Getting Started

Responsive or Unresponsive?

• Responsive: comes back with a tug. Start here. Classic tricks like Walk the Dog, Rock the Baby, and looping all use a responsive yo-yo.^[25][6]
• Unresponsive: a wider gap and silicone pads let it spin at the end of the string without coming back, even with slack. You return it with a bind, wrapping extra string into the gap.^[26][25]
• Inexpensive fixed-axle yo-yos usually sleep 10–20 seconds; ball-bearing yo-yos can sleep one to four minutes.^[28]

Many beginner yo-yos can be set up either way. See Beginner Gear Basics and Styles of Play on our Gear page.

String It Up

Put the String on the Yo-Yo

1. Find the loop end, the end without the knot. Pinch the tip and pinch again an inch or two below, then untwist until the two strands separate.^[3]
2. Spread the strands open with your fingers and slip the loop over one half of the assembled yo-yo. Don’t take it apart; the string can slip off the bearing and get caught between the halves.^[3]
3. Let go and let the string twist back up around the axle. Never tie a knot around the axle.^[3][1]

Size It and Make a Slipknot

1. Let the yo-yo rest on the floor between your feet and mark the string at your belly button.^[3]
2. Tie a new loop there and cut off the extra.^[3]
3. Pass the string through the loop to make a slipknot. Slide it onto your middle finger, snug between the first and second knuckle.^[3]

Freehand (5A): String a Counterweight

Pass the loop end of the string through the counterweight’s hole, then through the slipknot, and pull tight so the knot closes around the weight. Or, without removing the string from the yo-yo, push the slipknot through the hole, make a new loop, pass the counterweight through it, and pull tight.^[4] See Counterweights for weights and DIY options.

Wind, Throw, and Sleep

Wind It Up

Bearing yo-yos spin so freely that the string slips when you wind. The fix: lay a finger of your other hand across the gap, wind once over it, then wind three or four times under it so the string grips. Pull the finger out and keep winding.^[5]

Hold It Right

With your palm up, the string should come over the top of the yo-yo toward you. If it comes from underneath, the yo-yo is upside down and will tend to spin out.^[6]

Gravity Pull

Hold the yo-yo palm down and simply let go; gravity pulls it down, then tug to bring it back. It is different from the Throw Down, which is thrown palm up.^[19][29]

The Basic Throw

“Make a muscle” with the yo-yo in your palm, then extend your arm to throw it down. As it reaches the bottom, turn your hand over and pull up to catch it.^[6]

The Sleeper

A sleeper is the yo-yo spinning at the end of the string. It’s the base of almost every trick.^[18]

• Throw hard and straight. A tilted yo-yo won’t sleep long.^[18]
• Cushion the landing: as the yo-yo hits the bottom, dip your hand slightly so it doesn’t bounce, gain slack, and come back.^[6]
• Return it with a tug (responsive) or a bind (unresponsive).^[18][14]

Challenge: the YoYoTricks.com Screen Time Challenge starts with a 5-second sleeper.^[16]

String Tension

A yo-yo string is two strands twisted together. Too many twists and it’s too tight; too few and it’s too loose. Either way, slack string curls into “spaghetti.”^[7] Normal throwing slowly changes it; for right-handers, sleepers and trapezes tend to tighten it.^[22]

Check It

Hold the unwound yo-yo like a trapeze, bring your hands together to add slack, and look down on the string. If it twists clockwise, it’s too loose; counterclockwise, too tight.^[22]

Fix It

• Let it dangle: the classic fix is to take the slipknot off your finger and let the yo-yo hang until the string untwists.^[22]
• UFO: throw the yo-yo so it sleeps flat, parallel to the ground, with your hand over the top so the string spins around it. Across your body loosens; away from your body tightens.^[9][22]
• Sidewinder: a smaller adjustment. Swing a sleeper out to one side until it rises level with your hand so the string spins out. YoYoTricks.com says to the right loosens and to the left tightens. Test which way works for you.^[10]
• Unresponsive yo-yos have their own fixes: a separate lesson covers adjusting tension at the end of a trick.^[8]
• While you check tension, check for wear too. Change a frayed, dirty, or greasy string.^[22]

Your First Tricks

• Walk the Dog: throw a strong sleeper and set it on the floor so it rolls. Swing it behind you first for momentum, and don’t let your hand get too close or it will come back.^[11]
• Rock the Baby: pinch the string near the middle with your other hand, pinch above the yo-yo with your yo-yo hand, and spread the string into a triangle cradle to rock the yo-yo through.^[12]
• Picture tricks: shapes like the Eiffel Tower and the Jamaican Flag. Practice with the yo-yo hanging, not spinning, until you know the shape.^[12][13]
• Forward Pass: swing the yo-yo forward from behind, let it return, and catch it palm up. It leads to Loop the Loop and Shoot the Moon.^[20]
• UFO and Sleeping Beauty: the UFO above, plus catching the string for a flashy Sleeping Beauty.^[9]
• DNA: a flat pinwheel, pop the yo-yo onto your other index finger to spin, then a quick laceration and sidewinder-style return. It plays with string tension like a UFO.^[21] See How Tricks Evolved for how it went viral.