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[Kirk]

Early attempts at the arm walker has the top zipping off the side of my arm almost instantly.  Usually to the right. No amount of arm twisting has helped yet.
Thoughts and tips are welcome. 
Thanks
Kirk

[czyoyo]

Is the tip of your top sharp or more rounded? Are you using fixed or bearing?

[Kirk]

I'm using a fixed tip spintastics sidewinder.  Since I am new to tops the plastic tip is not very worn yet. 

[topper777]

try slidinging the top a inch at a time. after about 10 to 12 inches"depending on if your an adult or youth" you should have reached your elbow. slow and precise movements should work the best.
   if you want to you can do what i do. after walking it to my elbow, i pop the top to my other elbow and walk it back down to the opposite hand!

[the Earl of Whirl]

One problem I have always had with arm walker is sweat!  That is one tricky trick to do on stage at worlds when your arm is covered with sweat.  I dropped it at both my first and second worlds and my son said it was time to leave it out.  So my first tip is to make sure your arm is dry.

A second tip is to practice rolling a ball down your arm to get used to controlling an object doing that motion.  I have found that softballs work well for this. 

Good luck!

[Eli Hickerson]

When I am having trouble with moving it slow I speed it up getting it down my arm and back as quick as i can.

[Gustin Joss]

I suggest waiting for the top to settle into a nice spin. The Sidewinder can be bouncy, thus making the trick harder right after the boomerang. Take a rest, relax for four to six seconds and then start the walk down your arm. I think that should make it work a lot more smoothly. Remember, as you perfect the trick, smooth is the key. You want it to look like a nice stroll, not a herky jerky stumble.

[jochs12]

The skin in your palm is a little more stiff, smooth and concaved.  Once you get out on your forearm the skin is more soft, grippy and convex.  I have found that the material and sharpness of the tip makes a world of difference.  Plastic tips grip the softer skin more than metal and can take off sideways more easily.  The same goes for the sharpness of the tip.  Metal/Sharp tips will just stay put and you almost have to force the top down your forearm.  Plastic/Rounder tips are much more squirrelly and have to be more aggressively kept centered and balanced.  It can be done but it is definitely more challenging with plastic/dull tips. 

Every person's arm is a little different also.  I found it also helped me to pre-visualize the path that worked best on my arm and guide the top along that path. 

I liked topper's idea of coming down the other side.  Sometimes I pop it up from my inner elbow to my shoulder and call it a "parrot", but that is a very inconsistent trick for me.   

[Kirk]

Is the tip of your top sharp or more rounded? Are you using fixed or bearing?

Ha! The key is a sharp tip.  Or perhaps that I have 4 times more experience than when this thread started.

[kevinm]

The skin in your palm is a little more stiff, smooth and concaved.  Once you get out on your forearm the skin is more soft, grippy and convex.  I have found that the material and sharpness of the tip makes a world of difference.  Plastic tips grip the softer skin more than metal and can take off sideways more easily.  The same goes for the sharpness of the tip.  Metal/Sharp tips will just stay put and you almost have to force the top down your forearm.  Plastic/Rounder tips are much more squirrelly and have to be more aggressively kept centered and balanced.  It can be done but it is definitely more challenging with plastic/dull tips. 

Every person's arm is a little different also.  I found it also helped me to pre-visualize the path that worked best on my arm and guide the top along that path. 

wow! i just switched to a metal tip S8 and did arm walker for the first time ever, twice in a row! thanks for the tip tip. makes all the difference.
true that about people's arms being different too. i gotta start working out or something.

[Kirk]

As I have been coaching others on Arm Walker I have found yet another key to the trick.
Most folks raise their arm until the top starts to move. After it gets over the heel of their hand, it takes off uncontrollably down a steeply angled arm.  I advise folks to keep the forearm level, tilt only the hand.  After the top is out of the palm and on the wrist then raise the arm.
When working on the pop back to the hand, start with hopping the top up and move your hand back to the top. That is easier than trying to hop the top forward to your hand. If you catch with your hand lower than your elbow you can make the catch with much less spin.

[the Earl of Whirl]

Good tips, Kirk.  I would like to add one thing to watch for......sweat!  My first couple of years on the world stage I tried some types of arm walkers and because of sweat my attempts were flops.  If, for some reason, someone is working on this trick with a sweaty arm they might find themselves frustrated with the top slipping away.

By the way, for the last five years I did not try any arm walkers at worlds.