Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by aHOOP!duh on July 13, 2012 at 11:50am

Yea the other current definitely gives me a hard time. I can do the waist, albeit it does feel very awkward at times, and I've recently been working on the lift to lasso, but my left arm is so not used to doing a lot of moves! Funnily enough though, I can do the entire Vortex in my opposite current, but the initial lift to lasso still gives me trouble from time to time- weird eh?

I went to HoopFest last year and there was an entire workshop on the opposite current. It was really helpful and I actually ended up being able to do the shimmy from knee to waist hooping by the end of it- it was awesome! I definitely feel like the more I practice the more comfortable I feel with everything, but I haven't had much time to get down all year.

Good luck and I would definitely recommend attending a hoop workshop if you have the time and/or resources =]

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Permalink Reply by MayaAya on July 13, 2012 at 1:15pm

I can do a few things the opposite way, but it just feels wrong :P

I normally hoop to the left.
So far I can hoop to the right comfortably, do a vortex, a small amount of chest hooping (usually falls quickly), and a lift off the waist. But I usually smack myself in the head when I do vortexes. It's tricky.

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ModPermalink Reply by Martika* of MartikasMysticDesign on July 13, 2012 at 2:14pm

it is healthier for your body's growth! Using both directions helps prevent cramps, muscle tightness and pulling a muscle. Think of your muscle as a rubber band if you only twist it one direction it's going to twist up into a ball and not unwind. Moving it in the other direction unwinds that tension. Like in yoga if you do something in one side of your body you must do it in the other side to prevent uneven muscles. And the longer you do it you can see the unevenness in your leg muscles, shoulders etc. (speaking from experience, my calf's look uneven from me only using my right foot for foot hooping..)

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StudentPermalink Reply by Jules* on July 13, 2012 at 2:42pm

when i started hooping 2nd current, it felt like i was learning to hoop all over again. SaFire's Breaks and Reversals class is a really great resource. I'm still much better with my first current, but my second is coming along. One thing SaFire highly recommends is hooping to a whole song using your second current every time you hoop practice. Also, everything new you learn, learn both directions at the same time. There's my advice! :)

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Permalink Reply by Niisha Doodle on July 13, 2012 at 2:47pm

I have a bad habit of hooping to my left too much. I can waist and shoulder hoop in the opposite direction, but I can't leg hoop. So weird. Anyways, because I keep going to the left, my scoliosis is getting bad  and all my muscle is building up on one side of my back again so now everytime I hoop I gotta try making myself go to the right -__-

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ModPermalink Reply by Martika* of MartikasMysticDesign on July 13, 2012 at 3:30pm

stretching before, during and after a hooping session will help the tightness, and unevenness in muscles if you can't keep up hooping in the opposite current.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Cheez Hoops on July 13, 2012 at 3:59pm

Hooping in the opposite direction will actually help the scoliosis.  I would recommend you start practicing the other way now before it gets to a point where you can't hoop your normal current at all.  And any new tricks you learn, learn them in both currents together this will help you learn it quicker and have easier transitions while hooping. :) Hope you get it!

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ModPermalink Reply by Martika* of MartikasMysticDesign on July 14, 2012 at 12:26pm

I know what you mean, I still can't leg/knee hoop in my opposite current but still practicing with the opposite current uses the same muscles as you would use to do it normally. So even if you can't keep it going practicing will still help.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Quixote on July 14, 2012 at 1:18pm

I can do the basics to the left: waist, chest shimmy, chest hooping (no arms in yet!), leg hooping (can't shimmy it up though), leg hooping on my left leg, vertical hooping, lift-up, and a rather awkward basic iso on my right hand. :p

The thing that sucks, though, is that since I hoop to the right, the left side of my body has more control and flexibility. In group performances in belly dance, it's usually the right side that's showcased because... well, most people are right-side dominant.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Quixote on July 14, 2012 at 9:20pm

Vortex breaks <3

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StudentPermalink Reply by Rhonda J. on July 14, 2012 at 10:48pm

hummm, I've seen where ppl seem to get frustrated with learning in "the opposite direction". I don't quite have that problem with my hooping as I am ambidextrous- but I do with other stuff cause I swear it's a right handed world! But what I do is- when I learn a trick/move (and it depends on who I saw do it or which hand grabs the hoop 1st- the later being most common), after I get that trick/move down- I learn it the other way. I have noticed whichever way I originally learn the trick is the way I do it better. :) Then i move on to the next thing I want to learn.

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ModPermalink Reply by Martika* of MartikasMysticDesign on July 15, 2012 at 9:56am

learning to be comfortable with being uncomfortable will help you in your hoop journey.

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