Make your own hula hoop

This is interesting. A make-it-yourself hula hoop KIT! Yes, kit.

http://hoopsupplies.com/home

Hoop Basics: Clothing

Here’s the first basic rule of hooping and clothing: the fewer clothes, the better!

The second key point regarding clothing is “go natural”; wear clothes made from natural fibers (cotton, silk, linen, hemp and such) as much as possible.

When hooping, you may also want to –

• Remove any belts with large buckles.
• Be careful about necklaces, bracelets and earrings you’re wearing.
• Remove any extra layers of clothing, such as jackets and sweaters.
• Empty your pockets of wallets, cel phones, key rings and other bulky items.

What I’ve discovered is that more I can feel the hoop on my body, the easier it is for me to hoop. So strip down a bit and go natural … you may find it much easier to hoop.

Caring for your new hoop

My first hoop was a gorgeous hoop from HoopGirl. When I got it I took it outside on the grass for a whirl. In the coming weeks, I’d take it with me as I walked along the many foot paths in Columbia, where I lived.

Oy.

Bike paths. Concrete, Asphalt. All bad news for a hoop.

Look, I know that all hoops get dinged up the minute they start to get used. But my first hoop went through an extra level of initiation of landing many times on a hard, man-made surface. To keep your hoops and hoop tape in good shape –

• Hoop on grass and soft, natural surfaces as much as possible.
• Resist the temptation to use the hoop as a jump rope, or from putting a backspin on the hoop. (A Boomer-ring, as my friend, Stephen, calls it.)
• Occasionally wipe your hoops down with a washcloth and a light dose of ammonia.
• Keep your hoops away from moisture, as some tapes (gaffer, in particular) can lose their stickiness when wet.
• Use the hoop for hooping and hoop tricks only. Don’t push, pull, stretch or bang them.
• Keep your hoops out of super-hot cars on super-hot days. They can warp and become oddly shaped.

I made “Lens of the Day”

Woo-hoo! My Squidoo lens on hulahooping videos was selected as the lens of the day. I like Squidoo as a tool for providing a subject-focused search within the internet. Plus, I like that individuals are helping to make the oft-unwieldy internet more valuable by sifting through and organizing information.

Check Squidoo out. Better yet: consider making a lens or two yourself.

 

For New Hoopers

If you’re new to hooping, you’ll probably want to check out Resources for New Hoopers Squidoo lens, where you’ll find information on –

• purchasing a new hoop
• hooping attire for safe and comfortable hooping
• how to care for your hoop

Hoop Resources

The links below are sites where I’ve aggregated hula hoop resources and then organized the information in a way which I believe will help people to get their hoop groove on. The resources are –

* Hula Hoop and HoopDance Videos
* How to Make a Quality Hula Hoop
* Resources for New Hoopers