Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jane "Electric Blue" on September 5, 2010 at 6:45am

If you can get one try a bigger hoop that will always help until you work it out.
Also don't be afraid to move a lot more than you think is necessary when you are learning your body is not as precises as somebody who has been practicing for a while so you will need to move heaps.

The human body is essentially a pretty lazy devise so as you practice more and more your body will work out what it can get away with not doing and still keep the hoop up, which is why people who have been doing it for years almost look like they aren't moving.

Basically just relax and move big and don't worry if you think you are moving too much.

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Permalink Reply by MaisieHoops of *HulaHoopers.ca* on September 5, 2010 at 7:05am

Is the tubing really light? If so, it may be better for children and not as great for adults... however, I would make sure your hoop is at least 42 inches... if not a bit bigger to start. That will help guarantee your success. A large hoop for an adult is 42 inches, but if you carry weight on your belly, then you will want to add a bit more size to it.

The main tip I give new hoopers is to decide if you are a "Front to Back" hooper or a "Side to Side". The hoop only needs to touch two points to go around you, so pick on or the other and stick with it. You will likely prefer one more naturally.

Hang in there!

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Permalink Reply by Pranee Terry on September 5, 2010 at 7:22am

I had the same thing going on! I made a hoop that is 42 inches across and added water to give it some weight. The first day I was able to do some tricks (one of which being that it stayed up for more than a split second!!!) I would suggest running alittle bathroom caulking to the connection on the hoop so no water leaks. Best of luck!

I started on the first of sept too!!!!

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Permalink Reply by spin gypsy of Centric Hoops* on September 5, 2010 at 11:20am

try closing your eyes so that you can actually feel where the hoop is connecting with your body. also, if youve only been spinning in one direction, ie clockwise, try spinning counter-clockwise. that can make a huge difference!! that was my problem starting out. i was spinning to the left and my friend said "hey, try spinning to the right" and- taadaa- the hoop stayed up!! good luck lady. peace

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Permalink Reply by Caroleeena of Circles of Joy on September 5, 2010 at 3:59pm

Honey you can hoop. You just need a hoop that fits you. I see people here recommending 42 inch hoops. I say go much much bigger!!! You want a hoop that when it stands on its side comes up to between your nipples and your chin. You can work down to a smaller hoop later. And if you are a little round now, go even bigger. You want as much open space inside the hoop as possible.

The larger around the diameter of the hoop, the less often it crosses the belly meaning the less often you have to push forward and back. This gives you more time to prep, breathe and feel what you're doing. When a hoop is small, it comes around really fast and we tend to react rather than act. Often we don't even know what we're doing. We're just jerking like we're having a seizure. When the hoop comes around slow, you have time to think, "I need to push, push, push..." Slowly you will build muscle memory and in no time you'll be slimming down and so will your hoop.

Too many people start with a small hoop thinking they'll make it work and then it will fit. That's like buying a pair of shoes two sizes too small and saying, "I'll use them to jog and then I'll lose weight and then they will fit." That is setting yourself up to fail. Set yourself up to succeed with a great big hoop! (And a lot of hoopers think 42" is average or big. It's not. I'm oldschool. I prefer the larger hoops but I bring some taller than my head to jams just because people will try those, having already given themselves permission to fail -- and then they succeed. I would recommend at least a 44-46" hoop. You can always cut it down later.)

There are other factors also. What are you wearing? If it's not 100% natural fibers, that's probably part of the problem. Any petroleum product at all (nylon, rayon, spandex, etc.) makes clothes slippery and hoops slide right off. Human skin in the most grippy. Try in your home in your underwear and feel how much easier it is. Next to that, leather, wool, cotton, silk, hemp and bamboo are the most grippy.

Also, your clothes should be form fitting. If you're hooping in a sweatshirt, that allows the hoop to slide on the waist so that the waist loses friction and the hoop falls.

What your hoop is wrapped in matters also. I find a mixture of gaffer's and electrical to be the most grippy. The mixture of tapes creates a bumpier surface that is grippier. If you only use one tape, use gaffer's. It is cotton cloth and as such is very grippy. You could also make a special hoop out of friction tape, which you can get from a hardware or sporting goods store, just for training. (These can stain your clothes though so you'll want to wean off of them pretty soon.)

Finally, your posture is super important. Keep your chin level! Do not look down at the hoop or it makes your butt stick out and this makes the front of your hoop drop. This is the most common mistake I see new hoopers make. Keep your chinup, your knees slightly bent and look straight forward, not down.

How you deliver the hoop on the waist also matters. It needs to start level, not with the front dipped down, or you are starting in vertical hooping and trying to make it move to horizontal. Start in horizontal. Give the hoop a smooth, slow even push all the way across the body and don't let go until you reach the opposite rib. This ensures the hoop is level and also that your speed of delivery is level. It also tells you exactly when to push -- when the delivering hand reaches the opposite rib.

There are a number of different foot positions also -- side-by-side, right foot slightly in front, left foot slightly in front. Try all of them to figure out which one works best for you.

Finally, pay attention to where the hoop is falling -- therein lies a lesson for you. Usually it's down the backside. Why? Because people are only pushing forward not backward! So practice pushing forward and backward, side to side (with all the foot placements I mentioned) and also moving the body like you are a spoon stuck into a bowl of brownie mix and you're trying to scrape the brownie mix off the sides of the bowl, small circles starting at your center and moving out. One of these will work for you as long as you're not handicapping yourself with a too-small hoop or unhoopable clothes.

A trick that might help you is to turn with your hoop as you try to hoop. As long as you're both turning in the same direction (not you one way and your hoop the opposite way) this will also slow down the hoop giving you more time to act but, because you're already moving, it can also help you keep moving.

You can do it. Anything worth doing is worth doing poorly at first. Our ability to get better at things is directly proportional to how much embarrassment we're willing to tolerate. Laugh it off and say, "Let me try that again!" You will get it. You just need to figure it out -- and that requires stubbornness, the right hoop, the right clothes and a little guidance but mostly it requires repetition, repetition, repetition. Hang in there. You will get it!!! And I want to hear all about it when you do. Good luck.

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Permalink Reply by Merle Ureshii on September 5, 2010 at 5:05pm

Thank you so much for this reply! There are so many great ideas (advises?) in this discusen that you dont see on vidéos! As an begginer i have learned a lot by reading everything here :) thanks!!!!

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Permalink Reply by Caroleeena of Circles of Joy on September 6, 2010 at 6:23am

I thought of one more thing -- people often stand with their feet too far apart. This locks up the body and makes it so you can't bend the knees and push out as far with the waist. Make sure your feet are no more than hip distance apart, whether they are side by side or one foot out in front of the other.

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Permalink Reply by Merle Ureshii on September 7, 2010 at 12:58am

now that is true, I never focused on my legs posure :) I'll atch for it, thanks!

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Hamlin on September 6, 2010 at 7:39am

Thank you SOO much...well thank you ALL so much...but this is so full of information...I can't wait to try it.

Now, I'm wondering...I have 3/4" tubing...should I get 1" or just add water or tape to the 3/4 to make it heavier?

I prolly won't get the chance to try until tomorrow...big old bbq NOT at my own house today...so I will DEFINITELY let you know.

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Permalink Reply by Caroleeena of Circles of Joy on September 6, 2010 at 5:08pm

I generally do not advise adding water because it throws off the balance of the hoop. You can't really use it for hand hooping at all after that but it could be good for learning your core. Some people like it. I'm not really a fan though. I would just add another layer of tape though. That adds a surprising amount of weight. Even so, rather than adding weight, I think it would be better to add diameter. If you're using a 42 inch hoop, go for a 44 or 46. I started even bigger.

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Permalink Reply by Stacey Hamlin on September 6, 2010 at 8:08pm

Guess what!!! I made a 60 incher...I did add water, cuz I did it before I saw your post...and I TOTALLY did it!

Here's a picture... http://sentimentsalastack.blogspot.com/2010/09/accentuate-positive....

Thank you ... Thank you.

Now we're gonna get 1" diameter and make another one...this one is a little floppy.

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Permalink Reply by Sunshine Designs on September 6, 2010 at 8:18pm

When I first started I could.not.hoop not even to save my life. A big ol hoop with water is what got me on the right track, as you get used to the water and used to the movement you will find you won't need it anymore.

I then started to size down and after a couple of months didn't need any water.

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