Easy Yo-Yo Tricks

The Gravity Pull is the classic, up-and-down yo-yo trick, the one most people think of when they hear the word "yo-yo."

Step 1: Hold the yo-yo in your yo-yo hand in front of you, palm down, slightly above your waist. Open your hand and let the yo-yo unroll toward the ground.

Step 2: At the precise moment that the yo-yo reaches the end of its unwinding, near the floor, give a firm upward jerk with your hand and the yo-yo will wind up and return to your hand.

Keep reading to learn the basis for tons more challenging yo-yo tricks -- The Throw Down.

Many yo-yo tricks begin with this simple thrown-down maneuver, or a variation of it. If you do not get it right the first few times, don't panic. All it takes is a bit of practice.

Step 1: Hold your hand out in front of you, palm up. Stand the yo-yo on its edge, placing it between your thumb and middle finger, in line with your shoulder. The string should curl up over the top of the yo-yo, ready to flow out in front of you.

Step 2: With a flick of the wrist, whip the yo-yo to the ground in a firm, overhand motion. Be sure to throw the yo-yo straight down. Don't let it lean to one side or the other.

When the yo-yo reaches the end of the string, give a slight tug on the string, and the yo-yo will return home.

More than 90 percent of yo-yo tricks incorporate the next move in some form. Learn The Sleeper in the following section.

Now that you've learned the Throw Down and the Gravity Pull, you're ready to learn the most important yo-yo trick of all -- the Sleeper. This trick is basically a delayed version of the up-and-down Gravity Pull.

More than 90 percent of all yo-yo tricks incorporate the Sleeper in some form. From here, the amount of tricks you can learn is endless!

Step 1: The initial motion is precisely the same as what is used in the Throw Down. Hold your yo-yo hand out in front of you with the palm facing up. Remember, the string should come off toward the top and front of the yo-yo.

Step 2: With a whipping motion, similar to that used when throwing a fastball, grab the yo-yo and flick it sharply toward the ground. It should stay down -- spinning -- at the end of the string.

Step 3: While the yo-yo is spinning, turn your yo-yo hand over, palm facing down. If the string tension is correct, the yo-yo should spin at the end of the string for a few seconds. Then give the string a jerk and the yo-yo should quickly return to your hand.

The following trick may require a little practice. Learn how to throw a perfect Forward Pass in the next section.

Although your yo-yo fans may not jump up and down and cheer as if they were at a football game, they'll applaud when you throw a Forward Pass.

Step 1: Hold the yo-yo as if you were about to perform a Throw Down. But instead of holding your yo-yo hand in front of you, drop it to your side, turning it over so the back of your hand faces forward.

Step 2: Then flick or swing your wrist and arm forward, throwing the yo-yo directly in front of you.

Step 3: When the yo-yo reaches the end of the string, give it a slight tug. Then turn your hand over, palm facing up, and catch the yo-yo in your palm.

Don't worry if you don't catch it the first few times. If it hits your hand as it returns, you're doing it correctly. With a little practice, you'll learn to catch it every time.

Keep reading to learn an entertaining yo-yo trick called Walk the Dog.

This dog won't hunt or need a license, but it will perform plenty of yo-yo tricks. At the end of the Walk the Dog trick, give a whistle and "call" your doggie home.

Step 1: To take your "doggie" for a walk, start by throwing a fast Sleeper.

Step 2: Swing the yo-yo slightly forward and set it lightly on the ground. Let its spinning motion gently pull it along the ground. The yo-yo may snap back to your hand, but keep trying.

Step 3: Before the yo-yo stops spinning, give a slight tug, and the "doggie" will return to your hand.

Be careful not to perform this trick on concrete surfaces, such as a sidewalk or a driveway. The rough surface can seriously damage the edge of your yo-yo. The best surface for this trick is a firm rug or carpet.

In the next section, you'll build on the tricks you've learned so far. Ready to take a trip Around the World?

Once you've learned the Sleeper and the Forward Pass yo-yo tricks, you're ready to take a quick trip Around the World!

Step 1: Start by throwing a Forward Pass.

Step 2: Instead of jerking the yo-yo when it reaches the end of the string, swing it around over your yo-yo shoulder and behind your back in a full 360-degree arc. The yo-yo should remain at the end of the string throughout the whole trick, spinning as it goes around.

Step 3: When it gets back to the starting point in front of you, jerk the string and bring the yo-yo home.

Be safety conscious when you perform this trick. Be careful that you don't hit anything that lies in the path of your yo-yo. Be sure you have high ceilings if performing this trick indoors.

Also, make sure your string is not old and worn. An old string will easily break when performing this trick.

For the next yo-yo trick, you'll take a shorter trip just Around the Corner.

The Around the Corner yo-yo trick is also known as Orbit Launch. If you can travel Around the World, you're ready for a shorter trip that's just Around the Corner!

Step 1: Begin by throwing a hard Sleeper.

Step 2: Swing the string around and behind the upper part of your yo-yo arm, so that the yo-yo hangs behind you, draped over the upper part of your yo-yo arm just above the elbow.

Step 3: Reach down with your yo-yo hand and grab the string just above the spinning yo-yo with your thumb and index finger.

Step 4: Now quickly jerk the yo-yo up. It will jump over the top of your arm as it winds up. Let it continue down toward the floor, then retrieve it as if you were doing a Gravity Pull.

Be sure the yo-yo is spinning swiftly when you tug the string to call it home.

Learn the next yo-yo trick and you'll have the basis for some really challenging moves. It's time to Skin the Cat.

Skin the Cat is the first step -- a building block -- for performing some of the more challenging string yo-yo tricks. It is also called the Tidal Wave.

Step 1: Start by throwing a fast Sleeper in front of you.

Step 2: Place the forefinger of your free hand up under the string and slide it up along the string in front of your yo-yo finger.

Step 3: Now lift your free hand slightly upward. At the same time gently pull backward on the string with your yo-yo hand.

Step 4: When the yo-yo is about six inches from your free hand, flip it upward and out with your free hand's forefinger while simultaneously jerking the string backward with your yo-yo hand.

As the yo-yo comes back to your hand, do not catch it. Instead, go into a Forward Pass and whip the yo-yo back out in front of you. Catch it on the return loop.

Keep reading to master one of the most entertaining yo-yo tricks of all -- Rock the Baby.

Rock the Baby yo-yo trick is probably the most popular trick of all time. Best of all, it's both easy and fun to perform.

Step 1: Begin by throwing a Sleeper. Lift your yo-yo hand up until it is slightly above your head.

Step 2: Put your free hand out in front of the yo-yo string, fingers stretched apart and the palm facing your body, between the string and your body. As you do this, catch the string about one-third of the way down with the pinky and the tip of the thumb of your free hand.

Step 3: Then grab the string with your yo-yo hand several inches above the yo-yo.

Step 4: In the same motion, bring your yo-yo hand up above your free hand, forming the triangular-shaped cradle. If you've constructed a cradle correctly, the yo-yo will neatly hang in the middle of the triangle of string you've formed between your two hands.

Now "rock the baby" to sleep by swinging the spinning yo-yo back and forth in the "cradle."

Step 5: Give the yo-yo a jerk, let go of the string, and the yo-yo will snap back to your hand.

Lucky you! In the next section, you'll learn to throw a Three-Leaf Clover.

Make a wish before performing this yo-yo trick. Three-Leaf Clovers are just as lucky as Four-Leaf Clovers.

Step 1: Begin by throwing a vertical loop up and above your head.

Step 2: As the yo-yo comes back, send it out again straight in front of you, as if you are throwing a Forward Pass.

Step 3: As it comes back, send it out again, angled down toward the floor as in the Throw Down. Catch it as it comes back up.

Can a yo-yo defy gravity? Learn how to perform The Breakaway in the next section.

Like Michael Jordan, you can defy gravity with this yo-yo trick. When the Breakaway is performed properly, the yo-yo will seem to hang in mid-air for a fraction of a second.

Step 1: Hold the yo-yo in your hand and bend your arm as if you're making a muscle. Swing your arm, release the yo-yo, and bring your elbow down sharply. The yo-yo will fly out and down.

Step 2: If you are a right-handed yo-yoer, swing your arm to the left, across the front of your body in an arc. Let the yo-yo swing out in front of you to the opposite side of your body.

Allow the yo-yo to hang in mid-air at the end of the string for a fraction of a second. As the yo-yo slows down, give the string a jerk and call the yo-yo back home.

Keep reading to learn the Reverse Sleeper, an easy yo-yo trick with backspin.

The reverse Sleeper yo-yo trick appears to be identical to throwing a regular Sleeper. The difference is that in this trick the yo-yo will spin backward when thrown down.

Step 1: Extend your hand out in front of you. Stand the yo-yo on its edge in your yo-yo hand, palm up, as you would when throwing a regular Sleeper.

Now place the yo-yo between your thumb and middle finger, in line with your shoulder. Unlike the Sleeper, the string should flow out of the back and the bottom of the yo-yo.

Step 2: With a flick of the wrist, whip the yo-yo to the ground in a firm, overhand motion. Make sure to throw the yo-yo straight down, otherwise it may spin out on its side. Watch the yo-yo spin backward when thrown down.

Step 3: Give the string a jerk and the yo-yo should quickly return to your hand.

Ready to entertain your friends with some funny yo-yo antics? Learn Walk the Cat in the next section.

When performed smoothly, this fun and funny yo-yo trick will always get a big laugh. Cats never do what you want them to do or go where you want them to go.

Step 1: Begin by throwing a Reverse Sleeper.

Step 2: While slowly walking forward, touch the yo-yo to the ground. Because the yo-yo is spinning backward, it will "walk" backward behind you.

Step 3: Pretend that you weren't expecting it to go in that direction. As the yo-yo reaches the end of its walking area, let it jerk your whole body backward as if the "cat" has suddenly pulled you off balance.

Keep reading to master the Pinwheel, a yo-yo trick that's simply amazing!

The Pinwheel is one of the easiest and most beautiful yo-yo tricks to perform and watch!

Step 1: Throw a fast Sleeper.

Step 2: Grab the string with the thumb and middle finger of the free hand, about two-thirds of the way down.

Step 3: Then move the free hand up and to the side, away from your body, while moving the yo-yo hand down.

Step 4: Swing the hanging yo-yo in circles, performing three or more Pinwheel-like turns.

Step 5: Complete the final turn by throwing the yo-yo forward and up, releasing the string with both hands. Catch the yo-yo in your yo-yo hand, palm up.