These ideas are ways to make your hoop practice even more FUN and take the pressure off of learning too many tricks and moves! I feel that WAY too often, we get SO hung up on learning things that we forget about the SHEER JOY in just playing with the basics! With just a few simple moves, you can be more free and just let yourself go. So spend time practicing the beginning moves in the aRoundJoy BASICS Hoop Training curriculum now offered online in my virtual studio. There is no need to learn a ton of fancy stuff…just enjoy the journey…stay with those moves awhile…just experiment with HOW you do them!! Reward yourself…try a different hoop…it will help elevate your practice without learning new moves. As a plus, you’ll notice that it will help you grow towards the new moves you want to eventually learn, too!
1. THINK SMALLER, THINK ARMS Now, I recommend a smaller hoop for waist hooping only AFTER you have learned with a larger, slightly heavier hoop. My clients know this. I also believe in a smaller, lighter hoop for off body work, even from day one. So, if you are considering getting started hooping, having a set, one for on body and one for arm work, is pretty ideal. Depending on your age, size or ability, or perhaps due to physical limitations, I might recommend only a lighter, smaller hoop for your very first one. I like to speak with potential clients and really understand their needs, then make recommendations. Smaller hoops are just plain fun, but really not needed for waist hooping in the beginning. I think 34-36″ if ideal and you can play with moves using your arms and walking at the same time. This is a great way to build your cardio endurance so you CAN eventually build up to waist hooping, and I call this program hOOpWalk™ – it’s part of my aRoundJoy BASICS Hoop Training, and I teach this to all clients, both in-person & online. If you already can waist hoop, doing more off-body arm work, just simple moves, will really develop and tone the arms and upper back! THAT’S one of my FAVORITE perks of hooping – TONE ARMS! Maybe you want to begin spinning 2 hoops – TWINS – in your hands, as you see some of us do. Well, it ALL starts with learning basic moves with ONE smaller hoop, and learning to do those moves with each hand independently. SO, a smaller hoop makes sense if you want to grow your hoop practice. My Woo-Hoop™ or Sassy Hoop™ can be made ANY size or weight for beginners and up,
2. GO POLYPRO (or two). I have talked about this in a previous VIDEO about smaller, lighter hoops, so be sure to watch that if you have not already seen it. These hoops are light, responsive and just a ton of fun. Oh sure, you could get one of those disposable hoops from a dollar-type store or a big-box store, but if you really want to have a great feel of balance and control, having a durable, high-quality plastic hoop in a fun color is the way to go. I keep a supply of Polypro pipe in various colors on hand to make these hoops for local clients. We train with single and twin Polypro hoops at The HoopShack to keep sessions fresh and challenging, not to mention, shape our arms, OF COURSE! You simply need to contact me directly and place your order. They are also available online from several companies, but if you live local, I’ll be happy to help save you shipping!
3. GIVE YOUR HOOP A VACATION The word travel and hoop go together, for sure. Any hoop is portable in nature, That’s one of the really fantastic traits about hooping for exercise – it can GO with you…ANYWHERE! For traveling by plane, however, you do need a hoop that can be made more compact. Depending on your suitcase, it may not fit, so you might need to stick in the overhead compartment, completely placing it in your carry-on bag or even give it to the stewardess to place with the strollers. My preference for travel is an “infinity” style, twist-down hoop. The other kind, the ones that have push buttons, that break apart into sections just get too creaky & loose at the connection points for my liking. Connecting and taking them apart is often hard and pieces can crack or completely break. Now, some hand made ones I have seen are made well and I like them. Others are not. You really have to shop around and do your homework. I decided to offer the Twist-n-gO™ as my travel option a few years ago, and I hand make each one based on my clients needs. We talk about what they want to accomplish in their hoop practice in addition to their travel plans. A bonus is to just get a smaller, lighter one that twists down for travel…lots more fun, as I mentioned before. Besides, since you’re on vacation, keep your hoop practice light and joyful on the road…and arm work on the beach makes for some GREAT pictures!
4. LIGHT UP YOUR WORLD This is a biggie. I am just going to go ahead and say it. GET AN LED HOOP…but NOT until you have mastered some basic moves, both on and off body. Make sure you can keep the hoop spinning in your hands or on your body, without constantly dropping it. There is nothing worse than seeing someone spend good money on an expensive LED hoop that they keep hitting on the ground! Another tip is that LED hoops have extra weight already, due to the materials inside the tube, so having lighter tubing on this hoop is key. Smaller & lighter means easier to coil down while traveling, too. Thus, your LED hoop should be lighter, and therefore, you need to have a little hoop skill and experience under your belt to handle one properly. LED hoops, well, GOOD ones, are not toys and should be handled with care. They should be made with quality materials and durable enough to withstand a LOT, but you still need to show care for this special hoop. You can find LED hoops all over the internet. Do your homework and buyer beware. Personally, I am not a fan of hoops with loose, rechargeable batteries that need to be removed and replaced repeatedly. I like the LED hoops that you plug into an outlet and recharge. It’s just more streamlined for me…no little batteries to keep up with. I’m a fan of AstralHoops because this is the only kind of LED hoop they offer. You can also select your options, design your own weight, size and make your LED hoop very personally customized. They offer pre-made hoops, as well. I’ve been an Ambassador for them since 2012 and I get a small percentage for assisting clients with their LED hoop purchase. If you want to learn more about shopping with them through me, head to read my recommendations HERE
5. DIVE IN! OK, this tip is a SUMMER specific, but it is a double whammy! Staying cool AND practicing your hoop skills! At best, you need a Polypro hoop, so refer to number 1 above on this list! You can try it with any hoop, but I think the polypro is perfect since it’s lighter, has no tape to worry about, etc! This idea came to me while experimenting one day with my hoop in the pool last year, on Labor Day…I put my phone one the side of the pool and took some video to recall what moves I actually did since I was just playing and trying out things. What I realized was that MY ARMS AND BACK got an amazing workout! While working on certain moves I noticed how the buoyancy of the hoop made it more intense in some areas as I pushed it into the water,but the hoop was lighter and effortless in other ways. I was staying cool, I was creating splash art…it was just so fun!
I decided to finally share and to be truthful, POOLA HOOPIN and VACATION LED HOOPING were the inspiration for this entire post.
So, what do you think? Are you already incorporating some of these tips? What do you enjoy about it? I’d love to hear from you!
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