About John Ando
John Ando — known in the yo-yo community as “Ancho” — is a three-time World Yo-Yo Champion and five-time U.S. National Champion based in Saitama, Japan. He grew up in Texas and began competing during the late-1990s yo-yo boom as a member of Team High Performance under Yomega sponsorship. He established himself primarily in the double-looping (2A) division, winning four consecutive U.S. National titles from 2004 through 2007 before making a surprise pivot to 1A string-trick competition.
In 2008, Ando won the East Japan Regional Contest in his first competitive 1A freestyle, then went on to win the World Yo-Yo Contest 1A division in only his second 1A appearance — earning recognition as a YoYoFactory athlete and one of the sport’s most unexpected world champions. He went on to win the World Yo-Yo Contest Artistic Performance (AP) division as part of Team SHAQLER in both 2010 and 2015, a duo-performance format combining choreography, LED yo-yo work, and synchronized execution.
Ando is credited with originating a distinct style of 1A tricks known as “Ancho Caves” — body-integrated arm-wrap sequences that use the player’s physical form as part of the trick structure. This technique elevated the importance of spatial awareness and performer physicality in competitive freestyle and influenced a generation of 1A players. His YoYoFactory Protostar (2009) — a plastic yo-yo with aluminum weight rings — was a landmark product that challenged the dominance of full-metal designs, debuting at the 2009 World Contest, and his Superstar signature was the throw he used to claim back-to-back World titles.
After a period away from competition, Ando returned to the U.S. National stage in 2022, winning the 2A division — his first national entry in approximately 15 years — demonstrating continued elite-level competency across multiple disciplines. He remains affiliated with YoYoFactory, participates in the Guys of Liberty and FIST SALUD communities, and has worked as a yo-yo educator and demonstrator in Japan.
In Their Own Words
From a demonstration tips article published at YoYoNews, July 2016:
On performing for a general audience:
“A balance between the easy (flashy tricks) and hard (complex tricks) is essential to pull off a good show… Remember, balance is the key.”
