Hey guys! I am writing a paper on the benefits of playing with a yo-yo for my English class. Currently, I am trying to find out how different people have been able to benefit from this extraordinary toy. Personally, it has always been my coping mechanism for dealing with stress, being restless, or straight-up boredom. With that in mind, I ask you all this question: Why do you Yo?
11 Likes
I could write a book. Honestly I pretty much have (several times over). TL;DR: from Fiend Magazine back in the day:
What is a FIEND?
A Fiend is into playing in a deep and serious way. He (or SHE) recognizes that yo-yo (or juggling, or top spinning or whatever prop you choose) is about more than just contests or lists of tricks. Those are merely tools to help you achieve the real “State of Yo.” You really get it when you’re throwing and you become one with the forces of nature and physics that make it all possible-your movements are a dance with infinity. You are surfing the wave of reality. The trick doesn’t need a name, you don’t need an audience, you’ve moved beyond all that. You just know that THIS IS REAL. An old Hindu text asks, “what is the difference between the dancer and the dance?” A Fiend answers “nothing.”
14 Likes
That’s really cool! I never thought of a benefit like that. It’s almost as if your focus enhances greatly throughout the experience until it becomes a permanent part of who you are. Thank you so much for responding!
The voices in my head told me to.
…
Yoing has proven to be a really powerful learning experience for me over the months. About not giving in when things get difficult, achieving things I thought not possible and pushing myself through times I want to just quit.
It’s really been a great way to grow in my personal life.
I was also in a pretty rough spot a couple of years ago after I loss my mother unexpectedly. She was a massive part of my daily life and I was completely lost without her. Didn’t help when my dad decided to move 400+ miles away soon after her passing. That first year without them was rough.
I was in great need of something to sink my focus into. Something to look forward to everyday.
Also…
The voices.
They wont shut up!!
10 Likes
I got back into yoyo to help with me cope with a dark time in my life. Just throwing up and down and having something else to focus on and learn about has been amazing. I’m doing much better now and have a fantastic collection of Yoyos. This community is the best, and I’m going to be sticking around for a long time.
7 Likes
I’ve always loved physics and watching things spin.
5 Likes
It’s the perfect combination of meditation, challenge, and fun. It’s like doing yoga with your mind’s understanding of physics. Super relaxing and fun to collect, as well. I’m really into the aspect of taking up as little space as possible with my possessions and it’s a lot less space consuming than some of my other hobbies.
5 Likes
I’ll let the video do the explaining (fun times filming this for a “why do we yoyo” contest a few years back here)
What is not explained in the video - it’s a great destresser. My old job had some pretty 
management who threw our stress levels through the roof with their hair-brain decisions. I savored those 2 15 minute rest breaks each day outside, away from the work area. It was a relaxing 15 minutes as I zoned out in my own world.
7 Likes
a variety of reasons… bonding with my kiddo; a meditation, a distraction, an exercise; something to practice that’s not too rigid or conformative; it brings together and bonds a very diverse and close-knit community; i get to play with toys; nostalgia; i am an engineer and yo’ed in college, this is a very technically and scientifically fun thing for me; the nuances and technical differences of the objects within the hobby are lost on the outside world, but dramatic within our community’s eyes; the tingles and adrenaline rushes when finding, throwing, and the first return on that (next) ever-hunted for throw… next page…
8 Likes
5 Likes
That was such a great video @AngryGumball! Thank you for sharing!
Did you win the contest?
4 Likes
Thank you so much for sharing your experience, twitch77! It really is remarkable how yo-yos have helped you to cope with your past. I’m very sorry for what happened, but I am glad that you’ve found something to help you!
3 Likes
That’s great! Thank you so much for sharing!
1 Like
It is quite satisfying ^^
2 Likes
Thank you so much for sharing! I find it wonderful that you’ve been able to do all these things from yo-yoing, especially bonding with your kid! It is true that the sensation of the practice is amazing.
3 Likes
I throw because its the best way to deal with stress, and I love to compete
5 Likes
Gotta say exactly what you write! We are being sheltered in place and already the week old limited routine is getting to me. The article this morning in the News saying everyone over sixty should become a hermit for a month is confirmation of where we are at this time.
4 Likes
@JHSLGAZH People usually view yoyos as a toy. Yoyoing today is more cerebral than people generally realize. A toy serves no purpose other than entertainment or distraction. A skill toy is a bit of an upgrade, but it implies physical skill, like juggling or shooting free throws. Yoyos certainly require skill, but modern yoyoing involves creating new tricks. Permutations of different elements to form a new sequence, and even the discovery of new elements that eventually make it into the annals of yoyo trick history. I guess some would call yoyoing an art i.e. a medium of expression, some may call it a skill, but it’s certainly more cerebral than it is just a toy.
7 Likes
I started yoyoing mostly as a study break during Chiropractic school after college… it didn’t take long to become a FIEND. I actually remember that magazine. I started ayoyo club on campus. Some of my professors would laugh at me at first then i explained that i was further training my neruroreceptors in my arms and hand to deliver more accurate adjustments… i was joking at first but this is legit. Yo-yoing has physical benefits for sure.
Over the years it’s been a variety of things in my life, id be repeating what was said above. Currently the yoyo is my sanctuary as i face my greatest challenge in my life.
Throw daily. Life goes up and down and all around…
7 Likes
As a 90s kid I was a part of the yoyo craze when I was in 5th grade. Throwing long sleepers with brain yoyos and doing simple tricks was my obsession for… maybe a year, possibly 6 months. When the craze died down I stopped yoyoing because I was a busy kid with a lot of things to do. But that time in my life left a deep impression.
Fast forward 20 years. I was watching random youtube videos and saw a random Gentry Stein video (the one of him winning Nats with a Replay Pro), and I was like, holy crap, yoyos can sleep this long now?! I found out about unresponsive yoyo play and was very intrigued. I wanted to buy one, practice enough to land a few tricks, and show off to my friends who also remember yoyoing. I think I underestimated my interest at the time.
It has been a year and a half since I first started yoyoing again, and I havent lasted more than a few days without throwing. Why? It’s fun, it’s challenging, but also yet relaxing. It’s rewarding when you land a new trick or figure out a new element. I have yet to find my limit, and I have been addicted to just throwing a yoyo and losing myself in the practice. Honestly, this is a hard question to answer, but if I were to try, id say that it is just part of my personality to fidget and play with a dynamic toy that has no inherent limitations. Compared with some of the more emotionally charged reasons on here, mine are very shallow in depth, but it calms me down, makes me happy, and challenges me all at the same time. It is a very rewarding hobby that can be enjoyed at either 5 minute or 5 hours intervals. If I were to distill it to the most basic of reasons, it is me releasing nervous energy and doing something expressive with it.
7 Likes