This is one of the fundamental devilstick tricks & is needed for many other devilstick moves so it is one that is important to learn well. In this trick you spin the devilstick continuously around one hand stick like the propeller of an airplane. Devilstick propeller endurance/gladiators is the most popular devilstick game played at conventions.
Start with a bit of Single sticking, instead of making a normal catch & throw, place the handstick on the devilstick about a centimetre underneath the central waistband. Just before the devilstick becomes horizontal gently lift upwards (don't hit) with the handstick, this will push the bottom half of the devilstick up & over. Allow the devilstick to roll over the top of the handstick, as it rolls over & off of the handstick the devilstick will complete half a turn & the top half will then be on the bottom. At this point lift your handstick off the devilstick then pull it out away from the central waistband. Wait until the top half comes round to the top again then catch & throw the devilstick & resume single sticking.
Throughout this move the devilstick does one complete turn. Keep practising this one move over & over. Don't place the handstick too far below the waistband or push too hard otherwise the devilstick will spin round too fast for you to control. If you place the handstick above the waistband, the stick may not have enough momentum to roll all the way over (& pushing will only slow it down even more). Try & keep it as controlled as possible. Practise this move on both sides.
Once you are comfortable with pushing the devilstick round once it is time to start working on more spins. Start from single sticking as before, then place one handstick under the waistband & push the devilstick round. Let the devilstick roll off the top & take the handstick off of the devilstick just like you practised before. Instead of taking the handstick out again though keep it close to the centre of the devilstick. Draw a little half circle with the tip of the handstick in the same direction as the spin of the devilstick. When drawing the circle use only your wrist & not your whole arm. Just before the devilstick reaches horizontal again place the handstick just below the waistband & push the lower half of the devilstick up just as you would do if going into the move straight from single sticking.
That is all there is to it, to keep going just keep your handstick in the centre & push the devilstick up whenever it is on top, to exit pull your handstick out from the centre & make a catch & throw. You can practise adding more & more spins, start off doing 1 then 2, 3, 4, 5... or just go for as long as you can before you lose control. Beware of the second method if you are indoors though. If things start to go wrong the devilstick can end up spinning very fast & shooting off at high speed.
Some tips for longer runs
Rule 1: KEEP YOUR OTHER HANDSTICK OUT OF THE WAY!
Only focus your gaze on the centre of the devilstick, in this trick the devilstick can be spinning pretty fast, so much so that the ends of the devilstick may end up moving faster than the eye can focus on. The centre of the devilstick will appear to be moving much slower & will be easier for you to see.
Learn to control the speed of the propeller. Placing the handstick further down below the waistband will speed it up, placing it closer to or above the waistband will slow it down.
& the other way
"& the other way" is a common call from a games host during a game of devilstick propeller endurance at a convention. On hearing this all competitors have to start spinning their propeller the other way on the same handstick.
Spinning a propeller the other way is no different & is learnt in exactly the same way. The only change is how you enter the trick. From single sticking make a catch as normal but make the throw with a little more force than usual. Follow the top of the devilstick with the handstick. Let the devilstick turn over for half a spin so that the top half ends up on the bottom then place the handstick under the waistband on the inside of the devilstick. Lift just like before & continue.
'The other way' will feel more awkward at first & will probably take more practise than the 'normal way' to get it down solid. As I said at the beginning though, propellers will pop up in many other tricks & are very useful for transitions between moves. Learn the propeller with both hands both ways.