Yo-yo experts from all over Russia descended on Moscow at the weekend for a two-day sporting battle. The capital's second yo-yo contest attracted eighty participants.

For those taking part, a yo-yo is more than just a child's plaything. For them, the national Russian Contest is one of the most important events of the year.   

Aleksey Schugorev, one of the organisers, says this ‘new culture’ attracts many people.  

“Yo-yo is a very convenient sport, because you can always have a yo-yo in your pocket and play anywhere,” he said.

The basic yo-yo technique is called “walk-the-dog”. It's as easy as, well, walking your dog. But if you really want to tame a yo-yo, you have to work pretty hard.  

Most skilled players can do the yo-yo freestyle. They perform over three minutes to their favourite music, mixing different styles and showing off their best tricks.

One of the most skilled players in Russia, Mr. Cherry, as he calls himself, mastered the yo-yo in two years.  

He believes that training is not necessary, since the “most important thing is that your hands should be made to play a yo-yo”.

Mr. Cherry's yo-yo was exclusively created for him – complete with his personal logo. He hopes to participate in the World Championship in Atlanta next year.