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Beginner Steps and Tricks

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There are an endless number of yo-yo tricks, with names such as Hop the Fence, Split the Atom, and Gravity Pull. Old School tricks first appeared between the 1930s and 1960s and are loop-based, while New School tricks, which are sleeper based, require a transaxle yo-yo, and move the yo-yo on and off the string.

To begin, however, just learn to hold the yo-yo correctly. Hold the yo-yo in your hand and place the finger knot over your middle finger between your top knuckles. Place your finger in the groove between the two discs.

With your palm down, let go of the yo-yo. As it falls to the ground, move your hand slowly upwards. When the yo-yo reaches the end of the string, move your hand back down, and catch the yo-yo at the same place where you let go of it.

The first basic yo-yo trick is the sleeper. To do this trick, hold the yo-yo palm up, and then bend your elbow so that the yo-yo is at your shoulder. Finally, make a quick, hard wrist snap, and “throw” the yo-yo down so that it falls over the edge of your hand toward the ground. When it reaches the end of the string, it should keep spinning, the longer the better.

Once you master the sleeper, you can try to Walk the Dog, which is basically a sleeper with touch. The yo-yo should gently touch the ground just as it begins to sleep, and it will then roll along the floor.

The brother to the sleeper is the basic looping trick, one of which is the Forward Pass. To do the Forward Pass, hold the yo-yo palm down at your waist. Then, in one movement, drop the yo-yo and swing your arm outward. The yo-yo should loop around and come back to your hand.

After mastering the Forward Pass, move on to Around the World, which is a combination loop and sleep. Do a Forward Pass, but then let the yo-yo sleep at the end of the string so that you have time to loop it all the way around your body. Make sure you don’t have a nearby ceiling fan or spectator when you practice this trick.

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