Where I first Learned About Hula Hooping

     I first learned about hula hooping over the summer at a Sublime concert. There were two girls there who were dancing and doing tricks before the show started. I was mesmerized by the way they barely moved their bodies while the hoop seemed to just hovered around them. I just sat at watched them for a good hour or so. They made it look so easy. I wanted to learn badly from that point on.
     To back up a little bit, I am a black belt in Karate and I studied Wushu for many years. I also learned a little bit of poi. When I got into high school my priorities changed, I got a job, and I faded out of that scene but I missed being able to have a hobby that I enjoyed. I also missed performing. Recently my sister and all of my friends got into music called Dubstep. I liked the music but it was not the one thing I went to listen to in my free time.

      My sister would go to Dubstep shows and come back with stories about the performers. Her one favorite was the hula Hooper's. It got my attention because I had never herd of hula hooping like that before. When I finally saw girls performing that the Sublime show I understood her interest even more. From that point on hula hooping changed my life.
     The next week we looked up on the Internet how to make our own hoops and immediately went out to buy the supplies. My parents and my close friends thought it was a little weird that we found hula hooping so fascinating. They believed that until we started being able to do tricks.

     We spent the next couple days in the basement of our house watching You Tube videos learning how to do some crazy stuff. We picked it up fairly easy from our experience with Wushu and poi and knowing how to move our bodies. It was the most amazing feeling to be able to do something that most people did not know how to do.
     From there our mother came to us asking to learn how to hoop. We had a good laugh watching her try to hoop for the first time, but she also picked it up fairly quickly. She told us, "If anyone says it's too hard to do then tell them you taught a fifty year old woman how to do it so they shouldn't doubt themselves." It became our family activity.
    Since then we have not stopped learning and we continue to educate more people our age, older, and younger about the benefits of hooping. I hope people will be inspired by what we have done and learn how to do a great new activity, build confidence, and can be as creative as possible because that is what hooping is about.

Is Hula Hooping Too Feminine for Men?

     To answer this question, no, hula hooping is okay for men to do without it being weird. This activity is more female dominant but it has the same benefits for men as they do for women.
    Dizzy Hips is a male hula hoop performer who took hula hooping to a new level but kept his masculinity. He invented the Square la hoop and the two person hoop. He is a great role model for men who want to hoop but are scared about trying it. Here is a link to his blog http://people.tribe.net/dizzy.
 
This is a picture of him from his blog
     No matter what anyone says, hula hooping is an activity for both men and women. I have taught a couple of my guy friends to hula hoop and they love it! Yes, they are straight men. It is really cool to see them get into it because there are a lack of men who hula hoop. Hula hooping can make women look and feel sexy but that same sex appeal does not have to apply to men. Men's bodies are not meant to move in the same way the women's bodies are.

This is a picture of what can be done with a hula hoop and how much work it takes

     Men do not have to stick to the same tricks that women do. Hula hooping is about strength in a lot of ways. There is a trick called isolation that takes a lot of arm strength to do. Here is a link to a video of isolation so you can better understand what I mean: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6wLaLsbLK4. There are also tosses and other tricks that take great hand-eye coordination.
    If men really want to make a statement about masculinity, this is a great way to do it. If you learn how to do it and someone tells you that hula hooping is to femanine, ask them to try and see how well they do. Hula hooping is way harder then it looks.
     Hula hooping is a great way to tone your core. Men lose weight faster then women on most occations. If men want to tone their abdominal muscles, this is a great exercise to do it. Do not be scared to try this!\

I got this information from
http://www.google.com/imgreshl=en&biw=1280&bih=593&tbm=isch&tbnid=sbo2wCLF4I5EMM:&imgrefurl=http://gangalee.net/dancehall_kroki.php%3Ft%3D%25C5%2582atwy&docid=v9r3weq2bvHNXM&imgurl=http://www.acesofacts.com/pictures/Hula-HoopTamara-1.jpg&w=400&h=600&ei=AdHgTrDVEeSI2gWY45TdDw&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=778&vpy=178&dur=46&hovh=275&hovw=183&tx=111&ty=270&sig=110516146025220379174&page=9&tbnh=110&tbnw=73&start=203&ndsp=27&ved=1t:429,r:23,s:203

Has The Focus of Hula Hooping Changed?

     The one thing that has not changed about hula hooping is the exercise aspect. The things that have changed about hula hooping is that the focus has really changed from children to adults. Wham-O's main focus for the hula hoop was a children's toy. If you go to any department store you can only find children sized hula hoops.
     I have not seen many children play with hula hoops. When I worked at a day care center, we had hula hoops available for the children but they used them for basketball hoops and in other imaginative ways but not for their intended purpose.

This is a child using hula hoops for different purposes.
  It was not until this summer when I truly saw what you could do with a hula hoop in it's intended way. The hula hoop has transformed from a simple toy to a profession.
     Patrick Hutchinson writes for Livestrong.com and he also believes that the focus of hula hoops has changed, "The hula hoop made its debut as a children's toy in the 1950s, but is back with a vengeance, this time with a focus on fitness."

This is a picture of a hula hoop fitness class.
    I also agree with this. The focus has also moved to fitness, burning calories, and losing weight. It really is a great way to exercise. It is a great way to tone your legs, arms, and midsection. A person can burn around 100 calories for every 10 minutes hula hooping. It is a fun and easy exercise to learn.
    I got this information from:

http://www.livestrong.com/article/395788-is-the-hula-hoop-a-good-exercise-for-firming-reducing-your-waist/

http://www.hooping.org/groups/fitness-hoopers/forum/topic/how-many-calories-can-you-burn-while-hula-hooping/

 

Types of Music

     Hoop dance can be done to any type of music. Basically it depends on what you like to listen to. From my experience with hula hooping, I have seen many people hula hoop to Dubstep. Dubstep is a type of electronic music that combines fast and slow beats that are really fun to dance to. One of my favorites is Pink Lady by Feed Me. A lot of the videos of hula hooping are associated with the Dub Step culture.
 
     If you are a person who is into the Native American Indian dances then some softer music is probably more for you. Native American music has a lot more meaning behind it. It is explained as more of a way of communicating and it has a more erratic rhythm about it. It is a lot calmer and more for the meditation type of hooping.
     The web site http://hooping.tribe.net/thread/220f4cec-cfbe-4a7a-a85d-39cdaa43575e has lists of different songs that people have put up that they like to listen to. Listen to some of the songs and find out what you like.
I got this information from:
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0834979.html

Jobs From Hula Hooping and Sponsors

     First of all, yes there are jobs hula hooping and they are not all in the circus. Hula hooping is spread through many different cultures and is used for many different styles of dance and exercise.
    If you are more interested in a different way to exercise then being a hula hoop trainer could be an option for you. Go to your local training facilities and inquire about hula hooping and see if they teach classes or are looking for teachers.
     There are many different opportunities to get paid to perform at events. The events include concerts, festivals, birthdays, holidays, weddings, and many more. Be creative and put yourself out there. Sponsors go to concerts and festivals especially and look for people to perform for them.

There are different groups you can start or join that perform professionally as well. The Hoop Troop is a group from Boston who do performances and offer classes. Burning Man is a festival that is a great place to perform and get classes as well.
     Hula hooping, like any other sport, offers sponsors to individuals who hula hoop. Call around and send in videos to places that sell hula hoops or to places that provide performers. Sponsors will pay for your way into events and some of them offer benefits for you to go an hoop. You might want to also get your name out as an individual performer around your area. Posting advertisement videos on You Tube and Facebook are good ways to get recognized.
   I got this information from:

http://www.bostonhooptroop.com/

What Hula Hooping Can Offer You

       There are many different types of hula hooping. To name a few there is fire hooping, hoop dancing, circus style, exercise hooping, and many more. There is a wide variety to fit the needs of many different people.

     The most obvious benefit to hula hooping is that it is good exersize. It gets children and adults outside playing together and having fun. Hooping also give kids freedom to imagine by making up tricks.

     What a lot of people do not know is that it can help in the mental health field. Studies showed that hula hooping promotes depression improvement, balance, coordination, social development, self and group acceptance, memory, and it also helps kids with ADHD.

    Who would have thought that a hoop could do all of that? Michelle Obama even has a hoola hooping program for children called the "Healthy Kids Fair" to get kids to eat healthier and exercise. There are many programs like Michelle Obama's around our country that promote exercise through hula hooping.

      Another kind of hula hooping is fire hooping. The hula hoops have stick like projections that come off of them with kerosene soaked balls on the ends of them that are caught on fire while the person dances. It is a more dangerous type of hula hooping but there are classes to teach safety and lots of practice done before attempting. It is a really beautiful thing to watch if ever given the chance.
     This style of hooping is more of a dance style because some of the tricks done with regular hoops can be very dangerous unless a person is trained very well.

     An alternative to fire hoops, if it seems to risky or you are a beginner, would be an LED hula hoop. The LED hula hoops are a white or clear PVC type hoop that contains LED lights in many different color patterns with a battery that fits inside the top. These hoops are great for doing circus style tricks and twirls, or for dancing and exercise as well.
     Most of the hoops now are collapsable and easier to travel with. LED and Fire hoops are great for night time activities because they light up and the colors run together. Mini hoops are fun to use also. You can use just one or multiple to make different illusions and patterns.

       All of these hoops can come in different weights and sizes. Usually the exercise hoops are heavier than the performance hoops. If you are a beginner it is easier to start off with a hoop that is bigger in diameter and weight. There different web sites that tell you how big the hoop should be for your perticular size.
   On average the hoop should come up to your waist. http://www.jasonunbound.com/hoops.html is a great website for making your own hula hoops. This is what I started off with for my practice hoop. They are very sturdy and durable.
    All of the supplies cost around $40 from Lows but you can make up to 9 adult size hoops. You Tube has great tutorials to learn tricks at home to get you up and exercising!
    Here are some links to videos of different types of hula hooping:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlWkXrL5qms&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQ5MP6SW4PQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsHdtB1yEdI&feature=related
    I got this information from:

http://www.sooperarticles.com/health-fitness-articles/hula-hoop-history-1958-2010-influence-hoop-dance-american-pop-culture-455480.html
    

      
     

Some History Behind Hula Hooping

         As I explained in my about me section, I find it very important to understand the history behind whatever I do. It gives me a better passion and understanding of whatever I do. I decided to start off with the history behind hula hooping. Without our history we would not have a past.
      Without our past then how would we understand our future and grow from what we have learned? I want to share this history to give others to help build the passion for hula hooping and to also help people understand why poeple hula hoop. I recieved this information from http://www.hulahooping.com/hoop-history.html .
         Many people may think that hula hooping began when Wham-O mass produced the hula hoop in 1958. This is not true. Hula hooping has been dated back to around 500 BC. The hoops back then were made from organic materials such as grapevines and grass.

     The common way children would play with the hoops was rolling them with a stick and the common way we know around the waist. Hooping spread to Britian around the fourteenth century where they became very liked. Some back problems and heart conditions durring this time were linked to hula hooping.
     British sailors were the ones who came up with the name "Hula Hoop" around 1800 after watching hula dancers in Hawaii. They believed the dance and the way people hula hoop had a lot of the same movements.

     Native American Indians used hula hooping to tell stories by dancing with them. They also used multiple hoops to form the shapes of different animals on their bodies such as birds, butterflies, or snakes. The dance style was very fast. Hoops had a symbolic meaning to the Native Americans. The circle meant the circle of life. This was around the 1400's.

      Today there are still hoop dancing competitions that are Native American styled. Australia also got into hula hooping in the 50's. Toltoys produced bamboo hoops for Australia but they soon realized that they could not keep up with demand. They began producing the plastic hoop.