Spinworkx First Mount #16 - Double-on-bottom Mount

After learning the Double-on-top Mount, the Double-on-botton Mount is exactly the same, just that the yo-yo sits onto the string with your hands crossed over. This move is kind of like the Trapeze VS the Inverse Trapeze. Just like the Double-on-top Mount, the Double-on-bottom Mount is not seen in many combos or tricks, and there are definitely areas and combos you will be able to pull off from the Double-on-bottom Mount as a starting point.

The Double-on-bottom Mount is not difficult to get into, just like it's opposite mount. However, it may take some getting used to as you will need to land the yo-yo on two string segments, instead of the usual one.

Let's get started on getting into the Double-on-bottom Mount.

First up, throw a breakaway, and let the yo-yo swing over your non-throwing hand index finger.

After the yo-yo string hits your non-throwing hand index finger, allow the yo-yo to continue swinging around to your throw hand index finger, keeping all your other fingers tucked in. 

Up till this point in time, the trick should look just like you were doing a Sidestyle 1.5 Mount or White Buddha Mount.

Once the yo-yo is over your throw hand and the string is sitting on your throw hand index finger, slow the yo-yo down and stop it from continuing to swing.

After this, bring your non-throwing hand under the yo-yo, and let the yo-yo sit onto the 2 string segments that are between your throwing hand index and non-throwing hand index.

When the yo-yo is successfully mounted and it sitting comfortably onto both strings, bring your hands up and close together. By this point in time, your hands should be crossed over, throwing hand above non-throwing hand.

You have just successfully performed the Double-on-bottom Mount.

Again, there is still lots to explore from this Mount. Try going from this Mount into something different, or going from another simpler Mount into the Double-on-bottom Mount and then off to something else. Give it a go, and see what you can create and come up with. There are no mistakes when it comes to exploring yo-yo tricks!

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Double-on-bottom Mount:

1) Before landing the yo-yo onto both strings, try to keep both strings together instead of separated, thus allowing the yo-yo to land on BOTH strings easily.

2) When the Mount is being performed, ensure that the yo-yo and all the strings are moving in one straight plane.

3) When trying the trick for the first time, go slow and understand each and every step, and then start practicing it with a little more speed each time.

That is all we have for this edition of the Spinworkx First Mount Project.

If you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note here, or shout out to us at our Facebook page.

You can also show off your Double-on-bottom Mount by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till the next installment,

Keep Spinning!~

Spinworkx Trick Collection #2

Spinworkx Around the World: Mexico

Mexico is a country full of distinct culture, heritage, tradition and a rich history. Honestly, it was our first time EVER journeying to the American continent, and we were not that enthusiastic with the traveling time. Nonetheless, we knew we had much to look forward to once there.

Lucha Libre, Mexican soccer, the Aztec Pyramid of the Sun/Moon, Frida Kahlo, unique flavors and tastes, Mexico was really an eye-opener and an experience we will never forget. Now, we would like to go on and on about the sights and sounds of Mexico, but before we lose track of what we are doing and start text-rambling, here are some amazing pictures we took away from the beautiful country of Mexico!

Enjoy!

Yo-Yo Setup of the Month: YoYoJam Surge

We are surging (*just had to do it!) on towards 2014 and we are getting closer. Having said that, this month, we just felt like throwing a straight up, durable, plastic Single A yo-yo and we settled on a nice, comfy one at that.

Furthermore, the yo-yo we chose to be the Yo-Yo of the Month is one that is both suited for beginners and advanced players. Without further ado, let us introduce it to you.

Surge

YoYoJam has been on a mission to revamp their line of yo-yos. After phasing out quite a number of popular yo-yos, they plan to give their line-up a fresh, new look. With that, they have put out yo-yos such as the Classic, Surge, XLR8, Theory, etc, all of these featuring solid, good-looking sidecaps.

The Surge is one of those yo-yos in this new line-up that is different from what YoYoJam has put out in the past. Furthermore, the Surge is one of the most affordable, solid playing, unresponsive yo-yo out on the market right now. With many eye-catching colors, some with a two-toned color mix, there will definitely be a color combination of the Surge that you will love!

Many beginners have come to love the play of the Classic, and the Surge gives them a notch higher in terms of play and performance. One thing that YoYoJam takes pride in is that their entire range of products are 100% made in the USA. This gives them full control of the quality of the products they put out.

The Surge has a wide, rounded Butterfly shape that is incredibly comfortable in the hand. Even when the yo-yo is coming back at you with full force, it hits your hand with a nice cushioning unlike that of wide, H-shaped yo-yos which are more punishing.

Furthermore, looking in the gap of the Surge, we can see that there is a rounded-step close to the bearing that keeps the string away from the walls of each halve as much as possible. With this step, it makes the Surge spinning longer and slightly better for horizontal-style tricks.

Also, the two-toned color (from the halve & the sidecaps), allow players who are new to string tricks aim their yo-yo between the two side cap 'lines' (in this case, it is the Blue 'lines' from the sidecaps), making it a little easier to tackle tricks like Trapeze and Double or Nothing.

The Surge comes with a Cotton String and YoYoJam Speed Bearing. However, that is where we are able to 'customize' our Surge slightly and we will elaborate more on this later on.

The String that we chose to use is regular Green 100% Polyester String. This string is not as thick as 'Fat' strings and it gives the Surge consistant and solid binds without the yo-yo feeling snaggy or un-smooth.

The Response that is used in the Surge is regular Narrow Silicone pads from YoYoJam. These work well, and you do not need to change them out. However, for our set-up, we went with 0.9mm Hard Yoyorecreation Silicone pads. Some may find that the YoYoJam pads are a bit too thick and too grippy, and if that is indeed the case, you may decide to try out other Narrow pads like K-pads, CBC pads, or perhaps Yoyorecreation pads which give you a choice of 0.9mm or 1.1mm thickness. Choosing a thinner 0.9mm pad will make the yo-yo even more unresponsive, making it great for long-spinning combos.

Taking a closer look at the sidecaps of the Surge, we are able to see that the caps are sturdy, thick and solid plastic caps. They are durable and able to withstand much abuse from players. We liked the fact that these caps have a simple and minimal logo that sticks out from the cap, unlike the paper/plastic lens from the older generation of YoYoJam yo-yos.

Now, here is where the slight customizability of the Surge comes in. Without a doubt, the Classic is a great beginner yo-yo. However, the H-shaped profile may not be for everybody. So if beginners are looking for a round and comfortable yo-yo with a solid feel to start learning tricks on, the Surge would be a superb choice. The only thing to transform the Surge into an excellent beginner, responsive yo-yo would be to swap out the Speed bearing for a Thin YoYoJam bearing. This will make the Surge a purely responsive yo-yo that beginners will love!

Unfortunately, the thin bearing does not come together with the Surge and is sold separately. However, with the thin bearing, you have the option of turning the Surge from unresponsive to responsive, great for practicing all your basic, intermediate and advance tricks on.

The Surge is a yo-yo that you can carry around with you and play with anytime, anywhere. Just put it in your pocket, carry it around on a yo-yo holster or shove it in your bag, and start Spinning while waiting for the bus, on the way to school or work or even while in a shopping mall. It is incredibly durable and super fun.

With each throw of the Surge, you can feel the solid-ness of the yo-yo. It spins long and fast, handling each trick you throw at it. Grinds, Suicides, Lacerations, combos and more are not a problem with the Surge. The Surge definitely belongs in anyones collection and performs great, without needing you to burn a hole in your pocket.

Again, let us take a look at our yo-yo setup of the month for October.

Surge

1) YoYoJam Surge

2) Yoyorecreation 0.9mm Hard Silicone Pads

3) 100% Polyester String (Green)

4) Large YoYoJam Speed Bearing / Thin YoYoJam Bearing

That is all for our Yo-Yo Setup of the Month for October. But before we go, we would like to leave you with a short and sweet video of the Surge in action. Check it out!

Don't be shy and do let us know YOUR Yo-Yo Setup of the Month. Drop us a comment below, leave us a message on our Facebook Page with the title - My Yo-Yo Setup of the Month, or tag your setup with a picture on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #yoyoofthemonth. 

Till next time, 

Surge ahead of the competition!

~

Spinworkx First Mount #15 - Double-on-top Mount

Kinda like a 1.5 Mount, kinda like landing a Trapeze on two strings, but also kinda different. The Double-on-top Mount is one Mount that has not been featured, used or made popular in many long trick combos. There are tricks that do made use of this Mount, but they are not commonly seen. So with that, check out this Mount, create, innovate and make up a new trick combo with it!

The Double-on-top Mount is not difficult to get into. However, it may take some getting used to as all the Mounts that we have seen up till this point in time, requires the Spinner to land the yo-yo on just one string, instead of two. 

Now, let's look at how we can get into the Double-on-top Mount.

First up, throw a straight breakaway, and let the yo-yo swing over your non-throwing hand index finger.

After the yo-yo string hits your non-throwing hand index finger, allow the yo-yo to continue swinging around to your throw hand index finger. Up till this point in time, the trick should resemble getting into a Sidestyle 1.5 Mount or White Buddha Mount.

Once the yo-yo string lands on your throwing hand index finger, let the yo-yo swing up, in-between both your hands before letting it drop down onto BOTH strings.

When the yo-yo has landed and is on both strings, bring both of your hands slightly closer together, allowing the yo-yo to sit comfortably on the string.

There you have it, the Double-on-top Mount.

The beauty about this Mount is that there is still much to explore as to what you can do from here. Give it a go, transit into a cool, complex and unique hold and proceed to blow minds from there!

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Double-on-top Mount:

1) Before landing the yo-yo onto both strings, try to keep both strings together instead of separated.

2) When the Mount is being performed, ensure that the yo-yo and all the strings are moving in one straight plane.

That brings us to the end of this part of the Spinworkx First Mount Project.

If you have any questions or feedback, drop us a note here, or shout out to us at our Facebook page.

You can also show off your Double-on-top Mount by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till the next installment,

Keep Spinning!~

Spinworkx Trick Collection #1

Spotlight Player - Hoe Chinji

Chinji dropped by our Spinworkx Store at Orchard Central one day as he was here holidaying with his family. Coming from Holland, Chinji told us that while he is over there, there are no other Spinners close to him for him to hang out with and learn tricks from. So coming here to Spinworkx was something very cool, exciting and different for him.

Chinji has a very friendly and easy-going attitude, and while we were teaching and learning tricks from him, it seemed as though we had been friends for years. Chinji showed us some of his Laceration tricks, and it left us amazed at how well he could play despite having no one to learn these tricks from. It was great meeting and getting to know Chinji, and making a friend from Holland.

Name: Hoe Chinji

D.O.B.: 25 September 1996

Country: Holland

Handed: Right

Style of play: 1A & 5A

Number of years Spinning: 2.5 years

Sponsor: N/A

Favorite yo-yos: YoYoJam Phenom & C3 Trident

Other Hobbies: Computer gaming

Favorite color: Purple/Pink

Favorite Spinners: Christopher Chia & Marcus Koh

Why yo-yos?

"Yo-Yo string tricks are very complicated and interesting to me!"

Here is Chinji performing one of his favorite tricks: