Shape

Yo-Yos come in many different shapes and sizes, which make them effective for particular styles of play. The shape affects what kind of tricks you can do, so please bear this in mind when making a purchase.

For Looping Play

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Classic Shape

Stood on its side, the yo-yo has an elliptical shape, with a thin gap bisecting the round shape. This is the oldest and most traditional yo-yo shape, and is what most people picture when they imagine yo-yos.


Despite its irregular stepped shape, the Hyper Yo-Yo Windorbit is still technically an Classic Shape.

Normal Shape

This is the most popular shape for looping yo-yos today. The sides are mostly symmetrical, forming two ellipses side by side. Compared to the Imperial Shape, Raiders can also be used for some string tricks, making them good all-around yo-yos.

For String Play

For string play, most yo-yos are what’s called wing shape. This shape is wide, giving you a large catch zone to land the yo-yo on the string. This makes even simple tricks like Elevator that much easier to execute. All of the yo-yos you see below are Butterfly shape; if nothing else, this introduction will show you just how much variation there is within a single yo-yo shape.

Round Shape

The simplest name for the simplest shape, it fits easily into your hand.


Pictured: Duncan MayheM

Straight Shape

Another straightforward name, for the straight line drawn from the response to the outer rim. Straight bodies do a better job of keeping the string from rubbing the yo-yo, causing sleep loss.


Pictured: iYoYo SPiNMASTER X

Step-Round Shape

Looking from the center, the straight shape suddenly “steps” into a rounded rim. This combines the comfort of round with the sleep loss benefits of straight yo-yos.


Pictured: C3yoyodesign KROWN

Step-Straight Shape

The straight shape takes a new angle, stepping into a polygonal second profile line. This helps push weight outwards for various reasons.


Pictured: YoYoFactory RockStar

H-Profile

This shape has a very distinct stepping, and is easy to spot in a crowd. When you hold it, your middle finger will naturally fall into the gap, giving it a unique feeling favored by counterweight players.


Pictured: iYoYo iCEBERG

Inverse-Round Shape

A new concept opposite the traditional round shape, sleep loss is reduced greatly as the string only comes into contact with a point on the body, rather than an entire face.


Pictured: SF YOYOS Cadence ES

Flat Rim Shape

Flat rims are described as rims wider than 4mm that lay parallel to the axle. This unique shape cuts into the trapeze width (catch zone), but it gives impressive spin to the yo-yo.


Pictured: YoYoFactory DV888


Pictured: Rain City Skills Convoy

A Word on Shapes

Yo-Yo names and shapes are far from standardized, every place may have its own vocabulary to describe yo-yos, and makers have their own terminology as well. This page is meant just to introduce you to the variety of yo-yo shapes out there, and not to preach to you one name over another. However, we try to stay consistent in the way we refer to yo-yos here at REWIND.

If you are interested in yo-yos of a particular shape, go to this page and from the right menu select your favorite body shape.

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