What is your "fun" in yoyoing?

General Yo-Yo
1

Hello everyone,

We have seen several times in this forum that someone can approach the yoyo world in many different ways, from the collector to the contestant to the casual player etc… etc… some people can even combine many types of approach, I was curious what is the reason that let you throw the yoyo or login in the forum/social every day and that you consider the “fun” part of yoyoing.

In my case is to create combos, I do love make combos, I do love the “happy accident” when you are doing something and something new and cool comes out, I do like to think that I created something myself that “flow” nicely (at least for my taste), I also like the filming part and the share with the community and I do love to learn new elements from other people as well and check what other people create.

What is your?

20 Likes
2

]My personal fun in yoyoing is not entirely limited to, but is primarily made up by my striving to become a more able, mindful and content player. I still have every intention of competing and while I may not be at my best yet, I know I will get where I need to be with time.

Thanks for the great topic.

12 Likes
3

Very honestly when I got back into it around 2020 I was in my own little world and did a lot of collecting - primarily throws I missed out on getting when I was a kid. I would learn a trick every once and awhile but mostly rested on the plateau of the skill I built up before I got out of the game around 2014 (which now doesn’t seem like a whole lot lol). But after going to Nats in 2022 I felt inspired to get off that plateau and try and learn what I can, when I can. Even moreso after going this year. Life is busy, and I have work & yoyoing isn’t even my main hobby lmao, but as time has gone on, I’ve experienced more joy learning tricks than getting new yoyos/yoyos I want.

Once you start going to meetups and contests, which I’m very fortunate to be near quite a few, you realize that besides the yoyos, the people you meet and the tricks you learn are the most fun part of it all. I’ve met some AWESOME people through yoyoing and when you look past the occasional forum drama (lol), hanging out engaging with other people who love to do the same thing as you is pretty dope. And as far as the tricks side of things go, I’m badly paraphrasing someone here, but after awhile you realize you care more about the tricks than the yoyo you’re doing them with. I wish I was a hell of a lot better, and this sounds corny as hell, but the journey really is half the fun, however slow or fast it may be.

Also this is a smaller “side note” type thing, but just getting lost for hours throwing is a top tier experience too.

15 Likes
4

A better question would be what isn’t fun.

Playing with yoyos is fun.

Thinking about yoyo trick theory is fun.

Creating a trick is fun.

Researching what’s left of yoyo history is fun.

Reading yoyo forum discussion is fun.

Being apart of the yoyo community is fun.

Thinking about yoyo design is fun.

Designing yoyos is fun.

Researching yoyo design or yoyo design history is fun.

Talking about yoyos is fun.

Watching yoyo videos is fun.

Learning new tricks is fun.

Perfecting those tricks is fun.

Collecting yoyos is fun.

Going to yoyo meets is fun.

Meeting yoyo people is fun.

Reading the dumpster fire every week on Throwers reddit is fun.

Being excited for new yoyos is fun.

Watching instagram tricks is fun.

Discovering new players is fun.

Listening to yoyo podcasts is fun.

All of yoyo is fun.

21 Likes
5

This was basically going to be my answer :grin: It’s a toy so it should be fun no matter how you approach it.

Specifically for me, my fun comes from being able to jam with a yoyo. I’ve been a musician more than half my life and jamming was always a big part of that. I made a conscious effort to become better at improvising. Being able to turn everything else off and to effortlessly pull inspiration from the ether is one is the most satisfying experiences in my life, especially when jamming and creating with other musicians.

When I took up yoyoing, I had a similar goal in mind. I wanted to be able to jam with the yoyo. After a couple of years of learning and grinding out tricks, I finally reached a point where I could put on some music and just see where it goes. Tuning out the world and tuning in to this toy is my happy place.

9 Likes
6

I almost always have a yoyo in my pocket even though I throw only around a total of 15-20 minutes a day. Some weeks it takes 3-4 throws to get and keep everything straight to run through what I know successfully. A lot of the time I just don’t have “it” so If I get a perfect combo I put the yoyo down feeling successful. I no longer have wifi at home and live in an area where I get 1-2 bars so watching trick videos doesn’t happen much. Yoyos are very fun for me and I usually pick up yoyos that will not challenge me.

13 Likes
7

I played with yoyo as a kid around 96-2000. The only tricks people knew at my school was forward pass, rock the baby, walk the dog, and around the world. Schools then banned them and yoyos died off for the most part.

McDonald’s released a yomega in their happy meals at some point in my teens. I got one but it broke shortly after. Yoyos we’re not being marketed anymore. So I didn’t even think to get a new one.

At the age of 28 I walked into goodwill and seen a purple glittered Duncan butterfly. I didn’t grab it but the rest of the time I was in the store I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was in the car about to leave and looked at my gf and said “I’m getting it” I walked back in and got it.

I went home and just like Ive done with guitar I jumped on YouTube and looked up yoyo tricks. I found Adam from yotricks. I learned some basic tricks but the yoyo was very limited. I learned everything I could on that not including modern responsive.

I had an idea to drill holes in the sides of that butterfly and insert old skateboard bearings. I broke the yoyo in the process. Then YouTube suggested wireds video with gentry stein. It blew my mind what he was able to do. I knew then this is something I want to do.

I had pretty much reinvented hubstacks not knowing they existed. You don’t know what you don’t know.

I bought a Duncan pro z at Walmart and waited for my shutter in the mail. I went deep into the history of yoyo and yoyo design. On my hunt for yoyos I wanted to exist I found hubstacks, nine dragons, other gimmicks, and various materials being used.

There was still things in my mind I wanted in a yoyo but it just doesn’t exist.

The fun really begins.

I started consuming all things yoyo. Found this forum looking at mods I could do. Found many content creators. And started studying history. I’m teaching myself editing as well as CAD so I can bring these ideas I have to life. All while practicing hours a day.

The yoyo being the 2nd oldest toy known and the oldest skill toy known I wanted to be apart of it. I find it amazing that this toy has lasted so long and humans are still playing with it today. Not only are we playing with it but some of the most innovation has happen in the last 25ish years. I have all these ideas and decided I wanted to leave my mark on the yoyo.

I hadn’t worked in 10 years. The last 3 of that I did nothing but focus on yoyo to bring my ideas to life. I want to create yoyo players in my community so I had to come up with a plan.

I sold my house in the country side and moved to the city. I got a job to fund my yoyo project. I’ve been at the job about 6 months. Some of the money has to pay higher cost of living in the city but the rest goes to the company account. Currently I own a company called Yo-Life. I have $2100 to buy inventory to sell in my community. I’m saving for a good laptop to do my CAD. Content is coming very soon.

Every aspect of yoyo and the yoyo community is very fun or interesting. Yoyo has changed my life and myself in more ways than I thought possible. If I can get the yoyo in just one person hand and it have the effect that it had on me mission successful.

I could go on and on. I just love yoyo.

11 Likes
8

Practicing and perfecting is fun to me. I like the process of gradually becoming more competent at what I’m doing through repetition and trying to get combos down like you mentioned as well.

7 Likes
9

When I first got back into this a little over a year ago my plan was literally to collect the throws I used to have and also wanted as a kid and to just kinda do that part of the hobby again. I was gonna care about smoothness and quality 100% and just be “that guy” But when I got on here to look around at yo-yos and see what everyone was throwing nowadays, I was pretty surprised to see the forum posting tricks daily, showing off yo-yos, tuts, reviews, etc. It was probably like that in the early 2010’s too I just don’t remember lol.

But either way it changed my outlook pretty quick over a few months on how I was gonna approach this hobby again, and now what I think is most fun is learning tricks with you guys every week. TaW has really pushed me to keep progressing and to not just know some gerbil combos on a $100 yoyo lol. I’ve also met some really cool people on here that I’d love to actually meet in person someday and have a beer with or something, also not what I was expecting when I came back. I guess to summarize this semi mushy post, yoyo has become way more to me over this past year than just having a few collectible throws and what not again.

10 Likes
10

I got my first yoyo, a blue Duncan Imperial, back in the 80’s when I was in 3rd or 4th grade. My dad and grandfather taught me how to sleep it and walk the dog. I got the “Official Duncan Trick Book” through mail-order and learned what I could. Hop The Fence, Rock the Cradle, Flying Saucer, the simple stuff. Then I learned Shoot The Moon and went hard core looper. I built up a small collection culminating in another mail-order purchase of the Duncan Professional.

A couple years passed and Nintendo relaunched the video game revolution. The yoyo was dead. I casually picked it back up during the crazes of the 90’s to show up my friends, and the 2010’s to entertain my kids. But that was it. Then earlier this year my youngest picked up the Duncan Reflex we got him years ago and fell in love the same as I did in the 80’s.

So now my “fun in yoyoing” is somewhere between low-key collecting, casually throwig tricks, both classic and modern, and sharing new tricks in various styles with my kid. The little butthole can DNA our off-string yoyo like it’s easy. :expressionless: :rofl:

10 Likes
11

Dissecting trick tutorials
it makes me feel smart :smiley:

4 Likes
12

I like learning and watching cool tricks and improving as a player. I also really like watching competitions and videos, they’re kind of like watching a sport to me.

5 Likes
13

The community

By this I mean learning from from others, filming other players, hanging out in discord calls to watch streamed contests or old/new edits, having dumb debates on the internet about different designs etc. The community in yo-yoing, for the most part, is a fun place to hang out.

12 Likes
14

I think that’ awesome. It’s so interesting to watch people yoyo. Here’s a cool vid I did today. https://youtu.be/dNB35UvqsxQ?si=dG1gMu2WofZZQ-J9

1 Like
15

Great question. For me its fun just looking at yoyos. Though I don’t throw unresponsive I love seeing the innovation and design of the latest and greatest. This community is usually a fun place to hang out but my greatest joy in yo’ng is getting into a deep state of yo and just flowing. For me its a one-handed freestyle flow that never ends.

4 Likes
16

The awe of seeing that new yoyo coming in the mail is pretty exciting. But the gradual attachment to that throw over the coming months is just sheer joy. Learning and bonding with it, while discovering its nuances is pretty darn exciting. I really need to show it off more in public and just let loose and wild. Show off some wild tricks is cool too.

1 Like
17

Yo-yos and the good yo-yo people of the world. Learning new tricks and the moment I start seeing the string before it get into position for the next move or element. When I am throwing and my eyes and mind are ahead of my hands enough to have the time to be relaxed and hit the next move or element. Hard to explain… like the tin cup of golf. When you do everything in your swing correctly and then it does not even feel like you used force at all, it rings through your hole body.

The yo-yo expert forum also gives a lot of opportunities for joy in the yo-yo community.

Everyone have a great rest of the week.

2 Likes