Here’s some great footage featuring a head-to-head demo battle by Gentry Stein and Harold Owens III, from the recent Yolextravaganza, held by the Learning Express in Roseville, California. Nice work from both of them…who do you think won?
Maya vs. Drew: 5A Showdown
YoYoNews battles return with a Duncan deathmatch! This week, old school 5A hero Maya Nakamura is taking on new school 5A upstart Drew Tetz in a Duncan Crew Deathmatch. Who will survive? Well, probably both of us, but it’s a bunch of exciting tricks so you should definitely check it out and vote. Maya brings the style & grace that we’ve come to expect from Japan’s counterweight queen with two high-level manuevers, one making a cheeky reference to classic trick Rock the Baby and the other a slick new triangle entrance, and I brought out the longest pinwheel/wrap combo I’ve ever done.
Not bad, eh? This battle is especially exciting for me because Maya’s winning 5A freestyle at ’05 Worlds was the first thing that made me want to take 5A seriously. It’s an honor to throw against such a talented & influential player. Vote below, and make sure to tell us who you voted for and why in the comments!
…also, if you wanna see my trick in slow motion you should click here, and if you wanna download the song you can do that here.
Fixed Friday: Ed Vs. Drew Creep-Off
This Fixed Friday, we’re ditching the in-depth trick theory in favor of a bareknuckle no-holds barred… creep off! Huh?
In case you didn’t know, the creeper is a classic trick based on the walk the dog, with the critical difference of having to kneel down and touch your hand to the ground when catching it. Sound simple? Maybe, but its simplicity makes it one of the most fun elements to revive for a little friendly showdown. Ed has graciously agreed to battle me, even knowing that I would be a full week late (sorry Ed!), and you can view the fruits of our labor below. Check ’em out, read Ed’s comments, vote for your favorite, and be sure to let us know who you voted for and why in the comments.
Ed sez:
“That’s right boys and girls (ok, sadly, still mostly boys). We promised it, and we delivered. Ed and Drew have been going hard all year long, dropping bomb after harmless, mentos-soda bomb onto your digital doorstep. Pushing fixed axle yo-yoing into places they said SHOULDN’T be explored (or, more often, into places that just didn’t occur to anyone). But the past 5 months of back-and-forth tit-for-tat beg the question…
Who. Is. Creepier?
No stranger to ferocious catfight-throwdowns, Drew and Ed have dropped gloves several times over the years. Many (of the few) who check this column will be familiar with their first epic battle, which ended up too close to call. It’s also worth noting that they have squared off in no less than four iterations of the esteemed Fixed Axle Championship Of All The World (Drew took home the title in 2009, while Ed hoisted it in 2012). They say you don’t know a man until you’ve walked a mile in his shoes. These warriors might argue you don’t know him until you’ve received more shoe-votes than he.
For this battle, the theme is Creeper, a classic move which can be found in trick books dating back to the 40’s. Though it might resemble Walk the Dog, controlling the yo-yo’s response and the path it takes back to the hand can be dicey. You have to lower yourself to do Creeper properly (both figuratively and literally), and often scratch the bajeezus out of your yo-yo. Sadly, most modern players consider it the province of novices, if they ever bother to learn it at all. This outmoded stigma makes it the perfect proving ground for fixed axle battle. You’ve got to step off that pedestal to do an old-timey trick like this, and to doing something new with it takes a certain audacity. It’s like having a best-trick skate session in Barcelona… but at the Sagrada Familia instead of at the X-Games park.
So who won? Who has left the more indelible mark on this hallowed ground? It’s on you to decide. Vote, tell your friends, and then get up and go breathe some new life into a classic trick.”
Isaac Vs. Drew: Kendama x 1A Battle
Isaac Sams & Drew Tetz (that’s me!) of Duncan Crew USA go head-to-head, bringing equal parts conceptual 1A and yoyo-tinted kendama moves. We agreed that battles are more interesting with a unifying theme, and so our 1A tricks are crafted around the idea of emphasizing pauses in yo-yo tricks. Check out Innovation Movement on Facebook for more progressive yo-yoing from Isaac.
Don’t forget to tell us who you voted for and why in the comments section below – we’re gonna give away a Pro-Z and a Duncan Heritage DVD to whoever writes our favorite comment! Stay tuned for a chance to win more Duncan goodies, including a BarraDrewda… and if you missed my battles with Spencer and Takeshi, go back and check out those, too!
Spencer Vs. Drew: Mind Melee
Just when you’d caught your breath from Takeshi vs. Drew, it’s another single trick throwdown! This time we’ve got two responsive 1A heaters from Spencer “The Wild Man” Berry and Drew “Keeps Giving Himself Nicknames” Tetz. Spencer puts the Walter through its paces with his trick “Armadillo”, a classically-styled mount/regen sequence trick given a twist by his unique blend of grace and chaos, while I chose to return fire with “Crisis”, a plane-bending tribute to the golden age of Spindox.
Who deserves the crown? Cast your vote below, tell us why in the comments, and stay tuned for even more battles!
P.S. Don’t forget to tune in to YoYoRadio tonight to hear me talk about these battles, the Barradrewda, and…. probably whatever Joe wants to talk about. I don’t know. Hope it’s not baseball!
Takeshi Vs. Drew Slomo Trick Battle
Gather ’round, ladies & gents! What we have here is the first ever Yoyonews trick battle. My good friend Takeshi “The Human Zamboni” Kamisato has agreed to throw down for a single trick slomo video face off with me, Drew “The Party Baby” Tetz. We got a lot of pride on the line here, so we kindly ask you to check out the tricks below, vote for your favorite in the poll, and tell us why in the comments.