YoYo Related News From Around The World
Duncan Toys brings us some quality yoyoing from Isaac Sams, someone we haven’t heard from in a while. Isaac has had a huge impact on the technical yoyo scene, and he’s the kind of guy that is your favorite player’s favorite player. Nice to see him in front of the camera again!
Yoyo used is the Duncan Toys Exit 8.
Original music by Isaac Sams.
Isaac Sams was hanging out with some of his friends from Core Co. and dropped some tricks with their aluminum/delrin hybrid yoyo, the Standard. We all win!
Yoyo used is the Core Co. Standard.
Every year (well, nearly) at the World YoYo Contest, a handful of players carve out a spot for themselves to hold an anti-competition. It’s not that they are against yoyo contests, it’s that there are a lot of players who just aren’t built for them, but do some legitimately amazing stuff nonetheless. Yoyo play is vast, and while we’ve done a fairly good job at figuring out how to quantify and score it, there will always be players who’s style and aesthetic just doesn’t work inside of that system. And that’s why the Alternative Freestyles exist: to give a platform to people who need a different place to showcase their skills.
This year’s Alternative Freestyles were supposed to be held on the main stage as the focus of the third after-party, but communication and scheduling issues moved it to a conference room after finals were over. Check out the three “Judge’s Pick” freestyles below (and a bonus pick from me, because it’s my site and I’ll do what I want), and then head over to the full playlist on YouTube to see everyone who entered.
“It was really difficult to choose one person with the plethora of amazing names, but Chris was the first person to go up and boy did he throw down something special. His performance was just beautiful to watch, the music was happy and elegant as he threw down some gorgeous and innovative tricks that unified everyone at the start of the event and made everyone feel as though they were watching something special. The bangers didn’t just make me clap but they made people excited and happy that someone could do something so fun and exciting. It made me feel legitimately emotional to watch and I could not be happier to have been able to witness that performance.” – Sebastian Brock
“There is something really special going on when you watch someone else yoyo. I feel as though Alternative Freestyles this year was incredibly educational and fun, so my choice based on that is Isaac Sams. His yoyoing is extremely refreshing to watch, and the direction he chooses to take with his tricks is not only unique, but fundamental as well. On top of all that, he seems to be really enjoying himself which in turn really lends to how he sells his tricks.” – Stephen Fuentes
“I really enjoyed watching all of the freestyles, but my favorite routines were: Chris Rodrigues, Isaac Sams, Ivan Maslin, Riccardo Fraolini, Mark Mangarin, Yuuki Spencer, Shane Lubecker and Sebastian Brock. If I had to pick only one favorite freestyle, it would be Sebastian Brock’s freestyle, because in addition to his crazy and unique tricks his presentation and his tricks together with the music were very inspiring, peaceful and relaxing to watch, so I really felt like it had a story to tell.” – Janos Karancz
“I love watching through the Alternative Freestyles. So much talent in there, and I love watching players just *play* without the pressure of a contest or judges. I’ll argue to the death that Hiroyuki Suzuki is 1000% better when he’s not on stage, because the tricks he chooses are so much cooler. Mark Mangarin occupies this strange and wonderful grey area for me: I think if he took it more seriously he could legitimately start destroying contests, but at the same time it’s his cynicism about modern yoyoing that pushes and informs his trick creation and his tricks are just stupidly fun and amazing. I love hearing people complain about his Cabin Tutorials being hard to learn because Mark is left-handed….no dude, they’re hard to learn because his tricks are awesome, ha ha! The way he builds and paces his tricks, the geometry that he uses in his body moves, the fact that you never quite know what direction the yoyo is headed next…he’s the visual equivalent of Fugazi to me, and I absolutely love watching him play.” -Steve Brown
Duncan Toys is hosting their second International YoYo Championship on Saturday, August 8th at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, California!
RSVP for the event on Facebook, and join the Duncan Crew and other fantastic yoyo players as they compete for thousands of dollars in cash and prizes! There will also be special appearances by LA Lakers basketball player Jordan Clarkson, and the Laker Girls!
ESPN and Duncan Toys have co-produced a series of player profile videos of the Duncan Crew to promote the event; check out this profile of Crew member Isaac Sams.
The Duncan Triumph is the new signature model of 3x World YoYo Champion, Hank Freeman…so if you’re gonna make a promotional video that doesn’t have him in it, you better find some damn good players.
As luck would have it, Isaac Sams and Sebastian Brock are damn good players. Enjoy!
Yoyo used is Triumph by Duncan Toys. Releases worldwide on October 21st, 2014.
Fun in the sun, filmed after the 2014 South East Regional YoYo Contest! Featuring Sebastian Brock, Isaac Sams, Tucker Holland, and Reid Paul Johnson.
Yoyos used are Duncan Barracuda, Strix, and Torque.
We still haven’t gotten our hands on a Duncan Torque yet, but it looks pretty good in the hands of Isaac Sams and National Champion Sebastian Brock.
U.S Nationals was a great time, but unfortunately we couldn’t film everything we wanted. Our friend Ben Gates, better known as TAB, threw together the best shots.
Although our releases have been slim to none for the past few months, there’s been a good amount of work put in behind the scenes. From now on, our content will be completely original, sonically and visually.
Hopefully, now you see what we’re getting at.
The deeper one gets into yo-yoing, the more one is exposed to all the wonderful jargon and nebulous concepts that its enthusiasts have come up with. One of the trickiest bits of vocabulary to define has always been “technical yo-yoing”: most players know it when they see it, other players can give you a vague definition, and non-players will look at it and walk away shaking their heads.
This particular style of tricks is known for its intense complexity, its focus on slight details & variations in tricks, and its heightened level of difficulty. Yo-yo tricks exploded in growth with the introduction of the bearing, and it could be argued that the roots of technical play were established with Steve Brown, Neff, and the SpinDox during the Renegade era. However, “tech” as we know it would really hit its stride in 2003 with Johnnie DelValle’s groundbreaking championship freestyle.
The focus on intricate string play and long, risky combos was a huge paradigm shift. Though the Eli Hop and other showy choreographic moves have found their way back into competitive play, technical play shows no signs of leaving. If anything, the championship title awarded to Hungarian tech wizard Janos Karancz a decade after JD’s victory seems to indicate a new golden age of tech.
I thought it would be best to turn to the pros to discuss some of the core tenets of technical trick construction, and am proud to feature well-respected trick theorists Mikhail, Rafael, Isaac, Spencer, Gabe, and Jacob. Let’s hear about it.
Mikhail Tulabut (Team YoYoJam): “The simplest way I can define it is a trick/combo whose string geometry is more complicated and dimensional than Double or Nothing. It’s like holding up a flat piece of paper compared to holding up a paper airplane.”
Rafael Matsunaga (Duncan Crew): “For me, if I call something ‘technical’, I’m mostly thinking about complexity of tricks. Even though some simpler concepts may require more technical expertise and are actually harder than what I call technical, I’m probably more inclined to use technical to describe trick with multiple string folds and hard-to-describe mounts and moves.”
Jacob “Elephark” Jensen (Werrd): “I think of modern yoyoing as the sort of yoyoing that focuses primarily on creation and sharing ideas, as opposed to classical yoyoing, which gives importance to mastering a set of tricks and/or performing for the sake of selling yoyos.
I think of technical yoyoing as the facet of modern yoyoing that focuses on concepts and elements for their own sake, or the sake of the trick. The science of yoyo tricks, if you will. … For me, I think the term ‘tech yoyoer’ is most accurately descriptive of a player who studies and preferably attempts to expand the library of trick concepts available to the community. Kind of like a scientist. Okay, exactly like a scientist. And there’s theoretical science and there’s practical science, and each scientist gets to choose how many scoops of each to put on his plate at lunchtime.“
Isaac Sams (Duncan Crew, Innovation Movement): “Technical yoyoing: sequencing that is too complex to fully follow without learning it.”
Spencer Berry: “I usually lump technical yo-yoing into most of the tricks that non-yoyoers may be amazed by, but probably can’t tell apart. Which is a huge lump! To a yoyoer, I could probably even get more specific: tech tricks are those that explore holds beyond the building blocks. Sometimes tech tricks explore new concepts or combine multiple simpler concepts into single motions, but more often than that they are the product of kids seeking originality while they bounce from string to string, knot to knot. If the trick is complicated, it is easier to be unique, right? I often hear tech and flow pitted against each other – but a trick can easily have both or neither and of course grades in between.”
David Ung (Team Yoyofactory): “I think a good trick is one that requires every motion. Extraneous movements in tricks and combos really bother me (in most cases. Some people have really interesting “useless” moves that I think are fantastic). Good tricks generally have great pacing, too. I don’t know exactly how to explain/define good trick pacing… but just look at Yuuki or Charles to get a good idea. There is always enough original material/moves sprinkled throughout the trick to keep you entertained the entire time.”
Gabe Lozano (Duncan Crew, Sector-Y): “To me, a trick or combo should follow a general theme. This can be done in several ways, but my personal favorite is taking a move or hold, and then finding all the neat transitions in and out of that move/hold, and then tying it all together in a way that flows nicely. That way, all the pieces fit together and feel cohesive.”
Mikhail: “1. Dynamics. There should be a rhythm to it. Kind of like the 3 Act structure of story-telling. Setup (Mount), Confrontation (String hits and maneuvers), and Resolution (Banger/Reveal/dismount).
2. Flow. Things should always be moving and feel natural. When I’m working on a trick, I like to feel and “listen” to where the yo-yo and my hands want to go. It obvious when I try a movement and the yo-yo just won’t have it.
3. Surprise/Originality. Natural movement and flow is nice, but I also like to see movements/slack/mounts that come out of nowhere and haven’t been done to death.”
Rafael: “I believe good combos are like good music. Everybody likes a different style, but some characteristics are universal to good combos/music. First of all, a good combo must be well executed, otherwise, it’s the same as a fantastic sheet music being played by a mediocre musician. Then it comes to composition itself. If the elements follow a certain pattern or just go well together, that’s a nice combo. I know that’s a bit vague, but like music, once you listen to a good song or see a good combo, you know it. And just like music, some styles and elements end up becoming a fad and nobody cares any longer, even if people keep doing it (like dubstep, or I guess trap these days)”
Spencer: “I’d say most of MY favorite tricks that I CAN do have sensations to them. Either a motion that just fits right or a theme that carries the yoyo through some sort of story (not necessarily literal, but motions that build, climax, release, arc, etc).
As far as tricks I enjoy watching, my favorites are usually exemplary examples of someone’s personality made yoyo trick. I think Rojas and Haycock are perfect modern examples of this – watching them play they are unmistakeable – often imitated – but never faked. There is a sense of identity – suddenly holds, moves, even tricks you’ve maybe seen before become infused with a fresh personality.
The real challenge, I find, is making a trick sufficiently simple for me to both want to learn it and enjoy doing it. In the past i was drawn to long, complicated, proprietary tricks. Because I knew they were mine and I felt like it was new territory. But I’ve definitely shifted into a seek the simplicity phase where it is equally challenging to find something that is simple but fresh and fun to do.“
Isaac: “Since the ‘modern’ style of yoyoing is so young, we have to take inspiration from the non-yoyo world to make any sense of what we’re doing. Some of today’s best tricks are made like this, and the reason why they’re the best is because everyone can make the connection, not just yoyoers. A good combo has no borders.
Another thing to take note of is utilizing all your possible zones. A really long combo done in front of the player is boring, it usually doesn’t catch enough attention. A well-scoring combo will consist of tech placed inside-arm, outside-arm, overhead, over arm—basically, cover as much area as you can.”
Gabe: “I personally dislike combos that are disorganized. If you’re throwing in hops, boings, stalls, grinds, arms, etc. into one combo, it’s just a disorganized mess. Even if every element is cool, when you throw them all together, your elements don’t get the recognition they deserve because they’re surrounded by too many other moves that don’t complement it. The trick then becomes forgettable. Good tricks are memorable, and having a strong theme and focus is key.”
Isaac: “What kills a combo for me is when a player stays in a mount for a while without accelerating through the trick. What I love about the Russian style is that their combos only consist of ridiculous transitions, so you can barely tell when they are in a mount before they’re already out.”
Rafael: “A trick is boring/bad if no effort is put into it. If you’re just taking existing elements from two popular combos and putting them together, there’s no effort in creativity. If you come up with a new hold but can do nothing with it, there is no effort in construction.
Overusing the music metaphor again, if you’re just doing other people’s combos, you’re that dude with a guitar playing covers on the beach. People may enjoy it, even give you props for playing their favorite song, but when Tom Morello parks across the street you’ll be as good as dead. Good tricks and combos come from trick artists.”
Mikhail: “Never-ending combos. I attribute this to ‘contest yo-yoing.’ Yo-yos spin longer, and regens save time to get more points, but holy crap when a trick should obviously end at a trapeze, and they just regen out of it to regen out again it feels like a run-on sentence that should have clearly ended a while ago but it just didn’t and kept going because it could and it didn’t even use a comma to break up the thought and just started a whole new thought because it was easier to just keep going even though the statement was clearly over and came to a natural and fitting end but nah never mind let’s just keep going for a little bit because I can and then an abrupt. End.”
Spencer: “I don’t want to say that any tricks are bad, I think if someone came up with it and it brings them joy then it is a success.
If a trick or combo is boring it is probably having trouble distinguishing itself. With the abundance of tricks that exist now, it is very easy to create something that may be technically new, but has nothing fresh about it. Which is strange to say—because people make fresh tricks out of old holds, old moves, old tricks all the time—but there is also a lot of new tricks that don’t seem fresh because they don’t assert themselves to anything beyond a series of moves someone put together. Does that make any sense?”
Technical yo-yoing may rightly be regarded as one of the most unapproachable styles, but persistent practice and mindful trick design can also make it one of the most impressive. This is by no means a complete summary of the wide world of tech, but hopefully is enough to inspire you to try some kink mounts.
1A is truly going to be a treat this year. The regional circuit did a great job in making sure the best players are in the finals already; the list of seeded players is good for the sport of yo-yoing as every single one of them is extremely innovative and big names in advancing yo-yoing. There are five or six names that have legitimate shots at taking home the title and we list some of the names we are most excited about seeing. Due to the pure number of competitors, we cannot cover everyone and the nature of competitive yo-yo boils down to who can hit their stuff on stage during their three minutes so underestimate no one.
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
The defending champion is by far the most impressive player in the United States at the moment. His tricks are extremely innovative and all very visually appealing while still maintaining technical difficulty. But Zach has had switch outs in his last two major competitions in Bay Area Classic and Worlds and he has had a tough time recovering from it. There is certainly the chance it could happen again and open the door for someone to take the champion down.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Defending National Champion Zach Gormley has proven himself to be not only a leading contender for any contest he attends, but also one of the most innovative and influential players of this generation. Even with his amazingly undervalued 7th Place finish at this years World YoYo Contest, Zach has some serious momentum built up from his year of work with Innovation Movement and strong First Place finishes at PNWR and SCR. Zach has spent the year as THE player to beat and this weekend everyone else in the 1A Division has their work cut out for them.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Gentry missed out on the finals this year at the World Yo-Yo Contest so he will be hungry. Coming in second last year only compounds his aspirations to take home the cup this year. Gentry is a hometown favorite and knows how to cater his routine to the demands out outdoor Chico; he always has beautifully constructed routines that match the music almost trick for trick—something that is often dramatically underappreciated. Gentry has all of the tools to win, and Zach and Anthony are the only people who can possibly beat him straight up. If Gentry goes cleaner than those two, he will take it.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Gentry Stein failing to make Finals at the World YoYo Contest was absolutely crushing to everyone in attendance. 2013 has been a great year for this rising star…the release of his new signature yoyo, the Shutter, some great video parts, a historic tie for First Place at the Bay Area Classic and a win at California States would have satisfied most players for a while, but it’s only made Gentry hungrier. He’s been gunning for the top spot for a while now, and if anyone is a major threat to Zach, it’s Gentry.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Sebastian failed to make it to the finals at the World Contest for the second straight year after his 2nd place finish in the 2011 World Yo-Yo Contest which means we haven’t see Sebastian compete in a while–this makes it tough to know how he will do but he was on top of the yo-yo world not so long ago so he should be considered a threat still. He is another incredibly innovative thinker in the yo-yo world and only adds to the great lineup–from an entertainment standpoint.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Sebby is a wildcard this year. We haven’t seen much of him on the contest scene, but with one National title already under his belt and an established track record of mind-blowing and highly original play that players love and judges love to click, he’s absolutely a contender and it would be foolish to consider him anything less than a threat.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Isaac is an exciting name to see on the seeded players list. Right now, he is probably not a top contender but top 5 is certainly within reach, but anyone can win on any given day—it really comes down to who hits their stuff. Isaac has tons of innovative concepts and his (becoming) signature straightjacket tricks are super exciting. He has faltered in consistency at times but his routine at Bay Area Classic was a pure joy to watch and a guaranteed three minutes will allow Isaac to construct a well thought out routine which will certainly increase his shot at top 5.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Isaac Sams is on the short-list for players we expect to scoop up their first National title within the next few years. A leading force in the innovation of modern 1A yoyo play, he’s easily Top Five material at any contest when he’s on his game. He’s not as consistent yet as he needs to be, but on his best days he is absolutely National Champion material. Will this Saturday be his best day?
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Alec is another player that will probably not be a top contender but his guaranteed three minutes is good for the competition. His innovation and style is much needed when competitive yo-yoing can sometimes devolve to scoring as many clicks in three minutes and style is sacrificed—but not with Alec. As with Isaac, the seed will allow him to construct a routine and practice it with confidence without having to split his time with a one minute that requires an entirely different type of yo-yoing. He is also a threat for top 5.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Alec Campbell has been building plenty of buzz with great video parts this year, and Top Five finishes at Midwest Regionals and Kansas States. His prelim at Worlds showed promise, but wasn’t enough to push him through to finals. Alec will need to pick up some speed to get enough trick density to be a serious contender at Nationals, but he’s proven that he’s got the skill.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Kevin has been competing sparingly, Asia Pacific being his last competition and his performance was impressive. The fact he hasn’t been on stage in over three minutes means he will have lots of practice under his belt and probably some new tricks. Kevin brings incredibly acrobatic tricks to the stage which evokes lots of cheers from the crowd and his performance at Pacific Northwest Regional proves he can hang with Zach and Gentry and should be considered a real threat to take the title.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Kevin Nicholas is a rising star of the YoYoFactory team, and with promising showings at AP 2013, California States, and PNWR, he’s made enough noise that we think if he goes clean, he could take a spot in the Top Five.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Andrew is another player on the rise. Missing out on finals at Worlds this year also gave him time to focus on his guaranteed three minutes at Nationals which should ensure a well-constructed three minutes. Andrew took fourth last year and with another year of experience and development, he should be considered a big threat and can take the cup. He has the technical tricks and innovation to score high and it comes down to how he hits them on stage
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Andrew Maider had strong showings at MA States and BAC, and took his Nationals seed from a solid 1st Place win at NER. He had a promising prelim at Worlds, but just couldn’t go clean enough to earn a spot in finals. Andrew isn’t at the top of his game yet, but he could lock in a Top Five placing for himself this weekend and set himself up for a run at next year’s cup.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Anthony is perhaps the most beloved 1A player in all of the United States. His innovation is appreciated by everyone and his freestyle construction is always improving. Anthony is in the top 3 for contention with Zach and Gentry; he, too, did not qualify at the World competition which gave him time to fine tune his routine and practice it. Anthony has had trouble with switch outs last year and if he can avoid any major deductions, he will be right there for the cup. Everyone wants to see Anthony hit his routine the way Anthony wants to do it.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Rojas, Rojas…when’s it going to be his time? One of the most inventive players in the game, and a tremendous crowd favorite, Anthony Rojas is an incredible talent sponsored by a dodgy company. It’s hard to say if picking up a better sponsor could give him the resources to make a solid run at the championship, but he could still get there on his own, and his solid routines at BAC, California States, and Semi Finals at Worlds, as well as his stunning win at BLC prove that he’s absolutely got the skill to pull this off. But does he have the drive? Does he want it as badly as his competition?
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Harold had a tough World Contest showing not qualifying to the semi-finals so he will be coming to Worlds with a polished three minute routine but he has to go through prelims again which could potentially trip him up again—his style does not suit one minute routines well at all. Harold has never prided himself on speed; his brilliance is seen in his trick development, set up and most importantly his stage presence but all of that is lost in one minute routines. Harold will be a threat to take the cup but he has to make it to finals first.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Harold has one win already under his belt and is a busy college student; he’s got the skill for sure, but it’s hard to say how bad he wants another National title. But here’s the thing about that level of skill…if he wakes up Saturday morning and decides that he wants it, Harold could probably take home another cup. His Prelim at Worlds was good, but not dense enough to move him through to Finals..that said, his pacing is something that has always played well with the judges in longer routines.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Paul Han is a legend of yo-yo and is a threat to win in any competition he joins; however, he has been out of the scene for a bit of time now so it will be very interesting to see what he has come up with since he last competed. It is tough to say what his chances are without having seen him play in months but don’t sleep on Paul, ever. If Paul comes out with great new stuff and hits it, he can take home another cup.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Would anyone really be surprised if Paul Han showed up and just straight monkeystomped everyone? Paul has been a dominant competitor since the late 90s, and has kept his skills current. He’s more comfortable on stage than pretty much anyone else who will be there, and if anyone could come out of left field and upset all predictions, it would be Paul Han.
[/tab]
[tabs tab1=”Patrick” tab2=”Steve”]
[tab id=1]
Eric was the top American at the World competition which is no small feat. Last year the top American at the World competition was the US Champion so Eric is in good company. Eric is a multi-talented player drawing influences from his highly skilled 3A repertoire and creating extremely technical tricks. Eric has also been dramatically increasing his choreography and this completes his check-list before taking the title. Eric is my darkhorse to take the title.
[/tab]
[tab id=2]
Fresh off a stellar 4th Place showing at the World YoYo Contest, Eric Tranton is a strong contender in both the 1A and 3A divisions at this years National YoYo Contest. Up until yesterday, Eric didn’t think he was going to be able to make it to the contest…will this last-minute change be the decision that brings him TWO Nationals titles? We’re definitely looking forward to seeing what Eric brings to the stage.
[/tab]
[/tabs]
Isaac Sams just put everyone on notice with this new video, named with the date of the upcoming US National YoYo Contest. This sneak peek at his contest routine should make his fellow competitors plenty nervous, as Isaac steps up his game and announces that he’s bringing his A-game.
Ky Zizan and Isaac Sams are at it again with their second Kyuiture video, and this one is just as awesome and hilarious as the last. Ky Zizan is shaping up to be one of the leading contenders in the US, and Innovation Movement is a perfect fit for his unique and style-bending play. Yoyo used is the Werrd Fruiture, which had a limited midnight release at the 2013 World YoYo Contest, but hasn’t hit retailers yet.
Greetings, Fixed Axle Fanatics! Welcome to another glorious friday, and another clip from your friends at Yoyonews. As an extra special treat, this week those friends are more than just me! We’ve got some of Duncan Crew USA’s finest throwing down fixed axle knowledge—let’s take a peek, shall we?
First up to the plate, we’ve got Isaac Sams bringing his own unique twist to Nate Sutter’s “Pocketwatch” trick (which you can see in both the FACoatW finals and his alternative freestyle). This unique move captured the attention of plenty of top players at Worlds ’13 with its counterintuitive (yet brilliant!) method of stopping the yo-yo halfway down the string. This is normally considered a snag, but when used intentionally (as Isaac does here for a shortened somersault before entering 2or0) it can really mix up your tricks. What makes pocketwatch even better is how simple it is to learn: catch the yo-yo in your non-throwhand as it’s responding, give it a good hard yank, and then let that baby twirl.
I bump the tech level up for the next combo, which utilizes dump trucks to maneuver between more technical mounts. It opens with one of my favorite chopsticks stalls—I don’t know if it really has a name, as it’s just landing between the non-throwhand thumb/finger after a double or nothing, but I call it “ice cream cone”. I call a lot of tricks that, I guess. The trickiest part of this trick is swinging the yo-yo forward into a chopsticks dump truck, which puts a kink in the string. We get rid of the kink with another dump truck through the bucket before entering a reverse bucket with yet another dump truck. So many trucks!!
World Champion Hank Freeman brings us back to reality and shows that you don’t need string hits for tough tricks with his newest signature move, “The Turbo Rotary Hankinator.” (I name most of Hank’s tricks, btw.) If you wanna try this, just start with a shoot the moon down under, but when you get to the punches turn 180 degrees each rep. You’ll never stop punching! Just like Hank.
Takeshi has something very special this week, showing once again why he’s one of the best modders in the world with a fixed axle Exit 8. He powers through one of his signature 1A combos, a decidedly new school twist on the fixie formula, and proves that wood & metal yo-yos can live in harmony.
Isaac shows us more unconventional uses of the pocketwatch with a trick that could be considered even stall-ier than normal stalls, a pocketwatch to thumb mount. This trick is great because it’s simple, immediately understandable… but still challenging and entertaining. Dig the pacing.
The next trick that I show in the video is actually an ingenious technique for kickflip suicides pioneered by five time national offstring champ, Bryan Figueroa. Before you throw the suicide, if you wrap a bind of string around the axle, the loop will hang on through anything—clearly demonstrated by my even-sloppier-than-usual knee bonk suicide catch. You do have to keep an eye out for the yo-yo twisting around after the wrap, but if you’re the kind of player who likes risky tricks with big rewards and you want to take your kickflips to the next level, it’s definitely worth learning.
Hank takes it back to 2A town with possibly one of the first tricks ever to include both a loop wrap and a green triangle. The loop wrap (using your non-throwhand wrist to control loops) is an invaluable regen tool, but Hank kicks it up a notch by using the wrist twist to create a triangle and catch the yo-yo in a stall. Daaang! Bust this one out on all your friends for butterfly horse, they’ll be salty.
My last trick in the video is another dumptruck-heavy tech trick, titled “Peanut Butter Loves Honey.” This one opens with a wristmount stall, turns it upside-down, and after remounting into a fake bucket goes into some hyperspeed knee bounces.
Finally, Isaac closes out the fixed portion of the clip with a burly variation on his wrist magic drop straight into a thumb stall. Gnarly! Stick around after the credits for some bonus bearing booty from the boys, and don’t forget to comment below about your favorite tricks. Oh, and you can download the song here if you’d like. Until next week, Fixed Axle Aficinados!
Innovation Movement dropped a video featuring its founders, Isaac Sams and Zach Gormley. These two are among the top contenders for the 1A Freestyle Division at this years World YoYo Contest, and getting a solid FOUR MINUTES of new footage out of them this close to the contest is huge move for them.