It’s a pretty good day when you get new tricks from Jason Lee and big smiles from Stephen Fuentes. What more could you possibly want?
Jason Lee – Afghanistan
Jason Lee, arguably one of the greatest natural yoyo players who has ever lived, brings us more footage from his travels in Afghanistan. This video is absolutely beautiful, and I can’t thank Jason and Jeffrey Pang enough for bringing it to us.
Jason Lee – 2014 BLC (NSFW)
Yoyo legend and former National Champion Jason Lee took to the stage at the recent Bill Liebowitz Classic contest in Los Angeles and reminded us all of two things:
1. Jason Lee is NSFW.
2. We will never be as creative as Jason Lee.
Just amazing.
Perfect Elements – The Movie
Our friends at Perfect Elements have finally released their 45-minute film, “Perfect Elements: The Movie”. Instead of making this a commercial release, they’ve decided to just release it for free on Vimeo! Featuring Palli, Igor Galiev, Daniel Budai, Bryan Figueroa, Jason Lee, Kota Watanabe, Marcus Koh, Kentaro Kimura, Vashek Kroutil, and many more! Check out the filmmakers description below.
Welcome to the world of yoyo.
Yoyo is not just a game. It’s something bigger. You can see all this huge world with a place for everyone, here in this movie. It’s not only an hours of practice and learning tricks, but travels, adventures, parties… Tricks that was just a fantasy yesterday, today became a reality. It’s not an easy way, because without work and patience you can’t make even a first step, but that’s what makes it precious. Every new trick brings the joy of creation. It’s when sensation is what important, not the result, when you come on stage not attending to win, but to show your skills. It’s when you come back home all full of impressions and inspiration. It’s the awaiting of that very moment, when it appears in your head, perfect element!
Jason Lee – Tajikistan
Jason Lee continues his adventures around the world! This short stop has Jason traveling through Tajikistan.
To explore past journeys with Jason, also check out his previous videos here:
4. Kyrgyzstan
3. China
2. Bangladesh
To keep up with Jason, follow him on Instagram and YoYoNews.
http://instagram.com/jasonleecifer
http://www.yoyonews.com/
Jason is throwing with Kitty String and is sponsored by YoYoFactory.
http://www.kittystring.com/
http://www.yoyofactory.com/
The song is Do You Remember by Ane Brun.
YoYoFactory Presents – Santa Cruz Week 2
YoYoFactory released their second tour video from this Fall, this one tracking the guys through their tour stops in Santa Cruz, California. Tons of great stuff in here, and a great look at YoYoFactory’s super effective promotional tours.
YoYoDrop | YoYoFactory Shutter – Jason Lee Edition
YoYoFactory is releasing a brand new version of their immensely popular new metal yoyo, the Shutter; and this one is just for Jason Lee. Here’s the info from YoYoFactory…no word on release date but looks like they should be hitting retailers soon! Expect these to retail for around $60 USD.
This is an extremely limited production item that will remain collectible for years to come. Taking influence from Jason’s other main hobby, photography, the Jason Lee Shutter comes designed similarly to Jason’s camera.
This limited edition features:
- All black anodizing
- Custom laser engravings on both sides
- Jason’s signature lasered on the yo-yo
- SPEC bearing stock installed
- Spare CTX bearing in the box
- Exclusive YoYoFactory branded lens cleaner
Less than 100 pieces of this amazing, one-time only special edition have been produced
Jason Lee – Kyrgyzstan (NSFW Language)
Minor language warning.
Vimeo version found here.
Jason Lee extends his travels around the world, this time heading to Kyrgyzstan.
Music is Better Days by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.
See the previous videos here:
Jason Lee – China
Jason Lee – Bangladesh
Jason X Ann (Cambodia)
TYYT – Ribbon Bind by Jason Lee
Everyone’s favorite wanderer Jason Lee checks in with a cool bind for Terra YoYo Tutorials. We miss you, Jason!
He’s got some more tricks coming soon to 365yoyotricks.com, so keep an eye out for those.
Top 5 1A Yo-Yo Players of All-Time
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.
The Single A Division has grown and evolved from the division for people who “couldn’t play two-handed” into the most creative and competitive division in every single yoyo contest in the world. At any given contest, the number of contestants in the 1A Division will outnumber all other divisions combined by 5 to 1. One yoyo, one string, endless possibilities. It was difficult to select only five players for our list…we could easily have filled a Top 20. But the players listed below have proven themselves above and beyond their competition, and have inspired entire generations of players to follow them.
5. Johnnie DelValle – 
- 1x World Champion, 1x National Champion, 1x Regional Champion, 2x State Champion
In 2003 Johnnie DelValle won the big three: Bay Area Classic, US Nationals and Worlds. In his iconic 2003 World routine he was the first to ever incorporate a range of body, finger and arm grinds into his routines. In addition, he had technical slack and a striking stage presence (who could forget the dramatic removal of his over shirt?) that perfectly complimented his style.
4. Jensen Kimmitt – 
- 1x World Champion, 2x National Champion, 4x Regional Champion, 2x State Champion
Jensen’s run to the world title in 2010 saw a man unbeatable. With an array of US contest wins at the Bay Area Classic, Pacific Northwest, California State, and twice Japan’s 44 Clash, Jensen dominated parts of 2009 and all of 2010 capped off by his decisive win on the World stage. Jensen was known for his incredible flow and style in combination with his eccentric personality which inspired endless yo-yoers. Jensen remains an inspiring figure in yo-yo today.
3. Tomonari ‘Black’ Ishiguro – 
- 1x World Champion, 2x National Champion
Innovator of some of the most classic string tricks today, Tomonari ‘Black’ Ishiguro was rewarded with a world title in 2001. Many of his trick elements are still in use today and that only speaks to the level of creativity ‘Black’ brought to the table. His unforgettable performances, most popularly his matrix themed routines, demonstrated he was more than just a competitor; now retired, Black is a full time performer and inspiring many more through the theatrical aspect of yo-yoing as well as his wildly popular TED Talk.
2. Yuuki Spencer –
- 2x World Champion, 3x National Champion, 4x Regional Champion, 3x State Champion
Another innovator of some of the most classic string tricks today, Yuuki Spencer is undoubtedly a legend in the world of yo-yo. As the only player other than Hiroyuki to win more than one world title in 1A, Yuuki is technically unmatched. His 2002 and 2007 routine both demonstrated his creativity; in particular Yuuki’s 2007 routine injected a level of intensity and energy that was unheard of at any level of yo-yo competitions. Yuuki’s contributions to yo-yo bolster his resume and secure his spot near the top of yo-yo’s most competitive division.
1. Hiroyuki Suzuki –
- 4x World Champion, 7x Asia Champion, 6x National Champion, 9x Regional Champion
Over a decade of top 3 placing in the World—it is not difficult to place Hiroyuki ‘Mickey’ Suzuki as the greatest single A player. His incredible choreography, ridiculous speed and technically difficult tricks have proven time and time again why he is the best. Capturing his fourth World title after a full eight years after his first, Hiroyuki has managed to maintain an incredible pace of innovation, accuracy and passion. With no signs of slowing down or retiring from competition, he is clearly not done.
Honorable Mentions: John Ando (World Champion), Marcus Koh (World Champion), Jason Lee (National Champion), Paul Han (National Champion)
Who do you think are the greatest 1A 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.
365yoyotricks.com – Weekly Roundup
Another week, another slew of inspiration from your favorite yoyo players!
Jason Lee checks in again from his travels with more awesomeness.
Spencer Berry rocks out a repeater inspired by Danny Severance.
Jacob Jensen gives up some goodness.
Ed Haponik plays with bearings!?!?!?!
Yuji Kelly gave us a crazy original trick for his first guest spot!
What happens with you lose control of a Figure 8? What happens when you keep going it?
And Rafael Matsunaga brings us some old school flavor.
See you next week!
Cabin Tutorials – Chedda Cheese & Guacamole
This week’s Cabin Tutorial is some great repeater action with elements from Tyler Severance, Charles Haycock, and (according to the comments section) Jason Lee. Demonstrated by Charles Haycock, using the CLYW x OneDrop Summit.
365yoyotricks.com – Weekly Roundup
We’ve got another batch of tricks from the gang, and an addition to the roster…please welcome Jacob Jensen to this years 365yoyotricks.com team!
Jason Lee checks in from Persopolis, Iran with some more of the best flow you’ve ever seen.
Spencer Berry revs up his Walter for an especially challenging repeater.
Jacob Jensen brings us a deceptively difficult counterweight repeater.
Darnell Hairston checks in from our favorite local burrito joint, Chili Peppers.
Takeshi Kamisato brings us another “Good luck hitting this, buddy” trick from his repertoire.
Elbow mount!
And Rafael Matsunaga reminds us that simply and silly are pretty awesome.
See you next week!
Top Five: David Ung’s Favorite Modern Videos
Yoyofactory team member David Ung took a break from his bike-ridin’ dreamboat supergenius lifestyle to pull together a list of his top five favorite modern yo-yo video clips. Seeing as he’s the mastermind behind such modern classics as Broke and Your Future’s With Us, we’re inclined to listen! If you want to see more from David, check out his youtube channel and his stint on the 2012 season of 365yoyotricks, but in the meantime kick up your feet and see what he’s turning to for inspiration for an upcoming new video. Hit it!
“Miggy has the most impressive list of yo-yo videos. Win By Default is especially near and dear to my heart because it’s the first video I saw that made me go: ‘okay, yo-yo videos can be more than just standing in a bedroom and recording your tricks.’ Miggy has always been into themed yo-yo videos (see: Manifest Destiny, Tunnels) but Win By Default is the one that inspired me to put more effort into my videos.”
“Whyte Avenue has a powerhouse of collaborators. Chuck produced a great video, Chase made an awesome track, and Seth’s yo-yoing is some of the best. The video is composed beautifully and the cuts between angles are seamless. It’s great to see Seth on the other side of the camera for once!”
“Golden Age has such a great vibe to it. Chuck had great timing with all of the music and the video had some gorgeous scenery. Keep in mind this was released around three years ago! His tricks were super ahead of the curve, and the shots starting at 0:36 and 2:40 are beautiful.”
“Legendary had over four minutes of great yo-yoing. Jason Lee is one of the most innovative players of all time, and to see him and Gabe collaborate on such an amazing project while Jason was traveling is super humbling. Jason’s tricks show that there is still a lot you can do without overly technical tricks.”
“The Park is my favorite video of 2012. I normally hate videos entirely in slow-motion, but Gabe did a beautiful job. The Royal Concept track fit perfectly and the video overwhelms you with such a great vibe. Gabe made the yo-yo video I always wanted to make with this one.”