A suicide is a trick which involves releasing one or both the sticks and catching it again. The basic suicide follows the same pattern as “Around the World” but when the diabolo reaches twelve o’clock (rising on the left), you release your right hand stick and catch it (ideally) exactly where the diabolo was at twelve O’clock. This means that after releasing the stick, your right hand immediately goes up to where the diabolo was (see Fig. 2). The string will not be tangled.

Advice: Notice that the key word is “release”. Not throw or let slip. You simply let your hand go of the stick when the diabolo reaches 12 o’clock (see video).

Physics tells us that the faster the diabolo is going around the world, the faster the stick is going to fly at your hand after you release it. You don’t have to go around the world very fast. Just enough so that if it were a bucket of water, you’re not going to get wet.

With practice you’ll find that it’s easier to catch the stick when you don’t reach for it. Wait for it to meet your hand. Notice how little my hand moves between Figures 2 and 3.

Next Step: Practice suicides in both directions. The release hand changes but you can go back-to-back suicides in opposite directions, or continual suicides in one direction. See how many you can do in a row. Most importantly, practicing should be fun. If you aren’t getting the hang of it right away, put the sticks down and do something else for a bit. I promise you’ll be better at it when you come back than when you set the sticks down.