Kill Your Yoyo

This episode features the exceptional Connor Scholten @tricksyouforgot44. A revered competitor, and a cornerstone in yoyo education through his many YoTricks tutorials, Connor shares his invaluable insights and personal journey. Ross and Connor delve into the evolution of yoyo competition styles, the art of teaching and creating tutorials, the strategic use of statistics in competitions, the challenges of objective judging, and Connor's own yoyo journey.

In this captivating episode of “Kill Your Yoyo,” Ross dives deep into the world of yoyoing with the phenomenally talented Katie Thompson. From her early days of casual practice to becoming a YoyoFactory-sponsored yoyoer and a beacon in the yoyo community, Katie shares her inspiring journey and the pivotal moments that shaped her passion for yoyoing. The duo explores Katie’s unique approach to practice, her transition from softball to yoyoing, and how her athletic discipline fuels her continuous improvement and creative process. They also touch on the importance of goal-oriented practice, the intricacies of competition scoring, and Katie’s significant influence on the yoyo community through her work with the Central California Yoyo Club. Additionally, Katie opens up about her emotional experience at the 2023 National Yoyo Championships, her creative process for making freestyle videos, and her excitement about her confirmed sponsorship with YoyoFactory. Whether you’re a yoyo enthusiast or just love a story of dedication and creativity, this episode offers a fascinating glimpse into the life of a yoyo virtuoso.

Every time you go to a contest without signing up to compete you're missing a chance to get on stage. Even if you don't compete at all, the act of putting together a routine to music will make you a better yoyoer in ways that you cannot understand until you actually try it. And what better time and place to try than the San Diego Classic! Learn more in this mini series and check out sdyoyocontest.info for more info!

Hi homies! Today we have Alec Ceceña on the show for the kickoff of a special series of episodes all about how to start a yoyo event. Alec is in the process of single-handedly founding a brand new yoyo competition and I want to track the process at every step of the way to provide a basic road map for you to follow! Expect one or two more follow-up episodes as the competition approaches and eventually takes place.

Join Ross and Ed Haponik as they discuss the lessons Ed has learned from a year of yoyoing with the same single fixed axel yoyo...though it is definitely a little (read nearly 10 months) late hahaha. Thanks for your patience.

The title says it all. Subscribe and share. Buy the Dopamine, signature yoyo of Ross Levine on Sunday, Sep 3, 2023 on Yoyoexpert.com. Visit @modern_yoyos on instagram for giveaway rules.

Don't forget to bid on the spotlight ultra in the video here: https://www.ebay.com/itm/394515102323Spotlight Ultra: https://hunter-yoyos.square.site/product/spotlight-ultra/81The Pads and Bearings super pack: https://modernyoyos.comBulk Hollywood Pads (19mm slim): https://www.ebay.com/itm/394377508667Bulk 100% Tested Center Trac Bearings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/394377518647Bulk 100% Tested 10-Ball KonKave Bearings: https://www.ebay.com/itm/394377524376

Join me as I talk yoyo history and theory with a man who's seen it all, Eric Koloski. Eric is one of the most legendary yoyoers around and has been a member of some of the most beloved teams and companies. You won't want to miss a single word he says!

What does it mean to entertain? Perhaps you should ask the man who went from winning the world yoyo contest to working as a comedian. John Narum has seen it all and in this episode, we talk all about what he's learned from his many unique experiences.

Welcome to the Hollywood Modern Yoyos era. Thank you for your support through everything.

Join Ed Haponik (@edhaponik) and I as we discuss the art and meditative practice of yoyo as a way of life.

Join me as I talk about what flow is and how you can use flow theory to improve your throwing. Half book report, half yoyo philosophy rant about the amazing book Stolen Focus by Johan Hari. 

Gavin Hubner is one of the top competitive yoyoers in the nation. In this episode we discuss 

Shivum Berry is the founder of the incredibly popular brand Thesis yoyos...and he's only been out of high school for two years! Learn the story behind his brand's meteoric rise and exclusive secrets about what goes into each brilliantly planned yoyo release.

Notes:

Watch: Black, TedX talk

Download: Fusion 360

Buy: Ender 3 Pro 3D printer

Read: Free Play, Stephen Nachmanovitch

What do you call an Australian who quits his stable corporate job to sell yoyos on youtube? You call him Brandon Vu. Learn how Brandon built his online yoyo empire and how you can follow in his footsteps.

Notes/further research:

Grant Johnson Youtube Video: Stronger Yo-Yo

Scott Dikkers: How to write funny characters

The legend himself, Doctor Popular shares some awesome pieces of yoyo history as well as his approach to creating many of the tricks that we now regard as classics.

Doc's insta: @docpop

my insta: @ilinx_toys

notes and further reading

Serious Guide to Joke Writing by Sally Holloway

How To Write Funny: Your Serious, Step-By-Step Blueprint For Creating Incredibly, Irresistibly, Successfully Hilarious Writing by Scott Dikkers

Step by Step to Stand-Up Comedy by Greg Dean

Splitting the Atom yoyo trickbook by Richie

Upright Citizens Brigade Comedy Improvisation Manual by Matt Walsh Et al.

Instagram: @danyllo_barbiero

Dale Oliver: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5OYS_VJ6Dc

Jonathan is an incredible yoyoer who's sponsored by Duncan and Original Throw. In this episode, we talk all about trick and routine design as well as flow theory, keeping your yoyoing unpredictable, and much much more.

Notes:

Netflix - The Toys That Made Us

TV Show - Blazing Teens

Jonathan's instagram - jonathanstggg

Polo's instagram - ppolor

Ricardo's instagram - blablanchard

Michael Nakamura is one of the world's best 4a yoyo players who, in four years went from picking up his first yoyo to winning the world yoyo contest. So what accounts for his meteoric rise? Well, you'll find out that and much more as we discuss horizontal 4a theory, the future of soloham, and Michael's approach to contest and performance preparation.

Further research:

Michael's Instagram: @michael_nakamura

Maximum Entertainment 2.0 by Ken Weber

Showmanship for Magicians by Dariel Fitzkee

The Goal by Eliyahu Goldratt (the theory of constraints)

The Magic Way by Juan Tamariz

Tarbell Course In Magic by Harlan Tarbell

The Yonomicon by Mark McBride

Ty Goldman is a social media trailblazer and an extremely creative yoyoer with an appetite for bangers. We talk all about his trick creation process, his thoughts on competition and making yoyoing a sustainable lifestyle, and his perspective on yoyoing as someone who was performing at the national level at a very young age.

Follow me on insta: @ilinx_toys

Follow Ty on insta and tiktok: @yobigty

Look up: 

Free Play by Stephen Nachmanovitch

Have you ever wanted to do a real yoyo performance? Not just your 1-minute freestyle, but 30 minutes to an hour of live entertainment! Well, it's possible, and in this episode, I'll talk about some options you have to start doing just that!

Showmanship for Magicians by Dariel Fitzkee

Maximum Entertainment 2.0  by Ken Weber

And you are too! Find out why we are all "the best yoyoers in the world" and how we can still strive to become better.

Dagu:

https://www.instagram.com/dagu5595/

Wes Peden:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkqaPsE5W10

Aliyah Tan:

https://www.instagram.com/p/Ca_DpyNJi8s/

Bizarro:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/577Gk0MS7day3u6OjyUco9?si=6afcb19b5d964404

The social media landscape is changing. In a community that's as tied to the internet as ours is, the ramifications of these changes will alter the course of yoyo history. So let's talk about it. Where did the online community start, where is it now, where is it headed and what could all this mean for the future? Let's discuss.

This past weekend I had the amazing experience of working backstage at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. Here are some insights I learned from a few of the world's greatest magicians about how they make their magic better and how you can use their thoughts to improve your yoyoing.

PS, I recorded this the day after testing positive for covid (maybe barely sleeping while going to a nightclub for a week during the biggest covid surge on record was a bad idea). I apologize for any raspiness or throat clearing, I just wanted to get this episode recorded while the experience was fresh in my mind.

My all-time favorite yoyoer, Anthony Rojas joins me to discuss how he creates his iconic freestyles and how he alters the elements of yoyo tricks to create the unique movements that he’s known for.

Coffin is an icon of the yoyo world. His distinctive fashion sense, genuine personality, and ubiquitous brand, OhYesYo, make him one of the most well-loved and respected yoyoers in the community. We talk about the community as a whole and what our responsibility yoyoers is in building our community (give a yoyo to the people you want to yoyo with). We also hit on yoyo design and Coffin's artistic inspirations and methods.