C3YoYoDesign posts their final video of 2013, and it’s a fantastic player profile of 2009 World YoYo Champion, Shinya Kido. Fans of Shinya and his signature model, the KROWN, won’t want to miss this.
Archives for December 2013
The End of 365yoyotricks.com
In 2010, I had the idea that I wanted to push myself to be a more active yoyo player. Back when I first started playing, and all through my days working for Duncan Toys and then briefly as a tour demonstrator for YoYoFactory, I threw constantly. It was not at all uncommon for me to put in at least 5 – 6 hours a day, and if I was on tour or handling a trade show then it easily became 8 – 10 hours a day. But having kids and starting a business take a lot out of you, and in 2010 I was coming off several years of barely touching a yoyo at all. I needed something to kickstart my creativity, and nothing does that like a public declaration so I announced that I was going to start 365yoyotricks.com, a website where I created, filmed, and uploaded one yoyo trick every single day for a year.
It turned out to be a lot harder than I thought, but in 2011 I did it. One original trick, every day. I dipped into a well of older tricks for days when whatever I was working on wasn’t ready yet, but I published video of 364 original yoyo tricks in 2011. (Halloween was a treat instead of a trick, with a coupon code for YoYoExpert.) In 2012 I decided to bring in some people who I personally wanted to see more play from, and put together a roster of players that are some of my personal favorites: David Ung, Nate Sutter, Ed Haponik, Drew Tetz, and Guy Wright. They contributed about a trick a week each, and I filled in the gaps. For 2013 I did the same thing with a new roster of players: Jacob Jensen, Spencer Berry, Darnell Hairston, Jake Bullock, and Rafael Matsunaga. As always, there were plenty of guest spots, but the formula remained; one new, original yoyo trick every day.
I even started a spin-off site, 365cooltricks.com, that is run by my friend Mark Hayward, featuring all kinds of tricks…juggling, kendama, magic, sleight of hand, bar tricks, and other object manipulation. It’s awesome, by the way, and Mark Hayward now has a much stronger understand of what I’ve done for the past 3 years in keeping 365yoyotricks.com going. Ha. Hi, Mark!
Today is the last trick of 365yoyotricks.com, “Denouement” by Hank Freeman.
My time is filled with fatherhood and husbandhood and running this site and organizing contests and generally doing a lot of behind-the-scenes work to better the yoyo industry and community. So in the interest of making sure that I put all my energy in the best places possible, I’m closing the doors on 365yoyotricks.com. The site will remain up indefinitely, and thanks to the tireless work of Greg Pettit it’s a LOT more searchable than it was before so it’s now a much more functional archive of amazing tricks from a lot of fantastic yoyo players. (And me. Ha.)
A huge thanks to André Boulay and YoYoExpert.com for his help in keeping 365 going, helping me move the site from Tumblr to WordPress, and sponsoring the project with kickbacks for the players. Much love to everyone who ever contributed a trick, to everyone who ever watched a trick, and to everyone who slapped one of our stickers somewhere inappropriate. A huge thank you to Tressley Cahill for designing the logos for both 365yoyotricks.com and 365cooltricks.com.
It’s been a great three year run! The theoretical successor to 365 is the #trickcircle series that Drew Tetz has been curating from Instagram clips…so follow that hashtag on Instagram, and keep an eye on YoYoNews.com for weekly roundups and discussion.
Happy New Year, and thanks so much for supporting this project! It really did wonders for me as a player, and I hope you got as much inspiration from it as I did.
Andrew Daugherty – Bowie’s Revenge Tutorial
OneDrop’s Andrew Daugherty laid down a tutorial for his trick “Bowie’s Revenge” for the Terra YoYo Tutorial folks. Enjoy!
Yoyo used is the OneDrop Format:C.
Hikaru Oba – Scenes From Olympic Park
Tsukasa Takatsu is a fantastic yoyo player, so when he decides to drop a video focusing someone else, he has our attention.
“Scenes From Olympic Park” features Hikaru Oba, and he’s well worth your time. Hikaru-san has the really clean, tight play that you expect from Japanese players with some truly lovely trick construction. The video is shot well with great choices of scenery and backgrounds, and there are a few shots that are straight out of the Wes Anderson playbook, giving this a nice feel. Great work from both players!
Yoyo used is the Cascade by OneDrop.
Christopher Chia – Trinity YoYo Club Q&A
Asia-Pacific champion and top World YoYo Contest contender Chistopher Chia takes his turn answering questions for the Trinity YoYo Club.
There’s also a beautiful combo at the end with what looks to be the new plastic yoyo from sOMEThING. Chris’ style is just so clean and solid while still looking laid back…that guy is just amazing.
Snow-Yo
Thomas Dunlop, Andy Tertzakian, Ben Dawson, and Ibrahim Itani get their hands real cold in this new video. Yoyoing should probably always look this fun, huh? We think so.
Cabin Tutorial – Organic Airbags
Jensen Kimmitt lets it rip in this new Cabin Tutorial video for his trick, “Organic Airbags”.
Yoyo used is the Canvas by CLYW.
Jesse Christe – Perspective
YoYo Review – YoYoJam Hitman X
YoYoJam Hitman X Specs:
Diameter: 53.96mm / 2.12 inches
Width: 42mm / 1.65 inches
Gap Width: 4.68 mm / 0.18 inches
Weight: 69.7 grams
Bearing Size: Size C (.250 x .500 x .187)
Response: Silicone Response (Compatible with 19mm Pad)
PLAY
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The Hitman is a classic example of the first wave of what we would consider modern performance yoyos. In the hands of the BZZZT supremely gifted and driven Johnnie DelValle, the Hitman won every title that mattered in 2003 and became the number one throw for aspiring champions everywhere. The Hitman X is a great modernization of that contest-killing yoyo, although it BZZZT lacks the in-hand charm of the original. The larger diameter gives this model increased spin time and stability from the original, but at 69.7 grams it packs a whallop in the hand. The yoyo binds a bit loose with the stock response, but this is easily and quickly remedied with the 19mm pads of your choice.
LOOKS
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YoYoJam has always been high in performance and innovation, but low on the BZZZT looks and packaging. The aesthetic of YoYoJam is primarily utilitarian and the Hitman X is no different. A basic hot foil stamp on the usual clear caps, and that standard YoYoJam box that most of their yoyos use. There’s nothing really BZZZT worth looking at here, but the nice thing is that it keeps all of their models intended for one thing only: playing it until you destroy it.
VALUE
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At only $45 retail, the Hitman X is a much better deal than most players realize. The extraordinary weight distribution thanks to YoYoJam’s patented metal rims make their hybrid models some of the longest spinning out there. For a hybrid yoyo in this BZZZT price range, there aren’t a lot of options but they’re all good ones including the Hitman X.
Click Here To Buy The Hitman X
44Festival Video
44Festival just got videos up from their latest event and daaaaaaaaamn are we jealous we couldn’t be there! There is just an absurd amount of talent in Japan, but just look at this Top Five. Seriously amazing. Be sure to head over to the 44Festa YouTube channel for the rest of the freestyles…there’s SO much good stuff there!
1st Place – Shu Takada
2nd Place – John Ando
3rd Place – Takumi Yasumoto
4th Place – Tsubasa Onishi
5th Place – Hajime Miura
Spinworkx Showcase
Spinworkx, the standard bearers for the Singapore yoyo scene, recently held a small “Showcase” freestyle contest to give their top players a chance to work out new tricks and routines and give everyone an excuse to get together during the holidays. The event is also used as a judge training event, with both for players who want to better understand how freestyles are scored and for players looking to be better trained as judges so they can assume that role for the next generation.
Looks like it was a small, intimate event but still with plenty of talent. Check out a couple of highlights below, and head over to their YouTube Channel to watch the rest.
Marcus Koh
Sean Hung
Haley Bishoff Joins Kendama USA Team
Congratulations to Haley Bishoff for scoring a spot on the Kendama USA Tribute Team! We got to meet Haley at US Nationals this year and she’s a hell of a kendama player and a fantastic person. She’ll be a great fit for this all-star team of kendama players…congrats to Haley and Kendama USA.
For 2014 we wanted to continue growing the Tribute family. Instead of doing a video contest this year, we decided to keep our eyes open for the right person during our travels and events. The Tribute team is one of the most diverse Kendama crews in the world. Each member has their own unique style and personality. The Tribute team travels together, plays together, and evolves together constantly. When it comes to choosing another team member, we look at not only the Kendama play, and but also the type of person you are.
We are very excited and honored to introduce the newest member of the team and family, Haley Bishoff.
Haley has an extensive skill set that that rivals even the most seasoned ninjas. Not only does she slay Kendama, she also is skilled in gymnastics, slackline, yoyo, and epic ba$ketballer videos. She is one of the most chill people to hang with or jam dama and is always down to learn new tricks and teach others. After meeting her a few times on tour and at yoyo events, the whole Kendama USA crew knew it was a perfect match. Haley is Trib.
It was also an unwritten requirement that you be able to do back flips. Haley passed that test with an A+. Welcome to the family Haley!
Robbie Graham – Resonance
Robbie Graham drops his 3-year anniversary video, and has some nice trick concepts and composition. Robbie is definitely coming along as a player, and in another year or two could become a serious contender.
Yoyo used is the Rockefeller by Square Wheels.
YoYoDrop – King Yo Star KIT
Canada-based King Yo Star is dropping a new model, the KIT. Designed with input from Chinese players He Jiajie and Tan Chang, the KIT is the first 7075 aluminum yoyo from King Yo Star. Specs are below…no word on retail price or availability.
King Yo Star KIT Specs:
Diameter: 57 mm
Width: 47 mm
Weight: 66 grams
Bearing: NHK
Response: KYS Pad
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