How to Teach Beginning Yo-yo Skills

A Yo-yo is a simple device capable of complex tricks.

Teaching a beginner to use a Yo-yo is more difficult than learning it yourself. When you learned Yo-yo, you probably spent a great deal of time practicing and gaining a feel for how the Yo-yo works. This is the best way to learn, because you respond to how the Yo-yo moves. Teaching the Yo-yo involves making the student comfortable with the device, and building a firm foundation of knowledge.

Instructions

1. Tell the student about the theory and history of the Yo-yo. Explain how Yo-yo works, its history and the different designs. Learning these steps helps the student visualize the mechanics of working with a Yo-yo. This enables thim to progress further when he has mastered the basics.

2. Show the student how to hold the Yo-yo. Tie a permanent loop and knot in the end of the string. Feed a small amount of string through the loop, and place it over your middle finger. This is a slip-knot that holds the Yo-yo in place. Hold the Yo-yo in the palm of your hand. This is the basic start position; demonstrate it to your student.

3. Teach the student the basic tricks, from which she can learn other tricks. The most obvious is the creeper or sleeper move. Demonstrate this by throwing the yo-yo down, out of your hand. Depending on the model, this causes it to go down to the ground, and stay there for a period of time. Quickly tug on the string -- to coil the yo-yo back up -- when it loses some of its momentum. Demonstrate this move.

4. Tell the student to practice these moves. Becoming comfortable with a Yo-yo is crucial to further development. When the student has mastered the creeper move, he will have an appreciation of how to hold and perform tricks. Learning to maneuver a Yo-yo is tricky, and requires many hours of practice.

References

• Ken's World on a String: Yoyo tricks for beginners
• Ken's World on a string: Creeper