Introduction

Rubber band manipulation is a new form of manipulation which is fairly unexplored. I have been exploring rubber band manipulation for a while now, and was disappointed to discover there aren't many resources on the subject. There are resources available on how to shoot rubber bands, but almost nothing can be found on how to create figures with rubber bands, which is only one area of rubber band manipulation.

But Why?

Ok, so learning how to create a star with a rubber band may not be the most useful (or the coolest) skill you'll ever learn. But we all have to start somewhere, and the two handed single star is one of the basics when it comes to rubber band manipulation. And believe me, once you start getting into more advanced rubber band manipulation, this is certainly something that will impress many people (check the end of this tutorial for a short list of possibilities). If nothing else, this will still be useful as an ice breaker in a party.

Preparation

Well, let's get started... First of all, you will need at least one rubber band. What type of rubber band you will need is not very important for this basic trick. But since this tricks requires stretching the band a lot, you don't want to choose a rubber band that's too small, or it will easily snap. You also don't want to choose a rubber band that's too thick, because that will only add unnecessary strain to your fingers. I personally use #33 rubber bands, which are 3 1/2" x 1/8" in dimension (90mm x 3mm). I personally haven't tested a whole range of rubber bands, but I'm sure the average rubber band that you can find in an office will work for this trick.

Once you have your rubber band, you want to stretch it (as shown in the figure). Doing this will loosen the band and prevent extra strain on your fingers. It will also help prevent the rubber band from easily snapping. After you stretch the rubber band a few times, you should also stretch your fingers. There are many forms of stretching your fingers, so this will not be covered here, but you can easily find tutorials on finger stretching by searching the web. (some keywords: carpal tunnel, finger exercises, prevent tennis elbow)

How-To

Start by holding the rubber band with your thumb and index finger of your left hand.	Place your right index finger under the blue section of rubber band and above the orange section. Note: The colors of the rubber bands were digitally added for clarity and explanation purposes. You do not need a colored rubber band for this trick.
Pull your index finger to your right...	...and twist your hand clockwise.
Replace your right index finger with your left pinky.	With your right index finger, reach for the section stretched between your thumb and index finger (blue) and pull it to your right.
With the section of rubber band still under your index finger, reach under the section from your thumb and pinky.	Now insert your index finger in the loop created by the orange and blue sections. Use your index finger to hook only the orange section.
Pull the orange section through the blue and red sections. Make sure not to pull other sections of the rubber band along the way. Note: The original orange section is now represented by the orange and green sections.	Place your right middle finger under the orange section (the part of the rubber band that connects the right index finger and your left pinky). Important: Make sure the middle finger does not reach past red section.
With your middle finger, hook the blue section and pull it to the right (going under the orange section).	Congratulations! You've just finished the single star. Not bad, huh?

What's Next?

Well, as I mentioned earlier, this is a very basic trick you can with rubber bands. Here is a list of things you may want to try:

- aim for neatness: an uneven or sloppy star will not impress anyone. Try to adjust the way you pull the band at each step to figure out how you can come up with a neat and even star.

- aim for speed: so you can pull this trick off consistently, huh? But do you struggle through the steps? Creating the star is also part of what people will be looking at. So you may want to improve the smoothness and speed in which you create the star. By combining independent steps, and with some practice, I was able to pull this trick in 3 moves, and under 2 seconds. I am sure with some research and practice, you can beat that.

- variations of the single star: There are many ways to create a star with a rubber band. As a matter of fact, this is not the most efficient method of doing it, or even the easiest. But this method is necessary to create a double star (tutorial coming in the future). You may wish to explore other ways to create a star. There are many out there.

- one handed stars: you can make stars with only one hand. Again, there are many ways of doing a one handed single star, with one of the fastest methods being able to create a one handed star in less than 0.5 secs (claimed by Yahu). I may add a tutorial for a one handed single star method adapted from this two handed method. Please stay tuned.

- double stars: the reason this tutorial showed you a more complicated method of creating a single star is because it is necessary to create a double star. In the future, I'll add a tutorial on how to create a star within a star (double star) based on what you learned in this tutorial.

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