What is a Yo-yo Contest?
Yo-yo contests have been used for many years to test the skills of yo-yoers everywhere. A Yo-yo Contest can be as small as a group of friends who challenge each other on their best tricks in their backyard to the World Yo-yo Contest bringing yo-yoers from all over the world to test their skills in the 5 styles of yo-yo play and beyond.
5 Styles of Yo-yo Play?
That is right. There are many variations of different styles of play but there are five styles of yo-yo play that have been considered the "Official" ones.
1A
String tricks with a single yo-yo. Single A is what most people think of when you talk about yo-yoing. This style is also almost always the first style yo-yoers learn due to it being the most well known and the easiest to start. The yo-yo tends to be unresponsive (at advanced levels of play) to allow complicated string tricks to be performed.
2A
A style based on the use of two looping yo-yos, one in each hand. Generally the yo-yos used for AA are based on either a modified or a classic shape. High-level AA play consists of various series of continuous regenerations, such as loops, hops, moons, punches, stalls, etc. Also performed are hundreds of different forms of around-the-worlds and other circular motions with the yo-yo. While combining loops and continuous circles, wraps can be done. Another growing part of AA (also possible in AAA) is based on the tangler trick, where the strings of the yo-yo cross, spin around the "knot", and are then uncrossed.
3A
String (aka Long Spin) tricks with two yo-yos. Both yo-yos are used to make complex string combos using each yo-yo to help the other yo-yo through the trick. The different mounts are referred to as houses.
4A
Offstring yo-yoing is a yo-yo style where the string is tied to the finger but not to the yo-yo. Single A yo-yos are often used, as well as dedicated offstring yo-yos. Offstring yo-yo tend to be butterfly shaped and very wide so landing the yo-yo on the string after the throw is as easy as possible.
5A
Also known as Freehand, a weight (typically a casino die or small ball) is attached to the end of the yo-yo string that would otherwise be attached to the finger. The yo-yo itself is attached to the string in the normal manner. Tricks are accomplished by completing various 1A maneuvers with he yo-yo while twirling the counterweight around at the same time.
What are the different types of competition?
Typically an American Yo-yo Association(AYYA)/National Yo-yo League(NYYL) sanctioned contest consists of Sport Trick Ladder division and Freestyle divisions for whatever play styles will be featured.
At the State Level, 1A is usually its own division and the other 4 play styles are grouped together in an Open Division. Sport Trick Ladder is most commonly divided into Age groups to give players a better chance of being matched up against players of the same skill level.
At the Regional and National Level the divisions represented are 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, and 5A Freestyle divisions, Sport Trick Ladder division, again, typically separated by age groups, and at times they will throw in a Diabolo or Spin Top contest as well. We will focus on only the yo-yo divisions. There are many great resources online for other skill toys. Many contests at this level will also have divisions dedicated to beginners.
The World Yo-yo Contest has easily the most number of divisions. Information about each one can be found on the contest homepage.
What is Sport Trick Ladder?
Sport Trick Ladder is a division that people usually compete in if they are still learning or do not feel comfortable performing in front of people. In this division competitors complete a set series of tricks and are given points on the number of tricks completed across two trick lists, String Trick(1S) and Looping(2S).
What are the Sport Ladder Tricks?
1S – String Trick Ladder
- Sleeper – 5 seconds
- Sideways World Tour – 5 seconds
- Eiffel Tower
- Rock the Baby – 5 rocks
- Elevator – 4 inches or 10cm minimum
- Brain Twister – 1 somersault
- Trapeze – hold for minimum 3 seconds
- Split the Atom – 3 somersaults
- Double or Nothing
- Mach 5 – 5 rotations
- Cold Fusion
- Poppin Fresh – 2 full (4 pops total)
- Skin the Gerbil
- Plastic Whip
- Eli Hop – half the string minimum for 3 hops
- Boingy Boingy – 5 bounces (10 string hits)
- Gyroscopic Flop – half turn
- Kwijibo
- Hidemasa Hook
- Suicide Catch – 2 consecutive
- Iron Whip – 2 consecutive
- Kamikaze
- Spirit Bomb
- Throwhand Grind
- Black Hops
2S – Looping Trick Ladder
- Forward Pass
- Around the World
- Breakaway
- Tidal Wave
- Inside Loops (5)
- Outside Loop (5)
- Time Warp
- Hop the Fence (5)
- Planet Hop (3)
- Sidewinder (2 sides consecutively)
- Warp Drive (3)
- Reach for the Moon (5)
- Inside Outside Loops (10)
- Vertical Punches (10)
- Punching Bag (10)
- 2H Loops (10)
- Milk the Cow (10)
- Loop/Hop (10)
- Loop/ Moon (10)
- 2-hand Vertical Punch (10)
- Sword & Shield (3)
- Staircase (5-5)
- Kurukuru Milk (5)
- Loop Wrap
- 2-hand Moon (10)
What is a Yo-yo Freestyle?
A Yo-yo Freestyle is a routine set to music that competitors complete various trick elements to score points. Positive points are earned for successfully completing trick elements and negative points are given for misses and various other circumstances. Points are also given for things like choreography and difficulty of tricks. Freestyles are judged, usually, by a panel of yo-yoers that are chosen for their vast knowledge of the sport. Judges do not compete in the division they are judging and most times judges do not compete themselves at all. Freestyles can be 1 minute long for Preliminaries, which are used to narrow down a large number of contestants, 2 minutes, which is growing more common in State and Regional contests, and 3 minutes for Finals and larger contests.
How to prepare a good freestyle
There is a really good article written by National Yo-yo Master Dazzling Dave Schulte that breaks this down well enough that I will let him explain it to you.
