Shoulder hooping can be challenging to get the hang of but once it clicks, it feels so good! This expressive, fluid move involves the hoop rotating around your upper chest with your arms inside the hoop, moving from bicep to chest to bicep to upper back. It frees up your lower body for dancing, is an awesome transitional move and is a fun one to hang out in and just jam for ages. There is a rhythm to it that feels good. Some common hurdles to learning shoulder hooping include keeping the hoop from slipping down and sliding up onto the neck; and achieving a smooth consistent flow. Often these challenges stem from tension in the upper body, lack of understanding of the required posture, or a difficulty finding the right rhythm with the hoop.
If you’re struggling with shoulder hooping, check out the 7 tips below to help you smooth it all out.
1. Turn in a circle
One of the most accessible ways to sustain shoulder hooping for more than a few rotations and begin to gain more control, is to turn your body in the same direction the hoop is spinning. This will help slow the hoop down, giving your conscious and subconscious the opportunity to feel into the rhythm and adjust your movements.
HOT TIP: Look over your shoulder in the direction you’re turning. This helps keep your chest open, preventing it from collapsing inwards; improves balance; and keeps your movements smooth and intentional.
2. Keep your chest big and broad
A broad chest creates a stable surface for the hoop to roll over. Avoid hunching or collapsing your chest as this will not only feel clunky, it will remove the most important part of real-estate (your chest) from the picture. Shoulder hooping needs lots of chesty real-estate! Without it, the hoop won’t have enough body to stick to, push against or be pushed by and it will disrupt the hoop’s flow.
HOT TIP: Keep your hands aligned with the sides of your thighs or slightly behind them to encourage an open chest position. Once you get the hang of shoulder hooping, you can put your hands anywhere. When you are just starting out, this hand position will really make a difference.
3. Experiment with foot placement
If doing two things at once, like turning in a circle and shoulder hooping, feels like too much, try this other method. Stand with your feet planted wide apart and shift your weight side to side – noticing it in the outer edges of your feet. Do your best to feel into the rhythm, every time the hoop comes past one side of the body it needs a nudge. This feet apart, side-to-side option will feel faster than turning (because it is) but there is less to think about so it might just be the secret sauce you’ve been looking for!
HOT TIP: Relax your arms and let your elbows flop naturally. Keep your shoulders away from your ears to maintain a relaxed posture.
4. Don’t look down
Resist the urge to look down at the hoop. Looking down can throw off your posture and make it harder to maintain control. Keep your head up and your gaze looking toward where you are turning. Your peripheral vision will do the rest, trust it!
5. Smooth out the bumps
If you’re hoop feels like it’s clunking or bumping unevenly as it rotates, focus on pushing into the hoop during those bumpy movements. This gentle correction can help even out the motion and keep the hoop gliding smoothly around your shoulders.
6. The secret key to unlocking shoulder hooping
Rubbing your butt cheeks in a circular motion with your hands.
I was teaching one day and I looked across the room to see one of my long-term students, who’s always struggled with shoulder hooping, fully shoulder hooping! …whilst rubbing her butt cheeks in a circular motion with her hands.
After having a good giggle, I gave it a go and realised that having your hands gently moving around on your butt cheeks keeps the chest open and encourages the upper front body to make circular motions.
GENIUS!! Give it ago!
HOT TIP: Rub your butt!
7. Practise!
Learning shoulder hooping takes patience, persistence, and lots of practise! Don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t click straight away. Keep experimenting with these tips, and celebrate your progress as you go. If you share your shoulder hooping journey on insta – tag me @donnasparx, I want to celebrate with you!
HOT TIP: The best practise is play! Crank the tunes and just let yourself get lost in the play.
View this post on Instagram
Despite the learning curve, shoulder hooping is incredibly rewarding once you get the hang of it. It enhances your hoop flow by introducing upper body movements, creating opportunities for graceful transitions, and dramatic accents in your dance style. Beyond being visually appealing, shoulder hooping is great for building your body awareness, improving posture, and it also encourages you to relax your shoulders and arms.
If you want to dive deeper into shoulder hooping, check out the Shoulder and Breaks video course – for those of you who are at Beginner or Intermediate level and want to level up.
