Yoyo 

Yoyo: a skill toy and a sport

The yoyo is one of the oldest skill toys. People probably played with it as early as ancient Greece. It works on the same principle as the Maxwell wheel: the falling disc spins up as it unwinds the string, and once the string is fully unwound it climbs back up, winding the string again. In this category you will find simple yoyo models, including the Super Yoyo Hyper Spin, NewStyle HQ Yoyo, YaQiLi Yoyo PRO and YaQiLi Yoyo Red Edition. They are great for learning the basics or as a break from solving cubes.

How to get started with a yoyo?

Put the loop at the end of the string on your finger and wind the string neatly around the yoyo's axle. Then drop the yoyo and, just before the string fully unwinds, give a gentle upward tug with your hand. After this move the yoyo starts spinning the other way and climbs the string back to your hand. It usually takes a few tries to get the timing right. Once you get the hang of it, you can play with a yoyo for hours.

Ball bearing yoyos and tricks

Newer yoyos have ball bearings. Once the string is fully unwound, such a yoyo does not return straight away but keeps spinning in place at the end of the string. This time lets you perform various tricks and stunts, which is why bearing yoyos are the choice for learning tricks. Models without a bearing return to your hand faster and more predictably, so they make it easier to master the basic throw. You will find the dimensions, weight and construction of each model on its product page.

Yoyo as a sport and competitions in Poland

A yoyo allows so many tricks and moves that a whole sport has grown around yoyoing. Every year Poland hosts major yoyo competitions: Polish Yoyo Nationals and the Winter Freestyle Competition.

Polish Yoyo Nationals is the annual Polish championship, held in six events:

1. Freestyle
2. Junior Freestyle
3. X-Division
4. Ladder
5. Buddha Sleeper Contest
6. Yoyo Battle

The Polish champion is decided in the Freestyle and Junior Freestyle events. In both, players show their skills within a time limit: 6 minutes in regular Freestyle and 3 minutes in the Junior category. During this time they perform as many tricks as possible, usually ones they have created themselves. The judges score the style and speed of the tricks using clickers.

Winter Freestyle Competition is a contest held at the turn of December and January by Backspin, a team of professional yoyo players. It has all the elements of a professional yoyo competition and is the only yoyo contest held in winter. Despite the winter date, top players from Poland and abroad come to compete. As at other competitions, the winter champion is decided in the Freestyle category.