# Yoyo question **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 24, 2024, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043 "2024-02-24T23:29:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gateway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/dbc845/32.png) [@Gateway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gateway)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/1 "2024-02-24T23:29:38Z")
Hi, thank you for your time. I am interested in getting into yoyoing and I encountered (what I think is) a problem. I went to the store and bought a cheapo, like 5 dollars or something. The issue I am having with it is that when I throw it hard enough it doesn’t ‘sleep’ but automatically comes back up. I highly assume that this is because the yoyo is cheaply made, it would seem that you should be able to throw it as hard as you want because then you can do more tricks. Though I don’t know much about this art or the physics behind it so I could be wrong. So, what is your take? Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2024, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/2 "2024-02-24T23:33:22Z")
iirc, the loop around the axle has to be loose for it to ‘sleep’, sounds like it’s too tight. See if you can separate the 2 halves and re-tie it with a slightly larger loop. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/3 "2024-02-25T00:11:07Z")
Agreed, from the very very little I remember from playing with yo-yos when I was a kid, the cheap $5 ones have the knot on fairly tight. I always assumed it was done like that specifically so it would be easier to use for a kid. I clearly remember loosening the knot to try and do tricks, which also made it a lot harder if you just wanted it to go up and down ‘normally’. On review of some random sites/videos that I found on google, it seems this may not be the technically correct way. I’m sure it’s fine for a cheap yo yo you just want to play with, but, at least from what I’m reading, you’re actually supposed to twist or untwist the string itself (or the two strings) to make this adjustment. I’d link to some of the articles/videos, but if you google “yo yo string too tight loose” or something like that, you’ll find them. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/4 "2024-02-25T01:10:22Z")
The string should be a single strand looped over and then twisted to make a double stranded string. The yoyo axle sits in that loop at the end of the string so it can spin freely. Through use the strands will tend to twist more and tighten on the yoyo. To loosen it so you let the yoyo hang free at the end of the string and untwist itself. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/5 "2024-02-25T01:32:24Z")
Loosening the string is how to make that kind of yoyo sleep. But if you want to make it easy on yourself, there are yoyos in which the axle is on a bearing and can spin freely relative to the body. It’s very easy to make one of those sleep. There are all sorts of fancy hi-tech yoyos these days. There are entry-level ones with bearings that aren’t that much more expensive than your cheapo yoyo, like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Responsive-Beginners-Professional-Unresponsive-Gradient/dp/B0CS3HK5SB) one that you can apparently switch between having a bearing or not having a bearing. But it’s the first step on a slippery slope to something like [this](https://www.amazon.com/Ace-Yo-BTS-Yo-Yo-Stainless/dp/B0CS3VMR9T). ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/6 "2024-02-25T01:37:42Z")
Jebus, you guys really do know everything. ---
**Author:** ![crowmanyclouds](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crowmanyclouds/32/19884_2.png) [@crowmanyclouds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crowmanyclouds)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/7 "2024-02-25T01:43:39Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > To loosen it so you let the yoyo hang free at the end of the string and untwist itself. Better to hold the yoyo and let the string dangle. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 10:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/8 "2024-02-25T10:56:50Z")
A proper Yoyo string is a single length folded in half and twisted around itself forming a loop in one end. The twist stays because it is imposed onto the two strands individually, and this makes them naturally twist around one another. Easier demonstrated than written I’m afraid. When I was young I found a reel of heavy nylon sewing thread, and I idly started playing with it, folded a long length in half and realised the twisting trick. That made a long double lay thread. I folded it and did it again. And a third time. This, by luck, yielded a roughly 1 meter long result. Looking at it I realised it was effectively a Yoyo string. So I put it on a Yoyo. It yielded a killer Yoyo. It would spin like a deamon and was quite fabulous for tricks. You could spin it, tweak it to rewind with a easily controlled jerk, and was generally amazing. That was many decades ago. I had forgotten about until now. I wonder if I still have it somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/9 "2024-02-25T13:19:00Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > Easier demonstrated than written I’m afraid. [![](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8171P4MKPoL.jpg) ](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/8171P4MKPoL.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/10 "2024-02-25T13:34:01Z")
Yeah, however that isn’t what I meant. The trick is the way the string is wound into the double strand and stays wound. The individual strands need to take on a twist where they are both rotated in the same direction. Then the double strand forms naturally in a manner where it won’t unwind. This is about how the string is made, not about how to attach it. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/11 "2024-02-25T13:44:12Z")
> [@Francis\_Vaughan](#): > > This is about how the string is made Nobody has to make their own yo-yo string. They come that way. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/12 "2024-02-25T13:45:54Z")
So, I assume you old farts all remember the days of Duncan professionals? About all I could do is walk the dog. ---
**Author:** ![Francis\_Vaughan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/francis_vaughan/32/3093_2.png) [@Francis\_Vaughan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Francis_Vaughan)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/13 "2024-02-25T13:49:07Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Nobody has to make their own yo-yo string. They come that way. My description was how I made my own string that transformed the dynamics of the Yoyo. Given the OP was complaining about the way his (that came with a string) was not performing I felt it was worthwhile. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/14 "2024-02-25T13:50:36Z")
I do. Modern yo-yos make all those tricks easier. I have no idea how those demonstration teams (and the recently passed [Yo-Yo Man](https://youtu.be/_81L5EbU6KQ?si=4GlEIB0O7SUtnwI5)) managed with those cheap old Duncans. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/15 "2024-02-25T13:53:21Z")
I didn’t mean to be confrontational. I just thought the image showed the kind of double strand you were trying to describe. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/16 "2024-02-25T13:55:39Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > I have no idea how those demonstration teams (and the recently passed [Yo-Yo Man])([https://youtu.be/\_81L5EbU6KQ?si=4GlEIB0O7SUtnwI5](https://youtu.be/_81L5EbU6KQ?si=4GlEIB0O7SUtnwI5)) managed with those cheap old Duncans. Funny - I had no idea there were “new and improved” yo-yos. Just a week or so ago, my 8 yr old granddtr found my wife’s old glow-in-the-dark Imperial in a box of old kids’ toys. In my ignorance I thought that was pretty much as good as anyone needed. Maybe I’ll look for a new/better one to gift her. Any suggestions? ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/17 "2024-02-25T14:04:15Z")
I haven’t bought a new yo-yo in nearly 20 years so I’m not sure what is available now. The two I still play with are the Black Mamba and an Aloha. They have bearings in the hub so your sleeping yo-yo doesn’t have to deal with the friction of the string. Be careful of some of the high end “dead” yo-yos. A [dead yo-yo](https://youtu.be/66SyllypqFM) won’t respond to a normal flick of the wrist and requires binding the string which is a rather advanced skill. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/18 "2024-02-25T14:15:27Z")
Have you never played with a yo-yo and tried to make it so basic tricks like walk the dog, round the world, or rock the baby? The yo-yo fad seems to come and go, and I caught it in the late 80s. I’d say most kids in my class growing up were aware if this—I don’t think of it as arcane knowledge. But, yeah, the cheap yo-yos I’ve seen are often knotted at the spindle, so won’t sleep no matter how hard you try. If it’s just tight, you can let the yo-yo unwind itself and then loosely rewrap it. If it’s knotted or otherwise attached, get a new yo-yo. I don’t know much about the current generation of yo-yos beyond what I’ve seen on YouTube. As mentioned, they are made differently and can sleep for minutes (the world record is apparently around a half hour.) ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/19 "2024-02-25T14:32:08Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > If it’s knotted or otherwise attached, get a new yo-yo. You can usually just attach it to the other (unknotted) end of the string…or just buy a new string. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043/20 "2024-02-25T14:46:41Z")
True, but if you get a knotted yo-yo, it’s probably a POS yo-yo to begin with, unless the knot is somehow unintentional. The cheap yo-yos I’m thinking of are one in which every yo-yo is knotted, so the yo-yo automatically comes up at least partway on the string when thrown. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yoyo-question/998043.md?page=2)