US ASTROJAX Blog

TRY THIS: Lolly Pop-Its

This is a game you can play with the Lolly move. If you are not familiar with the lolly, check out this video to learn how (it's easy to learn, takes some time to gain complete control):

Ok, so you have your astrojax, your have your friends, and now you need some items you can knock down: bottles, cans, antique collectibles (ESPECIALLY those).

Set up the knockdown-ables, say on a fence or a wall. First player then proceeds to try to knock down all the targets as quick as possible. Person with the quickest time wins.

Or, set a (quick) time limit and see how many a player can knock down in the allotted time. Person that knocks down the most, wins.

Other variations:

• pin-the-lolly-on-the-target style. Blind fold player, set a time limit and see how many he/she can knock down.
• lolly-pigeon. One person throws up a can, other play tries to lolly-blast them out of the sky before they land safely on the ground
• LOLLY. This ones fun! Basically the basketball version of HORSE. One player "shoots" (for example: an under-the-leg lolly to knock down two cans in a row), second player tries to replicate. If they cannot knock down the target, they get a letter. First one to LOLLY loses.

 

Those are some suggestions. Got any ideas of your own? Be sure to share them in the comments. We'd love to hear them!

~~ OceanJax :)

Video Throwback: ChrisMANIC

Time for another showcase of just how dazzlingly spectacular a true Jaxologist can be.  Chris has been a player since as early as 2002 and it shows.  Even back then he had a natural intuition and and flawless form, seamlessly transitioning from one trick to the next. Check it out here!

 

Let's Talk... Vertical Orbits

Ok, so. You may be asking yourself why are we talking about vertical orbits? Do vertical orbits even matter?

This was a topic that was brought up by the father of Astrojax, Larry Shaw, one day at AP-Club. We had an in-depth discussion about the weight of vertical orbits as it relates to AJ play and for some reason, this topic has seemed to stick out in my mind above any other. And while the unanimous answer was "Yes, they matter!", the question still lingered (longer) in my mind.

If you were to know anything about me (besides my affinity for rambling and using the word "avid"), you would know that I'm very much the deep-minded thinker type (whatever that means). Basically, AJ play is more than just play. It's a lifestyle. It's a form of meditation. And simply, it is indeed play. But when you combine all those aspects into one, you start to ponder things like "do vertical orbits matter" at a deep level that would make Ghandi say "whoa". I mean, seriously. We're talking the equivalent of asking a yo-yo player "does it matter if the yoyo spins at the rate of a ga-gillion miles per hour in order to do your awesome tricks?"

Vertical orbits matter.

And I think the reason I have pondered this for so long is because of the question. You know the question all you Jaxologists out there. The one that makes you stumble over your words and go, "well, uh..."

The question: "What are those things?"

If you're prone to busting out your AJ's in public, you're guaranteed this question. The simple answer, "Oh, these? These are Astrojax!", leads to the inevitable follow-up.

"So, what are they?" (yeah, pretty much the same question as the first one because they want an explanation).

And begins the stuttering.

"So, these... uh... Astrojax are... uh... three balls... on a string. Are you following me. And you sort of do this... (here you show them some amazing trick like  a reverse fabulous that you NAILED over and over again in solo practice but cannot seem to pull off fluidly when it counts)."

"It's like a yo-yo..." (I think that's how I've started over 99% of this conversation - it's nothing like a yoyo really). "Do you know what a skill toy is..."

And on and on. Looking for the words. Coming up short. What do you say? "I'm controlling the chaos, MAN!" That doesn't go over to well.

So, after many attempts at coming up with the perfect words, I found the key word.

ORBIT

We orbit. We spin. 99% of the tricks we do involve orbiting in some fashion. You think this would pretty obvious (it wasn't to me), with tricks like vertical ORBIT, horizontal ORBIT, butterfly ORBIT,... you get my drift. Larry gave us the answer from the get-go. Now I know that the latest Astrojax, the MX, is marketed as "the free-dimensional swinging ball toy", but to say this is an orbiting skill toy is so much shorter and has some punch just by using that word orbit. You say orbit, you think something grand, something colossal like what planets do. You say swing, you think, kids swinging at the park. It just didn't feel right constantly saying "I'm just swinging my balls around" (See: parents rushing their children away from questionable skill toy weirdo).

All joking aside, at the heart of the matter, we orbit. Take some time when you play next and consider each trick you do. Observe how each trick contains some form of an orbit. Even lollies, though they look like they're shooting straight out in any which way, have quick quarter or half orbits.

So why am I saying all this? Why all the hubbub about orbits and if they matter? Because they do. It gives us a powerful word to extend our Astrojax community to potential new members. To market to them, yes, but to let people know what we do.

As far as vertical orbits? Well, when you start stringing tricks together, weaving from one trick to another, a good percentage of the time you will end up in some variation of a vertical orbit. It's the easiest orbit to drop into. It's the equivalent of the yo-yo player's sleeper. It's the first trick you learn and the one trick that quickly becomes your foundation.

So consider it. Learn it. Master it. Blend it. Weave it. Make it your own. And make the word orbit become powerful prose in your conversation with others when they ask, "what are those things?"

~~OceanJax :)

Hi, my name is (*ticka ticka*)...

Allow myself to introduce... myself.

My name is OceanJax, contributing writer to the Jaxology blog and avid Astrojax player. And when I say avid, I mean as in "showing great enthusiasm for".

I want to say hello and let you know that I'll be dropping by quite often to post some Jaxology tips, tricks, and probably some wackiness too. We'll also be talking about other skill toys that I may or may not be good at :/

But alas! It will be fun, informative, and spelled correctly (I'm also a word nerd and Anti-Word-Spelled-Wrong-on-Websites Activist or AWSWOWA for short... I wouldn't say I'm an "avid" AWSWOWA-ist, but I'm pretty into it).

Also, I'm into these things:

• rambling (as evident in above paragraphs)
• writing (novels, poetry, and short stories... and we may have some story fun here at Jaxology)
• coffee (when I say "into", I don't mean "swimming in")
• iPad-ing (I like Androids too, I just like iPads more)
• raising children (not yours, so please do not send them C.O.D. - also, what is C.O.D.?)
• music (electronic, trance, reggae, ... groups include: Paul Wright, Rootdown, and MORE!)

 

And these are things I'd like to be into:

• conferences (I got a thing for hotels and random people wandering around with nametags)
• coffee (now that I think about it, a coffee pool sounds pretty sweet.. and energizing)
• taking my AJ play to the next level (I want to be the Morgan Freeman of AJ, but I sit content at my Ashton Kutcher level of play for now. It certainly beats my previous Keanu Reeves level of play o_O )
• and finally, you. I'd like to get to know you all better. I mean that sincerely as indicated my by lack of parenthetical comment following each previous bullet point.

 

So yeah. If you don't hate me by now after reading all that drivel (see above), leave comments. Ask questions. And let's have fun!

~SMILE :)

~~OceanJax

Video Showcase: Storing Your String Bud Astrojax

As far as skill-based toys go, you might say we're pretty fond of Astrojax.  Originally we were going to name the blog super-fantastic-string-toy-for-to-glorious-happy-moments.org, but alas, it was taken and the original name rolls off the tongue pretty easily anyways. But as much as we love our Astrojax, what we love more is showing people how to get the absolute best experience with their own skill toys.  That's why today we're giving you this handy video guide to how best to wrap up your string bud Astrojax a 'la the MX Sport or Aqua Glow. Special thanks goes out to Joebro for this great idea. So kick back, relax-er, wait don't do that, then you can't play with your Astrojax!  Stand up, tune in, and get edumacated on how to stash your 'jax like a boss*!   *Editor's note- Josh, stop making outdated* references on the blog and replace 'boss' with 'pro' immediately. -Jim **Blogger's note- Jim, I'll stop making super-awesome references when you stop sleeping while the rest of us are working. -Awesome Josh.

The Most Embarrassing Astrojax Moment Winner is Decided!

Last week we put out a challenge to the community on our Facebook page (which, if you haven't 'liked' us yet we'd gee golly appreciate it) to tell us your most embarrassing Astrojax moment. There were a lot of great stories! Harrowing tales of rogue injuries caused by loaves of bread or even one fan having to demonstrate her mad jaxin' skills to a customs agent; Even Larry, the creator weighed in and while his story was good, we just can't see letting him win free Astrojax stuff- Sorry, Larry! So who walked away the victor?  Well, let's just say this titan of shamelessness didn't just walk away, but strutted. Here's the story. Colby, having just done a thousand one-handed pushups while rescuing 9 kittens from a burning orphanage, was walking back to his Lamborghini Gallardo when all of a sudden he spied a shady character trying to steal his bumper sticker!  Rather than immobilize the perp with his mind (which he can totally do), Colby instead reached for his trusty Astrojax. Just when the crook had recovered from being blinded by Colby's dashingly good looks, he made it only a single step before tripping over Colby's make-shift Astrojax bolo.  In classic fashion, Colby retrieved his bumper sticker and Astrojax, just before sending the mischievous scamp on his way and telling him to stay in school. Ok, we made up the part about the Lamborghini- it was actually the Batmobile because that's the only explanation for how one man can dish out so much justice.  For all of the details of Colby's masterful crime-fighting, head on over to our Facebook page! Congratulations, Colby!  You just won $25 store credit in addition to the mortified respect of all of us in the office.  May your strings never knot and your bumper stickers remain forever unsoiled by the fingers of injustice, you champion! Thanks again to everyone who submitted a story and be looking for more contests soon!  

This Weekend Only: Honoring our Heroes With Literal USAstrojax!

In honor of Memorial Day weekend, we're selling special red,white, and blue Astrojax sets for this weekend only.  As an added bonus, if you're a veteran or currently serving in the armed forces, we want to give you a discount as a small token of appreciation for all you've sacrificed so we can enjoy the freedom to do things like play with Astrojax. We don't truly have a great way to verify if you are serving or a veteran, so we're just gonna use the honor system and put the coupon code right here for you to use.  During checkout simply enter the coupon code AMHERO15 to receive 15% off your order. And to everyone else out there who's enjoying a 3-day weekend- Amidst cookouts and summertime fun, make sure you take a moment to be thankful for the freedoms you enjoy and remember the brave men and women that make it their duty to protect it. Happy Memorial Day, everyone!

Video Throwback: The Early Days of Team TC

Time for another video!  In the early days of Astrojax, one group stood out as pioneers for the newest skill-toy on the block.  Team TC represents some of the best Astrojax players in the world and we've dug into the dark inner workings of YouTube to bring you a brief glimpse at the early days of some passionate jaxologists!

Video Showcase: The Greatest Toy Ever Designed!

We know, throwing around terms like 'greatest' can get you in trouble nowadays, but regardless of your personal tastes I think we can all agree this is pretty awesome.  Check out our first video post on the site served up hot from our YouTube channel!

Are YOU A Jaxologist?

What is a Jaxologist you ask? Well, Webster's dictionary defines a jaxologist as:

jax - o - lo - gist    noun  

A person that is passionate about the perfection of skill-based toys such as Astrojax or an individual that is ruthlessly dedicated to the mastery of skill toys even at the expense of their personal well-being. Alright, we made that up- it's not in the dictionary, but it should be, because if you're reading this, that's precisely what you are! When we began Jaxology, we did so with one goal in mind- to be the absolute go-to source for anyone looking to master skill toys and learn how to get the most rewarding experiences out of the toys they're passionate about. Here you'll find all sorts of useful information like articles on how to properly maintain your toys, video interviews with renowned professionals, the sickest tricks, and the secret to immortality. ok, you got us- we might've embellished that last one a little too. We're not just about dispersing knowledge to you though because it's boring when one person just blathers on- we're just as excited to hear what YOU have to say! If there's one thing we've learned about skill toys, it's that every day someone, somewhere, is discovering something new. Whether that's a new trick, a shortcut to help out beginners, or just a creative video that makes people stop and think, your voice is important to us. Which, brings us to the most important piece of this introduction; We're passionate about building a community of great people who like having fun, staying active, and helping each other. In fact, it has to be a community because it'd be silly (yes, even for us) to claim we know EVERYTHING there is to know about skill toys. That's why we'll be looking to you and eager to post up your thoughts and advice just as much as we put out our own. Think you've got a great tutorial or just flat-out rant about Astrojax? Check out our writers guidelines, write it up, shoot it to us in an email, and if we choose yours as our post for the week you'll get a FREE *SOMETHING*. How's that for a slice of fried gold? So thanks for stopping by, fellow Jaxologist! We appreciate your checking us out, and be sure to subscribe and hit us up on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter to stay up on the latest videos, tutorials, new toys, and more!