So you learned how to start your diabolo, what now?
The 7 following tricks and techniques are in my opinion the first ones you need to master:
- Throw and catch
- Sun
- Waterfall
- Whip acceleration
- Wrap and unwrap
- Correction – tipping
- Correction – turning
These 7 tricks are the building blocks that will allow you to unlock the rest of the diabolo tricks.
1. Throw and catch
Tossing the diabolo in the air and catching it is the number 1 trick to learn, because it’s the easiest and you will use it all the time.
You don’t need to know any other trick to learn the throw and catch and you don’t need a lot of spin to perform it. So you can learn this trick even before having mastered the acceleration fully.
2. Sun
It is called a sun because the diabolo is spun in a big circle, “drawing” a sun.
The sun is a very useful trick to learn because you will encounter the string position after the trick a lot. A large number of tricks come from this one and you can create variations of existing tricks by using a sun in the middle of them.
3. Waterfall
The waterfall is a beginner trick that you will outgrow pretty quickly, but it’s a good basic trick that will help you understand some key concepts like sticks position and string play.
This trick is easy to learn and you don’t even need a lot of speed.
4. Whip Acceleration
This is the first real acceleration you can learn. It is way more effective and more impressive than the one you learned starting your diabolo.
Mastering this acceleration will help you with tricks that need a lot of spin.
5. Wrap and unwrap
Knowing how to wrap and unwrap your diabolo is a technique that you absolutely need to master. It is quick and easy to learn.
This technique leads to so many other tricks, it is a must-know.
6. Correction – Tipping
To perform any trick, your diabolo needs to be balanced on the string. You will probably have already noticed that your diabolo is sometimes tippng forward or backward.
This technique will help you remedy this problem!
7. Correction – Turning
This technique is not necessary at first, but a good one to work on early on. It allows you to keep your diabolo facing the audience when you’re performing. It will also be a necessary skill to have when you learn the 2 diabolo shuffle to keep your diabolos aligned.
Final Thoughts
Learning all these tricks will open the doors to most tricks with 1 diabolo, so try to master them all!
When you’re ready to move on from the basics, here is a list of tricks you may want to learn. And if you want to dive deeper in the topic of diabolo improvement, there is a complete article here.
