Introduction
Welcome to the fascinating world of hula hoop tricks, where talent, creativity, and skill meet in a vibrant dance of physics and fun. This century has seen an amazing evolution of hula hoop tricks, from simple waist hooping to incredibly complex tricks that defy gravity and imagination. This History of Hula Hooping provides a fascinating journey through the evolution of this timeless activity.
The Art and Science of Hula Hooping
Hula hooping is not merely a workout or series of tricks, but an art and a science. The basic movement involves keeping a hoop spinning around your waist by moving your hips in a circular motion. This basic trick, though simple, is the foundation of many more complex hula hoop tricks. Yet, it requires a balance of rhythm, timing, and body control.
Moreover, the science of hula hooping involves physics. The hoop’s movement is governed by principles like centripetal force and angular momentum. A hula hoop spins around a point at the center of your body, and maintaining that spin involves constantly pushing against the hoop’s momentum to keep it from falling. Scientific American’s article: “Hula Hooping with a Rubber Band,” examines the fascinating physics behind hula hooping.
It is a fun and easy experiment that covers the concepts of:
- Physics
- Gravity
- Friction
- Centripetal Force
- Rotational Motion
- Newton’s laws of motion
You don’t need to be a hula hooper to conduct this experiment, but learning about these concepts increased my understanding and helped me to become a better hula hooper.
Classic Hula Hoop Tricks of the Century
The world of hula hooping has a wide array of tricks, with some classics standing the test of time. The Waist Hooping, the Vortex, the Lasso, and the Escalator are all iconic moves that have defined hula hooping over the years. This is only the beginning, there are many hula hooping tricks that offer fitness benefits for your entire body. I highly recommend Bee Varga the Hula Hooper’s Hooping Studio. She provides many different courses for every level and ability. Whether you are a brand new beginner or a seasoned professional, Bee will help you elevate your hooping skills to an even higher level while having fun.
21st Century Evolution of Hula Hoop Tricks
The 21st century has seen a creative explosion in the realm of hula hooping, with artists constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. From multi-hoop techniques to off-body and on-body tricks, hula hooping has evolved far beyond simple waist hooping.
Multi-Hoop Techniques
One significant trend in 21st-century hula hooping is the use of multiple hoops. Artists can manipulate two, three, or even more hoops simultaneously, each spinning on different parts of the body. This technique requires immense coordination and control, and the resulting tricks are mesmerizing.
Off-Body and On-Body Tricks
Another exciting development in hula hoop tricks is the distinction between off-body and on-body tricks. On-body tricks involve spinning the hoop on various parts of the body, like the waist, hips, chest, neck, and legs. Off-body tricks, on the other hand, involve spinning the hoop outside the body, using the hands, arms, and even feet.
LED and Fire Hooping
Adding a dramatic flair to hula hoop tricks, LED and Fire Hooping have become popular in recent years. LED hoops contain embedded lights that create a stunning visual effect when spun, especially in the dark. Fire hooping, on the other hand, involves attaching wicks to the hoop, which are then lit on fire. This creates a breathtaking spectacle of light and motion. I’ll delve into the role of hula hooping in fitness and wellness, as well as its impact on popular culture, in the next part of the blog post.
Hula Hooping for Fitness and Wellness
A notable shift in the 21st century has been the recognition of hula hooping as a form of exercise and wellness practice. Hooping provides a full-body workout, strengthening the core, improving balance, boosting cardiovascular health, and even enhancing mood. “What are the Benefits of Hula Hooping?” provides a great overview of these health benefits.
Moreover, Hoop Dance, a trend that incorporates hula hooping with dance elements, has gained popularity as a fun and expressive way to stay fit. It combines the aerobic benefits of hula hooping with the creativity and flexibility of dance.
Hula Hooping in Popular Culture
This century has also seen hula hooping seep into popular culture. Music festivals often feature hula hoop performances, and many celebrities have taken up hooping for fitness or fun. One notable example is Grace Jones, who famously hula hooped throughout her entire performance at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert in 2012. BBC’s Coverage of Grace Jones’ Hula Hooping Performance captures this memorable moment.
Grace Jones – Slave To The Rhythm (Jubilee Concert, 4.6.12)
Competitive Hula Hooping
Not to be left behind, the world of competitive sports has also embraced hula hooping. Competitions and championships now exist, where hoop artists showcase their skills and creativity in carefully choreographed routines. The World Hoop Day, celebrated annually, often features such competitions.
Did you know that hula hooping is an Olympic Sport? I highly recommend this article if you would like to learn more about the history of rhythmic gymnastics: “The Origins of Rhythmic Gymnastics.”
The Future of Hula Hoop Tricks
As we look ahead, the future of hula hoop tricks seems bright and promising. The continued fusion of hula hooping with other disciplines like dance, gymnastics, and even circus arts is likely to spur the creation of even more innovative tricks. The rise of social media platforms and virtual reality also opens up new possibilities for learning, sharing, and even virtual hula hoop performances.
Virtual Reality and Hula Hooping
One exciting development on the horizon is the incorporation of virtual reality (VR) in hula hooping. Imagine being able to practice hula hoop tricks in a virtual environment, with real-time feedback on your performance, or even participating in virtual hula hooping competitions!
Social Media and Hula Hooping
Social media has already had a significant impact on hula hooping, with artists using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to share their tricks and routines. The potential for global collaboration and innovation through these platforms is immense.
Why should we learn hooping tricks? Isn’t waist hooping enough?
According to professional hula hooper and teacher, Bee Varga, only doing waist hooping is like going to the gym and only training one body part. Think about it, if you only train your biceps everyday, would you expect your whole body to be fit? It may sound like a silly question. Of course we need to train the whole body to strengthen the whole body. Why would anyone only train the same body part every day? The truth is that when a person only waist hoops they are limiting themselves and missing out on a world of benefits. Bee’s background is in Osteopathy and it was the hooping tricks that captivated her attention.
Hula Hoop tricks are like tea varieties. Different teas (tricks) have different benefits.
I love the way that Bee compares hooping tricks to teas. It makes a lot of sense. When I need a jolt of energy, I reach for green tea or black tea, but there are specific varieties with different benefits even within those two branches.
Green tea has less caffeine than black tea and I feel energized yet mellow and reflective. My current favorite is a blend of Loose Leaf Jasmine, Green, and Hawaiian Mamaki tea. On the other hand, black tea makes me feel a lot more wired and my current favorite is Earl Grey.
Similarly to hula hoop tricks, I reach for different teas depending on my needs, current mood, or the season. I can’t imagine only reaching for the same cup of tea everyday because I would miss the benefits that accompany variety.
Bee treats the different hula hoop tricks like a pharmacy / toolkit to fix bodies. Below are a few of the many benefits of hula hoop tricks:
1- Some tricks and moves work to strengthen the muscles in the front of your body, while others strengthen the muscles in the back.
You can work every muscle in your body with a hula hoop. Many people have “Push days” and “Pull Days” at the gym. The good news is that you can work the front and back of your body from the comfort of your home with a hula hoop!
2- Unilateral moves
There are unilateral moves that are practiced on only one side at a time (some examples are elbow hooping, foot hooping.) These unilateral moves can break down stored tension and also reveal imbalances, strengths, and weaknesses. I personally practice unilateral moves to help me measure my progress and figure out what I need to work on.
You will always have instant feedback because if you’re not doing it right, then your hula hoop will drop. Your hoop will make you reattempt the tricks until you do it correctly.
3- Improves endurance and cardiovascular fitness.
Many moves like chest hooping and angled hooping, improves endurance and boosts our cardiovascular fitness.
4- Boosts circulation and encourages lymph flow.
Hooping boosts our circulation by providing a firm, toning massage. If you have varicose veins or want to prevent them, a common suggestion is to elevate your legs and practice inversions for lymph flow. You can both elevate your legs and practice inversions while you hoop. I have personally noticed a big improvement in my skin tone ever since I started hooping. During times when I hoop less, I also notice the difference and my skin starts to look a bit dull. Thankfully when I hoop again, my skin tones improves.
5- Balancing Skills
These moves will not only help you sculpt a peachy bottom, but they are also excellent for lower abs and core strength. Who doesn’t want a peachy bottom and a sculpted waist? These attributes are not only appealing for aesthetic purposes, but it is very beneficial for your health to have a strong core that is not covered with visceral fat and strong legs.
6- Range of Motion (ROM)
Life has become more convenient and we are a lot more sedentary than our ancestors. While this is a luxury that our ancestors only dreamed of, the sedentary lifestyle has its drawbacks. If you ever have knots in your shoulders or a tension in your neck, it could be a sign that it is time to work on your range of motion. Hooping can help you break down a lot of tension. It’s almost like foam rolling, but you’re working out at the same time. Moves like duck-outs will help you improve your range of motion.
7- Strengthen your core, glutes, shoulders, back, and whole body.
Hula Hooping is a fun workout that can strengthen your entire body. Different tricks provide different benefits. Our legs stay fairly strong because we have to walk to get around, but the upper body often gets neglected. There are so many fun ways to strengthen and stretch your upper body with a hula hoop.
8- Create awareness and stimulate pelvic floor muscles.
Hula Hooping makes it easy to stimulate and exercise your pelvic floor muscles in a gentle and effective way.
More thoughts on hoop tricks
The different hula hoop tricks will help you realize that fitness is not just about how far you can run or how much weight you can lift. There are elements of fitness that we don’t normally work on, but they are still important. Some of these elements include balance, range of motion, or even not wetting yourself when you sneeze, cough, or jump. Also motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and grace. When you workout on the machines in the gym you miss out on the opportunity to work on these other elements of fitness.
What you don’t use, you lose.
This applies to your brain as well as your muscles. This is not meant to offend anyone and I don’t believe in body shaming, but I do think it is important to be realistic and if a person is too sedentary, it can lead to many health issues. There are many people who are too busy with work, family, and life to carve out any extra time and this is understandable. It is hard to add another item too your list when you are already exhausted. This doesn’t mean that you’re lazy.
On the other hand, there are people who start exercising for health reasons and it increases their energy. When you first start a new routine, it can be challenging to find the energy to continue, but if you stick with it, your energy will increase. These people often find an activity that they love like running, tennis, swimming, or yoga. It is a beautiful thing, but overtime they may experience overuse injuries like runner’s knee, tennis elbow, swimmer’s shoulder, or yoga butt.
I have personally experienced both ends of the spectrum and I’m so thankful that I discovered hula hooping because it is helping me to become the strongest and fittest version of myself.
The case for hula hooping
Hula hooping is easy to start and doesn’t take a lot of time or effort. All you have to do is stand up and start spinning it around your waist. Even reaching this point is a huge milestone. This will improve your posture, circulation, digestion, standing upright will create more space for your lungs and organs and help them function better. Hooping also helps to activate the glutes.
Waist hooping with a dance hoop is an easy and gentle way to get started. From there you can branch out and try different tricks. The variety will also help with injury prevention.
Hula Hoop Tricks
Conclusion
As we’ve seen, the hula hoop tricks of this century have been characterized by creativity, innovation, and diversity. From simple waist hooping to multi-hoop techniques, LED and fire hooping, and even the advent of virtual reality, this humble toy has evolved into a versatile tool for artistic expression, fitness, and fun. The future holds exciting prospects for hula hooping, and we can’t wait to see what new tricks the next century will bring. So pick up a hoop, and join the global community of hoop artists in this exciting journey! Market Watch’s Hula Hoop Market forecast provides a sneak peek into what we can look forward to in the world of hula hooping.
I hope that this article was helpful and that you learned something new! See you again soon.
?Alana
