The Origins Of The Children's Yo-Yo
Did you know that the children's toy the 'Yo-Yo' was first invented in the Philippines as a Filipino hunting weapon in prehistoric times. There are many types of highly sophisticated Yo-Yo in the Philippines today such as the 'toyok,' a cross between a spinning top and a yo-yo, basically a yoyo which spins in a horizontal fashion while moving up and down, that is also able to spin on flat surfaces on its central needle.

Transcripts taken from web:-

"I had a chance several years ago to ask Guro Dan Inosanto about the yo-yo and what he's learned about its uses as a weapon. Guro Dan proceeded to show me a fascinating methodology for the use of the yo-yo as a weapon.

It involved using the yo-yo to support the use of a single knife (in "pakal" or an ice-pick grip). The finger loop of the yo-yo was slipped over the knife handle, and the string would come out between your middle and ring fingers. The string was fully unwound and the yo-yo itself was held in the left (or supporting) hand with the string coming out between the middle and ring fingers of that hand too. The knife could be freely used to jab, slash, etc. (because there was so much slack in the string). The string could be used as a garrote or to bind/tied up the opponent’s limbs.

The interesting part was that the yo-yo could be released and rapidly swung around in circles like a lasso (overhead, vertically, diagonally etc.). It could be used to strike the opponent (like a rock on the end of a stick) or to wrap around a limb or neck and bind the opponent. What’s unique about the yo-yo is that when you pull on the knife handle (like a T-handle), the yo-yo will begin to unwrap from the opponent and – 9 times out of 10 – the yo-yo will catch the string and act like a lasso immediately tightening! This is very cool and is the reason for the design of the yo-yo itself. Any other weight shape won’t consistently catch its own string while being rapidly unwound.

At anytime, the knife can be used to cut the string and release the yo-yo (in case the opponent tried to pull the knife out of your hand).

Simple, brutal, effective."