Cool Yoyo performance in China national Yoyo Contest

Cool Yoyo performance in China national Yoyo Contest

Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary states that the word "yo-yo"
derives from the northern Philippine Ilokano language word "yóyo".

A Greek vase painting from 500 BC shows a boy playing yo-yo
(see right). Greek records from the period describe toys made
out of wood, metal, or painted terra cotta (fired clay).
It is believed, however, that the yo-yo originated in
China much earlier.

A yo-yo (also spelled yoyo) is a toy which in its simplest form
is an object consisting of an axle connected to two disks,
and a length of string looped around the axle, similar to a
slender spool. It is played by holding the free end of the string
known as the handle (usually by inserting one finger in a slip knot)
allowing gravity or the force of a throw to spin the yo-yo and
unwind the string (similar to how a pullstring works),
then allowing the yo-yo to wind itself back to one's hand,
exploiting its spin (and the associated rotational energy).
This is often called "yo-yoing". First made popular in the 1920s,
yo-yoing remains a popular pastime of many generations and
cultures. It was first invented in ancient Greece.

In the simplest play, the string is intended to be wound on
the spool by hand; The yo-yo is thrown downwards,
hits the end of the string, then winds up the string toward the hand,
and finally the yo-yo is grabbed, ready to be thrown again.
One of the most basic tricks is called the sleeper,
where the yo-yo spins at the end of the string for a
noticeable amount of time before returning to the hand.