Smart Yo-yo Tricks for Beginners

The basic trick of playing yo-yo is to unwind the string by releasing it. Yo-yo tied at the end of string suspends in air for a while and winds back due to inertial force. Let us understand some of the yo-yo tricks for beginners.

The different yo-yo string tricks that can be learned by beginners are described in the following paragraphs. One can learn yo-yo tricks easily by following the instructions.

It is the most basic or fundamental trick/method of using yo-yos. The various tricks of yo-yo could be learned on the basis of this trick. In this trick, the yo-yo is thrown with a wrist action.

As the yo-yo reaches end of the string, it spins in the place instead of rolling upwards. This is known as the sleeping state; many other tricks including 'around the world' can be performed in the sleeping state. With a slight jerk of the wrist, the yo-yo is rolled back and sleeping position ends.

It is one of the simplest trick to perform with a yo-yo. In this trick, the yo-yo moves in an up-and-down motion. The yo-yo in a rolled position should be held in a hand with the palm facing downwards. Yo-yo should be rolled downwards by releasing the string; the spool unwinds as a result of gravitational force.

As soon as the yo-yo reaches its end, an upward jerk should be applied to pull back the yo-yo. Here, the timing of the jerk is important since, lifting the yo-yo at a precise moment is of utmost importance.

The forward pass trick is very similar to the gravity pull yo-yo trick. In the former, one has to position the hand in a manner that the palm faces backwards. Wrist should be flicked and arm swung in a manner that yo-yo is thrown forward.

As the yo-yo reaches its end, a slight tug should help it roll back. The palm should be positioned in a manner that it faces upwards; catching the yo-yo when it rolls back becomes easy with this position.

The trick is named walk the dog because yo-yo is moved along the ground through the spin generated by rolling it downwards. One should begin with the simple sleeper trick and keep the yo-yo spinning for a while.

The yo-yo should be slightly touched to the ground when in the spinning motion. The spinning motion would drag it further. The trick should be performed on a smooth surface so that edges of the yo-yo don't get scratched.

As the yo-yo comes backwards, it should not be held in the hand. The wrist should instead be snapped forward in a manner that the yo-yo turns and is sent outwards. The whole action creates a loop. With enough practice, one can perform the loop once, twice, thrice and so on. It is one of the 'tricky' yo-yo looping tricks to master.

It is a pretty simple trick to perform. The term around the world means that yo-yo does a whole 360 degree arc. The first step in this trick is to perform the forward pass.

As the yo-yo extends the string length, it is swung up and over the shoulder. Here, one should avoid jerking the yo-yo after the forward pass. The yo-yo should be swung in a 360 degree arc and brought back to the original position. Finally, it should be jerked backwards in the hand from this position.

One of the easiest tricks to play. You should first learn the sleeper trick. Quickly throw a sleeper. With the other hand, hold the string between middle finger and thumb at a length that is 2/3rd from above. Start moving this hand upwards and sideways. While doing this, the hand holding the yo-yo should be lowered.

Holding the yo-yo string in this manner helps in swinging it like a pinwheel. After swinging the yo-yo 2-3 times, it should be thrown forward and upwards by releasing both hands. Finally, the yo-yo should be caught in the palm that is facing upwards.

The length of yo-yo strings should extend from the bottom of floor to the height of belly button. A loop should be formed by folding the string and tying a knot. A slip knot is formed by inserting the string through the loop formed in the earlier step. The yo-yo should be held in the palm with the slip knot fixed to the middle finger.

The yo-yo is one of the popular toys among children. The yo-yo tricks explained here would make children aware of 'loops' and different kinds of tricks. Since these are simple tricks, beginners should find them easy to learn.