drew tetz – Page 3

Fixed Friday: Ed Vs. Drew Creep-Off

May 17, 2013 By Drew Tetz

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.”

Interview: Rafael Matsunaga & Drew Tetz

May 14, 2013 By Drew Tetz

We’re wrapping up BarraDrewda week with a little fireside chat with the man behind the original Barracuda, Rafael Matsunaga. We could go on and on about Rafael’s role in the Brazilian yo-yo scene, his current residence on 365yoyotricks, his eye for yo-yo photography, and just generally how much butt he kicks… but let’s get to the talkin’, shall we?

Drew Tetz: Hey Red! Thank you for letting me put my name on some of your signature yo-yos!.. and thank you for letting the illustration be me as a robot in his underpants blasting a barracuda in the face with a yo-yo arm cannon. Okay, now on to the important stuff: if you could have one yo-yo related cyborg power, what would it be?!

Rafael Matsunaga: I’m super-honored to have you robo-blasting on the Barracuda, bro! Your edition is the coolest thing to happen on a yo-yo in a long time. I would definitely choose flying, any method: super-jump, jet-pack, anything. I’m not too fond of IronMan’s palm-jets, though, those look a bit counter-productive. But that beats not flying any day. (Note to self: never shake hands with a recently-flown IronMan.)

Hey, it’s been a while, but I have to ask you: tell us about the process of turning your signature fro into pure good-looking awesomeness!

Drew Tetz: I would love to see the jetpack Texas cowboy, or a palm-jet-assisted turbo forward pass. Oh man, I still probably get more questions about the ‘fro than any actual yo-yoing, hahaha. Having a signature hairstyle is definitely a double-edged sword; on one hand, it’s awesome when people need to find you in a crowd or when you gotta draw caricatures of yourself, but if you start to turn into a caricature of yourself it’s good to take a step back. I am glad that i got to have the fro, though, if only for the pure joy of “Fros In Your Face” at the Wheel of Penalty in Worlds ’07. Me, Jake Bullock, and Sid chasing Dale Oliver around stage while Mark McBride gleefully cheered us on – wait, I just realized that Sid never even had a fro!

One of my all-time favorite wheel of penalty challenges – besides you winning the ’05 version with your pants around your ankles, of course – was Titifreak & Whip chasing Jon Gates around for “Brazilians in your face.” What are a few of your favorite things about the Brazilian yo-yo scene?

Rafael Matsunaga: Man, my Wheel of Penalty record is on par with my actual yoyoing record. I hope that keeps happening, I picture Wheel of Penalty at Worlds 2015 in Tokyo like those insane Japanese game shows on TV.

There’s one aspect of the Brazilian scene that I’m really fond of, and that’s not caring too much about the rest of the World. I mean, sure, we all love watching freestyles and learn from the best out there, but even some of the most competitive players here just go after their own style. I’d hate it if Marechal stopped doing his foot-suicides for a faster or more technical style.
It’s not something exclusive to Brazil, of course. I just love unique styles and I’m glad Brazil has a few unique players.

For me, unique players are like videogame characters with special moves. I’m sure you have your own list of unique players, right?

Drew Tetz: Absolutely! Everybody should have their own signature special move. I always get super stoked when you bust out helicopter, or Takeshi does top tangler. Unique players are the best players, in my opinion – I love the people that don’t play like anybody else. Abe and Johnbot are big time favorites for me, very few people view yoyoing the way that they do, and they have more fun than anyone. I’m also huge on Anthony‘s crazy body tricks, Janos‘ incomprehensible slacks, and Sebastian‘s everythings.

Part of the inspiration for this particular collaboration was our other collaboration, the Red vs. Drew 5A battle, which ended in a tie. I was busy with 365 last year and you’re busy with 365 this year… think 2014 will see a Round 2?

Rafael Matsunaga: Oh man, I was so bummed that battle ended in a tie back then! But now I think it’s pretty damn cool, it’s like a movie begging for a sequel! It’s unfinished business, and yeah, I’m definitely down for another round next year!

Drew Tetz: Being a veteran of the international yo-yo battle circuit, what do you think would be your dream one-on-one matchup?

Rafael Matsunaga: Can I dream a tag-team battle instead of one-on-one? I’m thinking East vs West: Anthony Rojas and János Karancz versus Hassan Marialis and Hidemasa Senba. I don’t think the World could possibly handle that!

Drew Tetz: Thanks so much for taking the time to talk! It’s always a pleasure, can’t wait to see what else you do in 2013.

Rafael Matsunaga: The pleasure in talking was all mine, bro! The YoYoDrews takeover was way too awesome! I vote for making that background permanent!

Isaac Vs. Drew: Kendama x 1A Battle

May 13, 2013 By Drew Tetz

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!

Interview: Jason Week on the Barradrewda

May 11, 2013 By Drew Tetz

I’ll admit that I’m biased, but the art that Jason Week provided for a certain signature Barracuda is among my favorite yo-yo graphics of all time. We spoke with Jason earlier this year about his background as an artist, his introduction to the yo-yo world, and (very briefly) the mating habits of puffins, but I enjoyed the Barradrewda design process so much that I had to bring him back. Read on for exclusive concept sketches and the art of balancing panels on an arm cannon.

YoYoNews: When we contacted you, the idea was still pretty simple. Brandon noticed that putting together black & grey halves made for a colorway reminiscent of the original NES, and because Rafael & I have bonded over old school video games, we wanted to draw inspiration from that aesthetic. Also, I wanted to be a robot boy fighting an evil fish. How did you take this dream to reality?

Jason Week: It wasn’t exactly a hard gig to daydream about. If you set me loose on a project referencing Osamu Tezuka, Mega Man, and 8-bit nostalgia it’s going to take over my brain. I did a lot of sketching on the shower door, believe it or not. Really helps to work out composition. Then I just piled up images from the Mega Man games, mostly Mega Man 2, game sprites and illustrations from the manuals. I like the wonkiness of the manual art, and the simplicity of the sprites. Then I did the same with images of Astro Boy, and just let them sit in front of me while I worked stuff out. I like to have reference all over when I’m drawing so I can get it in through osmosis. I think it keeps things original to pull from all over and mash it all together. At a certain point though, I lose all the reference images and just make the illustration work. That’s my contribution to the style, I guess.

The Drew-Bot side was definitely the more challenging side. I went through multiple sketches to get to it. Damn legs took forever to work out, and they really only make sense in that one position. The Barracuda side came out right pretty much on the first try. The craziest thing I probably did was essentially finish inking both of the sides, and then decide the linework wasn’t crisp enough. So I zoomed waaaaay in and went over every edge with a one pixel wide brush so I could absolutely control how it turned out. I couldn’t deal with what I thought were sloppy lines.

We talked about a few cultural touchstones to get a start on the graphics – Bubble Man’s stage in Mega Man II, Dr. Tenma’s hair, etc. – but one of the most impressive things to me was the subtle homages you snuck into the details. What were some of the inspirations you drew from on this project?
JW: Yeah, the original inspiration for the Barracuda were the water enemies from the original Mega Man series, but his detail is much more involved. The eyes and the fins are the only true lifts from the games, the rest is just me problem solving to get from point A to point B. I really do try to let my reference drive me more indirectly most of the time. The big bolts and X pupil are all me. I love Xed out eyes, and I’ll put bolts like that in any drawing I can. I like the idea that you could defeat this guy with the right size socket wrench.

For a brief period of time, I was worried that people would think I was dissin’ Rafael because of the X-ed out eyes on the Barracuda. He was fine with it, of course, but I still had Jason draw these angry alternate eyes.

With your side of the Yoyo, it’s quite a bit more direct – Although the Tenma hair was a happy accident. I was just trying to draw your actual hair on the robot! But the cowlick and the reflections in it are straight from Astro Boy. I had some issues sticking the keypad on the Arm Cannon, but it had to be there for the Mega Man reference. But at one point it was strapped around the arm and it was veering a bit too close to Liefeld territory. The way it ended up is much, much better. The rest of the bot is just a mash up of stuff I like to draw, really. Especially the elbow patch. It makes me picture the Drew-Bot as a street urchin. Which I find funny.

What’s more fun: drawing robots, or drawing monsters?
JW: I probably have to give the edge to monsters, but robots are a blast, too. When they overlap it’s the best. Monsters work really well with tubes and jar brains. I mean, Mother Brain has got to be considered a cyborg, right?

Part of the inspiration for this yo-yo was the previous collaborative effort I had with Rafael, which was the Red vs. Drew video battle. If you could choose any two yoyoers to go head-to-head in a video battle, who would they be?
JW: Tough question. I always love when you and Ed go fixed axle against each other, but that’s already happened. Maybe Chris Mikulin vs John Higby? I’d kill to see just how goofy that would get. The tricks would be incredible. Definitely a fun watch.

The Yoyonews site takeover is a little bit different from most of your yo-yo work. Now that you’ve redesigned websites, illustrated classic tricks for trading cards, created comics about that lovable ol’ Dirtbag Yeti, and turned me into a robot wonderboy… what’s your next dream yo-yo job?
JW: Oh man, they’re ALL dream jobs. I’m pretty sure I’m one of the luckiest people on earth.I’d love to see a yoyo that was driven by the art that can be put on it. Maybe interchangeable plastic caps on a good metal. It’d be like changing your skate deck, you know? I know caps aren’t necessarily that popular, but it’d be a great way to personalize your throw. And it’d be a great venue for guys like Escolar, Higby, YOU, Steve Brown, and Jensen to go wild. There are a lot of pretty incredible artists and designers in the community that could contribute. It’d be wild. I’ve got a big mental storehouse of goofy ideas that I’d like to stick on the side of Yoyos. So, yeah. Oh, and I definitely want get some more Dirtbag Yeti comics done. Maybe a longer story that I could really dig into.

Now the real important question: who would win in a fight: Astro Boy, or Mega Man?
JW: Astro Boy, hands down. He’s the original, he’s stronger, and he’s got butt guns. I love Mega Man, but Astro Boy would clean his clock.

Big thanks to Jason for all his awesome work on the yo-yo and the site, and for letting us pester about his art sorcery once again!

Spencer Vs. Drew: Mind Melee

May 10, 2013 By Drew Tetz

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

May 9, 2013 By Drew Tetz

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.

YoYoRadio.net – Spencer Berry, Drew Tetz, & Paul Escolar (5.10)

May 8, 2013 By Steve Brown

The roster for YoYoRadio this weeks is pretty well stacked!

Spencer Berry talking about his new yo-yo, Walter; Drew Tetz talking about the special BarraDREWda from Duncan Toys and also the one and only Paul Escolar, legendary innovator from days of yore.

Listen live on Friday at 9:30 pm (EST) at YoYoRadio.net.

Tutorial Tuesday: Lasagna

May 7, 2013 By Drew Tetz

Welcome to the first ever Yoyonews Tutorial Tuesday! True, Tuesday is already over in many parts of the world, but skip the semantics and check out this counterweight wrap trick.

What other tricks and pros would you like to see featured in tutorials on Yoyonews? Let us know in the comments!

…and for those of who don’t wanna deal with my mumblin’, here’s a transcript of the steps:

The mount for this is a double or nothing, but with an under mount instead of a trapeze. This sets you up well for the launch, where you simultaneously dismount the yo-yo and release the counterweight, thus sending you into a double pinwheel. Make sure you’re comfortable getting into the pinwheel before trying the wrap.

To perform the wrap, swing the counterweight into your left wrist and “follow” it with your hand as you pinwheel the yo-yo inside your arms.. This takes practice; don’t be afraid to try it with a dead yo-yo, or if you don’t catch the mount afterwards right away.

The toughest part of the mount is controlling the momentum of the counterweight so you can catch it. Try changing your string length or using a heavier weight to slow it down if necessary.

Drew Tetz – Top 5 2012 tricks

May 5, 2013 By Drew Tetz

Hey gang! Drew here, I’m very excited about my signature Barracuda and we’re pulling together some awesome exclusive stuff for Yoyonews celebrating the launch, but I thought it would be nice to start with some of my favorite tricks from last year. I was extremely proud to be a part of the 365yoyotricks roster and ended up filming a total of 64 tricks for the project – not a bad run! While you should really be checking 365 everyday (or at least following it on Facebook and Twitter,) we understand if you missed a day or two, and I wanted to give a rundown of my personal highlights for the year.

5. Keith Haring Dog to Flying Ice Cream Cone to Spider-Man in a Propeller Beanie to Batman

In my opinion, every yo-yoer worth their salt should have at least one signature picture trick, and if you can link a couple of good ones into a picture trick story then you’re gonna have my respect forever – shout outs to Ed, John Bot, Hank, Nate, Abe, Blake, Malcolm, and everybody else still making tricks that nonyoyoers actually like. Also, when I was 8 I made a bunch of comics featuring “The Amazing Spider-Bat”, so this is kind of just a continuation of that dream. (ART SNOBS: I know this doesn’t actually look that much like a Keith Haring dog, next time you see me ask for Keith Haring dog 2013 and I’ll show you the new & improved one.)

4. Hyper Drew Special Engine

I’ve probably gotten more questions about this than any other trick, so I was glad to finally have a clear video of it. If you’ve never seen it before, it’s a pretty neat rejection illusion, check it out! Rei Iwakura named it for me, which makes me feel super awesome, so every time I do it I shout the name as loud as possible.

3. Mousewrap

I didn’t have too many all new full-length 5A combos in 2012, but I definitely considered this one a banger. Proud of the density of concepts, the aesthetic, the way it feels, and… frankly, I’m also really stoked on the way that Steve synced the catch up with a handclap, haha. This is a pure representation of how I wish 5A looked, made much easier by the use of a Barracuda.

2. Crazy Counterwrap

This trick is a blend of some of my favorite original 5A concepts, and a continuation of an idea my Red vs. Drew video. I’m pretty stoked with it on a theoretical level, but also happy that I’m finally good enough to get it looking close to the way I want it to look, haha. I would be thrilled if people wanted to learn it, but at the same time I’m secretly proud of how difficult it was to get down.

1. Kickflip Suicide

Those of you following Fixed Friday may be well sick of this move by now, but it was definitely my favorite trick of 2012. I feel very proud having run into this element, simple tricks are often a lot harder to discover. This one is cool because it’s a new school trick, but is quite a bit easier on responsive yo-yos, and sort of represents the new wave of fixed axle yo-yoing for me. It can also be used as a transition move or in more advanced suicides, and I’m really trying to push it, ’cause it’s super fun and I want everyone to do it.

Thanks for indulging me! You’ll be seeing a lot of content from me this week as part of the big YoYoNews takeover – or should I say YoyoDREWs takeover?! No, I shouldn’t? Okay, yeah, you’re right. I’ll try to keep the puns down from here on. Keep checking back throughout the week for more tricks from me, battles with my friends, exclusive clips and other goodies!

Duncan Toys Presents: BarraDREWda!

May 3, 2013 By Steve Brown

YoYoNews is incredibly proud to give you the very first look at the BarraDREWda, a limited edition Drew Tetz signature model Barracuda yoyo!

Available on May 10th from select retailers, this special edition Barracuda is limited to only 35 pieces, retails for $130 each, and features amazing Mega Man-inspired artwork by Jason Week! And to celebrate this momentous yoyodrop, Drew Tetz will be offering up some absolutely AMAZING posts on YoYoNews from now until May 13th…the full length of the Drew Tetz takeover! Expect exclusive video, trick, interviews, some amazing Duncan giveaways, and we’re even going to dig into Drew’s music collection and find out where his inspiration comes from.

Be sure to follow YoYoNews on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for the full BarraDREWda takeover!

Fixed Friday: Whips

May 3, 2013 By Drew Tetz

Another glorious Friday! Are you all biting your nails in anticipation of the Duncan announcement tonight? I’m not going to spoil it, but I’m pretty stoked and highly recommend you check back at midnight. In the meantime, though, there are tricks to learn!

This week we’re gonna be tackling whips and a couple other new school slack-y elements. These tricks are usually done on unresponsive yo-yos, but with a little bit of practice and some imagination you can fit them into a stall-heavy diet surprisingly well. I will say that these tricks are particularly susceptible to being knucklebusters, so throw soft and maybe stay away from super heavy razor-edged yo-yos (do you have those?), but whatever, danger is fun! For what it’s worth, I use a Duncan Butterfly.

The first trick in the video is probably the easiest stall whip to learn. It’s based on Spencer Berry’s classic laceration trick, but because it lands in a stall, you have to trigger the response of the yo-yo at the beginning and you have significantly less time to work with. It’s tricky at first, but if you practice throwing soft and launching the yo-yo into the air when you pull back for the return you’ll soon be able to flick the slack out under the yo-yo. It’s worth noting that this probably would not pass Spencer’s test for a “true” laceration, as my finger is in the string loop before the yo-yo hits the string, but frankly this trick is difficult enough that I don’t mind a little bit of chopping.

The next trick is a modified version of the plastic whip, a staple of modern 1A play. It is once again made slightly more complicated by being a stall for two reasons:

Because it’s a stall, you have to keep spin direction in mind, which means a normal plastic whip can only be done on a frontstyle throw (or regeneration.)
The yo-yo is coming back right at your face and this is terrifying aaaaaaaah

…to solve that second problem, I set up for the trick by pinching the string with my free hand. This allows me to get into the whipping motion with my throw hand slightly before returning the yo-yo, and the slight change in timing gives the slack more room to catch the yo-yo.

If you’ve been following Fixed Friday, the next trick should look slightly familiar: the mach-5 whip. I taught a basic version of the mount two weeks ago, the whip can be seen in several of Ed’s videos, and also in Kyle Nations’ “Sting like a Butterfly” video at 1:10. This trick is actually fairly similar to its traditional 1A twin, so if you can do it on a Freehand you can probably do it on a Wheel. The tricky part is getting the timing on the whip with the throwhand right as the yo-yo is returning, try doing it a little bit earlier than you think you should.

Trick #4 is heavily influenced by Mr. Steve Brown and his hands-on juggling style tricks. “Tough Love” stalls & regens can actually be very useful in setting up stall whips, because they completely stop the yo-yo spin, which keeps the yo-yo relatively stable and prevents it from whacking your hand. In this case, we simply intercept the breakaway, do a reverse plastic whip over the top of the yo-yo and let the momentum of the whip carry it into a stall suicide.

Tricks #5 & 6 build on the foundation laid down by the stall laceration, and are mostly a matter of muscle memory and string control. To be more specific, five is a reverse double stall laceration mixed into a combo, and six is a triple stall laceration – if you can hit four in a row, find me at a contest and show me and I’ll give you a sticker or something. (also, once again, these aren’t “true” lacerations because I chop into them, but also once again they’re kind of tough so we’ll call it even.)

#7 & 8 are a couple of more advanced moves that are meant more as concepts than as next steps to take, but hey, I’d be stoked if you wanted to learn them. Seven is a play on that old mid-school kamikaze whip, except that you do it from a stall and the yo-yo does a kickflip suicide – yikes! I’d love to catch the yo-yo in the whip, but for now I’m much more consistent just catching it on my thumb, which would theoretically set up some slack-style tricks. Eight shows you one way to mix unresponsive whip tricks with stalls, by using a jade whip to set up a suicide and then letting that suicide bind itself up into a pseudo-tape measure. This takes a lot of control, but it feels awesome and looks neat. I’d love to see more integration of “unresponsive” tricks and stall techniques.

Trick number nine – wow, did I really do nine tricks this week? – is another tribute to Abe Ziaimehr, one of my favorite yoyoers ever. Is it wacky? Yes, but that’s just the way that he’d like it. Go be a little wacky, guys.

Figure something new & cool out? Got a request for a trick tutorial? Let us know in the comments!

CLYW Bip Bop Giveaway Contest Winners!

April 30, 2013 By Steve Brown

We had over 600 entries for the CLYW Bip Bop Cliff Giveaway…thanks so much to everyone who entered! The creativity on display was amazing! What started as kind of a personal favorite for us turned into a validation that picture tricks are alive and well in modern yoyoing.

The judges for the contest were Chris Mikulin (CLYW), John W. Robot (CLYW) and me, Steve Brown (YoYoNews). And here are your winners!

1st Place Winner – Malcolm Chiu (Singapore)

Malcolm had 15 entries into the contest and at least half of them could have won. The complexity and density of his various star variations is incredible, but this one was our favorite! Malcolm wins the grand prize, a CLYW Bip Bop Cliff, 100 Kitty Strings, and a CLYW Sticker Pack.

2nd Place – Drew Tetz (USA)

Drew has been a long-time picture trick aficionado, and the simple sweetness of his tricks tends to carefully hide their complexity and creativity. Plus: no one ever looks like they’re having as much fun as Drew! Drew wins the second prize, a CLYW 5-panel camouflage cap, 100 Kitty Strings, and a CLYW Sticker Pack.

3rd Place – Stas Litvinov (Kazakhstan)

Stas had a handful of unique and creative entries, but his “Birdie in a Cage” was everything we love about picture tricks. A simple concept executed really, really well, “Birdie in a Cage” is just a really pretty trick that takes an old favorite and makes it new again. Stas wins the third prize, 100 Kitty Strings and a CLYW Sticker Pack.

Drew Tetz – Rock the Rainbow Ribbon

April 26, 2013 By Drew Tetz

Happy Fixed Friday! If you didn’t get enough fixie action out of Ed’s 3D and Off-Plane Video, here’s another quick combo for you. The yo-yo I’m using is an eighties-era Duncan/Yoffy Rainbow Ribbon, a gift from the incomparable John Higby, a man who truly knows how to rock the sideways flip.

YoYoNews Stickers!

April 26, 2013 By Steve Brown

YoYoNews stickers are back from the printer, and they look great!

Available starting today with all orders from YoYoExpert.com, or in-person from Steve Brown, André Boulay, Ed Haponik, Drew Tetz, and Rafael Matsunaga.