Teaching diabolo to a group

Lesson 1

Start and speed

Accelerating

1. The diabolo on the ground, the string under the axle. Roll it a little way along the ground with the right stick, then lift it.
2. The right stick pulls up sharply, then falls back loose. The left hand stays low and still.
3. Goal: a hum in about ten pulls, the diabolo level.
4. It will not speed up? Both hands are moving: pin the left one.

Lesson 2

Keep it level

The whip

1. Look along the string from behind: one cup is closer to you. Say which way it leans before you correct.
2. A small lean: lift the stick on the side it leans towards. It walks back level on its own.
3. A bigger lean: move the stick on the other side forward and give one short pull. Short: two small fixes beat one big one.

Game. Freeze: everyone accelerates; on “stop”, hold it level for five seconds.

Lesson 3

Throw and catch

Throw and catch

1. Speed first: a slow diabolo tilts in the air.
2. Sticks at hip height, then pull them apart in one movement: apart, not up.
3. Start at knee height. A low throw you can repeat beats a high one caught by luck.
4. To catch: one stick under it, the string to the axle, and let it push your hand down. Watch the axle, not the cups.

Game. Throw ladder: three catches at knee height, then hip, then head.

Lesson 4

First tricks

Around the world · Sun

1. Around the world: sticks together, pointing forward. Swing up and over in a circle out in front, fast enough to keep the string tight.
2. Sun: the left stick still and low. With the right, a small circle around it, close in, and let the string unwrap.
3. Later, the String climb works only on a fixed axle: a good moment to explain the two axles.

Game. End with a show: everyone throws together on three.