Dick Stohr: Hi! I am Dick Stohr, also known as That Yo-Yo Guy. We've been talking about how to get started with basic yo-yo skills.

We've learned how to put the string on the yo-yo, we've learned how to put the string on your finger, and we've learned how to get the first trick where the yo-yo simply goes down and back up.

Now, it's time to start learning more tricks. So the first thing we are going to do is, instead of dropping the yo-yo with your palm of your hand down, we are going to throw the yo-yo down with your palm facing up. Again, make sure that the string comes from your finger over the top of the yo-yo, cock your wrist, raise your elbow. When you throw you simply snap your elbow down to your side, stop at your arm level. Remember, we had a string length from the floor to your waist; you don't want your hand down below your waist because then the yo-yo will hit the floor and it wont do the trick you want it to do.

So, you are going to cock your wrist, raise your elbow, throw, turn and catch. It's that simple; cock your wrist, raise your elbow, throw, turn and catch. It's called the Power Throw and it is basic to about 90% of the yo-yo tricks. So if you do that smoothly, cradle the yo-yo between these two fingers, cock your wrist, raise your elbow, snap your elbow down to your side, stop at level, over the end of your finger, turn and catch.

That's how you do the yo-yo Power Throw; nice and smooth, nice and straight. You don't want to twist your hand while you are throwing the yo-yo because you will get something we refer to as the Sick Helicopter. This is not good in yo-yoing; this is twisting your string, you don't want that because it's tangling your string, and you are not going to be able to do the tricks you want to do. So you take the string off of your finger, let the string hang down, and it will untwist and automatically go to neutral.

You can let the yo-yo hang down, and the yo-yo may or may not go to neutral; but by letting the string hang down, then it will automatically go to neutral. Wind it before you put it back on your finger then open up the slipknot, put your finger in, you are ready to go again with a nice neutral string. Cock your wrist; raise your elbow, throw, turn and catch.

That's how you do the yo-yo Power Throw; and the more power you get into it using your whole arm as a whip, starting with your shoulder all the way out to the end of your finger, that gives you the full power to get started. And when you do the sleep tricks, you will need that extra power in the yo-yo. The next thing we are going to learn is the other beginning throw in yo-yoing, and this is called the Forward Pass. Again, the yo-yo is in your hand, the right side up, nice and snug. Put the palm of your hand back because the back of your hand is facing forward. Push your hand back about waist high, let go the yo-yo. Cradle it, but let go and swing; and that brings the yo-yo out to the end of the string, hold your hand still, it comes right back to you.

This is the Forward Pass; take your hand back about waist high, swing it forward about waist high, stop, turn it over. The yo-yo will come out of your hand, to the end of the string, and come right back. So now we've learnt the yo-yo Power Throw and the Forward Pass; and those are the two motions that start every yo-yo trick. All of the advanced tricks start with those two motions. So, it's very important to learn them, to be consistent with them. The Power Throw, you want to throw it nice and straight, firm and smooth. The Forward Pass, just let the string do the work, let go the yo-yo, swing; let go back here, and swing. Comes right out of your hand, goes to the end of the string, comes right back. So now we've learnt the two basic throws in yo-yoing that start all of the yo-yo tricks.