Wow.
November 3, 2005 11:02 AM Subscribe
This post was deleted for the following reason: Poster's Request -- Brandon Blatcher
me too! the only way that I could tell that something really good was happening was when the crowd gasped/hooted/cheered. But yeah, long way from walk the dog. It's like air-walk-the-banded-leaf-hopper-through-downtown-detroit-after-midnight-on-a-schoolnight type shit.
posted by zpousman at 11:18 AM on November 3, 2005
posted by zpousman at 11:18 AM on November 3, 2005
Wasn't the yo-yo originally invented to be used as a weapon? I never understood that, unless it was in order to baffle one's enemies with mesmerizing string-tricks. Wow.
posted by steef at 11:23 AM on November 3, 2005
posted by steef at 11:23 AM on November 3, 2005
Nifty.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:26 AM on November 3, 2005
posted by jacquilynne at 11:26 AM on November 3, 2005
I could never get the thing to come back to my hand...
So far as the weapon thing goes, Wikipedia's article claims that it's an unsubstantiated myth.
posted by jedicus at 11:27 AM on November 3, 2005
So far as the weapon thing goes, Wikipedia's article claims that it's an unsubstantiated myth.
posted by jedicus at 11:27 AM on November 3, 2005
Wow, amazing.
I'm curious about the level at which this guy operates. Was the #2 guy also awesome, but "not quite awesome enough", or does he blow everyone else out of the water?
posted by mkultra at 11:40 AM on November 3, 2005
I'm curious about the level at which this guy operates. Was the #2 guy also awesome, but "not quite awesome enough", or does he blow everyone else out of the water?
posted by mkultra at 11:40 AM on November 3, 2005
mkultra - I wondered the same thing. Did the guy that followed him just say "I have to follow that?" or was it an actual contest.
If it was an actual contest, how much leisure time am I missing out on?
posted by fnord at 12:04 PM on November 3, 2005
If it was an actual contest, how much leisure time am I missing out on?
posted by fnord at 12:04 PM on November 3, 2005
A talent that will take him far in life ... doing... I have no idea.
posted by crunchland at 12:08 PM on November 3, 2005
posted by crunchland at 12:08 PM on November 3, 2005
mkultra : "Was the #2 guy also awesome, but 'not quite awesome enough', or does he blow everyone else out of the water?"
I dunno about this particular meet (i.e. maybe all the other really good guys had the stomach flu), but what I saw in what I downloaded of this video (a little less than half) is generally pretty close to the rest of the upper tier competetive yo-yoers. So he's amazingly better than most people, but that doesn't mean he's amazingly better than his peers.
This makes me want to get my yo-yo out again. Can't wait to get home from work.
posted by Bugbread at 12:13 PM on November 3, 2005
I dunno about this particular meet (i.e. maybe all the other really good guys had the stomach flu), but what I saw in what I downloaded of this video (a little less than half) is generally pretty close to the rest of the upper tier competetive yo-yoers. So he's amazingly better than most people, but that doesn't mean he's amazingly better than his peers.
This makes me want to get my yo-yo out again. Can't wait to get home from work.
posted by Bugbread at 12:13 PM on November 3, 2005
Ok, here's a little explanation of what's going on there. Competitions these days mainly consist of what we call "New School" yoyoing, and the big trend at the moment is "slack". The meaning of slack is pretty obvious when you watch that video, basically using slack loops in the upper part of the string to perform whip moves around the yoyo body instead of actually manipulating the yoyo itself.
As for people who are complaining the yoyo doesn't come back, well, that's more of a feature these days. Most modern yoyoers play with an large amount of gap and low friction return mechanisms, so that string whips and yanking manuevers like Lacerations won't cause the yoyo to return. Instead, to bring the yoyo back they put a loop into the gap and pull that up, effectively looping the string over itself so it catches in the gap and rewinds the yoyo. If you watch some of the rewinds in the video you can see this happening.
God, I love overcomplicating seemingly simple hobbies. :)
posted by qDot at 12:35 PM on November 3, 2005
As for people who are complaining the yoyo doesn't come back, well, that's more of a feature these days. Most modern yoyoers play with an large amount of gap and low friction return mechanisms, so that string whips and yanking manuevers like Lacerations won't cause the yoyo to return. Instead, to bring the yoyo back they put a loop into the gap and pull that up, effectively looping the string over itself so it catches in the gap and rewinds the yoyo. If you watch some of the rewinds in the video you can see this happening.
God, I love overcomplicating seemingly simple hobbies. :)
posted by qDot at 12:35 PM on November 3, 2005
for a moment there I thought I was at milkandcookies...
posted by dabitch at 12:38 PM on November 3, 2005
posted by dabitch at 12:38 PM on November 3, 2005
I want to clarify on qDot's comment about the yo-yo coming back: It does come back. It's not like it's just a trick done with a weight on the end of a string, it's a constantly spinning yo-yo, and the whole time you see a trick, it's spinning. It's just that the gap is so wide that it doesn't come back easily, and in fact you have to be somewhat skilled to get it to come back. Not hyper-skilled, but put a really nice wide-gapped low-frictioned yo-yo in the hands of your average person, and no amount of tugging will get the yo-yo to come back.
If you doubt that the yo-yo is really spinning, or think that the loop-back that causes the yo-yo to come back is actually spinning a dead yo-yo, I urge you to either: get a yo-yo to try something on, or think about the properties of gyroscopes. You'll notice that, these tricks all being lateral, the yo-yo is always facing side-in. That is, you're always seeing the side of the yo-yo, not the top or bottom. If the yo-yo weren't spinning, it wouldn't maintain this position, and would flop all over the place. The fact that the tricks can even be done is proof that the yo-yo is spinning and thereby maintaining its orientation.
posted by Bugbread at 12:43 PM on November 3, 2005
If you doubt that the yo-yo is really spinning, or think that the loop-back that causes the yo-yo to come back is actually spinning a dead yo-yo, I urge you to either: get a yo-yo to try something on, or think about the properties of gyroscopes. You'll notice that, these tricks all being lateral, the yo-yo is always facing side-in. That is, you're always seeing the side of the yo-yo, not the top or bottom. If the yo-yo weren't spinning, it wouldn't maintain this position, and would flop all over the place. The fact that the tricks can even be done is proof that the yo-yo is spinning and thereby maintaining its orientation.
posted by Bugbread at 12:43 PM on November 3, 2005
Well, for comparison, here's Hiroyuki Suzuki doing his thing at what appears to be the World Championships. [video]
(sorry about the crap page on which this video is hosted)
posted by kosem at 1:21 PM on November 3, 2005
(sorry about the crap page on which this video is hosted)
posted by kosem at 1:21 PM on November 3, 2005
I've never seen a yoyo sleep that long. What model yoyo do those guys use exactly? Anybody, know?
posted by wsg at 2:12 PM on November 3, 2005
posted by wsg at 2:12 PM on November 3, 2005
wsg : "I've never seen a yoyo sleep that long. What model yoyo do those guys use exactly? Anybody, know?"
Different models, but generally just high-end models made by companies which also make your standard cheapo models. Duncan, for example, or Yomega, or Bandai. Of course, there are a lot of high-end only companies, and many of the pros use them as well, but there are plenty of pros that use Duncans.
The yo-yo construction gets vastly different when you get to high end models. In a plain ole yoyo, you have two sides to the yoyo, both of which have some bumpiness near where the string loops the axle, and then a wooden or plastic axle. The high end yo-yos have the two sides further apart, use adhesive rubber rings or corkboard in place of the bumpiness near the axle, have a metal sheath around the axle, often composed of an outer ring, some ball bearings, and an inner ring, and the axles may be concave, so the string always loops at the center, not near the edge.
posted by Bugbread at 2:23 PM on November 3, 2005
Different models, but generally just high-end models made by companies which also make your standard cheapo models. Duncan, for example, or Yomega, or Bandai. Of course, there are a lot of high-end only companies, and many of the pros use them as well, but there are plenty of pros that use Duncans.
The yo-yo construction gets vastly different when you get to high end models. In a plain ole yoyo, you have two sides to the yoyo, both of which have some bumpiness near where the string loops the axle, and then a wooden or plastic axle. The high end yo-yos have the two sides further apart, use adhesive rubber rings or corkboard in place of the bumpiness near the axle, have a metal sheath around the axle, often composed of an outer ring, some ball bearings, and an inner ring, and the axles may be concave, so the string always loops at the center, not near the edge.
posted by Bugbread at 2:23 PM on November 3, 2005
- to my eyes it looks like some/much of the footage is backwards, but I have so little idea what I am looking at in terms of what a trick is supposed to look like, just a video editors 6th sense of 'that doesn't quite look right.' qdot, you mentioned 'rewinds'... am I crazy?
posted by BleachBypass at 2:53 PM on November 3, 2005
posted by BleachBypass at 2:53 PM on November 3, 2005
"rewinds" refer to the yoyo returning to the controller's hand.
posted by o2b at 3:01 PM on November 3, 2005
posted by o2b at 3:01 PM on November 3, 2005
WSG:
I've never seen a yoyo sleep that long. What model yoyo do those guys use exactly? Anybody, know?
I am not certain but I think he's using the Mini Mo Tu from yo-yo Jam. The small size of the yo-yo is a tip-off to me (I usually have my Mini Mo Tu in my pocket because of it's small size and excellent sleepers. It isn't a beginner's yo-yo and mine is tricked out with spacers making it even harder to return.)
If you're interested in trying some of the new Yo-Yo's out there I'd reccommend a Yo-Yo Jam Lyn Fury or Duncan Freehand Zero.
posted by DragonBoy at 3:36 PM on November 3, 2005
I've never seen a yoyo sleep that long. What model yoyo do those guys use exactly? Anybody, know?
I am not certain but I think he's using the Mini Mo Tu from yo-yo Jam. The small size of the yo-yo is a tip-off to me (I usually have my Mini Mo Tu in my pocket because of it's small size and excellent sleepers. It isn't a beginner's yo-yo and mine is tricked out with spacers making it even harder to return.)
If you're interested in trying some of the new Yo-Yo's out there I'd reccommend a Yo-Yo Jam Lyn Fury or Duncan Freehand Zero.
posted by DragonBoy at 3:36 PM on November 3, 2005
Ooh, that does look small! And not too highly priced, either! My wallet yearns...
My bigger problem now (and it may not occur to y'all unfamiliar with midrange or upper range yo-yos) is that I do string tricks (like in the video, but 1000 times less impressive) (as opposed to loop tricks, which are what they sound like), and string trick yo-yos do better if they are heavier. My yo-yo is all aluminum (a Dif-E-Yo). And to get a lot of sleep time, you need to throw pretty hard. So now I'm all worried about the string snapping, and my yo-yo puncturing a window or putting a hole in the drywall, and I find it really hard to practice without anxiety.
posted by Bugbread at 3:45 PM on November 3, 2005
My bigger problem now (and it may not occur to y'all unfamiliar with midrange or upper range yo-yos) is that I do string tricks (like in the video, but 1000 times less impressive) (as opposed to loop tricks, which are what they sound like), and string trick yo-yos do better if they are heavier. My yo-yo is all aluminum (a Dif-E-Yo). And to get a lot of sleep time, you need to throw pretty hard. So now I'm all worried about the string snapping, and my yo-yo puncturing a window or putting a hole in the drywall, and I find it really hard to practice without anxiety.
posted by Bugbread at 3:45 PM on November 3, 2005
Crazy stuff. Makes me wish I had motor skills.
Also, I thought the WhOoOa's from the crowd were kind of entertaining.
posted by anarcation at 4:54 PM on November 3, 2005
Also, I thought the WhOoOa's from the crowd were kind of entertaining.
posted by anarcation at 4:54 PM on November 3, 2005
Well, for comparison, here's Hiroyuki Suzuki doing his thing at what appears to be the World Championships.
That guy is better.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:43 PM on November 3, 2005
That guy is better.
posted by mrgrimm at 5:43 PM on November 3, 2005
Well, for comparison, here's Hiroyuki Suzuki doing his thing at what appears to be the World Championships.
That guy is better.
how would our yo-yo throwing members rate the two different 'champs' because I too thought the second video was better.
posted by puke & cry at 6:21 PM on November 3, 2005 [1 favorite]
That guy is better.
how would our yo-yo throwing members rate the two different 'champs' because I too thought the second video was better.
posted by puke & cry at 6:21 PM on November 3, 2005 [1 favorite]
Well, for comparison, here's Hiroyuki Suzuki doing his thing at what appears to be the World Championships.
That guy is better.
Far and away the better showman, to be sure. I can't judge on technical merit, but he impressed me way way more. Near the end there I was just like "sweet jesus, how is he doing that so fast???"
Makes me want to bust out my old yo yo... which I unfortunately left in a box in Canada when I moved to Ireland. Dang.
posted by antifuse at 2:43 AM on November 4, 2005
That guy is better.
Far and away the better showman, to be sure. I can't judge on technical merit, but he impressed me way way more. Near the end there I was just like "sweet jesus, how is he doing that so fast???"
Makes me want to bust out my old yo yo... which I unfortunately left in a box in Canada when I moved to Ireland. Dang.
posted by antifuse at 2:43 AM on November 4, 2005
When I was younger, I saved up and bought a nice ball-bearing yo-yo. The day I got it, I went outside to do some tricks. After the third or fourth trick, the string broke and the damn thing went flying into the trunk of a tree. I never did find the last ball-bearing.
posted by mr.dan at 11:54 AM on November 4, 2005
posted by mr.dan at 11:54 AM on November 4, 2005
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