Basics

Where to Get One- I got my first diabolo in a science store that were so popular in malls a few years ago. That diabolo was eventually lost somewhere. I then got my second diabolo in the giftshop of Cirque du Soleil's La Nouba in Downtown Disney. I never saw the show, but I was able to get my diabolo there for cheaper than ordering it through the mail since there was no shipping, even though it was in Disney. I wouldn't try attempting to make diabolos since they need to be almost perfectly balanced for them to work correctly. So if you don't have a Cirque du Soleil near you, order one off of the internet. Dube.com is probably a good place to start looking. Avoid the diabolos with only one cup or the diabolos made out of wood. Only use those one you are really really confident using a plastic diabolo.

Starting The Diabolo- you should have two handsticks with a string between them that come with your diabolo. Hold one handstick in each hand, at the end of the sticks. Place the diabolo on the string and start lifting and lowering your right (or left) hand at a good speed. This should start your diabolo spinning. The faster you do this, the faster the diabolo should spin.

A second way to start the diabolo is to roll it along the ground and then lift it up and then start the technique written about above. It will give your diabolo a little spinning head start. See the picture below for a little diagram.