Not many people can say they’ve split the atom. But yo-yo pro Yo-Hans can. (He slips it in between walking the dog and eating spaghetti.)
If you haven’t guessed yet, these are names of only a handful of the yo-yo tricks that Yo-Hans performs. Recently, the 24-year-old Arizona resident shared a few yo-yo basics with KidNews.
Picking a yo-yo. Look for a yo-yo that comes apart. That’s important if the string gets tangled. Also, make sure it has a wooden axle. “Wood has more friction than plastic, and friction helps spin the yo-yo at a higher rpm. That spins it longer,” Yo-Hans says.
Remember, right is tight, left is loose. If the yo-yo doesn’t sleep, it could mean your string is too tight. Let the yo-yo dangle at the end of the string and spin it counter-clockwise, then wind it up and try again.
Practice, practice. “A yo-yo trick is like a puzzle. You have to figure out where each piece of the puzzle fits,” Yo-Hans says. He suggests picking up a book or video on yo-yo tricks to learn step-by-step techniques. from books or videos. And considering there are more than 300 different tricks, there’s tons to learn.
