Learn to do the Slippery eel yoyo trick with a video and written description.
Here’s a cool trick I learned from John Higby, one of the Playmaxx Pro Yo professionals. This trick isn’t an “off the string” trick. It’s more like an “off the yo-yo finger” trick.
Here’s how it works.
1. Take your finger out of the slip-knot so that you are just holding the yo-yo by the end of the string.
2. Next, throw a sideways Around The World so that the yoyo goes around in front of you like you are looking at a clock, instead of just in front and behind you like a normal Around The World. You’ll have to pinch the string and really hold on to it tightly, or the yoyo will go flying!
3. After the yoyo goes Around The World once, lift up your left leg and stick it out in front of you so that you are just standing on your right leg.
4. The yoyo will come back around now to do a second Around The World, but this time it will begin to wrap around your left leg that is sticking out.
5. Let it start to wrap around your leg.
6. Now, pretend like you are looking at a big clock in front of you. When the yoyo gets to about the 1 O’clock position, let go of the string!
7. Now the yoyo string will whip around and try to fly away with the yoyo, but you are going to grab it in mid air! When you grab the string again, the yoyo will still have inertia from your throw and will start to come around your leg again. Keep letting it go around your leg, then let go of the string and grab it again. See why it’s called the Slippery eel?
8. It’s probably best to practice doing just one repetition when you start out. A ball bearing yoyo is easier to use for this trick, because it will spin longer. You can also practice this trick with a dead (non-spinning) yoyo until you learn how to let go of the yoyo string and catch it again. Once you get good at it, you can do it two or three (or more!) times.
9. When you are ready to end the trick, you’ll let it go under your leg one last time, but this time let go of the string a little bit earlier so that the yoyo shoots straight up in the air instead of going sideways like usual. Let go of the string, and it should wind up onto the yoyo while the yoyo is going upwards. Then, you just catch the yoyo in your hand and you are done!
10. Since John Higby taught me this trick, I recommend only using Playmaxx yo-yos when you do it!
See the video
Demonstrated by Lars
