its still a bit hard. Its a bit more obvious with repeaters like buddahs revenge and say the matrix where i can go from buddah into 1.5 dismount to trapeze throw to double or nothing hit matrix end at trapeze end. But idk if this is how im supposed to think of a combo?
There is no right or wrong way. Just keep learning and playing Yoyo and you’ll get there. You still have a long way to go and a ton of tricks to learn. As everything become more familiar, it’s easier and easier to add things together and splice in elements and make combos. No rules! Just get that yocab up.
btw is it normal to lose string tension often and have to essentially either ufo or take the string off your finger? I find that every 2 attempts of a trick i keep losing string tension. its not a problem just one of those irritating things that stops the flow of any practice i do
This is a good question. Some strings will lose a nice neutral U quickly while others can go much longer before having to adjust. It also really depends on what trick bc some tricks add or remove a lot of twists while other don’t affect the string at all. I’ve also noticed longer length string holds neutral a bit longer. It definitely gets easier to manage when you can feel if your string is tight or loose by how it’s responding to tricks and also get better at adding or removing the exact amount of twists to return to neutral.
Yea string tension just happens when you’re doing tricks and you have to readjust in one way or another.
As for the original question, I started out progressing through Yo Tricks and YYE tutorials as well and eventually picked up enough tricks and elements to start linking them together.
The easiest way to look at it is to find similar starting and ending elements to link together. For example, find two tricks, one that ends in a 1.5 mount and one that begins in a 1.5 mount then try to seamlessly link them together. That’s the basics of it. The more you learn, the more you can combine.
can you recommend any strings to buy as better grade strings?im just using henry’s atm they might be fantastic it may just be me or as you say the tricks im doing. Im currently working on the matrix. So a lot of double or nothings.
This is the best bulk string I have tried so far. There are also fancier strings that you can try eventually but string doesn’t matter as much imo until you start diving into technical slacks and whips and tension elements. This is more than good enough for the tricks you’re learning now and is also used at the highest competitive level. It is also very cheap.
Currently a wedge by yoyo factory. But im looking to getting a metal yoyo soon which im investigating now. But ive seen that each yoyo has recommended size strings.
one last question for now, when looking towards metal yoyos, is there a downside to getting a really nice top end yoyo? Ive heard that high end yoyos are slightly larger and have more forgiving catches due to being used in competitions so that people can focus less on accuracy and more on their routine. Im wandering if this is actively bad for someone who is, in essence, a total beginner. Money isnt an issue here i consider myself dedicated enough that the spend is worth it.
for reference im looking at the peregrine or tachyon by yoyofriends
Ummmm this is kind of a loaded question and you will hear ppl recommend both things. I don’t think it is harmful per se…but it did help me greatly to have a slimline yoyo (higher walls and narrower width, specifically the panorama) to practice my tricks on. It’s harder to perform tricks on a slimline yoyo and forces you to analyze your technique and that was very very beneficial to me when I was fairly new. I think you should do whatever you want and both of those yoyos are good choices. I can only speak to my experience here and everyone is different like using a slimline to figure out better technique isn’t necessary for everyone, it just helped me.
also ask as many questions as you want! We like talking about tricks and yoyos and helping ppl figure out yoyo stuff so ask away.
that makes sense that is a super slim yoyo. im struggling to catch my yoyo on my double or nothing and one and a half mounts with my wedge i have no idea how id catch it with a panorama ahaha.
I find the yoyo swings over my finger and misses the string. Im just not sure how to aim it better or if its where my hands are positioned.
my throw hand is definitely further away than my non yoyo hand, the yoyo is off plane 100%, no idea how to fix this becasue its how my hands naturally sit when i throw. xD
You can try to land closer to your fingers so like get your yoyo closer to your finger and it will be easier to not miss. I also think of it like pulling the yoyo into the mount vs trying to catch it. Keep practicing and youll get there for sure. you can always post a vid to ask questions also and ppl will probably be able to spot some areas for improvement.