Hula Hooping Styles – Everything You Need to Know!

Which hula hooping style appeals to you the most? Read on to find out more, or you can take our 30 second quiz now to find out which style fits you best. 

You may have seen various hula hooping styles on social media and wondered, how many different styles are there?

Some people choose very basic hooping moves only to tone muscle or burn calories, and some learn as many tricks as possible.

Very generally speaking, there are several technical styles of hula hooping, including:

• On-body hooping – hooping around your waist, legs, shoulders, chest, hips, including with multiple hoops.
• Off-body hooping – doing tricks with your hands, arms, legs, but not with the hoop rotating around your body.
• Multiples hooping – using two, three, four, or even more hula hoops at the same time to make amazing shapes and beautiful illusions.

But in a bigger picture sense, hoopers tend to fall into one of the following categories when it comes to overall hoop style.

The 4 Main Hula Hooping Styles

Hula Hooping Style #1 – Weight Loss Warrior

This is probably the most common hula hooping style. Many people look into hula hooping because they want to get more fit and/or lose weight.

And with good reason. You may have noticed, especially since the pandemic began, people more than ever are looking for fun exercise they can do from home.

Hula hooping tops that list because it’s so much fun it never feels like exercise, and it both tones muscle as well as burns calories at the same time!

Most people who prefer this style of hula hooping aren’t too worried about executing tricks perfectly. It’s more about the simple act of sweating it out inside that magic circle. Turn on your favorite music and drift away for 30 minutes while you get your workout in! 

Hula Hooping Style #2 – Free Flowing Spirit

Although as a beginner or someone who is just beginning to research hula hooping, you may not know what hula hooping style truly appeals to you the most right now.  That’s perfectly okay!

I can tell you that eventually, you will feel like a free flowing spirit no matter what other styles of hula hooping you fall in love with. ALL styles of hula hooping feel very freeing once you get the hang of it!

As a free flowing spirit, you don’t dwell too much on one specific detail. You’re really pleased that you’re getting an amazing workout as well as mental health benefits, but you don’t get stuck on one main goal. You just flow!

Hula Hooping Style #3 – Meditative Master

One of the other main ways hula hooping attracts people is for its ability to put your mind at ease in a moving meditation. For this style of hula hooping, it becomes medicine not just for your body but your mind as well.

There are serious healing powers within the hoop dance practice and this style of hula hooping helps you tap into it. Your hoop time is your me time. No phones, nobody asking you for anything. Just you and your hoop, for a little while every day.

Many people who hula hoop for meditative purposes tend to enjoy simple and rhythmic moves, such as hooping around your waist, shoulders, legs, and chest. Hula hooping truly feels like being rocked in the best possible way. It is so soothing.

Hula Hooping Style #4 – Tech Queen/King

Last but most certainly not least, this style of hula hooping has more focus on not only learning a large body of sometimes complex hula hoop tricks, but also perfecting them!

People who identify as tech-focused hula hoopers absolutely love to learn as much as they can with their hoop and are always building on their previous knowledge. They are motivated by that. 

It’s easy to become addicted to that sweet sense of accomplishment every time you feel something new click. It’s also nice to show your friends and people you meet at social events with your dope hoop skills!

A lot of hula hoopers start off thinking they’ll never be techy hoopers, but once they become more immersed in the hoop life they tend to become more interested in learning as many moves as possible. So, you might think you’re not into tech right now when you’re reading this, but check back in two years!

This article has barely scratched the surface of the various hula hooping styles there are. This is my take on it as a plus size hula hoop instructor and hoopmaker, serving a global community of body-positive minded people for the past ten years! 

Hula hoop style is a broad topic that we could talk about for hours! The main thing I want you to take away right now is that there is a whole world of hoop dance out here and it’s transforming people’s lives.

Want to learn from me? I have created my Six Week Beginner Hula Hoop Challenge for All Body Types to get you well on your way to living your best life as a hula hooper.

No matter what style you choose, my course is designed to give you a broad understanding of the many ways we use our hula hoop to grow into our own unique flow and practice.

To learn more about the challenge, click the image below.