Trouble using yoyo

im a noob to yoyos in the modern age, I watched the video on how to string my yoyo and when i try, the yoyo just spins and wont come back up… what am i doing wrong? i looped over my finger once and wrapped it 3 times as the video said, it wound up around the yoyo…

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Hey, welcome to the forums! :smiley:

Most yoyos these days are what is called “unresponsive” which means it will sleep (spin) at the end of the string and will not return to your hand with a tug.
They take a trick called a ‘bind’ to get them to return.

Maybe you’d prefer what’s considered a “responsive” yoyo to start out with. These will return to your hand with a tug like you’re expecting without the need of a bind.

There’s lots of great options for responsive these days. If this is something you’re looking for I’d be happy to give you some suggestions!

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welcome aboard! you’ve come to the right place for help… @twitch77 hooked you up with some good questions and info… he’s a nice guy for sure! if you don’t know where to start… we’ve all been there

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thanks for the fast reply, I wasnt expecting that but its awesome! and yes, i got the oscillator which is an unresponsive yoyo… i guess i should have started with a responsive yoyo lol. ill figure it out for sure, the video helped!!

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It doesn’t matter which you start with as long as you understand the mechanics of what you are using. Unresponsive just gives you very long spin time but you have to do a bind to get the yoyo to return. Once you learn that you’re on your way. You just can’t use an unresponsive for looping and similar stuff. Welcome aboard!

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Here’s a few suggestions on some responsive yoyos that would be great to learn with. They’re nice yoyos that will spin at the end of the string…but they’ll all return to your hand with a tug which will really help with getting use to the basics.

Do you have a nearby Target store? They might have some Duncan Butterfly XTs in stock. For being as cheap as they are, they’re a very good yoyo!

Another cheap option at just $6 (before shipping which should only be about $3 in the USA) is a YoYoFactory Whip…this yoyo is slightly smaller then a lot of others and has a really comfortable shape to it so it feels good in the hand and to toss around. It’s also dang near indestructible! lol

A step up in price at between $15 and $20 gives you a wider selection of some yoyos that are quite a bit higher performing (while still coming back to hand with a tug).
3 of them I’d suggest are:

The YoYoFactory Replay…this thing is near indestructible as well and can later be upgraded to a unresponsive when you’re ready.

Or the YoYoFactory Arrow.

…and unfortunately YoYoExpert.com only has pinks in stock right now…but one of the most suggested yoyos on these forums for people starting out is the Recess First Base. If you like pink though…this would be the one I’d suggest the most.

Also, if you do place an order online, I’d really recommend picking up some extra strings if you can afford it! Strings don’t last too terribly long unfortunately.

Kitty String Fats are pretty good!

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I will see get more string and a responsive yoyo to learn on. I got the ideologically was 100 bucks so I will also learn how to use the unresponsive yoyo as it obviously wasn’t cheap lol. I got the kids yoyo top so I may use theirs to learn haha

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That’s awesome though :smiley: the Oscillator will be such an awesome yoyo once you jump into unresponsive play! :smiley: :smiley:

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Welcome. So many other users have already jumped in with answers and suggestions. All I feel I can add at this point is to take your time with learning, there isn’t a race to see how quickly you can move through all the tutorials (well, maybe there is, but, since I’m a slow learner I’ve never paid attention to it). Remember, we are all going to learn at our own pace, don’t get discouraged if learning one trick goes faster than you expect and another trick takes longer than you think. The whole point of playing yoyo is to have fun. Also, if you get ‘stuck’ on a trick in the Learn section of YoYoExpert.com, you can move to another trick. Sometimes that helps me figure out the trick that was giving me trouble.

Finally, string is a consumable. It wears out and needs to be replaced. Some strings last quite a long time (the Markmont. line jumps to mind). Some seem to wear out pretty quickly. you should make sure to buy some replacement string.

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Welcome!

I hope you figure out the bind. Once you do, it opens the door to a world of tricks that looked impossible before. Tons of fun. As you’re probably figuring out, this forum and the yoyo community in general are a really friendly place with lots of people willing to help or give (someone unsolicited) advice. :rofl:

So, practice and ask questions. We’ve all been there and all of your questions have likely been asked. Someone here will help you out.

Have fun. Stay safe.

kgb

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You can skip the responsive stage, and make the bind your first trick. The biggest issue is you don’t know if your yo-yo is overly unresponsive/responsive, but you will with experience.

Some would disagree, but I’m not in the camp that you will develop sloppy habits not learning responsive first.

Your Oscillator looks very good. Just checked it out.

I got the yoyo for the kids and picked one up for myself, had no idea this was a community or how involved it was lol. You guys are awesome and thanks for taking the time to answer me and include me!!

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