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Portfolio Instructions Final

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46 views3 pages

Portfolio Instructions Final

Uploaded by

api-744652116
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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How to Throw a Yo-yo


Yo-yoing is a fun skill to learn that has the ability to pass time waiting in lines and impress
people of all ages, particularly young kids and adults who had one as a kid. This guide will teach
you the most fundamental yo-yo skills: Throwing and Returning the Yo-yo. All you will need to
complete this guide for absolute beginners is a yo-yo with a string attached. If you can, use a
brand new yo-yo so you don’t have to worry about the wear on the string or the yo-yo.

Preparing the Yo-yo


Before you throw the yo-yo, we will make sure it is properly attached to your hand and in the
correct position.

1. Take your yo-yo and find the end with a loop tied on it.
2. Pull some string through the loop to form a second, looser loop.

Figure 1: Forming a yo-yo loop, from Yoyo Info Base on yoyorewind.com.


Left: How the string should be tied when you get the yo-yo.
Center: Pulling the string through the loop.
Right: The loop created after pulling the string through.
3. Put your dominant hand’s middle finger through the new loop and gently tighten the
loop around your finger by pulling on the string, securing the string to your hand. If you
unwound some string from your yo-yo in this process, wind the string back around the
yo-yo.

Notice: If your string is completely unwound (i.e. you can see the axle), the string will
not easily catch when winding. Take this opportunity to check how long your string is by
dangling the yo-yo by the end of the string while standing up. This will give you an idea of
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how high you need to hold your hand while doing tricks, so the yo-yo doesn’t hit the
ground. To wind the yo-yo, stick your thumb into the crevice between the two halves of the
yo-yo, then wind the string around your thumb and the yo-yo. After a few revolutions,
remove your thumb and continue wrapping.

4. Place the wound yo-yo in the palm of the


hand yo-yo is attached to, referred to as your
“yo-yo hand”, with the trailing string on the
Figure 2: How to hold the yo-yo, from Yoyo Info Base at
top side of the yo-yo. yoyorewind.com.
Note how the string leaves from the top of the yo-yo rather than

Throwing the Yo-yo


from the bottom.

Now that you have your yo-yo properly wound in your hand, it’s time to throw it!

1. Grip the yo-yo with your fingers and extend your arm out, palm side up.

Warning: Double check that where you are going to throw the yo-yo isn’t going to hit
anybody or anything. This isn’t much of a risk for this trick, but this is very important to do
before performing more interesting tricks where the yo-yo might go around you, a few feet
in front of you, or behind you. Getting hit with a yo-yo will hurt, so always make sure where
the yo-yo is going is clear of people.

2. Keeping your palm facing up, raise your arm up a bit and quickly flick it back down while
flattening out your hand, allowing the yo-yo to roll off your fingers. Don’t be afraid to
use some force here, simply letting go of the yo-yo will not make it spin fast enough to
be able to return to your hand.

If all is successful, Congratulations! You should have a yo-yo spinning at the end of your string.

Returning the Yo-yo


With the yo-yo at the end of the string, all that is left to do is to get it to come back to your
hand.
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1. First turn your yo-yo hand over palm side down.


2. Flick your wrist upwards. The yo-yo should catch the string and climb up towards your
hand. Depending on the yo-yo, you may need to flick your wrist a couple times to get it
to come back.
3. Catch the yo-yo by cupping it in your hand as it returns, bringing it back to the position
detailed at the end of Preparing the Yo-yo, except with your hand faced down. If you
turn your hand face up, you will be in position to immediately throw the yo-yo again if
you wish.

Now that you know how to throw a yo-yo, there are many more tricks to try! Many online
resources have detailed videos on how to do tricks for different skill levels and types of yo-yo. I
recommend browsing yoyotricks.com for comprehensive videos detailing any trick that interests
you. With some practice, you will be able to impress kids with tricks and receive remarks from
adults who are simply impressed anyone is still using a yo-yo these days!

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