Hoop Sizing?

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Permalink Reply by snowzilla on January 26, 2009 at 2:44pm

You know, I don't think there's a truly right or wrong answer. You take myself and the friend who started hooping with me. I'm tall (5'11") and she's not - she's more on the petite end of the height scale. I started with a 42 inch hoop - 1 inch, 160psi. That seems to be the general size for beginners. If you look around at what hoopers are selling, their "beginner" hoops are usually around that size.

I've since graduated to a smaller, thinner hoop - a 3/4 inch hoop with about a 39 inch height. She's using the same, but preferred to stick with the 42 inch size. A couple of weeks ago, we had to fix the joint in it, and we took it down to a 40, I believe.

Also, I have two hoops that I use fairly regularly - both are 3/4 inch, 39 inch height- but one is pvc, 100psi, so it's got a bit of spring to it. The other is made of a white tubing called Superpex that is very rigid and unforgiving, but it's lighter and quicker than the other hoop. Which hoop I use depends on my mood, the tricks I'm working on, the music I'm listening to. It's all very subjective based on the user!

I think a 3/4 inch-thick hoop at whichever psi you find comfortable would probably be ok. :)

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Permalink Reply by Alli on January 26, 2009 at 11:01pm

That was really informative! I will definately be putting more thought into my next hoop purchase now. =)

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Permalink Reply by Bella SPICE * of HomeSpun Hoops* on February 17, 2009 at 10:29pm

where do you get this superpex tubing you speak of?

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Permalink Reply by Sparkillz on January 26, 2009 at 2:51pm

The person who gave me my hoop said that the hoop should stand from the ground up to the bend in your elbow...but thats all I know.

I'm going to be keeping an eye on this discussion, I would like to know more about hoop sizing as well

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Permalink Reply by Amy Irish on January 26, 2009 at 3:08pm

Thanks for the input - I feel dumb asking, but what does psi stand for? I found a cool hoop that is 3/4 inch but only 100 psi - it's the collapsible type, so I'm really tempted..

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Permalink Reply by Joe on February 22, 2009 at 8:48am

psi = Pounds per Square Inch refers to the density of the pipe, it will withstand higher water pressures hence it is heavier than the 100 psi pipe and less flexible.

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Permalink Reply by Lealyn on January 27, 2009 at 5:22am

My hardware store only offers the 100 psi so that is what I am used to. I would like to try a heavier one though bc mine is very slow since it's light. I am teaching my first class soon and will be making 12 footers (not sure how tall that is) with one inch diameters for everyone no matter their height. The bigger the better for those who are just starting out.

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Permalink Reply by Amy Irish on January 27, 2009 at 12:00pm

Okay so I'm starting to get it now lol - the higher the psi the heavier the tubing and heavier tubing is faster...

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Permalink Reply by Amy Irish on February 5, 2009 at 6:50pm

Okay got my hoop - it's 100 psi - 1" around and 39" in diameter - it's slower than the kids hoop I was using, so is a little easier to learn stuff with so far. It also hurts a lot less when it cracks my ankles and wrists! lol

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Scarlet* Teffeteller on February 5, 2009 at 10:44pm

I am 4'11 and have a 35/36 inch, 160 psi hoop which I use for everything, one hoop that is 35 inch 100 psi, a set of twins that are 32 inch 100 psi and now my mini hoop that is 24 inch 100 psi. The lower the psi, the quicker the hoop can be moved. It's great for fast hoopers and quick tricks; I also like to switch between my large diameter heavy and my large diameter light when I am learning new tricks.

Honestly, there is no right size. It really depends on the person and what you want to do. My instructor, who is maybe a couple of inches taller than me, picked up my hoop during our first class and said "Wow, that is really little and light!" It was the 35" 100 psi hoop and to me it's one of my "big" hoops. For different songs, I'll switch my hoops up but it really depends on my mood. I've rocked to Tool with my big hoop and grooved out with my one of my twins to STS9 and vice versa.

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Permalink Reply by Mad Maxine on February 11, 2009 at 6:41pm

If you're feeling crafty, you might consider going and purchasing a roll of 3/4" 160 psi tubing and connectors at the hardware store. You can easily make your own hoops and play with different sizes and weights. Lots of weight can be added using rice or beans (really heavy) or water (heavy and slow). But just a little weight can be added by taping the hoop. Each hoop, without decoration, costs about $3.00.

Directions for hoop making can be found here: http://www.hooping.org/archives/000359.html

Tape also makes the hoop stick better. Cheap tape, like colored electrical tape is relatively sticky. Shiny tapes are slippery. I have yet to try gaffer's tape, but I've heard it's the best sticky tape EVAR.

Taping tutorial can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MBDq5vtN9wo

If you make a collapsible hoop (with four fittings, some bungee cord, and some wire hanger) it's somewhere in between a fully weighted hoop and a standard hoop. The good thing about my collapsible hoop, in my opinion, is that the weight is distributed evenly around the hoop, and it's quiet.

I have found that my favorite hoop is the one that is as high as my belly button. I have a relatively small waist though. If I were bigger around, I'd add a few more inches across the hoop. With my belly-button height hoop, I can go a little slow if I want, or I can rock out and push it around faster to stay in time with the music.

The smaller the hoop, the faster it can go. I've found that I can't feel a lighter hoop as well, so i can't hoop with it as well. The bruises aren't as brutal though. But on the other end of the equation, I wouldn't recommend doing tricks with a really heavy hoop. It's too easy to injure a wrist or something else if the trick goes wrong.

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Permalink Reply by Mad Maxine on February 15, 2009 at 11:05pm

On a follow up note, I made a pretty big hoop today. I think it's about 46" in diameter. The larger diameter is great for figuring out tricks where you need to slow down. But at 5'2 myself, I can just barely hoop vertically around my waist and still clear the floor with it. So it's pushing towards being just a little too big for me.

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