Are Big Hula Hoops Better?

This post has been updated for 2022.

You’ve started researching hula hooping, and you’re feeling confused about whether big hula hoops are better and overwhelmed by how many different types of hula hoops you can get, from size to weight and even texture. Information overload is definitely a situation many new hoopers find themselves in. Don’t let that scare you away! I’m gonna make it all  make sense for you.

Many of us have seen the viral videos on social media, and those hoopers often appear to be using small, thin hoops.  (To see me using all different size of hoops, follow me on Instagram and Tik Tok).

So what’s the deal here?

Should you buy a big hoop, or a small one? Does it matter? Which one is better? 

First let me answer the big question here.

Are big hula hoops better? It depends. I know, but let me explain…

If you are a beginner, yes big hula hoops are better because they are easier to control. Big hoops leave more space between your body and the hoop, meaning it moves slower around your body. This gives you the opportunity to get used to how the hoop feels going around without it falling constantly. It can really help you learn the rhythm of the hoop so that you can then go back and try smaller hoops and be able to translate that movement to them. 

My lovely husband, Brandon.

Big hula hoops are also better for big people, at least for waist hooping and other on body stuff like hooping on your chest, shoulders, and legs. The bigger your waist, the bigger hoop you should start out with. As you gain skills and muscle memory you will be able to move to a smaller hoop if you so desire, but it’s not necessary.

(I think you will find though that if you truly develop an addiction to hooping, you will end up wanting to amass a collection of a wide variety of hoop sizes.)

Big hoops are really important for us plus size folks starting out and here’s why.   If we try to learn to waist hoop with a hoop that is too small for our body, we will most likely end up feeling frustrated and defeated.  For this reason, I always tell beginners to choose the larger size if they are debating between two sizes when checking our size chart for beginner hoops.

You can never get a hoop that is too big, but a hoop that is too small could feel like a waste of money at first and bring on a lot of aggravation. 

Click here to read more about plus size hooping – I have a whole section on it! 

Another situation where big hula hoops are better is when you feel like zoning out with some simple on body hooping, having a relaxing hula hoop session where you don’t have to react as fast with your body or your mind to keep the hoop going.  There are tons of tricks you can still do even with a really large hoop, but you can also just literally hoop around your waist, or throw in some shoulder and leg hooping to mix it up.

We call this style of hooping body rocking, and big hoops are the most enjoyable for it. And ALL hoopers enjoy a good body rock sesh – so you should never feel embarrassed to use a big hoop. It’s not something that should ever be looked down on nor does it indicate anything about your skill level.  

Now, on the other hand, if you’re not really interested in on-body hooping, but prefer to stick to off-body style which is mostly hand tricks, then any size hoop you want will do just fine, and there is no need to start off with a big hoop.  So in this particular scenario, no, big hoops are not necessarily better. Hand tricks are mostly easier with smaller, lighter hoops. 

To be clear, small hoops have their place too and can be really fun. In addition to the thousands of hand tricks and off body hula hooping, small hoops are great to spin two at once, which we call twins or doubles, and that opens up a whole new world of stuff you can learn. You can get a great workout with a small hoop, or multiple small hoops, and learn so many rewarding skills. 

Your hoop journey belongs to you and you alone, so honestly you can hoop with whatever size hoops feel good to you.

If you are ready to take that magical journey into the wonderful world of hula hooping, you can get your hoops at 50% off when you buy them with my online course, the Six Week Beginner Hula Hoop Challenge for All Body Types!

Go here to read more about my Six Week Challenge! You can start it at any time and take it at your own pace. 

In my course, I will teach you how to use both big hoops on your body and small hoops to do a lot of fun tricks. That’s why I offer the combo packages with the variety of hoops. You will have an amazing foundation to develop your own unique hoop flow!!! 

If you are new to our website, you might not know yet that I have a special place in my heart for plus size hoopers, mainly because I am one, but also because I started this hoop company so that people of all body types could experience the vast benefits of hula hooping. Whether you are big or small, tall or short, young or old, or if you have special challenges you can still hula hoop.

There are so many different ways to spin these circles, I hope you’ll give it a try soon. Feel free to drop me a comment or come and see me on social media – I’m @rubyhooping pretty much everywhere – and we can talk some more. 

Rachel and Nikki at the Ruby Retreat 2019, learning hoop balancing.