As you are on your yo-yoing journey, one question you must’ve asked yourself at some point would be “How can I get better at this?” Sometimes, despite the amount of hours put into practice you’d often find yourself stuck with the same tricks, without any significant progress. More often than not, the problem really is that you’re working hard, but not smart. Here’s a few tips to help you overcome the “Yoyoer’s Block”
1. Stay Inspired
It’s a good idea to once in a while, put your yo-yo down and get on a website like Sector-Y and watch some of the latest videos from around the world. Yo -yoing is kind of an art form, one that needs plenty of exposure and inspiration, and without which it’s difficult to progress. Other good places to check out are some of the well known Youtube channels like Yoyofactory’s Channel or prolific video-makers such as Zamstrom. It might also be good to find some tutorials online, such as Yoyoskills.com’s tutorial section which contains many unique combos that are fun to learn. Or maybe you could check out some of the winning freestyles from a recent yo-yo contest. As long as you stay inspired, new tricks and moves will naturally pop up in your head.
2. Go Back to Basics
Something every yo-yoer should try is teaching a newbie how to yo-yo. Walk them through the basics from the long sleeper right up to split the atom. A funny thing I realised that teaching others how to yo-yo actually helps make you yo-yo better. Perhaps it has to do with going back to where you started and learning all over again, or the renewed confidence you get after showing off your skills, but I really have no explanation for this. What I noticed is that after a year or so of guiding kids in my club through the basics, my own yo-yoing has improved significantly.
3. Go Responsive
Something I like to do is to get a yo-yo that’s responsive and play around with those simple, uncomplicated combos reminiscent of the tricks during the era of responsive yo-yos. It takes a few throws to a responsive to really notice how you are spoiled by an unresponsive throw: backspins snag a lot, lacerations will lacerate your knuckles, and suicides are (almost) suicidal. But if you’re able to nail your tricks consistently on a responsive, you’re guaranteed to be able to do them nicely with an unresponsive one.
4. Conserve your Momentum
When composing a combo, an important aspect is to keep the yo-yo in motion. Many players look fast and smooth simply because their yo-yo is always on the move, whether through intricate patterns or fast, string-hopping segments. Some good tricks to demonstrate this are Skin the Gerbil, or The Zipper. In Skin the Gerbil, the yo-yo will always be in rotation, and only changing direction with every string hit. Execute the Zipper smoothly, and you’d have a wonderful display of perpetual motion. So whenever you are composing a new trick or combo, always think how you’re going to keep the yo-yo in motion, whether through string hits or hops.
5. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Repeaters are a great way of practicing those tricky moves. It doesn’t even have to be some fancy Guy Wright-esque repeater. It could be something as simple as a double or nothing to trapeze back to double or nothing. The key is that repetition will help a lot in building muscle-memory, the onus to every yo-yoer’s ability. If you repeat something long enough, you’d be able to nail it even with your eyes closed!
*(Here’s a fun fact: Shinya Kido, 2009 World Yo-yo Contest 1A champion, has been known to practice his tricks while blindfolded!)*
6. Patience & Perseverence Makes Perfect.
It will take years of practice and playing to perfect your skill. Just because you can’t get it after trying for months, or even a whole year, doesn’t mean that it’s time to give up. Some people can learn tricks within days, some would take weeks to accomplish the same. Just follow your own pace, and enjoy yo-yoing for the sake of yo-yoing itself. After a while, you’ll see the results of your perseverance: smoother transitions, less mistakes, and more girls will be impressed by your skills (heh).
7. Have Fun!
All through the way, never forget the reason you picked up a yo-yo in the first place. Be it if you did it because it’s cool, or because you love the attention it gives you, the important thing is that it’s fun!
So, now that you know it all, go forth and throw!
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