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StudentPermalink Reply by Lulu Hoop* of Spiraling Within* on March 7, 2009 at 3:26pm

I"m not an accomplished leg hooper, but just from learning basic hoop physics, I'd say you need more of a push in the back, or one the standing leg if that's is where you are loosing it. Try giving you pop on the pusher leg followed by a big one on the stable leg. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

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StudentPermalink Reply by Ashton Gannon on March 12, 2009 at 9:50am

I've finally (mostly) mastered this trick. For me to be able to do this here are some tips:
- make sure your hoop has gaffer or some other kind of grippy tape
- practice in the shortest shorts you have, bare skin helps hooping especially new tricks
- I start getting it when I realized that I had to really lift and stomp my non-standing leg.
- try lifting your arms over your head, close your eyes, and try shimmying... eyes closed works better for some reason

man, it's hard giving hoop advice through text. Try those things, but mostly it's just practicing again and again and again and again until your body clicks and understands.

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StudentPermalink Reply by circularlogic on March 13, 2009 at 9:38pm

What really helped me was turning in the direction of the hoop as I shimmied. Once I got it down that way, I got the feel of it & could do it in place. And bare legs are much easier, so definitely go for your shortest shorts or skirts.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Tangled Macrame on January 9, 2010 at 5:16pm

The turn helps me shimmy too. My shimmy is still unreliable... so I learned how to pizza toss from my knees. =-)

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Permalink Reply by Carly on January 7, 2010 at 1:15pm

I was looking for a discussion covering the knees to waist.. as I def. need help! I can hoop at my knees but I CANNOT get it up. I feel like it is just stuck there.. if I move, it will fall! So anymore advice will be helpful. Dana.. did you ever get this trick down?

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Permalink Reply by Lindsey Aureole on January 9, 2010 at 11:36pm

meeee too. i can hoop at knees but can nvr seem to get it back up, it starts to rotate too fast and i just cant get the pop up... i can do it from mid leg but never if its all the way down to my knees... frustrating so i just pick it up from there. heh. gaffer tape and bare legs sound helpful.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Dana Skelton on January 7, 2010 at 2:54pm

Yes, I finally got it with lots of practice and echo that all the tips below = success.

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Permalink Reply by Skully Hyperloop Hoops on January 7, 2010 at 3:01pm

Remember also to keep your feet parallel. Do not let your knees and ankles turn inwards giving you pigeon toes as you will find if you do the hoop starts to speed up and funnel downwards.

The leg you aren't using as the power leg needs to be pushing backwards as the hoop hits it to keep the hoop level. If you only push forwards with the power leg the hoop will end up on a wonk and it will be harder to control.

Also what helped when I learned this was to drop the hoops down from the waist a little at a time and then work it back up, then let it drop a little lower down the leg the next time before boosting it back up to the waist, then a little lower etc until you get just above the knee... keep doing this until you find you can stop the hoop anywhere on your leg and boost it back up. It teaches you really good hoop control on the legs.

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Permalink Reply by Kristen Hanks-Stacy on January 9, 2010 at 6:04pm

i have been having the same problem once i got the hoop to my knees i would get stuck! i just tried everyones wonderful advice and i got it up the first time!! WHOO!! thanks ya'll!

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Permalink Reply by SeaStar* on January 9, 2010 at 8:55pm

i just learned this the other day. not mastered but pretty much got it down! the one thing that really helped me get the hoop back up was to turn in the diredtion your hoop is going. going with the motion of the hoop, sort of gave it a natural push up! try that see if it helps....dont forget you still have to shimmy a bit, and have to give a little push! hope this helps! much love

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Permalink Reply by atomik_momma on January 9, 2010 at 11:22pm

have you watched KaytiBunny's tutorial on it? it is the only one that has helped me get it. what i noticed just now practicing it was that when i hoop around my waist, the main force i put out to make the hoop spin is forward and the residual force is when i fall back, but when i hoop at the knees, i bump my knee out of course, but the main force is when i push my heel down to straighten my leg. so the main force is going towards my back and the residual force is the forward bump. which makes a huge difference (for me at least) when i go to give a harder bump to the hoop to get it back up to my waist. once i knocked it two or three good times it's high enough that i can drop down and shake my butt/shimmy it up the rest of the way. oh! AND i can NOT get it back up to my waist if i'm looking down at it. probably the posture of looking down screws it up, but i can look down while it's just going around my knees, but when i'm ready to move it up i have to stand up straight and look straight ahead or even a little higher or it won't happen. i don't know what size hoop you are using, but bigger is helping me too. plus what everyone else has said: bare skin, grippy tape.

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Permalink Reply by Jane "Electric Blue" on January 10, 2010 at 2:12am

I have found that if you are knee hooping only using one leg to push or if you are just bobbing up and down then you will have a lot of trouble getting the hoop to rise smoothly. Where as if you try to focus on pushing the hoop in a circle with your knees using both legs to control the hoop then the following drill will help you learn to drive the hoop up smoothly.

1.Start the hoop going round you knees pushing equally with both legs pushing a small circle.
2.Begin to turn your whole self slowly in a circle the same direction as the hoop is going by taking small steps on the spot.(Once you can comfortably turn steping with both feet using both legs to control the hoop move on to the next step)
3. Now continue turning and just slightly tap your right foot as you go. You should find that the hoop begins to rise.
(Right foot for anti clockwise hoopers : Left foot for clock wise)
(Once the hoops has risen a little you may find you are able to actually use both legs to drive up, this will result in a smoother transition.)


This drill should help you learn to move the hoop up most of they way up your leg.
To practice the last part of this move (from upper legs to waist) start with the hoop on your waist and let it drop slightly now repeat this letting the hoop drop further and further each time.

The to do the complete move put the two together.

Hope this helps

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