At my school I am going to be starting a yoyo class. It will be starting after Labor Day, will be once a week, and will be forty-five minutes. It is going to be $12 and they will get the YYJ Classic and string as they need it. I going to be teaching it and my Dad (who is the director of admissions at my school) will be the supervisor. Any tips or thoughts.
What’s the plan when they move to unresponsive play?
While the Classic sells normally for under $10, you may wish to contact YYJ direct about being a reseller/distributor(get a sales tax license/permit, often free) for better wholesale-type pricing. I’m not talking about doing this to put more money in your pocket, but it allows you to stock more and the lower prices gives you more options(response pads, bearings…)
I’m not sure how 45 minutes is. It depends on the group. Some people progress faster than others. I’d put toget an agenda and “schedule” so you can follow more or less a curriculum. Another idea is to maybe create some sort of check-list type card that you can stamp or mark to show level of achievement. It’s a good motivator.
I don’t see issue with the costs, I just know ways to shave those costs down.
Will there be food or drinks?
I really like your ideas. I will take them into account.
Also I will tell them about unresponsive play and the local yoyo shop. But we will just be doing simple tricks because I assume most of these people have barely yoyoed.
And one more question to put out there:
What do you think the minimum age should be?
Well, my boy started when he was 4. We started at the same time. So, we’ve been at this since May of 2011, and now he’s almost 7. I think it really comes down to the individual. However, I don’t try to pin him down or force any real discipline on him with this. He enjoys it and does it because he wants to.
I also saw a 7 year old throwing it down seriously awesome(smoked me by a massive margin!) at CalStates 2012.
I do feel that older is better. My internal debate is 8 vs. 10. Older means better able to have a longer attention span. However, starting sooner/earlier/younger can give someone a bit advantage if they can really take to it. Most companies feel that 8 is old enough. I can’t say I completely agree or disagree. If they can stay focused for a bit, I say sure.
I think you might want to have an evaluation period. Set an age, but then have an evaluation period even if they are at or above the age, but even more so if they are UNDER the age. I think you can do the evaluation on their first lesson. This is mostly just to see if they can focus an stay on the task at hand.
I sure hope so.
I head something about an open bar… I’m there!
Work with the ones who don’t catch on before or after class. This will help everyone stay on the same level.
also what are some beginner tricks you think they should learn. So far I have:
1 Gravity Pull
2 Sleeper
3 Rock the Baby
4 Jamaican Flag
5 Eiffel Tower
6 Breakaway
7 Elivator
What you should do is contact forum member and owner of Spin Dynamics “Mr. Dynamic” AKA Nick Gumlaw. He has been a yoyo teacher at A2Z Science and Learning Store in Northampton, MA for YEARS… His wealth of knowledge of not only running a yoyo class but how to teach tricks, give advice on yoyos to learn on and or buy is beyond awesome. He is also one of the nicest and most genuine guys in the industry…
I am sure he would be more than willing to help.
When I try emailing him it says there isn’t a user named Mr. Dynamic.
Broaden your search parameters. Or look up the store and see about getting in contact with him through the store.
A few Ideas I had, take it or leave it:
…
You could show your class a clip video of some top level players at the beginning or end of your session. That way, students can get a vision of what they will be capable of. Having a regular video will also provide structure to your class, which is probably a good idea when you have a slew of kids all learning independently.
Also If you do have a trick list for them to work on, you could organize a class trick ladder contest at a midway point and then later at the end of the class that will give the students a goal to strive for. I think that the NYYL trick ladder is sequenced pretty well for learning and you could probably use that.
You could also do a colored “belt” system like schools do for recorder training, or reading levels (Karate does this too i think. Right? ;)) Where students can demonstrate mastery with certain tricks and get a higher color belt. This approach is pretty popular in skill based education.
It would be a good idea to have a show and tell time for students to show off tricks to the class that they have mastered or invented.
You could have students make small groups and create their own yoyo team. They could name their team and create a team logo, etc.
You could also have a demo night for parents to come and see your student’s display their skills. If you have alot of kids you could have the yoyo teams each prepare a demonstration that would be kind of like a team freestyle. This especially will help your students feel positive about their experience and get parents involved. It will also increase your exposure and help build your class for future years.
Because students will progress at different rates, and if you have a large # of students you might not be able to demonstrate all the tricks that students need to learn at once. You could set up trick learning centers with either written instructions or, if you have enough computers, learning videos.
It would be a good idea to make sure that all your students have a trick book to practice at home with. I’m a big fan of the duncan trick book that is sold here at YYE. Its colorful and looks sharp with easy to understand instructions. I learned alot from that when I was a beginner, but there might be something better out there now since its been a few years.
Your students would probably benefit from lessons on yoyo care and maintenance in addition to learning tricks.
One last thing,
If your state contest lines up conveniently during your class sessions, you could take your kids on a field trip to the contest. If you used the sport ladder for your trick list, you could also have them all compete as well. It would probably be great fun.
…
I love teaching and am jealous that you get to do this. I would love to teach my own yoyo class. I know I just exploded a bunch of ideas at you that may or may not be usable in your situation, but It was fun imagining what it would be like to teach yoyo. I hope something here helps. 
He is listed as MrDynamic