Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Alisha Almeida on April 22, 2012 at 10:49pm

I think everyone starts off at different levels. Comes naturally to some and others have to work harder at it. I have been only hooping for 7 days now and i've been told where i'm at many don't hit till about 2 or 3 months of practice. No one is the same and everyone learns differently. Thats what makes us all so beautiful! :) 

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Permalink Reply by Katie Emmitt on April 22, 2012 at 11:04pm

i think it depends on how often you practice. I always am unsure of how long to tell people i've been hooping because for a year i rarely did it, maybe once a month. but that got me very basic hooping skills although i didnt even know the vortex (plus my hoop was over 40 inches, insanity) then in may last year i started once or twice a week then by july i was practicing daily and I still practice daily. so i'm never sure whether to say one year or two.. but as I was saying before I definately think it matters how much time you spend practicing whether its 2 hours a day or 2 hours a week can make sooo much of a difference

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StudentPermalink Reply by Shannon "HoopLove" on April 22, 2012 at 11:11pm

Everyone's bodies are different.  Think about it: this may be easier for someone who did dance for 8 years.  What if someone spent four or more hours a day practicing?  Some moves are easier for others.  It's taken me a year to learn basic remedial waist hooping.  But figure 8 I learned naturally on my own.  

It all affects it in the end.  I highly doubt people are lying.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Aurora of Elemental Hoops on April 22, 2012 at 11:14pm

i think it practice time has a lot to do with it. within a month i was doing a lot of tricks that take others months and i was hooping three hoops at 5 months! buuuuuuut i was pretty much hooping even in my sleep. i was obsessed!

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Permalink Reply by Carly Roseanne on April 22, 2012 at 11:26pm

It's not about days since the beginning, it's about how much of that time you've actually been hooping.

Plus you have to consider that everyone learns at a different pace. Some people think differently about how the hoop is working around their body and some people are more conscious of what their body is doing in general.

I've only been hooping for something over 3 months but I hoop everyday for many hours. On top of that I got into poi a bit for a while so I was well introduced to different planes and angles. Plus I have like 13 years of dance expirience so the dance/flow aspect of hooping comes pretty easy to me.

It's not about time, it's about the progress I see in myself.

I'd worry more about your own progress then contemplating about whether or not people are lying about how long they've been hooping. Even if they are, it's not going to effect your skills in any way. I don't understand this little competitive connotation of hooping. I think I'll stop saying how long I have been in my videos, because it doesn't matter anyway.

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Permalink Reply by Autumn Rose on April 22, 2012 at 11:56pm

It definitely depends on the individual. I've only been hooping for about 2 1/2 months and I'm doing quite a few moves that are labeled advanced, but I also hoop every day sometimes for as much as 8 hours and I watch lots of tutorials. Some of the friends I've taught picked it up naturally and progress quickly while some of them have to work at it a little more, too. I think it also has to do with how much you're willing to test your self early on and how quickly you build a relationship with your hoop. If I can't get something down I don't stop thinking about it until I break down the source of why it isn't working. Most of the time I have to sleep on it (sometimes I have to sleep on it A LOT) but eventually I always see improvement and that keeps me going. That's what's so beautiful about hooping! :) And I agree with Carly Roseanne, none of that matters anyway. Hooping is something we encourage for everyone because everyone can do it. What it's about is the furthest thing from competition.

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Permalink Reply by Teri Davenport on April 22, 2012 at 11:56pm

dot worry about them ppl....and just like everyone says on here some ppl do learn at dif paces. my friend n i started at the same time only 5 months in she is kicking ass on her hoop but she dosnt have a job n kids to take care of like i do. i belly dance for a living that was my only break too hooping n so i practice bfor n after work n anytime kids r sleeping. again its all in who u r.

it really does not matter how many months u r or not far into what counts is u know ur good at what u do and b happy with ur flow. I now i sux but im not gonna stop n i dont care how far other are in advance cuz wont  gives me driv to get just as good too.

n i saw ur moves u are pretty freakin sick on the flow girl so dont sweat it man. happy hoopin

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StudentPermalink Reply by Natalie McAnulla on April 23, 2012 at 2:33am

This isnt really something to spend time dwelling on. I say dwell on yr own personal awesomeness and to help get you out of yr own head perhaps you could help support other hoopers with compliments. Often i like to just thank a hooper for being who they are. Gratitude for pthers helps me to get into a better frame of mind.
But i agrizzle with what others r saying. Time is a huge factor. Everyone is different, and will grow and learn at a different pace than their neighbor hooper. Also everyones lives are stacked differently. Time and energy and opportunity to hoop is not infinite. Many people have a life in hooping or dance, or are highschool students with more free time, or are single adults that, once they are off of work can just throw on some music and hoop the rest of the day. Plus like all parts of life there is a natural ebb and flow to time, energy and opportunity.

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StudentPermalink Reply by Swift Hoops on April 24, 2012 at 4:43pm

well said!

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StudentPermalink Reply by rainingpink on April 23, 2012 at 4:26am

I know what you mean, I too have looked at youtube videos and thought, oh reeeeeeally? Only 2 months?! How can that be possible?

Whether they are lying or not I have no idea, but to echo the other comments I try to remember that there are MANY different factors that could influence how quickly someone learns:

• if they already have a background in dance / gymnastics they might find things easier to pick up
• if they have hula hooped lots already as a kid
• what/who is teaching them : random videos on youtube, hoop DVDs, a ‘real –life’ friend or hoop teacher, specialised online classes like Safire’s, a mix of all of these
• the amount of time they practise per day / week and if they are consistent with practice

I never really got any where with most of the random youtube tutorials. It wasn’t until I signed up to Safire’s classes that I started to progress rapidly. I am the sort of learner that likes things broken down in steps and prefers a nice clear structure. I am coming up to the 4 month mark and I would class myself as intermediate, soon to try more advanced skills. 

I think the main point is that people DO learn differently and at different paces. Some tricks may also be easier to pick up for different people. Some may be better (or find it easier) at rocking the off body versus on body tricks, or vice versa. We are all so different with different ways of moving! You are obviously a great hooper and have practised hard, so be proud of your progress and skills and don’t worry about anyone else! :)

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StudentPermalink Reply by Danielle Starshine on April 23, 2012 at 8:17am

I try not to compare myself to other girls and their videos. That always leads to frustration. I saw a video recently on here of a girl that'd only been hooping for a month who was doing things that had taken me several months of hard work to learn. I admit, I did feel pretty pissed at first, but I'm not putting down my hoop because of her. Maybe she has a dance background or doesn't have a job right now, allowing for more free time to hoop? I can't dance to save my life and am really clumsy, so I have come a long way in the 7 months I've hooped habitually. There are so many factors that come into play here.

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Permalink Reply by Nicole Castillo on April 23, 2012 at 8:42am

"I don't understand this little competitive connotation of hooping."
I agree so strongly, mama! ♥

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