Diabolo Tricks
Knots
written for righties

TRANSLATE THIS PAGE
Flash Movie Controls allow viewing larger animations with stop/step controls
All animations are of the performer's view.

Spaghetti
see Flash Movie Controls

From normal start.

1)Point left stick right and raise horizontally.

2)With right stick, wrap (from back) over stick.

3)Wrap (from right) under axle.

4)Wrap (from front) over stick.

5)Wrap (from left) under axle.

6)Slowly pull sticks apart to almost normal position.

7)Toss diabolo up a bit up between sticks and pull sticks releasing string loops and diabolo.

8)Catch diabolo.

Release Variation: At Step 7 when releasing the diabolo instead of tossing it, simply give the left stick a tap with the right stick allowing the string loops to slip off and the diabolo to fall into open string. During the tap, you can slightly point the left stick downward to encourage the string loops to slip off.
source: Oli Garland, Kent, England

Spaghetti uses four wraps (steps 2-5) .  If before going on to step 6 you repeat steps 2-5, you'll be performing the Double Spaghetti.

Now if you go through steps 2-5 three times, you are performing Triple Spaghetti. A good spin is needed for this trick, but if you run out of spin just as you are completing the wraps; simply hand your right stick over to your left hand.  And with your free right hand grasp the 'dead' diabolo and pull up out of the entanglement.  Pulling striaght up and not too fast should release the diabolo from the strings.

Half Spaghetti uses only two wraps. You skip steps 4 & 5 and when you release, you need to keep both sticks left of the rising diabolo.  The Half Spaghetti is animated on the Crazy Knots Page.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The Magic Knot

1) Get up a very good spin.

2) Move your body so the diabolo is to your left side. Do a face left while keeping the left stick in the normal position, do not move the left stick. Your left stick should still be parallel to the axle and the floor. As you make your face left, position your right stick so it is in line and pointing at the left stick's end. (similar to preparing for a Side Sun). Note: That your right stick will be wrapping two items; the diabolo's axle and the horizontally-held left stick.

a Counterclockwise Wrap 3) Using the right stick as a wand you will be wrapping string over the left stick and under the diabolo's axle. Your right stick moves (from the front) over the LEFT stick, down and (from the back) under the diabolo's AXLE, back to the front. Your right wrist may seem like a pivot point for this action.

Make an 'S" 4) Next you will be wrapping string over the axle and then over the axle. Your right stick wraps (from the front) over the AXLE, and up behind the LEFT stick and then (from the back) over the stick. Your right stick should be back to the beginning position before you started wrapping.

2 Clockwise Wraps 5) Next you will be making two wraps around the axle and left stick. So (from the front) move the right stick down under the AXLE, then (from the back) up behind the LEFT stick and over. That is one wrap, just repeat the move for two.

6) Point both sticks to the Left and toss diabolo up a bit off to the left and pull sticks releasing loops of string and diabolo.

6)Catch diabolo/
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Square Knot

1) Get up a very good spin.

2) Move your body so the diabolo is to your left side. Face left while keeping the left stick in the normal position, do not move the left stick. Your left stick should still be parallel to the axle and the floor. As you make your face left, position your right stick so it is in line and pointing at the left stick's end. (similar to preparing for a Side Sun). Note: That your right stick will be wrapping two items; the diabolo's axle and the horizontally-held left stick.

3) Using the RIGHT stick as a wand, wrap the string (from the front) up and over the LEFT stick.

4) Next move the Right stick between the diabolo and left stick, wrapping over the axle (from the back) down and under the AXLE, and back up.

5) Now (from the back) move the RIGHT stick over the LEFT stick toward you.

6) Now (from the front) move the right stick between the diabolo and LEFT stick, over the AXLE and back down.

7) Now (from the back) bring the Right stick toward you under the axle.

8) Turn your body to face back front bringing your right stick back to the other side of the diabolo.

9) Toss diabolo up a bit between the two sticks and pull sticks releasing loops of string and diabolo.

10) Catch diabolo.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Dot The I
(Spaghetti Variation with suicide release)
see Flash Movie Controls

source: Gijsbert Obbema Diabologekte

1) Do Spaghetti, but don't toss it.


2) Put the end of your Right stick in the two loops hanging off your left stick. And pull your left stick out.


3) Now let your left stick hang right under the diabolo forming a doted 'i'.


4) Swing the diabolo and left stick out to the left and upward. As the diabolo leaves the string grab the left stick with your left hand. Diabolo should leave string in a released toss
.

5) Tighten string and catch.

See also Binti's Dot The I Suicide.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Pass The Spaghetti
(Spaghetti Variation same as Dot The I with different release)
see Flash Movie Controls

source: Gijsbert Obbema Diabologekte


1) Do Spaghetti, but don't toss it.


2) Put the end of your Right stick in the two loops hanging off your left stick. And pull your left stick out.


3) Hold your left stick out to the left side.


4) Toss the diabolo up. Point the right stick at the rising diabolo to allow the strings to release.

5) Tighten string and catch.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Variant of Dot The I

('Dot The I' Variation with Climbling Diabolo)

source: Elmato


1) Do Spaghetti, but don't toss it.

2) Put the end of your Right stick in the two loops hanging off your left stick. And pull your left stick out.

3) Now let your left stick hang right under the diabolo forming a doted 'i'. See the 'Dot The I' trick.

4) Now retake your Left stick with your Left hand and pull the Left stick downward. Be careful that the string loops on the Right stick don't slip off. The diabolo should rise.

5) Keep pulling down on the Left stick until the diabolo almost reaches and touchs the Right stick.

6) Toss diabolo straight up between the sticks for the release. The loops should slip off the Right stick as the diabolo is tossed leaving the the diabolo free.

7) Catch diabolo and smile.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Al's Release
(similar to Inverse Trapeze)
see Flash Movie Controls

source: Al from Washington DC (IJA '97 Pittsburg)

1) Hook left stick's string over end of right stick. Pull sticks back apart.

2) Swing diabolo clockwise up between both sticks. Diabolo should catch string on its axle and swing out to the righft. After passing over the right stick, move both sticks together, diabolo should end up hanging under both sticks.

3) Toss diabolo up right of sticks, point sticks at rising diabolo & snap down so diabolo releases and falls for catch.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Whirlly Bird

(imagine a horizontal suicide!)
see Flash Movie Controls

source: Chad Lunders, Lincoln, Nebraska USA

1) Start with a left-hand Inverse Trapeze or Al's Release over the Left stick. Let it hand there from the left stick and don't toss it. Keep the left stick still with the diabolo hanging there.

2) Bring the right stick closer to you and point its string end toward the string end of the left stick.

3) Swing the right stick away from you so it orbits horizontally around the end of the left stick. As the stick encircles, it wraps string around string hanging down to the diabolo.

4) After the right stick goes around one two or three times, catch the stick where you had released it.

5) After catching the stick, the diabolo can be tossed into a release similar to the end of the Inverse Trapeze or Al's Release trick. NOTE: Care must be taken that the release toss is not done too strongly. Gently toss the diabolo so the string wraps have a chance to slip off end of the left stick.

6) Catch the diabolo and smile!
See also Sun Chopper
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Infinite Inverses
see Flash Movie Controls

source: Within

1) Begin with a righthand Inverse Trapeze trick, but don't toss it.

2) Now using your right stick, make the diabolo go over the right stick (clockwise), but make sure it doesn't catch the string across as it did when you did the Inverse Trapese. The diabolo just goes over the right stick and puts a wrap of string around the end of the right stick.

3) The infinite part of this trick is that you can repeat step 2 as many times as you dare. So you can make the diabolo go around and around several times. Also you can unwrap with counterclockwise circles a few times if you like.

4) Toss the diabolo as you would out of an Inverse Trapeze. Keep in mind that the tiny wraps of string around your right stick's end will try to knot up your string. If your string is clean or a real slippery string, the knots will come out. Practice how many times you can circle the right stick with the diabolo and still get off a good toss and catch with out too many knots.

5. Catch diabolo.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Half Burning Spaghetti

source: Jordan, Chcago

1) Do Half Spaghetti but don't release it.

2) Stick the right stick through the loop of string on the left stick. This is similar to the Trapeze Cradle move.

3) Put both sticks in your left hand.

4) Do 2 Clockwise Suns using your left hand.

5) Release it like Half Spaghetti release and catch.

variation: Full Burning Spaghetti

source: Jordan, Chcago

Finish the Half Burning Spaghetti with a Whip Catch!
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Cancelled Trapeze

source: Tom, Brighton, UK

1) Do a Right Trapeze, but don't release it.

2) Now do two Inverse Trapeze intial moves. This is just the first move of the Inverse trapeze where your right stick end hooks the left string and brings the string above the diabolo. From there the diabolo is lifted into the above string and swung around the right stick in a clockwise circle. See Al's Release. Repeat once more by lifting into the above string and again the diabolo circles around the right stick, clockwise.

3) To release, keep both sticks close to each other and swing the diabolo out to the right so it will be tossed upward. The rising diabolo is right of both sticks, do not toss between the sticks.

4) As the diabolo leaves rises the string loops should fall away so the diabolo becomes free.

5) Open arms and sticks to tighten string to catch diabolo.

Variation: Start with 2 Right Trapezes, now do 3 Inverse Trapezes, and the diabolo will release right of both stick into a toss.

Wrap Variation for Cancelled Trapeze

source: Joel , Sweden

Instead of starting with a Right Trapeze simply start with a Right Wrap of string around the diabolo's axle. Then do 2 Right Inverse Trapezes and release as above, off to the right of both sticks.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Kringla

source: Filip Bengtsson

1) Begin an Inverse Trapeze on your left side. The action of the Left Inverse Trapeze begins the diabolo in a counterclockwise circle around the left stick.

2) Continue the diabolo moving counterclockwise under the left stick and then upward into the string that goes across to the right stick..

3) As soon as the diabolo hits the string, quickly circle the diabolo clockwise with the right stick's end. This brings the right stick back above the diabolo and to it's right.

4) Now go directly into a Right Trapeze at the same time as you move the knot upwards. This pattern looks like something called a "Kringla" in swedish

5) Now exit by throwing it up on the right side.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Ian's Spaghetti Grind Over The Falls

source: Ian

1) Begin with the Spaghetti trick, but don't toss it.

2) As the diabolo hangs in string loops from your left stick, place your right stick under the axle so the diabolo grinds on the right stick. The right stick is pointing left as this happens.

3) After grinding for a while, move both sticks above the diabolo so they point at each other. This is similar to the Waterfall trick's stick position. Note: Make sure not to loose the string loops off the end of the left stick.

4) Now flip the diabolo to the left over the left stick, as is done with the Waterfall trick. Note: The diabolo goes over the left stick, but stays on the string loops.

5) Now wrap the diabolo and left stick with your right stick,as you would in the beginning of the Waterfall trick.

6) To finish, toss the diabolo leftward but up so the string loops slip off the left stick as the diabolo rises.

7) The diabolo should become free and return for a catch and a smile.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Half Spaghetti Flip

source: Max Gelfond

1) Begin with the Half Spaghetti trick, but don't toss it.

2) Next put your right stick's string end behind the left side of the string.

3) Flip the diabolo over the right stick, so the string wraps around the end of the right stick once. (This is a clockwise movement of the diabolo around the right stick.)

4) With your stick ends together toss the diabolo upward similar to a toss out of a Half Spaghetti.

5. Catch the diabolo.

Note: It is possible to 'flip' the diabolo around the right stick more than once. The more you wrap around the harder it is to unknot the string for the catch. Slippery string helps, if you have some.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Inverse Trapeze Knot

source: Loy Chen

1) Put a Right wrap around the diabolo.

2) Do 2 Inverese Trapezes around the right stick. (First do one Inverse Trapeze, but don't release it. Now do a second Inverse Trapeze release this one in Step 3.)

3) Toss diabolo up to the right of both sticks. Make sure to point sticks upward with toss so diabolo should escape from string loops as it rises.

Variation: In step 1 wrap around the far cup with the left stick. This is the same as a right wrap. Now continue the rest of the trick in fluent clockwise movements. This makes for a very fluent release trick.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

See Also Crazy Knots

e-mail Jim

HOME - ONE TRICK LISTING - TWO TRICK LISTING - FLASH Movie Controls

|)><(|