As a beginner you are happy that you can play the diabolo safely. It no longer (or only rarely) tips out of the string and you can determine the direction. If you still have problems with this, then read my blog article on the correct diabolo drive and alignment. Otherwise, you’re in the starting blocks of being able to throw the diabolo up and catch it. However, it’s tempting to take crucial mistakes and hinder your own progress. First and foremost, avoid the following fatal mistakes when starting to throw up:
1. You overdo it!..
…with your power. You certainly have enough power to throw and catch the diabolo impressively. This looks spectacular and is impressive for your spectators. However, this comes with important disadvantages, especially in the beginning. For example, you lose control and possibly hurt yourself or someone else. The diabolo flies through the air and you have to run after it to catch it in the string. If you throw the diabolo up in a closed room, it becomes a kamikaze action. There are even those experts who, at the moment of throwing the diabolo, jump into the air themselves and raise their arms far into the air to get a few more meters of height out of it. You’re welcome to take that. Just do it best when you are a bit more experienced.
However, if you throw the diabolo in a controlled manner and with feeling not quite so high up, then you also increase your probability of catching it again safely. However, you should avoid the following mistake:
2. Your arms are too slack.
Many diabolo beginners take the mistake of not stretching their arms. They pretend that they want to throw a ball in the air and simply lift their arms up. Unfortunately, the string then hangs loose at the bottom and the diabolo has no taut string to thread back into. On top of that, you have to use more force when you do this.
When you lunge slightly to throw the diabolo up, you pull your arms apart so that the string is slightly taut. When the string is taut, the diabolo comes out of the hanging string and goes up into the air. So you don’t use a lot of force, nor do you have to move your arms upwards very much. You pull them apart in a slight upward motion. This brings us to the last crucial mistake:
3. You did not aim the diabolo.
So you can’t let the diabolo thread back into the string. The following important points should be noted: The motion of throwing up is in a straight line so that your strong arm is ultimately above your head. The stick of your strong arm is pointing up. Your weak arm stays down. Thus, your string forms a diagonal. When the diabolo floats in the air, keep your arm tense in this position. In the next step, aim the stick of your strong hand at the diabolo. This way you can be sure that the diabolo will land on the stick of your strong hand.
However, it should not touch your hand, but the string. If the diabolo flies back down in your direction, let it thread the upper end of the diagonally stretched string in a controlled way and finally glide down. By aiming it, it will get safely back into the string.
And with this you can be proud of yourself…
…that you can now safely throw the diabolo up and catch it. Because with this you have observed the basic points for catching and throwing up. Here is a brief summary:
1) Move your arms upward in a controlled manner with feeling and stretch your arms out to the sides. This will tighten your string.
2) Bend your weak arm and keep your strong arm tense. The string forms a diagonal. The sticks point into the air.
3) Aim the diabolo with the stick of your strong hand.
4) Let the diabolo slide back into the string at the top of the stick.
Especially in the beginning, it can be difficult to follow these four principles within a few seconds. But with a little practice, you’ll definitely get the hang of it! And then your path is paved to learn a wide range of tricks. Because now you’ve mastered the basics.
As a beginner, you’ll be happy to know that you can play the diabolo safely. It no longer (or only rarely) tips out of the string and you can determine the direction. If you still have problems with this, then read my blog article on the correct diabolo drive and alignment. Otherwise, you’re in the starting blocks of being able to throw the diabolo up and catch it. However, it’s tempting to make critical mistakes.
If you have any questions about throwing up and catching your diabolo, feel free to drop me a line. Otherwise I wish you a lot of fun with your training and a good day!
Best regards
Bastian
The perfect diabolo for beginners
Click here for the matching video tutorial (English subs)!
