Spinworkx King of the Spin 2014: Knockout Tournament

The End of Year SHOWCASE Contest is always the most fun because it also features the fun and unique King of the Spin competition. Each year, Spinners sign up for this not knowing what they need to do in the contest until each event is announced. This allows Spinners from different skill levels to participate and stand a chance of winning, whilst having a fun time. So wondering how the King of the Spin 2014 went down? Read on!

The first round, there were 21 competitors and the first activity that stood before them was that they had to do a Braintwister with a Duncan Hornet that was set up for looping.

The list of 21 were:
1) Gabriel Yong
2) Edward Soh
3) Chua Wei Xuan
4) Michael Lim
5) Kendrick Hu
6) Lee Wei Ting
7) Khoo Kian Chew
8) Muhd I'zzun
9) Norman Wee
10) Ian Chia
11) Ethan Ho Quan Xi
12) Karthik
13) Sciran
14) Colin Wan
15) Roland Tay
16) Dillion Ong
17) Marcus Koh
18) Wong Wei Da
19) Muhd Hafiq
20) Nick Yip
21) Brian Low

Each Spinner had to do 2 Braintwisters. If they failed and wished to move on to the next round, they had to do 3 Braintwisters instead. If they failed their second chance of surviving, then they were eliminated. Do note that not only is this tough because it is on an incredibly responsive yo-yo, it had to return to their hand. After a round, everyone got the hang of nailing the Braintwister and almost all went on to the next round.

After the Looping yo-yo Braintwister, the next activity that the remaining 20 had to do was a familiar one from last year. They had to do a 5A 360 using another yo-yo as a counterweight. Just like last year, quite a number of them had problems on this. The yo-yo as a counter weight threw many off and even with 2 tries, this proved difficult for some. With this, quite a few Spinners were knocked out, leaving only 12 competitors.

Now the 12 remaining contestants were split up into groups of 2 for the next challenge. They had to team up to do 10 Loop the Loops. Sounds easy right? Well, they had to loop on a metal, butterfly, unresponsive yo-yo. For this challenge, they had to work together with the team mate to see who was the stronger looper. Most of the teams managed this well and after the challenge was over, 2 more were eliminated, leaving just 10 Spinners still in the King of the Spin.

Next, the 4th challenge of the King of the Spin 2014 had the remaining 10 fight for their place in the competition with them needing to do lying down Shoot the Moon on a Duncan Butterfly.

Top 10:
1) Colin Wan
2) Wong Wei Da
3) Marcus Koh
4) Chua Wei Xuan
5) Michael Lim
6) Kendrick Hu
7) Khoo Kian Chew
8) Muhd I'zzun
9) Norman Wee
10) Karthik

They were given 2 chances to make up the total of 10 Shoot the Moons. This challenge eliminated 6, leaving the top 4 to battle it out in the Semi-Finals.

The top 4 remaining contestants were:

1) Colin Wan
2) Wong Wei Da
3) Marcus Koh
4) Chua Wei Xuan

What stood before the top 4 progressing from Semis to the Finals was one simple trick. The Trapeze. The catch is that they had to hit their Trapeze with the YoYoFactory Wooden yo-yo, the Legend. At Worlds, contestants were only given 1 try for this. This time, the 4 Semi-finalists were given 3 attempts to hit just 1 Trapeze. This proved difficult for even the most seasoned of yo-yo players, and with that only 2 contestants remained.

Finals: Colin Wan VS Wong Wei Da.

The Activity that determined the winner of the King of the Spin 2014 is this game called 'Offstring Goal'. What Colin and Wei Da had to do was to throw an Offstring yo-yo and aim it to go in-between the 2 positioned chairs and score a 'goal'. Both of them had 5 tries like a Soccer Penalty Shoot-out and the person with the most 'goals' would win.

But after 5 tries each, the score was tied at 3-3. So a Sudden Death was in order. Now, the game got tougher as the chairs were positioned even closer to each other, making the 'goal scoring' area even smaller.

After numerous attempts, a winner finally emerged and he managed to score the only 'goal' in Sudden Death. The King of the Spin 2014 Champion is none other than Wong Wei Da, beating out King of the Spin 2013 Champion Colin Wan.

Once again, congratulations to Wei Da, who narrowly beat out Colin in the final Battle.

Look out for the next Spinworkx King of the Spin Tournament in 2015!

But till then, there will surely be more fun-filled activities to look forward to, so keep Spinning!

photo credits to: Andrew Lin, Colin Wan, Hong Aun Lung & Ko Hwee Ngee

SHOWCASE Vol. 5 Freestyles

1A Champion: Marcus Koh

X Champion: Wong Wei Da

Check out the rest of the freestyles here:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgjCTH_Essz3I6X-kkbpHsOfpR3F5JyIe

SHOWCASE Vol.5 in Pictures

**Photos by: Colin Wan

SHOWCASE Vol. 5 Results

SHOWCASE Vol. 5 Sequence List

SHOWCASE Vol. 5 Sequence List is out!

For more information on Compulsory Elements, check it out on the SHOWCASE page.

http://www.spinworkx.com/showcasefs/SHOWCASE/Divisions.html

Some have been asking about the 1A Suicides.

1) It must be 2 consecutive Sucides.

2) It must be the standard Trapeze followed by Suicide catch.

3) It can be done anytime during your freestyle.

APYOYO2014 Clip #2 - 94point1

Presenting Clip #2 from the Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championships 2014. This clip features Hajime Miura, sponsored by sOMEThING by YoYoAddict. Hajime tore up the AP2014 stage with his crazy 3A freestyle. With a near perfect freestyle, Hajime went on to win the 3A Division at AP2014 and later the World Yo-Yo Contest 2014. 

The series of videos were done by local video/film producer Eric Lee (Ratchild Lee Fur Fur), formerly with Nylon doing their online videos. It is interesting to see these videos being made as it comes from someone who has no prior background of what to expect from a yo-yo event, let alone modern yo-yo tricks. 

Till the next video, enjoy!

Spinworkx First Mount #35 - Chop & Grab Double Mount

For First Mount #35, it is something slightly different and requires you to move relatively quickly to do.  This Mount looks kinda like a weird/warped Double or Nothing, and it opens up various string segments for you to land on, giving you the option to explore. This Mount may have been done by other players in the past, but we first learnt it from local Spinner, Li Hao, from back in the day. Li Hao is a 2-time Singapore National Champion, and is one of the most consistent Spinners we have here in Singapore. 

Without further ado, let us get into explaining how the Chop & Grab Double Mount is done.

First, throw a Breakaway and let the string hit the bottom of your non-throwing hand index finger.

Once that is done, the string should be around your non-throwing hand index finger. Take note not to let this string slip off your finger.

Then move your throwing hand index finger to your left and intercept the string as it swings around your non-throwing hand index. Your throwing hand index should be like a 'hook' that is pointing towards you in the direction of your non-throwing hand.

With this 'hook', hook the string.

Now, quickly move you non throwing hand index finger, with the string still looped around, under your throwing hand and around over your throwing hand and 'chop' the string, landing the yo-yo onto the outer string like a Double or Nothing.

Once the yo-yo has landed onto the string, you have completed the Chop & Grab Double Mount.

This Mount may look easy to do, but it requires some practice and focus to be able to hit it consistently. Keep going at it, and you will get the hang of it.

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Chop & Grab Double Mount:

1) When first learning this Mount, do not throw your Breakaway too hard lest the yo-yo moves too quickly.

2) Try to visualise this trick in your head, and then attempt it, and visualize again, and attempt, repeat.

3) When landing the yo-yo onto the string for the complete Mount, remember to aim and cushion the drop of the yo-yo onto the string.

4) This Mount requires you to move both hands around each other in like a 'rolling' motion, so practice that rolling motion and the Mount with a 'dead' yo-yo first.

That is all for the Spinworkx First Mount Project this time around.

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 us your Chop & Grab Double Mount by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount #spinworkxfirstmount. 

Till the next Mount,

Chop & Grab!~

Spinworkx November 2014 Record Setting

November brought another 2 Record Setting tricks for anyone and everyone to attempt. This time, the Kendama trick was slightly more difficult, but the yo-yo trick would have been relatively easy for any 1A player to attempt. The end results were pretty good, and we are really proud of these guys for setting the bar for future attempts.

For Kendama, Jeremy Tan managed to hit 18 consecutive Earth Turns to set the record for it. Other players may be able to do more, but under pressure, 18 was a great result.

For yo-yos, Chua Wei Xuan, who was last month's Kendama Record Champion, managed to hit 128 consecutive Eli Hops to set the record. Definitely a very respectable number anywhere in the world, and we couldn't be more proud of Wei Xuan for pushing the bar for both yo-yos and kendamas!

Congratulations to both Wei Xuan and Jeremy for doing so well for the month of November. We cannot wait to see how everyone fares for December. It is going to be an awesome month!

Spinworkx First Mount #34 - Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount

First Mount #34 is similar to First Mount #33 in the way it is performed, but both Mounts have different outcomes and are used for different purposes. If you are able to do #33, #34 should not be too hard to learn. The main different between the two is basically the way the string is whipped into the yo-yo. Though it can be rather challenging, with practice, it will not be too hard. Just like #33, the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount requires two actions/movements at the same time making it tougher to pick up for the newer Spinners. 

Once you get into the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5, if you let go of every string on your throwing hand, the mount and all string segments will magically disappear, leaving just the one string wrapped around your non-throwing hand. It is a pretty cool and nifty trick on it's own, and the Pseudo Mach 5 can be used as an 'ending' for your long combos.

Here's how you go about doing the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount.

First, throw a steady and straight Breakaway.

Once the yo-yo is in motion and swinging, let it hit your non-throw hand index finger as though it was going to land into a Trapeze.

Now, this is where the two actions/movements come into play. As the yo-yo is going to land into a trapeze, you will need to have the string attached to your throwing hand be positioned on the top of your throwing hand index finger.

Then, swing the string segment that connects to your throwing hand under your throwing hand (your index finger that should be positioned under the string) forming a sort of loop/whip.

For this loop/whip, you will need to have the outer string segment of the loop whip into the bottom of the yo-yo as it lands into a Trapeze, forming a Pseudo Mach 5. 

Once the string hits the yo-yo, pull your hands apart to straighten and form the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Mount.

And you have successfully performed the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount. Good job!

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount:

1) Remember not to throw your Breakaway too hard when first trying this trick

2) It will help if you first practice landing a Trapeze, and then attempt the whip into the Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5. Once you perfect the two components separately, try doing both components together.

3) Always aim the whip to have string go where it is supposed to go.

4) Practice doing this Mount slowly to get the idea and the hang of the trick.

That is all for the Spinworkx First Mount Project this time around.

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 us your Sidestyle Pseudo Mach 5 Under Whip Mount by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount #spinworkxfirstmount. 

Till the next Mount,

Keep Spinning!~

APYOYO2014 Clip #1 - Singapura Represent

The Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championships 2014 may have been over for a number of months already, but there are still unreleased Clip Videos from the event that will be slowly coming out over the next couple of weeks. The series of videos were done by local video/film producer Eric Lee (Ratchild Lee Fur Fur), formerly with Nylon doing their online videos. It is interesting to see these videos being made as it comes from someone who has no prior background of what to expect from a yo-yo event, let alone modern yo-yo tricks. Enjoy!

SHOWCASE Vol.5 (21 December 2014)

SHOWCASE Vol.5 is coming up end of the year, and the end of the year SHOWCASE is always the most fun and exciting!

So who is going to take it this time around? Join us, show off what you have got, and show off your new tricks and have some fun!

What:  SHOWCASE Vol.5

When: 21 December 2014 (Sunday)

Time:  5.30pm - 9.30pm

Where: Recognize Studios at Orchard Central

Who: Absolutely anybody can take part

There will be 3 separate events for SHOWCASE Vol.5. There are the 2 usual freestyle divisions, namely the 1A Division and the combined X Division. The third event will be our annual King of the Spin 2014 (http://blog.spinworkx.com/search/label/King%20of%20the%20Spin). We love King of the Spin because it is fun and exciting for everyone. You do not need to be an expert player to join or take part.

Read up more info on the webpage here:

http://www.spinworkx.com/showcasefs/SHOWCASE/Divisions.html

Register for SHOWCASE here:

http://www.spinworkx.com/showcasefs/SHOWCASE/registration.html

SHOWCASE Vol 5. registration deadline is 17 December 2014.

Take note! For SHOWCASE Vol.5, the rules are different from any past SHOWCASE. This time, participants will be judged on 3 factors. (1) Technical Execution, (2) Major Deductions and (3) Compulsory Elements. This will allow participants to perfect their routines (making less mistakes) and to include certain elements to give variation in their freestyle.

If you are wondering what exactly are the Compulsory Elements, click on the link above (Under 'Divisions' tab) to find out what you must do for your respective division.

For SHOWCASE Vol.5, we want players to focus on perfecting their freestyle and adding different elements for the up-coming year. 

We are excited to see everyone come together and throwdown without the added pressure of needing a 'seed' or attaining a high rank. At SHOWCASE, Spinners will be able to show-off their banging tricks, mind-boggling combos and essentially get to showcase all the cool tricks they've got.

For the King of the Spin 2014 contest, participants DO NOT need to sign up beforehand. If you wish to join, just come on down on the day itself and when the call for participation is out, just let us know that you wish to join.

Once again, we are requesting for community-based volunteers to judge at the event. This benefits the volunteers as they get to learn how to judge AND they get to learn how to improve on their own freestyles by understanding how freestyles are clicked and scored. (If you wish to volunteer as a judge, fill in the registration form as well). 

For all who are taking part at SHOWCASE, do note that all Freestyles at the event are 2 minutes long, instead of the usual 1 minute or 3 minutes.

Sign up for SHOWCASE Vol.5 today!

Spinworkx Around the World: Boston & New York City (USA)

The USA! Songs have been written about this place. Movies have been made about it. Everyone knows about New York City and everyone wants to visit. Boston boasts some of the best seafood you can find and we have been fortunate enough to be able to take in the sights and sounds of these two places for a couple of days here.

We visited The Freedom Trail and Quincy Market over in Boston, as well as the pier that sported many cool looking yachts. The food here was great and the lifestyle here is very different from what you would find in Singapore. People are very friendly and seem to be a little more easy-going.

Over in New York City, we visited the American Museum of Natural History where we saw real Dinosaur fossils and replicas, and it was so awesome! We even found some Caribous (Hi CLYW!) on display. Another cool spot in NYC that we visited was the famous Broadway, where buskers and performers were doing their thing throughout the day.

It was a real eye-opener for us and we will definitely be back for a longer USA trip in the future!

IZM by YOYOADDICT Launch at the Spinworkx Store

On the 11th of November, Spinworkx played host to 4x World Champion, Hiroyuki Suzuki, as well as world famous YoYoBaby, Kazuya Murata. Hiroyuki came down to launch his brand new line, IZM by YOYOADDICT with the first yo-yo being the VERSUS. During this launch, there was a mini game in store for everyone to take part in. It involved Boing-Boings, Iron Whips and Suicides.

So the contestants had to do more Boing-Boings than Kazuya could do on his first try. Kazuya hit 38 Boings. This narrowed the contestant pool down. Next up, contestants had to hit more than 19 Iron Whips that Hiroyuki set on his first try. This narrowed the contestant pool to just 2 finalists, Thawhir and Ian Loh.

For the last challenge, the 2 had to do the most Suicides they could do, and the winner would walk away with a brand new VERSUS yo-yo. Thawhir beat Ian in the final Suicide count to emerge the winner.

We would like to thank Hiroyuki and Kazuya for coming by and hanging out with us!

If you have not already tried the VERSUS, pick one up and try it out. Great yo-yo at a great price!