Hey y’all!
I’ve been hooping since 2011 when I saw a demo while working at a summer camp. I immediately knew I had to learn everything I could about it. (I’m just a little obsessive.) Since I first started spinning, I have learned a ton, not only about hoops, but also about myself. Here are just 10 of the things that I wish I knew when I got started.
You don’t have to learn all the new tricks.
If you are like me, you consume hooping videos like potato chips…you can’t watch just one! As you watch more and more videos, you will see the trendiest tricks- you know, the super-double-wedgie-backflip-coin toss and all that. You might feel like you should know certain tricks because they show up everywhere, but the truth is, you don’t. In your hoopdance, and in your life in general, you have to find your unique expression and experience to convey. Don’t ever compromise that.
Sometimes you need to unplug to tune in.
Like with the tip above, sometimes we can get too caught up in the hoop trends that we lose sight of our end goals. Take time away from social media, videos, or maybe even your music every once in a while and remember WHY you are hooping. Be intimately aware of your personal journey, not the path everyone else is taking. I use hooping to tap into my body and show self-care and self-love. Hooping taught me that I can be graceful and beautiful in my own way. When I get too caught up in other ideas of what my flow “should be,” I lose sight of all the good things that my flow already is.
You’re going to have highs…and lows.
There is no feeling like when you are in the moment and totally flowing. You stop thinking, and your movement becomes your meditation…until you bash yourself in the face. Sometimes, I get frustrated and go weeks without touching my hoops. Other times, I am super excited to practice, only to quit after 5 minutes because couldn’t find my flow. There will be times when you are on top of the world, but there will be other times when you want to give up. But I always return to my hoops because they are the best way that I know to express myself purely. If I’m mad, I’ll break and paddle my way into exhaustion. If I’m anxious or stressed, the rhythm of on-body hooping helps ground me. So, when you feel frustrated, give yourself what you need, whether that is a break or more practice.
Be proud of the bruises.
If you are just beginning your hoop journey, consider this a warning: there will be bruises. They may be on your arms, or your hips, and definitely on the backs of your hands. But that’s okay! Remember we have to get uncomfortable if we want to grow (notice I said uncomfortable; if you have sharp or chronic pain, please go to a doctor). Bruises are a sign you’ve been challenging your body in a different way. They’re a sign of progress, and as such, you can celebrate them! (And try some different moves for a couple days until they heal. No need to make them worse!)
Listen to your body.
Until I started hooping, I had no idea what my body was doing. I was out of touch with my physical self and didn’t even realize it. So often now, we sit for long periods of time or engage more internally with technology than externally with movement. Now, I love bingeing on Netflix or a video game as much as anyone else, but we often forget what incredible things our bodies are capable of. Even just learning the controlled, rhythmic push of waist hooping can bring an awareness into your body that you didn’t have before. Maybe your posture will improve. Maybe that shoulder stiffness will go away. But we can’t have any of this improvement if we never first listen to our bodies. So in or out of the hoop, think about your breath and how your body feels. You just might surprise yourself with what you find.
And listen to the music you like!
Again, if you watch a lot of hooping videos, you might find some similarities in music. Hooping began gaining popularity through The String Cheese Incident’s concerts, so it is deeply tied to the music festival scene. Because of this, a lot of hoopers love to jam to music you might hear at Electric Forest. If that’s not you (it isn’t me!), that’s ok! Find the music that moves you and enjoy it. I personally love hooping to Florence + The Machine. So find your jam and just play!
Hooping is easier in less clothing. Wear as much or as little as you want.
This tip goes two ways. One- there is a reason the quintessential festie hooper is in an itty bitty outfit. Hoops stick more to your skin than they do to clothes. Two- that doesn’t mean you have to hoop in the nude (though I suggest doing this once, just to try!). If you’re working on knee hooping, try some shorts. If you’re practicing your shoulder hooping, wear something sleeveless. There are some moves that I can only do on bare skin, like shoulder duck-outs, so if you can’t get a move, changing your clothes might help!
Pay attention to the details (AKA what are your hands doing?!)
Yes, it matters. Unless you are doing a Jurassic Park themed performance, those t-rex arms need to have a job. Finishing the line of the arms through the fingers not only completes the look of your hoopdance, but it teaches you to pay attention to little details and make corrections. There may be times when you are not concerned about your hands or looking fancy, and that’s okay! If you do want to work on this, try recording yourself and watching what your hands do. The discipline to look at yourself (in hoopdance and in life) and make small changes can make a huge difference. (Please note that I still want you to be kind to yourself. I encourage you to refine what you have, rather than punish yourself for imperfections.)
Dropping the hoop is a chance for a dance party!
It’s bound to happen. Just accept that you are going to drop your hoop. A lot. I still drop my hoop. A lot. This is a part of hoopdance, so we need to address it. When things don’t go as planned, you can lose your composure. Or, you can strike a powerful pose. YOU rule your practice, and the hoop is a tool for self-expression. So when your hoop goes rogue, remember that you are awesome with or without it and try having a dance party or finding your craziest pose!
Practice everything on both hands and/or in both directions. Seriously.
One day, if I’m feeling brave, I might post a video of me working on everything in the opposite direction. But it ain’t pretty, trust me. I thought I was disciplined when I started. I was not. Don’t be me. You know you’re supposed to do it, so do it. That’s all.
So there you have it! It took me years to realize some of these things, so just consider me your hoop Gandalf, offering you, my dear hoop hobbit, advice to help you on your Quest (with the One Ring…because hoops are round…get it?).
xx
-Ellie