I have a much better one on the way but for right now I am using a Duncan imperial is the yo-yo the problem?
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The imperial can sleep, but not particularly long. If it’s going for a couple seconds you’re doing pretty good. I’d work on some tricks that rely on it being responsive for the time being, they’re quite rewarding.
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The old saying goes: “It’s not the yo, it’s the throw.” Welcome to the forum! Getting a really good, straight throw takes practice. Keep practicing. You WILL get it! Watch tutorials right here - up top - click on learn.
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I’ll do that just that and wait till my new one comes in!
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An Imperial is not the easiest to learn on in my experience because you have to have perfect throws - which is a great thing to learn. We ALL strive for perfect throws and a lot of modern yoyos are more accomodating of sloppy throws but in no way is an Imperial holding you back - if anything, learning on it will make you a better thrower! Yoyo champion Gentry has a great beginner Youtube series he started last week:
He posts a new video every day!
He uses a Spinstar in the beginner series;
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In this case, I do think a lot of the issues you’re having IS the yoyo.
I think once you get a better modern yo-yo (one with a ball bearing) you’ll be blown away with how much easier it is to get good sleepers.
The Imperial really isn’t a good yoyo for anything modern (in my humble opinion). Trying to learn anything with it is only going to prove to be incredibly frustrating.
Which yo-yo do you have coming to you? Can’t wait for you to get it! 
Oh and welcome to the forums and your new addiction hobby!!!
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I agree. I just meant an Imperial is not impossible to learn on but it’s like going for a long distance hike wearing only socks. It’s possible, it can be done, it’ll take longer, but you may end up turning around after 10 minutes. If hiking boots are offered to you - put em on!
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agreed
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I respectfully disagree. Having thrown Imperials in my childhood, before modern throws existed, they were great for learning a steady throw. When I discovered unresponsive throws two and a half years ago, I hadn’t thrown a yoyo more than a handful of times since my childhood, and even then it was only a couple of random throws with a niece or nephew’s yoyo, nothing of any significance. Long story short, when I started throwing unresponsive, I flew through learning process, primarily because I had already had a very strong foundation of a strong, stable, steady throws. I didn’t have to struggle through that part like most others do; I was able to surpass all that. It’s definitely not great for doing tricks that require sleeping for long, but for learning the foundation of a really solid, stable throw? It’s perfectly fine.
S for the OP’s question, yes, it is prolly the yoyo. Imperials are not great for throwing long sleepers. Good luck!
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This is pretty much my point.
Don’t disagree at all that it can teach you the VERY basics. I’m also aware that some people can do amazing things with an imperial…but those people are incredibly skilled and have been yoing for years.
It sounds like the OP here is ready to move onto tricks that require a yo that can sleep well. The imperial is just going to be very frustrating in this regard for him.
i agree, i threw solely an imperial for years… that’s all i could get, lol… i can get waaaaaaay more than a few seconds of sleep time out of my (still very first) imperial. it’s humbling, and i’ll still play it today… ya do the best you can with what ya got 
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lol I can’t even begin to imagine trying to learn anything modern with a Duncan Imperial. You’re right…but with modern yos so readily available for cheap…why suffer with learning on an imperial?
Even Dave in the video above was struggling to do the absolute basics like a trapeze with the Imperial. He too wasn’t getting much more then a few seconds on a lot of his throws. And he’s an amazing yo’er who’s been throwing for decades.
You can learn the basics with an imperial…but I personally wouldn’t recommend it. In my mind it’d cause a ton of frustration…where anything modern will make the learning experience much more enjoyable and smooth.
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In 2015 I got an Imperial and Duncan trick book. I was looking at the cartoons of double and triple or nothing and thinking “I can’t wait to do that with my new Imperial!” The book had photos of modern yoyos. I never knew about different kinds of yoyo. The only fixed axle I throw is my Legend wing and I LOOOVE it so much! 
I am learning sooo much about precision and plane management and the natural wood feel is a nice break from metal during the day. Not on stalls yet. I just enjoy the repetitions of flips and moves that require only one hand.
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