Wednesday 30 April 2014

Spinworkx First Mount #26 - Inverse Braintwister Mount


The Inverse Braintwister Mount is a very simple variation of the Braintwister Mount that we learnt in First Mount #2. It may look simple, but this Mount can lead on to many more Mounts so don't underestimate it.

This Mount is crucial for all Spinners to know as it would be the easiest way to teach a new Spinner how to bind on an unresponsive yo-yo.

The Inverse Braintwister mount starts off with a Long Sleeper. Once the yo-yo is spinning, stick out the index finger of your non-throwing hand (the hand that the yo-yo is not tied to), and drape the yo-yo string from the back over that index finger, lifting the yo-yo up.

When the string has been lifted up, raise the yo-yo to about halfway between your 2 hands.

Then, land the yo-yo onto the string and bring up your throwing hand so the yo-yo now sits onto the string while spinning. When you are in the Inverse Braintwister Mount, it will look like a Trapeze but with the yo-yo spinning in the opposite direction due to the Frontstyle throw.

Once you have successfully gotten into the Inverse Braintwister Mount, you can either proceed to bind the yo-yo straightaway, or move on to create and explore more Mounts from there.

A pointer to take note of when learning this trick:
1) Ensure that the yo-yo is spinning straight and not tilting to one side. If the yo-yo is tilting, catch it and try the trick from the start. Remember, you do not need to throw super hard. 
2) Perform the Mount slow and steadily.

That's all for #26 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 Inverse Braintwister Mount by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till next time,
Keep Spinning!~

Friday 25 April 2014

SHOWCASE Vol.3 & Spinworkx Challenge (25 May 2014)

The Spinworkx Challenge & SHOWCASE Vol.3 is coming up again.

What: Spinworkx Challenge
When: 25 May 2014 (Sunday)
Time: 5pm - 6pm
Where: Spinworkx Store at Orchard Central
Who: Absolutely anybody can take part

The Spinworkx Challenge was conceived back in 2010/2011 to much notoriety and many Spinners in Singapore absolutely dreaded it. Looking at the list of tricks to perform, it may look easy and a breeze to most. But under pressure, many players tend to crack and get nervous, and start making those little itty-bitty mistakes. Do you think you have got what it takes, come on and show us what you got!

Players who have completed the Spinworkx Challenge up to Intermediate 2 are:
1) Hans Wong-Jensen
2) Peh Li Hao

Think you can do better than them, register and come on down to beat the Challenge!

Details on what you would need to do for the Spinworkx Challenge:

Register for the Spinworkx Challenge here:

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Next up, the third installment of the yo-yo freestyle throwdown/contest that everyone loves is back, but with a twist!

SHOWCASE Vol.3 is coming up and who is going to take it this time around? Join us, show off what you have got, and prep yourself for the upcoming AP/SYYC event this year.



What:  SHOWCASE Vol.3
When: 25 May 2014 (Sunday)
Time:  6pm - 9pm
Where: Recognize Studios at Orchard Central
Who: Absolutely anybody can take part

There will be 2 separate freestyle events for SHOWCASE. There is the usual 1A Division and the combined X Division.

Read up more info on the webpage here:

Register for SHOWCASE here:

Take note! For SHOWCASE Vol.3, the rules are NO LONGER based on Technical Execution like Vol.1 and Vol.2. For this round, Spinners will be judged based on Technical EVALUATION and Performance EVALUATION, and will be scored accordingly by the judges. We have noticed that many players have great technical routines, but keep losing out to other players at contests and the reason for this is due to their lower Evaluation scores. 

For SHOWCASE Vol.3, we want players to focus on fine-tuning their Evaluation scores for the up-coming Asia Pacific Yo-Yo Championships 2014 and Singapore Yo-Yo Championships 2014.

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 do showcase all that they've got.

Once agin, 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). Don't worry, we will also have experienced judges judging alongside.

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 both the Spinworkx Challenge & SHOWCASE today!

Wednesday 23 April 2014

Old but still Fresh - Part #6

We are back with this column of Old but still Fresh, and this particular throw was from the 2002 era, almost 12 years ago. Following the footsteps of the Freehand One that everyone loved, companies started to produce wider butterfly shaped yo-yos, and one of these throws was the Spintastics Eclipse.


In our opinion, the Eclipse was one of the better Spintastics yo-yos that was produced, and it was rather unique as it had a thin metal weight ring that is tucked between the yo-yo halve and the caps.

Spintastics Eclipse

Spintastics was made famous back in the day with their super durable models such as the Tornado, Tigershark and Great White (another gem in our opinion that featured a Beefcake bearing setup). The company was set up by National Yo-Yo Master Dale Oliver, and had a pretty solid contest team featuring the likes of World 2-handed Champion Matt Harlow.

At the time it was released, players were getting more into wider butterfly yo-yos for string tricks, and the Eclipse was Spintastics offering for a wide butterfly shaped yo-yo. If you were to compare the Eclipse to modern day yo-yos, you will be able to tell that they're worlds apart. Yo-yos have come a long way since the Eclipse, but nonetheless, it is still a fun yo-yo to revist every now and then for that nostalgic feeling.

Technological Makeup


The Eclipse was rather unique due to the rounded sidecaps sticking out of the yo-yo halve. This gave it a rather strange feeling in the hand, not that it was uncomfortable, but just took some getting use to.


The internal workings of the Eclipse used a small, thin bearing that was commonly found in older YoYoJam yo-yos, and Duncan Friction Stickers. Friction stickers was the response of choice back in those days for it's reliable, grippy response, ensuring that with or without binds, the yo-yo would have a tight wind allowing for stronger throws.


The Eclipse also came with Starburst response, but as the gap of the Eclipse was maxed out with the widest spacers that could fit without the string slipping in-between the bearing and spacer, the Starbursts were rendered unusable as the string would not wind tight, and would cause the yo-yo to slip.


The good-ol' Duncan Friction Stickers always worked like a charm on the Eclipse, giving it reliable performance.

Sizing Up

The Spintastics Eclipse is a sure fun yo-yo to throw around, given that no modern yo-yos would feel like it as yo-yos have evolve immensely over the years. Of course, we wouldn't see modern competition players using the Eclipse on stage now, it's nostalgic feel and make just brings us back to a time when contest yo-yos were still made of plastic, and that unique and different features of a yo-yo would give different players a kick out of throwing it.


The gap of the Eclipse though maxed out, issn't as wide as modern throws and is very similar (slightly narrower) to the gap of the Freehand Zero (pictured above). With this, it also makes the Eclipse less smooth as compared to modern yo-yos.

The Bad

If you were to make a direct comparison of the Eclipse to say a YoYoFactory Protostar now, you would think the Eclipse wasn't any good at all. But bring yourself back to when yo-yos were slimline, even butterfly yo-yos were slimline, and you would think the Eclipse was one of the best yo-yos available for its price.

The Eclipse may not be the most stable, it may not be the most smooth and for sure changing the response stickers every other day/week may seem like a hassle, but that is the beauty of it. A reminder of a time where yo-yos took a little bit of tuning, wearing in and much more practice to get your tricks right. Those were good days. (Excuse this old dude writing this article)

Conclusion

The Eclipse is over 10 years old now, and is definitely a collectors piece to keep as a reminder of what yo-yos were like back in the early 2000s.

Nostalgic and fun, at a time when string trick creativity was at an all time high, the Eclipse will always serve as a reminder of 'the good old days'.


Monday 21 April 2014

Spinworkx Trick Collection #11


If you were wondering, Tatsuya took just one take to hit this trick. Following this, we asked him to show it to us again, and he hit it cleanly once again. The level that Tatsuya is at is just amazing. Keep a look out for his tricks and competition freestyles for this 2014 contest season!

Wednesday 16 April 2014

Spinworkx First Mount #25 - Back to Front Green Triangle


The Back to Front Green Triangle mount is a different variation of getting into the Green Triangle. It is not difficult to do, and may give you added ideas on getting into more complex mounts after. This Mount is a very straight forward mount, and if you have learnt all the past First Mounts, this particular one should be a breeze.

So let's go straight into the Mount proper.

Throw a straight Breakaway, and let the yo-yo swing over your non-throwing index finger and over to your throwing hand index finger just like how you would before getting into a 1.5 / White Buddha Mount. 

As the yo-yo is coming around your throwing hand index finger, let the yo-yo go behind, closer to your body, behind the yo-yo strings and swing it upwards.

Once the yo-yo is moving from the back, upwards, let it swing forward and onto the top/front string.

When the yo-yo has landed onto the top/front string, bring your hands slightly closer together and proceed to let go of the string wrapped around your throwing hand index finger.

After dropping the string off your throwing hand index, you should now be in a Green Triangle Mount.

To dismount the yo-yo, unlike the actual Green Triangle mount, hop the yo-yo off from the front and you should be free from any knots.

And there you have it, the Back to Front Green Triangle. Simple right?

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Back to Front Green Triangle:
1) When trying this trick for the first few times, take it slow so you are able to see the movement of the yo-yo and land it on the right string.
2) Before landing the yo-yo onto the string, it may be easier to use your non-throwing hand thumb to separate the 2 strings, so that the yo-yo does not get caught on both strings.
3) Tuck in any fingers that you do not need when doing this trick.

That is all for #25 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 Back to Front Green Triangle by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till next time,
It's hip to be a Triangle!~

Friday 11 April 2014

Spinworkx Around the World: Taiwan

A quick stop at Taipei, Taiwan brought us to some really cool places and tons of roaming Pandas?! We could not resist checking out the usual tourist places like Taipei 101 and the Taipei National Palace Museum as well. Check out some of the photos we took.





Wednesday 9 April 2014

Yo-Yo Setup of the Month: C3yoyodesign Mo-vitation

C3yoyodesign has been unrelenting in keeping their yo-yo releases coming. Last year, they released the Mo-vitation signature yo-yo for their team member Ethan 'Mo Mo' Wong, which players have come to love. This would be no surprise seeing how this yo-yo has everything contest players love in a yo-yo.

Upon release, the Mo-vitation had such good reviews, C3yoyodesign had to constantly produce more Mo-vitations to keep up with the demand from players all around the world. Now, with many colorways to choose from, the Mo-vitation has cemented it's place as one of the very best modern yo-yos out there in the market today.

Thus, it has been chosen to be our yo-yo of the month.


Mo-vitation

The Mo-vitation, named after 'Mo Mo' (that is how it got it's name), is one of the best yo-yos on the market today for Finger-spinning tricks. If you have seen Mo Mo throw, you'll notice that many of his tricks are of combos that featuring finger spins, hopping the yo-yo from finger to finger horizontally, and much more. All these tricks are not easy to pull off, but having the Mo-vitation perform these tricks really helps.

It may be great for Finger-spinning tricks, but that is not all. Players around the world have chosen to use the Mo-vitation on stage for not just 1A, but 3A and 5A as well. Definitely a yo-yo that everyone will come to appreciate and love.


C3yoyodesign has produced many great playing yo-yos over the years, but the Mo-vitation truly shines. Not just because of the way it is able to handle string tricks, or perform exactly how you want it to, but also due to the fact that the Mo-vitation comes at a truly fair and affordable price.


The C3yoyodesign team takes pride in ensuring their yo-yos don't just play great, but look great as well. This version of the Mo-vitation is red-on-red. The body is red, with the laser-engravings in red as well. This gives the yo-yo a cool, stealthy-clean look that makes it stand apart from the rest.


As you can see, the inner ring that is located at the hub area allows the Mo-vitation to finger-spin exceptionally well. It provides the Spinner to hold the finger-spin longer than other yo-yos, making it almost seem like you're cheating on your finger-spins.


The Mo-vitation features sort of a V-shaped profile, with tapers on the rims/edges of the yo-yo halves. This gives the yo-yo better stability and balance, while still allowing it to move quickly through the air for long string trick combos. The Mo-vitation uses a large size-C bearing that is cleaned for long spinning tricks, as well as C3-sized wider silicone pads for tighter binds and better response.


We did not need to change out anything when setting up our Mo-vitations, as it performed great stock. The bearing and the pads are the exact same ones that came with the yo-yo. However, for the string, we chose to use a two-toned Kitty String just to give the yo-yo that extra 'pop'. As the pads are wider, with the regular Kitty String, the more the string wore in, the greater the yo-yo played and performed.


Taking a closer look at the wider C3 silicone pads, you will notice that they are indeed wider than regular silicone pads on most yo-yos. Furthermore, the finish on the red-on-red Mo-vitations are really cool. They are a nice, blasted finish to give the Mo-vitation a nice smooth texture that is great for grind-tricks.


The red-on-red engraving is really cool and if you don't take a closer look, you may think that these Mo-vitations are un-engraved. Now you see it, now you don't!


The Mo-vitation spins long and true, and moves fast through the air.


The C3yoyodesign Mo-vitation is definitely a yo-yo that we highly recommend, and this yo-yo should be in every players collection. We really cannot fully describe why this yo-yo is so great. Go out there, get one, give it a throw and feel for yourself the true power of the Mo-vitation.


These red-on-red Mo-vitations are available in limited quantities, and we have very few left in stock here at Spinworkx. If you are thinking of getting one of these for yourself, hesitate no more lest they are gone forever.

Mo-vitation

1) C3yoyodesign Mo-vitation (Red-on-red)
2) C3yoyodesign Wide Silicone Pads
3) Black/Green Normal Kitty String
4) C3yoyodesign Large size-C Bearing (Similar to a Large Ezo bearing)

That brings us to the end of this month's Yo-Yo Setup of the Month. 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.

Before we go, check out our product / review video for the C3yoyodesign Mo-vitation today!


Till our next installment,
Keep (Finger-) Spinning!!
~

Wednesday 2 April 2014

Spinworkx First Mount #24 - Chopstick Double or Nothing



Continuing on our journey of Chopstick mounts, this time we would like to feature the Chopstick Double or Nothing Mount. Just like the 2 previous Chopstick Mounts, we are transposing the exact same trick, E.G. Trapeze, Double or Nothing, etc, into a space that just involves one hand hence the Chopsticks.

This is probably one of the trickier Chopstick Mounts to get into, and lots of practice needs to be done to do this consistently and well. The Chopstick Double or Nothing allows the Spinner to get into more complex Mounts that follows.

So, without further ado, let's go into the Mount description.

Throw a straight Breakaway and position your non-throwing hand with your thumb and index OR middle finger pointing outwards, forming like a 'U' shape.

As the Breakaway swings towards your non-throwing hand, let the string wrap around the 2 fingers (Thumb and index or middle) that are sticking out.

So what is going to happen, is that there needs to be a Double or Nothing forming between these 2 fingers. As the string has completely wrapped around the 2 sticking-out fingers, try to push this string wrap further in (meaning closer to your wrist). This is to allow space for the yo-yo to land into a Double or Nothing later on.

So after the string has wrapped around your 2 sticking-out fingers, and the string has been pushed further back, allow the string and yo-yo to continue to swing around over your index/middle finger before landing it in-between your 2 sticking-out fingers, onto the string and into a Chopstick Double or Nothing. 

Remember to position the final string wrap closer towards the edge of your fingers, allowing the yo-yo to land easily onto the outer string. If the strings are too close together, you may find the yo-yo landing on multiple strings, and this is not correct.

Once you have landed the yo-yo between your 2 fingers into the Chopstick Double or Nothing Mount, congratulations you have successfully performed the Chopstick Double or Nothing.

This Mount is not easy, and you will definitely need to practice it over and over again till you get it perfect. Don't give up, this Mount is worth it!

A few pointers to take note of when learning the Chopstick Double or Nothing:
1) During the Breakaway, keep the yo-yo swinging slow and steady before landing into the mount.
2) Separate the strings as it wraps around your Thumb and Index/Middle fingers to allow the yo-yo to land comfortably through your 2 fingers and into the Mount.
3) Throughout the Mount, remember to keep the yo-yo and the string always on the same, straight plane.
4) Try to tuck in any fingers that are not used in this Mount.

That is all for #24 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 Chopstick Double or Nothing by tagging us on our Instagram Page, with @spinworkxsg #firstmount. 

Till next time,
Keep Chopstickin'!!~

 
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