Check out this short but sweet promo video for mowl, featuring mowl ambassadors Daiki Tanaka, Kenta Kushiro, and Eiji Okuyama.
Yoyo used is the mowl M+.
YoYo Related News From Around The World
By Steve Brown
Check out this short but sweet promo video for mowl, featuring mowl ambassadors Daiki Tanaka, Kenta Kushiro, and Eiji Okuyama.
Yoyo used is the mowl M+.
By Steve Brown
Any day you get a new video from World, Asia Pacific, and Japan National yoyo champion and all-around offstring legend Eiji Okuyama, that’s a good day.
Eiji is in top form, showing off the new offstring yoyo from his company, mowl. The mowl Anarchy hits stores on December 1st…full specs coming soon!
Music is NSFW.
By Steve Brown
Petr Kavka shows off his signature model and some killer new tricks in this video, with a little help from Eiji Okuyama!
Yoyo used is the CLYW Compass.
By Steve Brown
I’m so jealous of everyone who got to attend the 2016 European YoYo Championship this year…it was another fantastic event, run by great people, filled with amazing players. But luckily there have been a slew of great EYYC recap videos (like this one from Jeffrey Pang) and now my homies at CLYW have dropped this fantastic bit of video showing off some amazing tricks and good times. I really need to get out to more contests.
The CLYW team is scattered across eight countries and three continents, so when they get together it’s filled with laughter, camaraderie, great tricks, and good times.
A huge chunk of the team converged on Prague for the 2016 European YoYo Championship. They had a great time. Featuring Petr Kavka, Tessa Piccillo, Palli Gudmundsson, Alec Campbell, Riccardo Fraolini, Ayumu Harada and Nuu Gatowsky. Special guest appearances by Eiji Okuyama, Jake Mulvey and David Stejskal.
(And here’s a Vimeo version…a few people reported problems viewing the YouTube version on mobile.)
By Steve Brown
Fist Salud launched a new yoyo brand at EYYC, and we are STOKED. Dubbed “MOWL“, they’ve got one yoyo and some apparel already and we can’t wait to see what else Eiji and his crew come up with. All three colorways of their first yoyo went on sale at EYYC, with the green edition being reserved exclusively for Fist Salud members and close friends. No word on when these will hit larger distribution, but we’ll let you know as soon as we know.
By Steve Brown
Eiji Okuyama from Fist Salud decided to take a peek at the site of the 2017 World YoYo Contest, the glorious frozen wonderland of Iceland! Locals Palli and Oskar were on-hand to show off some tricks and guide the cameras through a sneak peek at their home country for tourist Graeme Stellar. Tons of fun from Fist Salud, as always.
By Steve Brown
Fist Salud knows what the deal is! This new trick compilation video features new work from John Ando, Yuuki Spencer, Shu Takada, Drew Tetz, Ayumu Harada, Dee, Igor Galiev, Koichiro Ueta, Hibari, Yoshinori Kawamura, Hajime Miura, Atsushi Yamada, Hank Freeman, Eiji Okuyama, Alex Garcia, Daiki Tanaka, and Petr Kavka. A truly all-star lineup!
Music is NSFW.
As we gear up for the 2013 World Yo-Yo Contest, we take a step back to appreciate and admire the greats of years past. We will be posting the top 5 in each division in the weeks leading up to the World Yo-Yo Contest.
This time we take a look at the history of the offstring (4A) division. The inception of the style can be traced back to the 1950 Duncan instructors pushing the limits of yo-yos. Rumor has it that Duncan demonstrators would sometimes show the kids a single offstring trick—a front mount, and high toss—at demonstrations; it was intended to be just enough for the kids to try, break their yoyo, and buy another one. It wasn’t until 1990 when Dale showed a group of people the concept and Jon Gates took the style to a whole new level by introducing diabolo and Single A concepts but most importantly: the offstring bind. Later Jon collaborated with John Higby, and with the popularization of ball bearing axles and rubberized rims, Jon was able to push the boundaries another step further. After Jon led the Japanese Hyper Viper tour of 1998, which featured offstring, the style spread like wildfire. With the ground work established, players like Hironori Mii and Sky Kiyabu began to add offstring tricks to their routines. Due to the unprecedented nature of the style, offstring was initially accepted within the Single A division before being moved to the X Division and then eventually being granted its own dedicated division. Today offstring is one of the most intense divisions—any mistake can end up with a yo-yo flying off the stage. Regenerations, solo-ham, technical, whip catches and so much more—the growth from a challenge among friends to a highly competitive world-wide division remains a testimony to the creative possibilities of yo-yo and the ingenious minds who foster it.
5. Bryan Figueroa –
One of the few players on these lists to not have a World title, Bryan’s six straight National titles are impossible to overlook. Dominating—which is perhaps a dramatic understatement—an extremely tough 4A division in the United States for six years, Bryan is clearly one of the greatest to play 4A. Bryan is known for his technically difficult tricks and extreme accuracy—rarely does he lose a yo-yo. With two near victories at the World stage, Bryan is a World title away from cementing his legacy further.
4. Naoto Okada –
One of the four players on our list to own two World titles, Naoto is the ultimate performer. His on-stage persona is more artistic than anything else, taking yo-yoing in a direction that highlights its expressive beauty. With a number of near flawless routines to cement his extreme professionalism, Naoto never seems to disappoint. Even in the midst of a less than perfect routine, Naoto maintains his composure—something only a true performer can do.
3. Rei Iwakura –
The curse of 4A World Champion—no one has ever won back-to-back 4A World titles and after taking the top spot at Japan Nationals, Rei has perhaps the best chance ever to accomplish this feat. And with it, he will certainly have an argument for the greatest of all time. Already one of the most out-of-the-box thinkers in yo-yo, and now incorporating his brilliant Artistic Performance routine concepts into his 4A routines, Rei is truly a master of offstring. With no end in sight after taking the top spot over Naoto and company at Japan Nationals, he only seeks to climb the list.
2. Tsubasa Onishi – /
Tsubasa holds the interesting feat of winning both US and Japan Nationals. Not to mention his two World titles, his resume is only to be expected with the creativity he exhibits year after year. One of the few to make full combos that incorporated his ears, Tsubasa is undeniably one of the most ingenious offstring trick creators. Add in his arm stand whips & jump behind the back whips and it is clear Tsubasa belongs among the greats.
1. Eiji Okuyama –
The first ever to capture two world titles, Eiji is the original offstring superstar. Creator of the classic trick which bears his name, Eiji Regeneration, Eiji pioneered offstring and pushed it to levels unheard of. With his signature extremely long string, Eiji was at the top of the offstring division for many years. Incorporating full arm grinds, long regeneration combos and intricate string tricks, Eiji was diverse in his repertoire; Eiji also had an aura of confidence and swagger which emanated on stage. All of these qualities came together to cement his place at the top.
Honorable Mentions: Hironori Mii (World Champion), John Narum (World Champion), Lim Aik Hwee (4x Asia Champion), Kazuaki Sugimura (2x National Champion)
Who do you think are the greatest offstring players of all time? Feel free to post your thoughts below!
As a reminder, these rankings take into consideration competitive players from around 2000 and on.
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