Yo-Yo Crazy Blog

What does it all mean??

Yo-Yo Admin — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:26:32 +0000

A lot of people use a special terminology for what kind of yoyo play they do. Numbers and the letter ‘A’ get used a lot so here we go:

A – A style of play where you have one string trick yo-yo.
Loop based tricks with a single yo-yo. Zero A play consists of continuous loops, hops, and shoot the moons. Zero A is where most people start when they begin the style AA, and although Zero A is a relatively simple style, most people decide to practice A. Looping yo-yo’s usually are a modified or classic shape, and are usually weighted in the center. Those yo-yos used among popular players consist of the Yomega Raider and Fireball (usually modified), the YoYoJam Sunset Trajectory and the Duncan Speed Beetle, as well as many others from various other companies.

AA (2A) – A style of play where you have 2 looping yo-yos.
A style based on the use of two looping yo-yos, one in each hand. High-level AA play consists of various series of continuous regenerations, such as loops, hops, moons, punches, stalls, etc. Also performed are hundreds of different forms of around-the-worlds and other circular motions with the yo-yo. While combining loops and continuous circles, wraps can be done. Another growing part of AA (also possible in AAA) is based on the tangler trick, where the strings of the yo-yo cross, spin around the “knot”, and are then uncrossed.

AAA (3A) – A style of play where you have 2 string trick yo-yos.
String (aka Long Spin) tricks with two yo-yos. Popularized and pioneered by Mark McBride, the first modern Triple A trick appeared in Fiend Magazine and was called Velvet Rolls. The different mounts are referred to as houses (e.g. “Kink House”).

AAAA (4A) – A style of yo-yoing where the yo-yo is not tied to the string.
Although it is not essential, it is recommended that you get hold of a yo-yo intended for offstring with a large gap to make it easier to land it on the string when you throw. Also, these yo-yos will usually have rubber or rubber-like outer rims, which helps you avoid breaking them or cracking them which can be just as bad (or denting the floor, the ceiling, yourself…) when you miss.

The most commonly used 4a yoy-os includes the Duncan Flying Panda and the YoYoFactory FlyMaster.

AAAAA (5A) – A style of play where you have 1 string trick yo-yo and a counterweight.
Where a weight (typically a casino die or small ball) is attached to the end of the yo-yo string that would otherwise be attached to the finger. The yo-yo itself is attached to the string in the normal manner. Developed in 1999 by Steve Brown, freehand is considered to be the fastest-growing style of yo-yo play, as well as one of the most exciting to watch. Great examples are the Freehand and FH Zero.

Babies and Brains

daniel — Wed, 19 May 2010 17:21:33 +0000

Sorry I haven’t been too active on the old Blog front the last few weeks have had my hands full spending time with my new baby girl! Elsie was born on 04/30/10 at 10:42am. We’re blessed to have a happy and super healthy baby. Elsie seems to like 3A play so far and plans to compete internationally within the next few weeks. Did I mention that she’s the cutest baby ever?

As a first time Dad, this has been the greatest experience of my life. I love you baby girl!

On that note…let’s talk about Brains!

A “brain” yo-yo thinks for you. Meaning, it will respond automatically, returning to your hand on it’s own. How is this possible? Brain yo-yo’s use a clutch transaxle system that kicks into gear once the yo-yo start to loose a little momentum. Brain yo-yo’s are great for kids and beginners looking to get a good feel of yo-yo play.

YoyoFactory PRIMO

daniel — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 19:41:48 +0000

The Primo yo-yo is the ultimate competition yo-yo on the market. YoyoFactory listened to their players and combined aspects of some of their moist popular models and molded them into the Primo.

The Smooth, round edges mixed with heavy rim weight make the Primo super stable and have very long sleep times. It is made with high grade 70-75 metal and anodized in a premium acid wash bath.

The Primo is a yo-yo made for true players. Play fast and play hard without sacrificing stability or appearance.

Want to see what the Primo is capable of? Check our Team YoyoFactory’s own Mateusz ‘Gacek’ Ganc doing what he does. Warning: Footage might blow your mind.

Old School.

daniel — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 21:03:01 +0000

I used to love this as as a kid!

Super Looper.

daniel — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 22:56:01 +0000

Looping is a technique which keeps your yo-yo in constant motion, without sleeping.

Some yo-yos are designed to have all the weight concentrated in their centers. This allows the yo-yo to easily spin around its axis making for fast spin times and great response.

In yo-yo competitions, looping skills are competed in the 2A division.

The Henrys Tiger Snake is a perfect example of what a Looping yo-yo should be. It’s lightweight and has an adjustable gap making it totally customizable to your style of play.

Tiger Snake

Super smooth and always reliable. I love my Tiger Snake.

Keep the change.

daniel — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:03:07 +0000

The YoyoFactory Pocket Change yo-yo is a great choice for new players looking to explore new styles of yo-yo play. It’s also a perfect choice for the experienced player looking for an affordable alternative. The Pocket Change is designed to be “unresponsive” requiring binding loop to have it return to you. (Check out our Basic Binding tutorial)

One of the coolest things about the Pocket Change is that you can interchange its parts with that of the YoYoFactory Offstring yo-yo. Both inner and outer hubs can be switched out to mix and match colors or to try out a different response system.

Pocket Change

F.A.S.T. takes on a new meaning with ‘FULLY ADJUSTABLE SHAPE TECHNOLOGY’ which allows you to transform the OFFSTRING from a low response Wing Shaped yo-yo to a specialist ‘offstring’ yo-yo! Pop the yo-yo off the string and take flight or strap on the small rims and bust the tightest string tricks! The offstring weapon of choice for the YoYoFactory Contest Team. It is the ultimate accessory to the Pocket Change.

Offstring

daniel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 21:34:29 +0000

It’s that time of year! The California State Yo-yo Championship is here! Here some info in case you’d like to compete or attend:

Location: Westfield Downtown Plaza (Sacramento) in front of Macy’s Womens Store (Alternate in case of weather will be at the mall, but is To Be Determined)

Event time:10am – 6pm

Registration for Ladder Divisions: On Site from 10am-11am

Registration for Championship divisions: On Site from 10am-11am

Registration Fee: $5 per division (Cash only)

Divisions:
-1a Championship Division (One string trick yo-yo performed to music)
-Open Championship Division (Combination of Dual Looping, Counterweight, Offstring, and Dual String Trick styles)
-Sport Ladder Amateur division (Pre defined trick list, last man standing)

Each division has separate start times (See Schedule), Championship Divisions have a 1 Minute preliminary round.

Event Schedule:
Registration 10-11
10:30 | Ladder Division Competition (May occur off stage)
11:00 – 12:00 | 1a Prelims
12:00 – 1:00 | Lunch
1:00 – 2:00 | 1a Division Prelims cont.
2:00 – 4:00 | Open Division Prelims
5:00- 6:00 | 1a Division Finals / Open Division Finals
6:00 | Awards and Closing
Prize Drawings will occur all day. Must be present to win
Drawing ticket costs are $1 per ticket
MORE INFO

We also just got in two new and very awesome yo-yos from YoyoFactory.

DV888

The DV888 is everything you would expect from a YoYoFactory yo-yo. Precision engineered aluminium, perfect annodization and beautiful lazer etching. It was built and designed to be completely unresponsive and super smooth. The DV888 is perfect for the intermediate players looking to dive into more advanced tricks.
MORE INFO

Protostar

Modeled after the the YYF SuperStar shape, the Protostar offers maximum rim weight and stability. This will give it super long spin times with very little tilting. The Protostar plays like a high end metal yo-yo without the high end price tag.
MORE INFO

Loop 720 VIDEO REVIEW

daniel — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 23:22:33 +0000

The Loop 720 is so awesome that we decided that it deserved its ow video review to give it the credit it deserves. Enjoy!

MORE INFO

Meet Joey Vitalari

daniel — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 23:52:22 +0000

We’ve known Joey since he was just a little guy. He’s now growing up to be an insane yo-yo player and we all should watch his carrier blossom. Check out this great video. Interview to come…

daniel — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:43:50 +0000

The Loop 720 is a unique looping yo-yo that was engineered for both rookie and advanced players. It features the world’s first patented S-O-S (string-on-string) response which is actually formed with yo-yo string! This means that there are no friction stickers or break pads. The brilliant minds over at YoyoFactory came up with an idea where yo-yo string is actually sewn directly on the yo-yo! This allows for more control and less maintenance.

MORE INFO