Beginner Tips

So while you're hooping move your body. Get loose. Don't allow yourself to hold tension in your upper body. Shake it out. All kinds of ways. Lift up your arms. Circle them around. Twirl your wrists in circles. Doing circles with your hands and arms echoes the circularity of the hoops motion and informs fluidity. Circular motion that inspires those new neuropathways you are initiating and building.

Try spinning suddenly in the hoop. Its called a stall. See how the body grabs the hoop and moves along with it and the hoop seems to suspend. COOL! Do it again and again. That grab is the "flick" or the "swipe" as I call it. That is another way to drive the hoop. You turn your body just enough to grab and move it on its way. You'll notice one of the constants is how we hoopers turn or spin while hooping.
So try to rotate inside the hoop (while hooping). Do it in the same direction as the hoop is going and maybe start in baby steps. Now turn the other way - into or against the hoop motion. Notice the difference.

Another drill - get once you get your flow hold your arms out straight to either side. Now slowly rotate your upper torso in the direction the hoop is going. Keep your feet planted and your hips steady and unturning. Turn back to center. Then carefully turn the other way, against the hoop's direction. Do you feel what's happening there?

Whenever you do or feel something surprising see if you can find it again. Try to feel it again dont try to understand it just go for the feeling. If you cant do it now you'll notice it next time it happens. THat's neuroplasticity at work.

New Hooper Practice Tips

I'm trying to add a video here but somethings broken on the editor so until I get that answered I'll add something daily. You can ask questions and I'll put up suggestions and ideas and drills etc.
Happy Hoopin!
Try to feel from where on your body you might be driving the hoop.
There is no right answer here. In the beginning it might feel ambiguous. And it changes. Or it SHOULD change. You should try different driving points. Common point of drive are the stomach, and at the hip on the side where the hoop is first crossing to the front of your body. It changes of course when you change hoop directions - you know, hooping in the "opposite direction". You'll probably find that you are using the opposite hip.
So try to drive or contact or push the hoop from different points around your waist or hips just see what you get.

Often people ask -"WHy is the hoop going around at an angle?"
One hint is - if you are really pushing the hoop from one point on your body, say, your stomach that can be the high point on the hoop. What I mean here is...the hoop can go around your body evenly and parallel to the floor or it can revolve at more of an angle. So the high point in the angle of the revolution can often be the spot you are pushing it from.
If you push push push the hoop at each revolution from your stomach, the hoop tips up at that point. You are actually gradually nudging it along to the angle you want. You can use this technique to bring the hoop up your chest. Or to do the BootyBump.

A New Source of Energy

The ACE MV intro to Hooping meets this Thursday November 12th. Due to a cancellation we have room for one more. This is a two hour class that gives us time to get familiar with the wide range of benefits that the hoop will give you if you learn to listen to the hoop. Listening to the hoop is feeling the hoop. Why not look at it this way to get the most out of your practice. Circular motion is the engine that drives the universe and the spiral is the expanding of that motion. You're in the middle of a Chi generator.

Sign ups soon for the next round at ACE MV. This will be a 4 lesson package. Dates to be announced soon. Sign up is limited so get on it!

Go to ACE to find out about all the classes being offered.

Hoop Oracle

Do you have homework or a problem to solve? The hula hoop can help. If you hit a bog in your writing or you've hit a snag in your problem solving - hoop around the problem.
Just throw one on and hoop to some music. Go for 10 minutes at any pace you like. The idea here is simply to shift your energy. Change your vibe. Stop thinking about the problem - get away. You are now having fun but what's also happening is you are stimulating your brain, specifically the Hippocampus. More electricity to the brain - new blood.
Now you can go back to your desk with possibly a fresh approach because you've stopped travelling down a particular neurological pathway that has become somewhat of a rut, and can now initiate a new attack. Give it a shot.

"A fast paced workout can build muscle, but can it also improve the memory and condition the brain? John Ratey, author of a new book - Spark: The revolutionary New Science of Exercise and the Brain Suggests regular physical activity makes the brain function better."

CLick here to get to the ACE website

Why a 2 hour class? We certainly won't be hooping for 2 hours!
downloadable class description coming

Class Schedule

This Week's Classes - August 23rd - August 31st

Call for Other Class Times, Parties and Private Lessons

Sunday Behind Garcia's Deli in West Tisbury.
9-10 and 10-11am

call if raining - we might move to Featherstone

508 627-2516

Tuesday Morning at FeatherStone
8:30-9:30am before the Flea Market. Held by the Labyrinth.
lower parking lot. Follow the Hoops. Rain location is under the
Big tent up by the top lot.

Thursdays at FeatherStone

Rain or Shine 

9-10 am
Such a beautiful spot.
Follow the Hoops. Rain or Shine
Up on the lawns by the big tent.
Park at the top lot.

Saturday at FeatherStone - call for

availability

May June CLASSES

Taught by Keren Tonnesen, Tuesday 19th starts another round at CoHousing in West Tisbury - right over the VH line on Martha's Vineyard. Direction below. The first to sign on to the committment schedule will secure their place in this time slot. There is a 7pm -8pm class and a 8-9pm class. There is more room in the 8pm so if you can do that - DO that!
1 time class is $15
3 classes for $40
4 classes for $50 makes ups till June 16th
5 classes for $60 make ups no deadline.

Wear light weight clothing - no belts. Tank tops best for traction.

New spots to hoop coming up.
We'll be doing outside sessions soon.

Directions to CoHousing-
On State Rd w. Tisbury right over the V.Haven line, Turn onto Stoney Hill Rd, you should see my Mini Hula hoop hanging from the sign. Follow this road passing 2 dirt rd lefts and taking the 3rd which is Red Arrow rd ( see the mini Hoop) after that take an immediate (another mini hoop pointing the way) and its the building straight ahead. Bad cell phone connection here.
Contact me 508 627-2516

Mind Body HoopGroop

Hooping can be energizing or meditative. It can be done in a massaging, transfixing state or highly aerobic style. Effective with only 20 minutes of practice I think its one of the easiest, most fun and efficient exercise practices available in a small space with inexpensive equipment.
Done to music I often refer to it as hoop dancing though the only dance aspect might be the sinuous movement one naturally develops to keep the hoop swinging. Real hoop dancing is something compelling to watch.

Hoop workout/dancing involves using the hoop in every conceivable way, and even beginners can do moves that are astonishingly beautiful and surprising. There are lots of ways to use the hoop as a workout tool as well as a great alignment aid for stretching. I think everyone benefits from a class where you are shown how not to hurt yourself through overly repeated motions and tense body positions that beginners are prone to while concentrating or when having so much fun they just can’t stop. The first time I hooped i didn’t stop for 2 hours and I warn against that compulsion. Also those tricks that everyone wants to do can be taught in a couple classes though it took us months to figure them out.

In Hoop Groop I like to emphasize the value of the new neurological pathways created when learning something entirely novel to the physical system. New pathways are key in brain plasticity and that has huge payback. I also stress postitive selftalk as we work with the hoop - a chance to break old habits of negative reinforcement; another way to revitalize the body.

Hoops come in a plethora of sizes and weights. The bigger weightier ones are easiest for beginning. Smaller lighter ones are more difficult when it comes to learning some moves. The smaller and lighter the hoop, the faster your reaction time must be inside the hoop. There’s a lot of opinions out there as to what’s best. i know I have mine and they run counter to some opinions out there pandered as facts. I say to each his own and I have a quiver of 25 hoops I bring to class for people to try out and come to their own conclusions.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND

Most people think the gap between the fifties hula hoop and today’s hoopdancing is wide and rather empty, but hoop play and practice has been here all along. There is the Native American hoop dancing which predates the wham-0 hoops and now has a modern style that developed in the 30’s. There’s evidence of grapevine hoop play in ancient Egypt, hooping for weight loss in ancient Greece and a movement in 15th century England.

The hoop dancing we are doing now has been expanding from multiple influences such as flow toy culture (poi, flowsticks), martial arts, rhythmic gymnastics, and popularized in beach culture, Burning Man and live band performance. It became simultaneously obvious that as a byproduct of pure fun - this was a great workout and a whole body workout too. Dancers have made it a beautiful sensual art. What more can you expect from a rock ring which is what they call them in Sweden. I like that.

I believe in the sacred geometry of the hoop - that we instictively recognise and physically experience in our deepest physical systems the orbit of electrons the spin of the earth. As you defy gravity with the rapid circular motion of the hoop you are strengthening the neurological pathways for countering (physical and mental) gravity, maintaining balance and control. These pathways are physiological and psychological. The effects are palpable. To watch a hooper do “isolations”- an illusion technique that is a foundation move for advanced hooping is quite eerie. The hoop seems to hang in the air magically moving and changing direction defying the laws of the world as we usually see it.

Fur

Its big and pretty heavy and Slow-Mo. The fur creates turbulence that slows it down and gives you a real workout. It makes a nice soft foof! when it hits the ground instead of the smack/crash of a hard hoop. And i think it purrs as it whips around you. I wrapped this for hours with eyelash yarn. It was January - what can I say. You could dust the house with it when you get tired of hooping.

HoopGroop

HoopGroop on Martha's Vineyard. This is the name of the classes I teach and the name of the collective of all the hoopers we've initiated! In the classes I break hooping down to its building blocks so if you practice each part separately, you can then put them together and get in one or two classes what took me weeks to figure out. Check out the sidebar for HoopGroop info.

I like to start with stretches using the hoop as a stabilizer and for isometric extensions. These are energizing moves as the hoop creates focus and alignment.
Then we do aerobic and anaerobic hooping that uses the whole body. Hand hooping for the arms shoulders, lats and pecs! We move inside the hoop and hoop while we move around the room. Sometimes we do group formations with the hoops that are beautiful configurations. Through out I am introducing little drills that serve as the building blocks for the 'tricks' that everyone wants to do. With this secret tips you will get these things really quickly. We force ourselves to take rest breaks (stretching) because its too much fun to stop and the endorphins are flowing. You don't realize what a workout you're getting.

In class I mention the esoterics of hooping, the concept of flow, the neurological, brain plasticity, and mood gains to be acheived. My goal is to get us to hoop through our mental and emotional blocks, and our self image roadblocks. And I demonstrate the incredible value of the inevitable moment of boredom.


OK. RE: The photo, that's Julie Christie posing. My sixties fab fave. But what is with ....the stretch pants! Did this pegleg profile ever look good to us? I mean I was there and I had a pair. But they were ski pants. It was the sixties in Europe and everything was so cool, I guess this just slipped in...
On close examination there is something odd going on on the heel. Creeepy.
Julie! Please help me understand! If these ever come back in vogue in anyway more significant than some misogynistic Vogue fashion spread I lost my bet and I owe somebody some dollas.
So, she was a fave of mine. Her and Jean Shrimpton. Thats the second picture though she looks more like Barbie than Jean. I couldn't find a picture of Jean in stretch pants or with a hoop but I did find her in this great hoop Top. I want one.

The $40 Hoops

These hoops range in size from 38" - 40". They will give you quite a workout. Lots of flash and shine.

weight: 1 lb 7 oz - 1lb 11oz
$35

my Hoop

This is my banged up hoop I've been using since last year. It is now my beater hoop. Its been crashed against walls, glass shelves, pottery and plants as I was learning tricks. Its been chipped and smacked by people at parties and is showing it. So you can see how well they hold up. There is worse damage in places and areas that are better off. This hoop started out weighing more but I think I took some of the water out. It now weighs 1lb 4 oz. It's the hoop size and weight I always come back to. I will use a larger diameter one sometimes at the very beginning of learning a new trick and I'm now working with the more expert small light ones which are really hard for chest hooping for me. This seems like a good weight for progressing intermediate level hoopers. Diameter 37.5"

Art Hoops?

The hoops below could be called Art Hoops. They have taken me much too long to long to make - about 2.5 - 3 hours each. They are made with the more expensive sparkle tapes with great attention to detail.
They look good hanging on the wall in between calorie burning exercise and mood elevating massage hooping. Sparkling gorgeous things. They are surprisingly tough and will hold up to lots of use for a long time.
All my hoops are guaranteed so if anything goes awry and I can see it's from normal use...I'll fix it. Even abnormal use damage I can fix, though I might charge a nominal fee. If you are going to loan your hoop out...If the kids are going to use it on pavement. If you are going to learn tricks and hand hooping where the hoop flies off and crashes into sharp edges on the furniture... you're going to get some chips in the tape but that doesn't affect the hoop's performance.. And it's a good look like worn ballet shoes or an SUV with some mud on it.

Art Hoop Group

Holographic Art Hoop

This hoop sports a classy black inner friction lining. The holographic cracked glass tape is a trip. Another all around great hoop that will last you through many skill levels. It feels really good on since it has slight flex since it is made of the smaller gauge tubing, as are others in this line-up. Weight 1 lb 7 oz Diameter 38.5" $45




This hoop has orange holographic sequin tape and purple mirror tape. It has narrow orange fluorescent friction tape looping around the hoop as well as the wide pink fluorescent friction tape on the inside. It comes with a kitty. Its a big hoop with good weight so you can have instant gratisfaction if you're a newcomer. It feels real good and provides lots of room for shoulder and thigh hooping when you're ready.
41" and 1lb 8oz
$45

Fuscia!

This is such a gorgeous Rubellite mirror surface metallic tape with a white inner friction surface.
I consider the weight of this hoop to be a good standard that will last you through many levels as you progress. It will be easy to learn chest hooping and lifts.
Weight 1 lb 5 oz
diameter 40"
$45

Maximum silver mirror tape for extra sparkle and flash. Inner yellow friction tape.
Weight 1 lb 8oz
Diameter 40"
$40

PLAID HOOP!

I made a plaid hoop! I was just going with the flow and this is what flowed. As usual I try to maximize the mirror-tape exposure. I've gotten pretty good at getting the most mirror area possible so that when the non-reflective tapes go on there is still the most shine and sparkle I can manage. Each tape has its purpose. The red friction tape gives the hoop grap so you can control it.
The mirror tape obviously gives shine but is rigid and flat. The hoop on the other hand, has no flat surfaces at all so adjustments have to be made constantly. The plastic tape holds down and protects the mirror tape. Plus it breaks up the reflection so your eye can track the speed and direction of the hoop's movement.
This hoop is big and "heavy" - styled after one of my practice hoops that everyone liked last week
Weight 1 lb 13 oz
Diameter 41"
$45

This hoop has two colors of mirror tape. Mirrow tape reflects the most light. The inside friction layer is purple. And you know what....the mirror tape is sky blue and true purple though I notice in this shot the purple looks cobalt. Thats because it picks up and reflects colors differently in photos.
Weight 1 lb 6 oz
Diameter 41"
$45

This Hoop is very dark and mysterious. The orange holographic tape has bright sparks of light against the rich dark black backdrop. The friction tape on the inside is black. Love it. This is the first of its kind. It will give very dramatic illusions as it spins. Weight 1.5 lbs
diameter 41"
$45

This is a Lime Holographic Glitter Hoop. My photos cant do justice to the sparkle. It's holographic so it has eerie depths to it. And the sparkles are like little lights! I'll keep trying to capture it. This is a nice beginner hoop.
Good weight at 1 lb 7oz
Its BIG. 42 inches .
$45

All the hoops in the posts below are sold but can be made for you. Use them as a color reference and style reference if you want to be selective. Its great to try different hoop sizes and weights to see which you like best and that's where Hoop Groop comes in. I've got lots of different sizes and weights of hoops for you to try and can give you advise on what's best for you.

GoldRIng

I'm finally ready to let this one go. I was holding on to it because....This hoop has 2 times the mirror tape than I'll ever do again. This one was painstaking and timetaking and tapetaking so it should be really expensive but you can have it for the usual price because I'm not making any money on these anyway.
The weight is 1 lb 7 oz. The diameter is 39".
I was using this the other day. It's really smooth because of its size and that makes chest hooping so much easier and more fun than the superlight hoop I'm using now.

This One's Pretty Heavy

Weighing in at 1 lb 9 oz. It's the perfect beginner hoop. It's pretty standard in a weighted hoop. I usually make them a little lighter so you can get into hand hooping later and not break the furniture.

This is Schizophrenia the dualistic half orange half purple mirror taped ROck Ring. That's what they call them in Sweden. I like that name, cause without a grass skirt I don't find myself ever making the hula connection. But we do rock it on these rings!

This is the last Shiny Hoop available for sale until my new holographic hypnometallic tapes arrive. But mirror arguably shines brighter when you are amazing your friends and making videos. We'll just see about that.
The first new generation hoop should be available sometime Wednesday the 28th.
I do have some cheaper non reflective hoops that people keep passing up when they see their faces in the mirror - taped ones.

This Hoop is a rich purple
and gleaming golden aura to
spin around your energetic core!
Its rather regal and sophisticated.
I have a pair of Blahniks that would
go with this.
This would be a good guy hoop
because it isn't pink.

Ooops she sold.
But her twin is available through cloning. Juicy Hoop is her name.