Dr. Hoopwell says…
Hooping at an angle is entertaining and challenging, but sometimes you just want the hoop to go around in a flat, horizontal plane, and it seems to want to go crooked. For most people frustrated with Unintentional Angle, the hoop’s path is maddeningly consistent and the hoop feels like it is magnetized to this orbit. Fear not, hoopers, Dr. Hoopwell can help you reign in the plane!
Symptoms: The hoop keeps going around with one side lower than the other. May or may not be present: mild cursing.
Diagnosis: Unintentional Angle
Causes:
- Uneven hoop pressure–hitting more forcefully with one push point (point on the body contacting the hoop) than the second push point.
- Pushing into the hoop at an angle rather than straight outward.
- Posture–your hips (or other body part, depending on where you’re hooping) may be tilted forward or backward (or perhaps to one side)
Explanation: If you make your hoop do angles on purpose you may notice that pushing upwards or downwards rather than outward on the hoop starts the hoop on an angle, and continuing this motion keeps it at that angle. For instance, you push your hoop upwards by thrusting your hips sky-ward (for waist hooping) or by opening the chest to the sky for chest hooping. If your hoop is making an angle accidentally, your body is giving the hoop a force in an upward or downward direction (a vector, if you please).
Suggestions:
- Easy fix: Push harder in the direction of the lower side of the hoop.
- More effective: Counter the angle by purposefully thrusting the lower edge of the hoop upwards
- Best: Practice hooping around the part of your body which causes the Unintentional Angle uninterrupted for a long time (at least 10 minutes). (If the hoop falls, pick it up and go again immediately without switching to your favorite move or taking a break). Pay attention to your posture. Constantly make micro-adjustments to your movements and position and observe the effects on the hoop. Close your eyes and feel the hoop contacting you, your body’s movements, and sense the rhythm and orientation of the hoop.
