Head Shake

Head Shake is an ability in Super Mario Galaxy 2, and it can only be used by Yoshi. The ability is very similar to Mario's spinning move, but it can only be used when Mario or Luigi rides on Yoshi, therefore replacing Mario's spin move. When the player shakes the Wii Remote or Nunchuk, Yoshi will shake his head, which can be used to break Item Crystals, activate objects, and other functions, just like the spin move. However, the Head Shake does not work on objects behind Yoshi, unlike the Spin. After using Head Shake, Yoshi will have to wait for a moment before he can Head Shake again.

The Head Shake can be used to gain height in midair. This only works if Yoshi jumps up but does not Flutter Jump. If Yoshi flutter jumps, he cannot gain any distance from Head Shake. Also, if Yoshi uses Head Shake, he will not be able to flutter jump afterwards. Therefore, the player must choose only one of the moves to gain height from.