The best trick for every beginner – 9 steps to the small knot

The best trick for every beginner? Does that even exist? Every artist learns his new tricks at different speed and has different preferences. Therefore, it is not the best, but a pretty good knot trick for beginners.

If you can safely propel your diabolo and throw it up and catch it again, then the small knot is perfect for you. The trick looks relatively complex, but it’s super easy for beginners to learn. So if you feel like mastering an effective knot trick and feeling a sense of achievement, then you’ve come to the right place. In the following post, I’ll show you the learning sequence of the small knot. If you stick to the sequence of the trick, then you will immediately understand why it is one of the best tricks for any beginner. If you follow these 9 steps while practicing the trick, then you will learn this trick very quickly.

Step 1:

Position yourself with your diabolo as you normally drive it. This means that the diabolo is facing you with a half-shell. Your sticks point parallel to the front and you drive the diabolo loosely from the wrist.

Step 2:

Now turn your entire body 90 degrees to the left and stand in front of the diabolo so that the axis is facing you instead of the half-shell. Your sticks will also rotate with you.

Step 3:

The stick of your weak hand now points to the right and no longer to the front. Now move your strong hand first to the right and then behind the stick of your weak hand.

Step 4:

From there, use the strong stick to pull the string over the weak stick. Your weak hand does not move while doing this.

Step 5:

Now continue to pull the string and move the stick around in front, under the axis of the diabolo, so that the string is now wrapped around the axis twice.

Step 6:

Move the stick up until it is back at eye level with the weak stick. Now turn the weak stick (which hasn’t moved all this time) 90 degrees to the left so that both sticks are very close and parallel to each other. They are now both pointing forward again. It is important that you keep the sticks really close together, otherwise the string may not come loose when you throw it up later.

Step 7:

From this position, you now throw the diabolo upwards with feeling. You will see that the knot comes loose as if by magic and the diabolo flies up into the air.

Step 8:

If the diabolo floats in the air, then at this moment move your body 90 degrees back the starting position and stand behind the diabolo so that you can catch it straight again.

Step 9:

Sight the diabolo with your strong hand so that the string is pointing diagonally upward, and let the diabolo thread securely into the string. If you are still unsure about throwing up and catching the diabolo, read my blog article on this.

Alternative for experienced players

If you’re already a little more fit, then take the sequence of movements of your sticks while turning your body 90 degrees to the left. You thus take body and stick movements in one swing. This looks a little smoother.

And with that, congratulations! You were able to catch the diabolo safely again and therefore mastered the small knot. All in all, it’s one of the best tricks for any beginner. Do you have any questions about the trick sequence? Then feel free to write me a message or leave me a comment. You don’t know how to drive and align the diabolo yet? Then check out my post about it. You want to know more about me and my history with the diabolo? Here you can find out more.

Otherwise, have fun training and have a good day!

Best regards

Bastian