About the Trick
Rock the Baby is one of the classic yo-yo tricks that have made it through the ages. It’s one of the top requested tricks by spectators of yo-yoers and is a great way to practice your control over the yo-yo and your ability to keep it spinning long enough to successfully perform the trick. This trick builds up your two-handed yo-yoing skills and gets you ready for the more difficult “Dizzy Baby” trick.
- Throw a sleeper.
- With your Freehand, make a fist around the string of the sleeping yo-yo about halfway down the string.
- Not moving your Freehand while holding the string in your fist, bring your Throwhand down and around to the string above the spinning yo-yo. Pinch the string a couple of inches above the yo-yo.
- With the string pinched in your Throwhand, drop your Freehand (still holding the string in your fist) beneath your Throwhand, making the string look like a triangle.
- Open your Freehand, spreading your fingers wide so as to make the triangle wider and easier to swing the yo-yo in and out of without hitting the sides of the triangle.
- Now holding open the base of the triangle with your Freehand, and pinching the top of the triangle with your Throwhand, swing the yo-yo forward and back through the triangle three times.
- Resume holding the base of the triangle in the fist of your Freehand.
- Bring your Freehand back towards your body and lift it up directly above your Throwhand, which you will be lowering to keep the yo-yo directly in front of you.
- While still holding the string in the fist of your Freehand, stop pinching the string (which was the top of the triangle) with your Throwhand and lift your Throwhand up above your Freehand.
- Gently open the fist of your Freehand, letting go of the string, leaving you with a yo-yo in “the Sleeper.”
- Tug on the yo-yo to make it return to your hand.
Tips
- As always, if your yo-yo stops spinning before you can complete the trick, throw it harder.
- Practice going through the motions of the trick without the yo-yo spinning; i.e., unroll your yo-yo and set it on the floor, grab the string with your Freehand and pinch it with the Throwhand (making the triangle) and practice rocking the yo-yo back and forth through that without it spinning. Quickly getting into and out of this triangle shape without the yo-yo spinning will make it easier for you to do the trick while the yo-yo is spinning.
