TopSpinning.com: Tricks: The Spinner

1. Hold the top with the point pointing upwards.

2. Throw towards the ground in front of you. Once the top is released, pull the right hand back slightly - just enough to keep the string taut.

3. You can keep your right hand still at this point or pull back slightly to give it a little more spin.

4. Because of the way the top is wound, it will automatically turn over when it leaves the string.

Master this trick well. This trick is the basis of all the rest of the top tricks.

Start throwing the spinner slowly. Then as you get more comfortable, throw it faster for a faster spin.

A wider arm swing will give you a faster spin.
A harder throw will give you a faster spin.

Cocking your hand at your wrist before the throw and snapping the wrist forward and back at the end of the throw will also give you additional spin because of the whiplash effect. The additional speed of the wrist snapback is added to the speed of the arm swing. (For beginners, however, a cocked wrist gives less control. So you may want to leave out the cocked wrist when first learning the Spinner or Boomerang.)

The string should be taut from the moment the top leaves your hand to the moment the top leaves the string for a smooth delivery. Once the top leaves the hand do NOT follow through.

Common occurences when first learning the Spinner or Boomerang: Sometimes the top seems to just come off the string as you throw, or the throw results in a jerky feel or a "tug" on the string before the top leaves the string, or the top snags on the string. To prevent this be sure the string is taut when the top leaves your hand. Do not "follow through" since this often results in the hand travelling faster than the top after the top is released from the hand so that the string momentarily becomes slack. Once the top is released, the hand should be still or slightly pull back.
Another cause for jerky string snags may be using a string that is too thin for the weight of the op so that the top is slipping off the string. Imagine a five pound, one foot tall top being wound up with a string instead of a rope and you will have a good idea of what will happen when you try to throw it.

The top should very slightly roll off your fingers at the moment the top leaves your hand to begin the top rolling off the string.

Another problem, which every person learning the spinner encounters and which is usually quickly resolved with practice, is that the string is thrown out together with the top.