So as this topic came up today in a chat I was curious to get a wider input on the subject. Do you play or attempt to play 2a (with both hands, not a single-hand loop), or 3A?
If not, why not; what stopped you from giving it a shot, and do you play any other division if so which ones and why?
Possible prize(s) for answering, depending on the number of answers.
for me, it’s because 1A already takes a lot of dedication to progress at, so my time is spent there. however i do play 4A casually but i don’t put in the same amount of effort grinding new tricks like I do for 1A
I’ve tried off and on for a decade to learn even 1 handed loops and can’t seem to get it even with my dominant hand, let alone my non dominant hand. I have a pair of loopers for when I want to try again but realistically it’s just not appealing to me given how extremely difficult it is just for the most basic fundamental trick in the style. It’s incredibly fun to watch, and I enjoy it a lot from an audience pov, but I really don’t think I’m going to get into 2A.
3A on the other hand has a few reasons: cost. To do proper 3A I need two of the same yoyo, and for it to actually be worthwhile, those need to be durable, super stable, and long spinning, and realistically they will be expensive. It’s hard enough to justify one high end yoyo, let alone getting duplicates. The clinging sound. Not to mention the damage to these high end throws, but the loud clinging makes me and my wife flinch hard every time. It’s genuinely kinda scary and I don’t think it fits me well. Maybe if I tried with 2 plastic yoyos for fun that would be a different story but it would just be casual at best. Plus, the style is cool but looks way too complex for me.
I find 4A to be a lot more fun and approachable for my learning style, and need to be actively moving. It’s big, flashy, and very different from other styles imo. It’s high energy and fun for the player and the audience. When I land 4A tricks, I feel a really strong sense of accomplishment and the active nature of it is really good for my ADHD.
5A is fun and I want to get more into it, I just tend to mess around with it occasionally since 1A and 4A are my priorities right now. I bet if I stick with it more like I have been with 4A lately I’d actually have a lot of fun with the style.
Both 2A and 3A are great styles and I enjoy watching them and seeing how much people are progressing and stuff. Hats off to the 3A Thursday peeps and the 2A fans, I’m going to watch but stick to 1A and 4A, maybe 5A when I’m ready for a change.
Thank you for the reply and for taking the time to answer with detailed information this is what I was hoping for!
with my new loopers, i’m attempting to get into 2a :)) it’s very hard, but it’s always a fun challenge to expand my horizons. i’m a chronic 1Aer so being able to do something completely different is like picking up a whole new hobby.
in that same way, it feels like a whole new hobby. i’m having lots of fun with 1A still, and i wouldn’t want to split my time even further between a new hobby and sticking with one that i want to get better at.
good question, made me think about it. i’ll still be practicing 2a, just at a slower pace than 1a
I try to do 2a I’m not great at coordinating two hands but I attempt it from time to time. . I’ve never tried 3a. My 1A skills are limited as is but I should put some time in at some point to give it a go.
Could you expand on why you tried 2a and not 3a? Have you tried 4a/5a?
Thanks for answering!
Similar question to you as Cake, Could you expand on why you tried 2a and not 3a? Have you tried 4a/5a?
Thanks for answering!
of course!
For 3a, i feel like two things limit me: cost and sensory input. in order to do 3a, i would need two of the same yoyo, which means i would have to spend more money. i normally wouldn’t mind that if it interested me, but the next issue is sensory input. my nose and ears are naturally very sensitive, so the smell that comes from dinging yo-yos on metal makes my nose feel weird. the sound of yo-yos dinging on each other added onto the smell makes my body hesitant to pursue 3a. if i had newts or other ways to protect my ears and nose i would be more inclined, but even then it has the same issue of feeling too new, like it’s taking away from my 1A skills that i love so much.
for 4a, its very flashy and movement based. i live in a small area with many decorations across my house, so in order to play it with maximum efficiency i would need to clear out space in areas that are shared with my family members, which i don’t feel comfortable doing. to add onto that, i get scared of hitting my ceiling or knocking down something else that i thought was “safe”. even then, i can’t play outside given the humidity and heat of where i live. it would kill the string and make me way more sweaty than staying inside and grinding out fast and flashy 1a tricks
with 5a, this seems the most likely. it’s not much of a change from 1a on the surface, and it builds off of fundamentals i have already practiced. the only issue stopping me at the moment is getting another counterweight that feels comfortable in my hand, since i current have a dice one that feels awkward to hold. my bad technique definitely contributes to it, but overall it feels pretty demoralizing. even so, why spend money on a counterweight when i can spend it on response pads or string for 1a yo-yos that i adore? at the moment, i don’t find the time cost worth it to get into 5a when im still having the time of my life with 1A. maybe if the whimsy starts to die off i can expand my horizons, but at the present moment i feel very comfortable where i am :))
Thank you so much I really appreciate it.
I’ve tried 4a I have a 4a yoyo I’m not good at it at all. I occasionally play around with 5a and it’s neat but I need to work on it more. 3a I guess feels more intimidating than 2a. I already can loop one handed so two felt not impossible. For 3a idk I just don’t think of it as accessible like I do 2a
I gotcha, thank you!
i’m still trying to creep up on 2a looping. took me a very long time to figure out looping with my dominant hand, and now i can loop with my off hand and picked up the basics very fast comparably. but full 2a looping with both hands is multiple levels of difficulty above where i’m at. i don’t practice it enough, but my goal is really to just be able to throw 2a loops cleanly without stopping. and that is where my 2a dreams will be complete. i need to work on making my hands and arms move in a more identical motion to get consistent, controlled loops in sync and then maybe move to staggered looping. i’m starting with just doing forward passes as synchronized as possible so i throw and catch at the same exact time with both hands. and i’ll try a single loop with both hands every once and a while.
3a… i can barely handle 1a and I spend more time on that than anything. considering my 2a ability, going to string tricks with 2 yoyos and both hands tied to one is just not even on my list of things to achieve in yoyo.
4a… i love watching it. I’ve only ever tried to do a basic throw and string catch with a zan navi back in the mid 2000s. fun to play around with, super cool style, i just haven’t tried to get serious about it when i have more skill at 1a.
5a… I can barely keep track of the yoyo tied to my finger, now i gotta keep track of a counterweight and where its going at the same time? once again, super cool style , but naw dude… i don’t have the patience to get started. styles i don’t know feel like i’m starting over completely from 1a, as similar as they may be at their roots.
Also, i’m old enough to appreciate the old school responsive style tricks, and 0A proves there is still alot to be explored with responsive yoyos. this is where i go to get a change of pace from fully unresponsive 1a.
I’m not that into 2a anymore bc there’s so much maintenance required to keep everything consistent. Also less interested in learning tricks past the basic loops.
5a I enjoy and play sometimes.
4a is cool but I rarely rarely play bc I’m just not that into zoning so I don’t invest much time into improving. I do wanna get better at some of the whips and regens but I’m in no rush to learn them.
3a I love.
Too focused on 1A at the moment. Ive considered 3A cause Tesla makes it look fun but the learning curve seems pretty steep.
Thank you for the detailed reply this is super helpful information! Two handed loops without pauses are indeed a great goal!
Thanks for the input and yeah my 2a set up I chose to lower my maintenance as I dont have the time to tweak each thing. I know if I was younger and single this style would appeal so much more purely because of this.
Thanks for answering! Learning curve is not bad to start but like most things can get harder the further you go. We also have a discord full of people willing to help people learn and talk 3A if you ever have any interest! Just in the last couple weeks we have multiple people start and get up to 5-7 tricks within no time. Have you tried any of the other styles outside of 1a?
I play 0a relatively often
1a is guess is my main style at this point but I’m casual about it
Every 3 months or so I tell myself that I’m gonna finally dedicate all my free time to 2A so I can get really good. In my opinion 2A is hands down the coolest looking style of yo-yo. Loopers just look awesome and they’re relatively cheap so you can have multiple sets to match your outfits and stuff. I can do some basics with both hands but I find myself losing interest after a while and going back to just casual 1a. Hopefully some day I can get some cool stuff down.
3a has never caught my interest outside of just watching “the greats” play. IMO it’s cool and great but it’s not for me.
I’ve tried 4a but it’s not for me. I always get scared I’ll break something since I live in an actual glass house lol
5a is fun occasionally. I’m also super casual with it but I can do some tricks and simple combos. I have a few dedicated 5a setups but I don’t really see myself wanting to progress much further than I already have. Breaking stuff is also a concern for me here. Replacing a sliding door or a custom window is expensive lol