So, one of the things that held me back from going unresponsive was the thought of having to wind my yoyo with two hands all the time. Responsive, I can snap or hand start, but unresponsive I just can’t wrap my head around it.
So finally sometime today, I “sort of” got it going. With either a snap or a hand start, I generated enough spin on the yoyo that I could bind. But then it didn’t have enough momentum to get all the way up, so I would settle for “halfway wound” and finish it up with two hands.
It occurred to me that with at least “some” winding, even though I had a bunch of slack leftover, I could throw the yoyo down, get even more spin, and try binding it all the way up again. This seems to work fairly well and I’m getting more and more consistent with it each time I try, although if the string has too much tension it doesn’t always work out for the best.
So two questions:
Any tips on generating more spin? Or is it just “keep doing it, and as your muscle memory grows, you’ll just start getting stronger spins”? Yuki gave me a great tip for snap-start about holding the yoyo stable with forefinger and thumb while the actual “snap” happens. That helps, but I’m still shy on momentum.
Is it a “done thing” to get it halfway-there with a snap (or hand) start, throw the yoyo again to get a faster spin, and then do a proper bind?
Yup, that’s what I’m doing. With a thumb I can’t even get it fast enough for a bind. It’s a bit of a trick to get it spinning and not wobbling, but I’ve managed to bind with the ‘forefinger and middle finger’ method even when it’s wobbly.
I was 80% up the string with this kind of start today. Gave it a good throw and a smooth frontstyle bind and it was sorted out.
just kept trying , you’ll get it . I’m able to do the snap start this couple of days thanks to Andre advice even though my yoyo is pretty hard to snap . What kind of yoyo you’re using ?
I snap start. Too me 8 months to get it to not suck. Still ain’t perfect but it’s usable at least 9 out of 10 times. This is just an area that takes time to develop, some longer than others. My learning speed is in the “extremely slow” department; what takes some little effort can be very difficult for me.
888: hey, I know plastic whip; I’ll have to give this one a try!
Rakleon: It’s a Dark Magic II. A bit “large” for getting a strong snap for me, but I’m getting there. When Andre shows his spinning in the video, I think it’s going much smoother and faster than when I do it.
Studio42: I’m a slow learner, too. Glad to know I’m not the only one. Comisseration is helpful, too!
I’ve taught a couple of guys to snap start.
They said this helps to get the right idea.
Find or imagine a round doorknob.
Your throw hand middle finger goes at 12:30 position and your thumb goes in the 6:30 position
Your non throw hand holds the middle of the string.
Now open the door with just your finger and your thumb.
Do it really fast with a YoYo and you generate spin.
Not enough to come all the way back up, but enough for half the string.
Now that you got the twist of the wrist, add a snap in the middle of the twist.
Just like snapping you fingers, (ever snap a penny at someone)
Basically by adding pressure to your middle finger and pulling it around the YoYo to your thumb you make a snap.
Believe it our not, practicing the twist and snap on a doorknob helps.
Here’s what it looks like http://www.youtube.com/v/h5Ir0NILtIk?version=3&hl=en_US&rel=0
Snap starts are fun but there is another way to start a dead yoyo with a bit of practice. I often teach binding with a dead yoyo. If you place a dead yoyo on the string in trapeze position, and pinch the string with the non throw hand, you can watch the string wrap around the axle as the throw hand raises causing the yo to roll. This action is actually creating a bind and if you do it smoothly and a bit faster, not super fast, you can start that dead yo no problem.
Ghost: thanks for the help; the video and the explanation are probably going to help in the longterm. In the meantime, I gave some of that a try and boy am I ever snapping into a wobble. I’m vaguely more stable trying to snap forward and doing a front bind, but the sideways thing is proving tricky for me! Nonetheless, seeing that demonstration and hearing the explanation is bound to help as I keep practicing.
Skitrz: I gave it a try and I like it! But I’m not sure what to do once it has “wrapped” along that half of the string. Do you then have to throw it down (generating some spin) and bind it up again? Or is all meant to be one movement right back to your hand? I can only seem to get it halfway.
Here’s how I understood it (maybe I’m doing it wrong, too).
Hold the yoyo in your throw hand, and extend the string out so that it’s basically folded in half, pinching it at the halfway point with your NTH. The yoyo sits on top of the length coming from your finger much like a trapeze, except that the yoyo isn’t in the middle of the string, it is in your hand.
With enough slack for the yoyo to roll with some sort of stability, maintain the halfway-point pinch and roll the yoyo along the length toward the NTH. Once it reaches your NTH, the yoyo is halfway-wound. That’s about as far as I’ve gotten.
Snap start clicked for me once I figured out I needed to exaggerate the finger position. Normally, when you snap your fingers, your thumb and middle finger are on the same plane. Middle finger right on top of thumb.
However, with a snap start, I stretch my middle finger back as far as I can and put the thumb as far forward as I can. My fingers are stretched so far that I’m really touching the yoyo with the side of my finger and side of my thumb.
This way, when you begin to put pressure on the yoyo between them, your fingers “unwind” much further and this creates much more momentum.
Just as the yo gets close to your non throwhand you release the string. The yo will be traveling a little upwards and should just wind right up. I don’t have a vid but I know there’s one some where on this forum. I’ll look for it.
