What do you say to people.....

General Yo-Yo
1

who have a mindset of, “better yoyo = Better tricks”, i know alot of people ,and alot means ALOT, who have this mindset, and it sort of hurts me a little on the inside, im not really bothered by this, but when people just dont want to practice and buy expensive throws, thats when i get ticked, i know someone who has bought well over $500 worth of high end metals in his first month of playing, and he can barely do split the atom,

i must admit it though, and im pretty sure this goes for alot of people ot there too, that when we first started off, all we wanted was those really high end yoyos and the expensive ones, and maybe bought 1 or 2, but got over it quickly, i did, the only high ends i bought are the genesis and the aware but i was over it waaaay before i bought the aware, and im glad i did, i mean sure they got the money to get the yoyos.

the only upside to this is that they have a good yoyo to practice on and once they get better they dont need to shell out the money for good yoyos, but i mean if i was stuck on that i would be homeless, i know that its all about the player, not the yoyo,

one ironic thing about it is, is that i use a northstar all the time, and its my favorite yoyo hands down, and i teach alot of people, kids especially, tricks using it, while they are using $100-$200 yoyos,

sorry if i wasted your time with this post, just needed somewhere to vent and hopefully hear what others think about this topic…

2

i don’t worry about it an iota anymore. in this hobby, you get out exactly what you put in. it’s inescapable. if you spend a lot of money, what you’ll have is an expensive, shiny yo-yo. that’s all. if you work really hard with that yo-yo, for years… you’ll have a lot more; mental discipline, persistence, a better sense for what you can accomplish, creativity & improvisation, presentation, etc.

look at guys like harvey lowe or barney akers. they built their skill for over 50 years. would you say that those skills are less than those of the kid who can blunder their way through ‘ladder escape’ with a new-school yo-yo they bought for $180? of course not. the real value of their skill was in their play. they didn’t need an expensive yo-yo to make people happy. and that reward was worth their effort and time, which are really the most valuable things you can give.

nothing of value can be easily obtained. you have to give it your time and energy. if it comes to you quickly, it’s just ‘stuff you can do or show off’, and it’s not really intrinsic to your personality or character. so, if some kid is really excited about his new yo-yo or his collection, and he’s fumbling through the basic tricks, his efforts (or lack therof) don’t diminish mine. they’re not connected. it’s better for me to say ‘that’s a sweet yo-yo’ and trade a trick or two than chastise him with ‘psh. you can’t even throw that thing.’ build people up, and maybe they’ll go on to become the next barney akers. knock them down because of your own insecurities, and none of us may ever know.

5 Likes
3

It doesn’t really bother me anymore. I know there’s a lot of people, mostly kids, that think that if they buy a more expensive yo-yo they’ll somehow be better. To that I just think to myself “They’ll learn eventually”. I know that when I started I thought the same thing to some degree. Now I just want new yo-yos because I feel like they look neat, and that there’s many more options in design once you’ve moved on from plastic… Honestly though, I can do every trick just as well on a 30$ Protostar.

4

Well said, Ed.

5

I still use my DM2 as my “reference” yoyo.

I will often use my DM2 to start learning a trick. After that, I’ll move onto something else, often much higher in price, maybe with a KK in it, mostly so I can get more attempts at the trick per throw. This is mainly so I don’t have to waste time throwing over and over again. I can focus on just the element I’m screwing up on. Once I get the trick down, I’ll work on almost every yoyo I have that’s appropriate to reinforce the skills I’m trying to etch into my brain.

Having a better yoyo doesn’t make me a better player. I will admit it does help me when working on tricks, but it in and of itself isn’t improving my game. Only hard work makes me a better player.

I can be just as happy throwing a CLYW or a One Drop as I can be throwing my DM2, a Protostar or Northstar, my Lyn Fury or an Asteroid or PSG. I think the mindset is a major factor. Yes, I like nice stuff, and I like having nice stuff. Normally I have the money to buy the nice stuff. If your mindset is of “I’m going to have fun”, then the pressure is off and you’ll just find a way to enjoy yourself with what is available. I don’t compete, I never have and I never will. My skills do not warrant needing a certain model of yoyo. When I go out to meets, I’m letting people go through my case and throwing whatever they want, while I’m perfectly content tossing my PSG or Asteroid or some other “cheap” yoyo and having a fantastic time. I do admit I have preferences and know what shapes and weights work better for me for now, but even so, I won’t let those constrain what I buy, what I play and what I’m willing to enjoy.

I know no matter what I buy or what I spend, the only thing that makes me get better is the amount of quality time I’m willing to put into it. If I can’t do a trick on a DM2, I sure am not going to magically do the trick on a Chief. That isn’t to say I won’t work on the Chief to get a trick down. Not to knock the DM2, but with the high wall, it requires you hit the trick cleaner, which in the beginning can cause me problems because I’m not hitting the trick clean. If you can use a different yoyo to help avoid certain aspects that may make learning the trick harder at first, then if you can use something different, then do so. As you hone the skill, work on different yoyos in different sizes, shapes and weights and profiles.

I’ll never be a great player. I’ll settle for “good” or “decent” or even “proficient”. And I’ll keep buying stuff, expensive and cheap. Above all, I’m gonna have fun.

6

I have to admit that I have started buying some of the more expensive yoyos but not for the reason they “make me better” but for the reason that they perform better…

When I first started out I used some cheap yoyos that I had to throw a lot because of short sleep times…my Code 2 sleeps for a very long time so I can just drop out and retry whatever I am learning which sort of aids in my progression because I can get back to learning the trick quicker than having to rebind and throw every few seconds…

I also still buy cheaper yoyos too because a high price does not automatically assume better quality either, which I discovered after buying a Bapezilla 2 (£92) which is my most expensive throw, and which I just don’t like…ok, it spins for a long time but I just haven’t “clicked” with it, and probably won’t throw it much…

I have learned most of the tricks I know on an Auldey Ice Spirit which I think is an AWESOME throw and only cost me £10…

I own a few Magic YoYos too which all play amazingly and were very cheap too…

Like everyone else has stated I throw to have fun as my primary objective…playing on a nice/expensive throw is just a bonus…