(thing) by ism Sat May 06 2000 at 23:22:57
A skill toy that consists of two cylindrical halves and an axle. A string is looped around the axle and wound around it. The free end of the string is attached to the finger. By throwing the yo-yo, the action causes the object to spin rapidly, usually from 5,000 to 15,000 RPM. This rapid rotation causes the yo-yo to undergo gyroscopic stability. Because of this, it is possible to "sleep" the yo-yo, which is the foundation for most tricks. Looping tricks actually depend on overcoming this stability on the return, when the yo-yo flips 180 degrees.

With the advent of butterfly-shaped, transaxle, and ball-bearing yo-yo's, the sport of yo-yoing has changed dramatically. Tricks have shifted from showy, looping-style tricks to complex string manipulation. While there was once only two styles of yo-yoing - looping and string tricks, there are now more, including offstring (where the yo-yo is not attached to the string) and freehand (where the string is not attached to the hand).

Yo-yo's were popular due to Donald F. Duncan's efforts after Pedro Flores brought the toy from the Philippines. There is a legend that says yo-yo's were used by Filipino natives as weapons. It seems the story cannot be proven, and was a marketing tactic by Flores. See The History of the Yo-Yo for more detail.

Duncan set up nationwide tournaments to promote yo-yo's, which was wildly successful. Interest waned in the 1970's and 1980's. Yo-yo's once again became a fad in the late 1990's, due to the marketing of Yomega. Several other manufacturers quickly followed suit with technologically advanced yo-yo's. Due to the glut and fad nature of yo-yo's, there is currently a depression in the yo-yo market and many of those manufacturers have pulled out.

The Care of Yo-yo's:

  • Change worn strings
  • Clean ball-bearings
  • Replace Wood Axles
    • Friction over time wears down the axle. If the axle is replacable, do so.

Increasing Yo-yo's Performance:

  • Lube ball-bearings
    • lubing actually slows down the bearing. this is to increase response (to bring the yo-yo back up).
    • for more response, use a thick lube such as vaseline. use a lighter lube for less, such as fishing reel oil.
  • Widen the gap
    • widening the gap decreases response and allows you to place multiple strings in the groove without snagging.
  • Increase response
  • Add Rim Weight
    • according to physics, the yo-yo will have more angular momentum when there is more weight (mass) near the rims.
    • if you are ambitious you can machine heavy weights with metal rings using a lathe. You can also use a thick gauge metal wire and bend it into shape.

Classes of Tricks:

Major Yo-yo Companies:

I like it! 1 C!