Difference between a ball bearing diabolo and a fixed axis diabolo

Preparing the sticks and string

In this video, we will explain how to prepare your sticks and string to play with the diabolo. Most diabolo sticks work on this principle: you need to thread the string through the stick. To tie the knot, it's very simple. Start by making a loop and passing the end of the string once inside this loop. You will end up with a simple knot. You can now tighten your knot and secure your string in the stick. Cut off the excess with a pair of scissors. Better than a long speech, I invite you to watch the video.

To adjust the length of your string, place one of your sticks on the ground. Keep the string taut, then cut it at the level of your shoulder. This will give you a string length adapted to your height, meaning that the total length of the string goes from the ground to your shoulder.

Differences between a fixed-axle diabolo and a ball-bearing diabolo

We will see the difference between a fixed-axle diabolo and a ball-bearing diabolo. The ball-bearing diabolo has a direction of use. In the video, we showed the example with the Hurricane diabolo. When I am right-handed with this diabolo model, the black axle faces me. And when I am left-handed, it is the white axle that faces me. This direction may vary depending on the diabolo models.

With a fixed-axle diabolo, you can perform tricks like the elevator. On a ball-bearing diabolo, the axle does not rotate. It is therefore impossible to perform tricks like the elevator. A ball-bearing diabolo has a much longer rotation time than a fixed-axle diabolo, making it easier to chain together many tricks. You can thus grab it by its axle to perform tricks.

Video credits:

• The tutorial is a realization of Raphael Caputo // METLILI
• The diabolist: Alistair Girardot
• Colorimetry of the video: Alistair Girardot
• Voice: Matthew SLADE
• Diabolo used: triple bearing model, the Hurricane