Spinworkx First Mount #21 - Senba Hook

Hidemasa Senba is well known within the yo-yo community for creating awesome and insane yo-yo tricks and just leaving Spinners scratching their heads in amazement. The Senba Hook was one of those tricks that when Senba did in his freestyle from back in the day, the crowd would just go nuts.

This trick, and also a first mount, is basically sort of a laceration and a whip combined. It may be tough to pick it up at first, but keep trying and working at it and eventually, you are bound to get it. Definitely a trick that every modern Spinner should know.

Now let us get into the explanation on how it is done.

Throw a straight breakaway and have the yo-yo stay stationary in a vertical position from your throw hand to the floor.

Now hop the yo-yo upwards while your throwing hand moves in sort of a 'whipping' motion, causing the string to be slack and in a wave-like motion.

This slack string should continue to have this wave motion all the way over to the left side to your non-throwing hand. At this point in time, your throwing hand should start to move closer to the yo-yo, but not touching the yo-yo.

Now stick out your non-throwing hand index finger, and let this slack wave string go from under your non-throwing index finger and over your finger into the yo-yo. 

Do note that not one string segment, but TWO string segments should be hitting your non-throwing index finger going under and over.

Now this two string segments that is going over your non-throwing index should be like a 'whip' and hook the yo-yo as the yo-yo is dropping. The yo-yo should go/hit the outer string before landing comfortably into the Hook mount.

Once the yo-yo lands into the Senba Hook, to ensure that you got it right, when you do a somersault to the left (for right handers), instead of getting into a Trapeze, it should be a reverse Trapeze.

If you can't seem to get the Senba Hook at first, keep trying and keep going at it and eventually, you will be bound to hit it correctly. Remember, practice makes perfect!

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Senba Hook:

1) Keep the string moving in sort of a wave motion, making it go over and under your non-throwing hand with lots of slack to catch the yo-yo in a Hook.

2) Practice this trick on an unresponsive yo-yo first!

3) Think of the Senba Hook as a Laceration followed by a whip once the string wraps onto your non-throwing index finger.

4) Remember to have enough slack in the string for the yo-yo to get caught in.

We have come to the end of #21 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 Senba Hook by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till next time,

Keep Spinning!~