Tag Archives: 5A
On The Level
Sometimes I actually surprise myself with tricks, and this was one of them. I was fiddling around one day a few years back and my hands just sorta….did this. No idea where it came from or why, but this is another trick that feels really nice to do, and it’s a move that you just don’t ever see since it’s hard to work into a freestyle.
Song is “Tonight We Are Gonna Give 35%” by Against Me! They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Kamikaze Corndog
(Hi, Stu!)
Another old one, from way back in 2000. This is one of those bummer examples of a trick name that was entirely too awesome for any trick to live up to it. Ha ha ha ha ha.
Song is “Dead On Holiday” by Fifth Hour Hero. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Pinetree
My buddy Mike jokingly said “How come you don’t have a trick named ‘Pinetree’ yet?”
Hi, Mike. 😉
This is the opening combo from my 2007 Worlds freestyle. It’s still a damn strong opener, particularly now that it’s smoother and faster than it was in 2007. It’s also a really good way to set the tone of “Yeah, this isn’t going to score much in the way of points but it’s going to look rad”.
Song is “Glassing” by Planes Mistaken For Stars. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Hold It (Now Hit It)
I’ve always been a fan of weird transitions, especially those where everything just comes to a dead stop. It’s mostly from hanging out with Jay Gilligan, as well as my love for Fugazi.
If you can figure out how those two things led to this trick, you’re well on your way to understanding everything there is to know about my style of yo-yo play.
Song is “Count The Needle” by the incomparable Gunmoll. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Insta-Bounce – Steve Brown
There are already bounce tricks with counterweight yo-yos, but they’re usually just off a hold or an aerial. This is one you can do right off a throw, so you get into it quick. Works well with contest freestyles or stage routines where you don’t want to spend a lot of time getting into or out of anything. When you throw it over, keep your hand outwards and let the string lay over your hand…that keeps the proper distance and momentum so that you aren’t just throwing it over your shoulder and away from you.
Song is “Hey, Let’s Spend The Night Together” by True North. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Filmed on location at ORD Camp in Chicago, IL.
Wally – Steve Brown
1/28/11
This trick started life in my old apartment in Tallahassee, FL. It was originally meant to be a ceiling bounce…the counterweight equivalent of a “flat” throw with clubs. You throw an aerial and have both the yo-yo and the weight hit the ceiling at the same time so the whole thing drops down flat. But not being able to count on ceiling heights makes the trick kinda irritating, so I started doing it on walls instead….as originally seen in the “How To Be A Player” video from that company in Ohio.
Song is “No Exception” by Chris Wollard & The Ship Thieves. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Filmed on location at ORD Camp in Chicago, IL.
Flim Flam – Steve Brown
Another nugget from my 2007 Worlds Freestyle of Confusion & Doom. This one is a personal favorite, because it feels a lot like old yo-yo tricks…it’s one “thing”, and then you’re done. I still love that.
Song is “If You Don’t” by Fiya. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Woodchuck’d – Steve Brown
Another nugget from my 2007 World Yo-Yo Contest. This one is more of a combo, and uses several of the elements that I think are important to building counterweight tricks that utilize any of the increasing number of yo-yos available with free-spinning sidecaps.
First, there’s the pullstart. You get a faster spin and way more stability this way, so get used to it. Then there’s a pinch from an existing mount. There’s a degree of familiarity there…you already know how to do the mount. So adding a pinch is, presumably, a fairly simple matter. Lastly there is the holding of the caps while you place the yo-yo on the string into a move.
Yeah, the trick looks pretty basic and straightforward. But try getting it smooth. There’s more going on that you think, but about half of it is probably just difficult because it’s unfamiliar.
Today’s trick is brought to you by No Idea Records.
Song is “Off-Track” by The Blacktop Cadence. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Today’s trick was filmed on location at designRoom Creative. They have excellent hard-wood floors. This does not aid in yo-yo play, but it’s worth nothing because they’re ever so lovely.
www.365yoyotricks.com
www.noidearecords.com
www.designroom.com
Snake Oil Salesman – Steve Brown
1/19/11
Snake Oil Salesman
(Filmed at designRoom)
Another nugget from my 2007 World Yo-Yo Contest freestyle, whereupon I baffled the judges and made the Japanese players bellow that “Oh! Oooh! OOOH!” sound that they always do at yo-yo contests.
Today’s trick is brought to you by No Idea Records.
Song is “Road To Nowhere” by Whiskey & Co. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Today’s trick was filmed on location at designRoom Creative. They have excellent hard-wood floors. This does not aid in yo-yo play, but it’s worth nothing because they’re ever so lovely.
www.365yoyotricks.com
www.noidearecords.com
www.designroom.com
Hubtrap – Steve Brown
(Filmed at designRoom)
1/18/11
Counterweight tricks: whereby a small weight is attached to the end of the string which may be released during yo-yo play in order to create a second movement variable, opening up a vast new array of possible movements.
In 1999, I came up with the idea of counterweight yo-yo play and made up a whole slew of really neat shit. In 2007, I added it to someone else’s idea of free-spinning sidecaps on a yo-yo and made a whole slew of really neat shit that looked really easy but was actually really hard.
This is one of those.
Sadly, in order to show you counterweight tricks I have to say goodbye to a sponsor, due to a bunch of legal bullshit that’s almost as boring and irritating to talk about as it is to deal with.
Today’s trick is brought to you by No Idea Records.
Song is “Her Majesty’s Midwestern Islands” by Defiance, Ohio. They appear courtesy of No Idea Records.
Today’s trick was filmed on location at designRoom Creative. They have excellent hard-wood floors. This does not aid in yo-yo play, but it’s worth nothing because they’re ever so lovely.
www.365yoyotricks.com
www.noidearecords.com
www.designroom.com