What is a Yoyo?
A yo-yo is a toy that goes up and down, and can do yo-yo tricks. The yo-yo usually runs with a yo-yo string, and comes in different response systems, which is Bearing (commonly used in most modern yo-yos), Starburst Response, even Friction Stickers.
It was first invented in Ancient Greece in 440 BC, The yo-yo was made of terra cotta disks attracted together with a string, some say that it was invented in other countries like China & The Philippines. Leading to the yoyos we got and know today!
Differences between Responsive & Unresponsive?
Responsive yo-yos are commonly used in many beginner and intermediate yo-yos, and it means that the yo-yo will come back up with a tug return to your hand. This response is recommended to both beginners & intermediate players, and good for new or old players.
Responsive
Unresponsive yo-yos have been used in many modern yo-yos for advanced and/or professional yo-yo players. This response means the yo-yo doesn’t come back up with a tug return, and requires a bind trick to a return to your hand. It’s recommended for advanced and professional yo-yo players.
WATCH THIS VIDEO LINK TO LEARN A BIND TRICK
Unresponsive
Yo-Yo Play Styles
1A is a yo-yo style that resolves playing your yo-yo with a string on your finger. You can do as many string tricks you can (Whips, Speed, Combo, Floaty, Whatever tricks you do). Many of the yoyos are designed for 1A, in any skill type and response system.
1A - String Trick Play
2A is a yo-yo style that resolves playing with two looping yo-yos to perform loop tricks with two of your yo-yos. It usually works if two of the looping yo-yos are the same, and you can do looping tricks with two yoyos. You can still use it as your single looping yoyo, even when practicing the essential looping tricks for 2A.
2A - Dual Looping Play
3A is a yo-yo style that is like 2A, but instead of two looping yo-yos, It’s two 1A / String Tricks Yoyo, It works differently than 2A and It resolves doing string tricks with two 1A yo-yos. It is usually impossible sometimes when practicing but if you practice long and hard enough, you can do the essential 3A tricks.
3A - Double Hand Play
4A is a yo-yo style that doesn’t have the string attracted to your yoyo, it comes off and lands on the string (Strange is it?). It’s a style for offstring players and was invented in 1999. But be careful when playing a 4A yo-yo, or it might fly away!
4A - Offstring Play
5A is a yo-yo style that is like 1A, but with the difference being that instead of having the string in your finger, it’s a small object attracted to the loophole of the string, known as a Counterweight. Invented by American Yo-Yo Player Steve Brown, it’s a cool yo-yo style that has the counterweight swinging while you’re doing cool 1A and 5A-designed yo-yo tricks. Also the first Counterweight yo-yo was released in 2001 from Duncan, known as the ‘Freehand’ Yo-Yo.
5A - Counterweight Play
Yo-Yo Wide Shapes
Wide Shape (aka the Butterfly Shape) is the yo-yo shape that is designed for string tricks and It’s used in many yo-yos for 1A, 3A, 4A & 5A. The first known wide shape yo-yo is the famous Butterfly yo-yo from Duncan, as it had a wide shape design for string tricks.
Wide Shape / Butterfly Shape
Loop Shape (aka the Imperial shape) is the perfect shape for both looping yo-yo players and in many yo-yos designed for both looping and 2A tricks. Some 1A yo-yo could handle looping tricks, and many 2A yo-yos are perfect for 2A and looping tricks. The shape makes it good for looping but not great for string tricks, because of the shape, It’s impossible to perform a string trick on a loop yoyo with the yo-yo dying out.
Loop Shape / Imperial Shape
Modified Shape (aka the Flywheel shape) is like a mix of Loop and Wide shapes, with a narrow gap of the yoyo, but quite narrow. Like looping yo-yos, It can be used for looping tricks, not only that but It can also do some string tricks because of the gap.
Modified Shape
Other Yo-Yo Features
Fingerspin is a kind of Yo-Yos that is designed for both Fingerspin tricks and the famous DNA trick! This kind of yo-yo is perfect for said tricks, and there are different hubs for fingerspin. Usually with a fingerspin cup or hub to do fingerspins with.
Fingerspin
Hubstacks are a kind of yoyo that usually have two hubs on both sides of the yoyo, and when you pull on it, the yo-yo spins.. It's another popular kind of yo-yo, used in beginner to professional yoyos, since the yoyo is spinning in any direction you’re holding with a hubstack yoyo.
Hubstack
Bi-Metal is a combination of two different metal materials, being one of the expensive yo-yos kinds because of two metal types being used in it, and it’s usually hard to make. Bi-Metal is also used for stability and catchability, but also for competition use, meaning it can be used in Yo-Yo Competitions.
Bi-Metal
Light Up yo-yos are special from all the other yo-yo kinds out there. It can light up when you throw the yo-yo down! Even when it lights up when you throw it down, or lights up while and before it throws down. This is good for when you want to play your yoyo in the dark.
LED / Light-Up
Glow in the Dark is one of the coolest yo-yo kinds since it can glow in the dark when and before you play your yoyo, but unlike light-up yo-yos, It requires putting it in a light to glow (depending how long you need to put it in lights for) before using it, which resolves patience but It’s not really a bad thing.
Glow in the Dark
Response Systems
Ball Bearing
Ball Bearings are usually in modern yo-yos (from 1A to 5A) and It’s mainly because It spins way longer than other response systems. Ball Bearings come in shape and sizes, and the balls on the bearing (8-ball and 10-ball), It is also easier for short and long yo-yo tricks.
Starburst
Starburst is used in some beginner’s and intermediate yo-yos, and it’s usually for tug-returns and easy yo-yo tricks. Any yoyo who uses a Starburst Response is responsive, and good for beginner & intermediate players, since the yo-yo comes back up with a tug.
Auto Return
Auto Return yo-yos have been coming around for over 20 years. It’s usually easy for beginners because the yo-yo comes back up automatically when the yoyo begins to die out, with a auto-return clutch system cranking together to perform the auto return part. The first auto return yoyo was invented by Yomega in the 1980s, known as the Brain yoyo. To this day you can still find auto return yo-yos, which are the ones we have in our shop.
Fixed Axle
Fixed Axles are usually used in Classic Yo-Yos (ex. Duncan Butterfly, YoyoFactory Legend) and while it’s recommended for classic and fixed axle yo-yo players, it’s not for some modern yo-yo players, as the yo-yo don’t spin as long as ball bearing. But it’s still good for classic play and basic yo-yo tricks, also good for classic/fixed axle yo-yo players.
Silicone Stickers
Silicone stickers are used in many modern and looping yo-yos because It helps for better response play when you throw your yo-yo down. It can come in different shapes, sizes and colors, depending on response, performance, time and size. It’s also used in competition yo-yos too.
Friction Stickers
Friction Stickers are the earlier versions of the Silicone Stickers/Response Pads that modern yo-yos used nowadays, and the common yo-yos that uses Friction Stickers are many of the old Duncan yo-yos, It’s usually the black pads that serve as response pads.
Yo-Yo Levels
Beginners
Beginner is perfect for new yo-yo players, and it’s usually responsive, making it easy for players to return the yoyo to your hand with a tug. If you’re looking forward to being a yo-yo master but hadn’t used a yo-yo before, Beginner’s the first yo-yo skill you need to be a yoyo master. We have a list of beginner yo-yos in our shop.
Intermediate
Intermediate is when you do beginners’ tricks and start going a bit harder with string tricks like “Spit the Atom” and “Mach 5”. Many intermediate yo-yos are responsive and run on ball bearings for longer spins. It’s good for yo-yos players who are starting to improve their skills to intermediate.
Advanced
Advanced is when you improve your yo-yo skills to go a bit harder than intermediate. It’s designed for complex and semi-hard yo-yo tricks like “Gyro Flops” and “Black Hops”, and it’s good for yo-yo players who have improved from beginners and intermediate to advanced.
Professional / Competition
Professional is when you start going harder and learn a lot of beginners to advanced yo-yo tricks, and learning hard to impossible yo-yo tricks like “Godspeed” and “Horizontal Eil Hops”. Many yo-yos in this level are unresponsive and designed for professional yo-yo players and also for yo-yo competitions as many 1A/String trick yo-yo players use professional / unresponsive yo-yos to compete in the competitions.
