I can’t do ANY of that stuff on a fixed-axle yet. Always give it too much slack and it returns to my hand or whacks me in the knuckles. 
Just learned Spirit Bomb on an unresponsive metal. Interested in seeing pointers for executing it on a fixed-axle, but alas I have nothing of my own to contribute.
I’m really loving the sun-burst spiral (very reminiscent of Van Gogh imo) pattern on the side of the tama on this one.
figured this was a good spot for this pic.
Phwoar! That’s a nice-looking bead. Wood grain is so awesome. Love translucent finishes over figured wood on guitar, too. Spalted maple is amazing. Would never work for a tama without some SERIOUS fiddling. I wonder if someone’s done that out there somewhere…
spirit bomb used to feel like a huge deal on fixed axle; like in the realm of the ALMOST-impossible. come to find out, we all just hadn’t worked on it enough. it’s so cool to watch the bar move.
the key is that first hop. a couple of things help. 1.) allow the yoyo to lean just a bit more to the left on the hop than you ordinarily would. yeah, you’re crossing your arms and that feels counter-intuitive, but it helps keep the slack out of the axle. 2.) do that hop quickly and precisely. almost like a boing or the intro to kamikaze. up-down. 3.) you don’t have to throw that hard. it’s not a long trick, and the extra juice tends to snag. adam brewster taught me that one when we first came up with the ‘no jive spirit bomb club’. 4.) when setting up for the hop and you go double-on in that wrist mount, get ALL of the extra slack out. it’s hard to explain, but you can feel when you make that 2nd underpass if you did it clean and are going to make it, or if you’re going to bust. i don’t love that feeling, but i love RECOGNIZING it, if that makes any sense.
spirit bomb is a true modern classic, and a great barometer for fixed axle skill.
Great video, Ed. Your skill made it look easy, but the deep breath before and the satisfied “I’ve been through hell to get here, but I did it!” expression and body language at the end keep it all relatable. 
I think I’ll start off trying to do a fixed axle Kwyjibo and take it from there…
Just a quick question.
Where can I buy more No jive axles?
Thought this was the best place to post this.
I’ve sent you a PM.
It is a great video. As for being a barometer of fixed axle skills… I’m still working on some of the basic tricks from a long time ago that trip me up, like some looping tricks and shoot the moon, so I’m not registering very much barometric pressure. There are so many little subtleties to wood axle yo-yos, there is always something to learn.
It is amazing to see Ed do spirit bomb on an old standard Duncan though!
yeah, i didn’t mean to imply that it was the only good barometer. fixed axle yo-yoing is many things, but black & white is not one of them. if you feel good playing, if it brightens your day a little (or someone else’s), it doesn’t matter what tricks you’re hitting.
developing skill, testing what’s possible, and trying to break down barriers is fun and important, but it can also be a lure for fools. someday, i will come to the end of what i can break down. i will discover my last new trick. if on that day, yo-yoing is somehow less meaningful or joyful for me, or if i measure myself by what i think i’ve acquired, i’d have to wonder if my heart was in the right place from the start.
It is remarkable to see the changes in fixed axle play that you have helped bring about by being one of the few people that never put down (or even picked up) a fixed axle yo-yo. In a way you have opened up a new style of playing. If you had a fixed axle contest today, you would almost have to have two categories, one for the new style tricks on the less responsive yo-yos, and one for the old standard tricks, which are kind of skipped over these days and perhaps easier to do on the old stuff.
Having said that, it is totally amazing to see you do spirit bomb on an old Duncan yo-yo.
That’s a scary yoyo! Are the rings on the outside made out of metal?
The black rings are rubber…Ethylene Propylene, actually. Gives a nice little bounce if you hit the ground, without damaging the yo-yo.
This is a good idea v
More fun with wood, which is good…
http://yoyospin.com/pic1/1a.jpg
http://yoyospin.com/pic1/1b.jpg
YoYspin, I love to see new posts from you. Next paycheck, you’ll be hearing from me.
Thanks…here are some more wooden ones just completed last night:
http://yoyospin.com/pic1/8a.jpg
http://yoyospin.com/pic1/7a.jpg
http://yoyospin.com/pic1/6a.jpg
I don’t know if this has been brought up in the past 44 pages, but I was wondering what you all do for string. I am interested in making my own cotton string, but I am not sure where to start (what kind of thread to buy, where to get it, etc.
@aironish: I just use the cotton I get from YYE. I don’t have many other options.
Made a wood throw this weekend that takes Side Effects as an axle system. For the prototype I used a YYJ slim bearing for the axle; of course once it’s tightened up the bearing doesn’t rotate so it’s just a “spacer” that fits the SE system, really. That’s by design.
Have some of mrcnja’s wooden bearing replacement spacers which I will be putting into the beta version. Took me weeks to finally get some time to do this; probably be weeks until the next iteration.
