Yo-yo Tricks

Introduction

This page collects yo-yo tricks. Its aim is to give the reader a set of leads, when looking for information on certain tricks and techniques. It attempts to group tricks by style and technique. As many tricks fall into more than one of these groups, this is probably an impossible task. :-) There only are sections for the different kinds of tricks or techniques for Single A tricks. The same techniques often are used in other playing styles as well. A complete alphabetical list of all tricks described on yo-yo wiki can be found .

Some descriptions refer to certain mounts. A mount is a certain way the yo-yo and string are held. You may want to check out the mounts page to help you with mounts involved in some of the more technical tricks.

If you wish to perform tricks for an audience, be it for the kids in the neighborhood or on stage, you can find some basic advice in our page about Performing with a yo-yo.

For trick sites see the Online Community Page

How can you help

Feel free to add to this page whenever you come across something that is not yet here. If you do, please check out the guidelines at he bottom of this page.

If you have a question or problem with a trick, you can add your question directly on the trick page and also voice your request over at the Coffee Machine. If it gets answered, readers who have the same question afterwards, can benefit from the answer.

Basics

Setting up the yo-yo

• Winding - The "trick" you will probably have to learn first.
• String Tension - Tightening or loosening your string.

Basic Techniques

• Throw Down - To let go of the yo-yo while forcefully uncurling ones arm in such a way that the yo-yo translates its gained linear momentum into rotational inertia, far more than just dropping the yo-yo down.
• Sleeper - First perform a throw down but allow the yo-yo to spin at the end of the string without pulling it back up.
• Breakaway - A sideways throw
• Forward Pass - Throwing the yo-yo forward. Elementary exercise, yet always a crowd pleaser.

• Flying Saucer - A sideways throw that can tighten/loosen the string.

• Binding - A way to bring back an unresponsive yo-yo that doesn't respond to a normal tug.
• Fake Binds - A different way to bring your yo-yo back. Sometimes more effective than a normal bind.

Single A

Loops and Regenerations

A regeneration (or regen) is a yo-yo technique which 'regenerates' the spin of the yo-yo, so you can continue without needing to catch and throw the yo-yo again. The idea behind this is as old as Loop the Loop and Hop the Fence.

• Loop the Loop - A constant regeneration and a timeless classic.
• Hop the Fence - A series of regenerated Throw Downs.
• Around the World - The yo-yo travels in a full circle.

String Tricks

These tricks involve a yo-yo sitting on the string in holds called mounts. So called moves or transitions are used in string tricks to get from one mount into another.

• Man on the Flying Trapeze - Start learning sidestyle with this simple mount.
• Double or Nothing - A breakaway that goes around twice before landing on the left finger like a trapeze.
• Reverse Trapeze - Looks like a Trapeze but is something else.
• Under Mount - Simple fronstyle mount.
• Over Mount - Under Mount the other way round.
• Over and Under - A simple trick combining the two mounts.
• Braintwister - A fundamental trick from Undermount.
• Barrel Rolls - Great effect, infinite underpasses.
• Split the Atom - A Braintwister but with one more underpass.
• Atom Smasher - Split bottom mount followed by tosses and underpasses.
• Mach 5 - Split bottom mount trick that makes the yo-yo seem like it is floating still while the hands are spinning.
• Pop N Fresh - Split bottom mount trick involving a lot of "pops". Hence the name.
• Boingy Boing - Split bottom mount rhythmic trick.

• Man on the Flying Trapeze and his Brother - A trapeze dismounted that loops around your left to land on the right.
• Lindy Loop - A trapeze followed by another trapeze.
• Mag Rolls - An interesting new trick created by MagL33To from the airtime and yoyonation forums. Link: Mag Rolls video (Kindly hosted by NenMaster)
• McBride's Coaster - A fun and easy trick to learn!
• Eli Hops - A crowd pleaser!
• Tsunami - A fun trick!
• Spirit Bomb - nice trick using the Wrist Mount
• Chop Sticks - string tricks, that are done between the fingers of one hand.
• Folds - a loop of string is folded around the yo-yo. Very nice effect.
• Double Green Triangle - a not so difficult variation on Green Triangle
• Triangle symmetry - A very good looking trick for freestyles
• Kwijibo a difficult trick consisting of many hops
• Barrel rolls{not the atomic bomb}

Picture Tricks

These are basically string tricks, with the little distinction, that the yo-yo is usually not mounted anywhere, but just hangs on the end of the string, while the string is used to form a picture. A notable exception to the last sentence is Rock the Baby, where the yo-yo is part of the picture.

• Eiffel Tower - A picture trick of the Eiffel Tower.
• Spaghetti - A fun trick that looks like you're eating spaghetti!
• Jamaican Flag - A picture trick of the Jamaican Flag.
• Robin Hood - Shooting an imaginary arrow.
• Rock the Baby - The yo-yo rocks in a cradle.
• Waterfall - A picture trick of a Waterfall.

Grinds

These tricks involve the yo-yo coming in contact with the yo-yoer or other objects, usually rolling along them. Even though the very first grind, Walk the Dog, was conceived decades ago, the technique was only recently improved by players like Johnnie Delvalle.

• Walk the Dog - The yo-yo "walks" in front of you. This was the first grind in yo-yo history.
• Inner Ring Grind - The yo-yo hangs on to your fingertip.
• Arm Grind - Grind the yoyo on your arm.
• Finger Grind - Grind the yoyo on your finger.
• Thumb grind - a trick where your thumb is in the yoyo and it spins on it

Slack String Tricks

While in the classic string trick, the string is kept taut, slack string tricks involve a portion of the string to be left slack. Variants include whips, where the yo-yo is lassooed using a sling of string, lacerations, where a loop of string is slung around the yo-yo onto a finger, in order to get into a trapeze-like mount, and suicides, where a loop of string is dropped and later recaught. Some yo-yoing sites treat whips as a different trick category than slack tricks.

• Slack Trapeze - Simple whip to get into Trapeze.
• Reverse Slack Trapeze - Slack Trapeze the other way round.
• Hidemasa Hook - Taking Reverse Slack Trapeze a level further.
• Plastic Whip - One-handed slack mount
• Suicide - Catching a loop of string which has been thrown out of a trapeze around your throwhand in mid-air.
• Iron Whip - A very hard whip.
• Wave Slack - A cool slack!

Two Handed Play

This style involves play with two yo-yos, one attached to each hand.

Counterweight

The yo-yo is not tied to your throw hand, but to a small counterweight which is usually a single die or rubber ball. This is also called "Free hand"

Off String

A playing style, where the yo-yo is not fixed at the end of the string, allowing for diabolo-like tricks. Please read our introduction to off string yo-yoing here.

• Offstring Basics - The basics to performing offstring moves.
• Offstring Whip - A very cool looking offstring trick.
• Open String Whip - A cool and hard to learn trick.

Exotic Stuff

There are a lot of ways of playing with a yo-yo. You can see some examples on our Styles Of Play page.

• Washing Machine - The loop that usually goes on the yo-yo is untied to do offstring style tricks
• Ghost Rider-The yoyo is placed in a sleeping potion and then held there while the notch around your finger is taken off and held by your thumb and index finger, then you yank the string upward then following that motion by quickly realising hold of the string and then catching the yoyo as it comes down. (Hint this trick requires a semi responsive yoyo). Founded by Jayden Murray in 2015.
• Hoophla The yoyo spins around in the slipknot in a infinite loop3
• Moebicide - Suicide manuever while the yoyo is in the slipknot loop, done no handed.
• Inivisi-whip - Skyrocket type of trick directly into the slipknot to mount in the air and recatch to the hand
• Flytrap - Cross genre type of trick where the purpose is to catch the open slipknot loop back to the fingers.

Trick Description Guidelines

• Please list your trick on this page with * '''[[TrickName]]''' - YourDescriptionHere. Simply follow the template given by what others have done before.
• To mark a page as a Trick page, please add the tag [[Category:Tricks]] at the top of the page. This makes the page findable under Category:Tricks. See the Bind page for an example.
• When adding a trick description, use a version of the trick that is standard for a yo-yo association (e.g. the AYYA) if possible.
• The trick pages should contain a description of the trick. This can be
  • a textual description
  • a video (using the Template:Infobox Video template)
  • photos or other diagrams
• If you post a link to a video, please also write a few comments about it. If you learned a trick from the video, please comment about what portions of the description you had problems with, in order to clarify the subject for other learners.
• The same rules as for any other pages apply. No copyrighted material, no scans of diagrams from books, etc.
• Do not post tricks you have only just invented, post them on forums first to get feedback and to check whether anyone else has done it before.yoyos r cool