Since I started with the diabolo, I’ve enjoyed grinding. I train a lot at skateparks, and there I’ve learned that when a grind comes out solid, you recognize it by the sound of the friction and by the body line, clean and stable. I like the glide, the clean noise when everything fits, and knowing that I can come out of the grind with clarity.
A grind is letting the diabolo slide on the stick with control, keeping the spin and the direction. The key is to give it a place to rest and a line to move along without losing the plane.
These days I’ve recorded three grinds that I like, where you can see different ways of approaching them. In some of them there’s a flippers, which I like because they add dynamism, since grinds tend to be a more static figure.
Three diabolo grinds I like
Fall
Multiplex to grind
180º
From side to side
Balance
Minimal multiplex
What interests me most is when grinds have consequences. One, they don’t have to be an end point. Sometimes a small weight shift leads to a different entry, or an exit opens up a path I hadn’t planned. These small decisions are what make the sequence grow.
Recording helps me see if the good feelings match what’s actually happening. I compare whether the rhythm is steady and if the diabolo stays where I want. When I practice at a skatepark, I like hearing the sound of the grind and seeing the skater steady and solid, holding without drifting. With the diabolo, I look for the same: glide, decide, and continue.
Practical guide to doing a grind
- Entry. Throw the diabolo gently, at chest height. Catch the axle with the stick at the dead point and make a short reception, accompanying the fall.
- Present the receiving stick. Almost horizontal and with a slight tilt against the direction of spin of the diabolo; that way you contain it and it doesn’t slip away. Relaxed hand, elbow marking the plane.
- Reception. Catch it on the section close to the tip of the stick. Avoid the very end and also too close to the handle.
- Control the movement. Micro-tilts: tip down to move forward, tip up to slow or stay, keeping the general tilt against the spin.
- Corrections. If the diabolo twists, recover the plane by moving the stick in the XZ plane. This may increase friction; adjust the stick’s tilt if needed. Don’t stiffen your wrist.
- Exit. Lower the tip slightly so it returns to the string and catch with tension; or make a small pop and receive.
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