CORE HOOP: ADVANCED

All guns blazing

Advanced hoop moves tend to push your body and your mind hard in several ways all at the same time. In Hip Hold Splits you have to balance on the delicate top part of one thigh, which requires full engagement of the core muscles, the ability to counter-balance the legs against one another, and the flexibility to do something not too unlike the splits. Not forgetting the courage to not worry about what will happen if you over-balance. (Actually, that's the easy part once you get it.)

It's all in the balance

Single Leg Scarab split hand grip is a move that requires overall strength (core, upper body, legs) combined with keen balance. This doesn't look like a balance-y move, but that single hock on the top bar is counter-balanced by the hand on the bottom bar, and so you have to be very careful when entering and exiting this move.

Mind bending

Advanced moves can be difficult to get into or to get out of. Inside Out Splits looks straightforward, but it takes a well-oiled hip joint to be able to get into and out of it. This moves starts in a Hocks Hang from the top bar, believe it or not. And then you just turn yourself inside out and face down by rotating your hip through 180 degrees.

From top to toe

For an advanced move, you might need to be strong in places that don't usually need to be strong. In Toe Hang you hang from your toes (where else?). I still can't take both hands off for more than a fraction of a second in this move. The conditioning and strengthening of my feet is taking a very long time (years).

You cannot be serious

In some advanced moves you get to hang from places that seem plain wrong until your body gets conditioned to the feel of the move. In Yogini, you are not hanging from your armpits but from the arms near the top of the biceps brachii muscles. This feels very strange at first, and not too pleasant, but you get used to it.

Juicy joints

For some advanced moves, you will need super strength and control. Skin the Kitten looks simple but it is very demanding of the shoulder joint and you need strong and well-controlled shoulder, upper back and core muscles to support the joint in this move.

Advanced moves can also be very high up, taking place above the hoop on the rigging (the 'strop'), and there can be a lot of dynamic movement like spinning, dropping, and rolling. You can be sure that many advanced moves will challenge you in ways that you have never even dreamed of.

You can see a set of 135 hoop moves here, which include plenty of advanced moves.

And here is a gallery of advanced moves...

Advanced Moves album