How to Make a Hula Hoop

Have you ever seen people hula hooping in the park and thought it looks like fun? Or did you ever hula hoop as a child and want to re explore the whole hooping experience? Are you looking for a fun way to engage your core for a full body workout? Hula Hooping appelas to everyone from adults to children and is a great way to stay active and have fun while doing it. If you ever tried hula hooping as an adult with a child size hoop, you know that it can be difficult. This hub is simply about how to make homemade hula hoops for every size. Pretty soon you will be on your way to hula hooping with your very own custom hoop. Happy Hooping :)

The items you need to get started on making your hoop:

• poly tubing (irrigation tubing) 3/4 inch for adult hoops, 1/2 inch for children hoops, 1 inch for larger, heavier hoops; tubing is usually sold in 100 foot bundles which makes about 8-12 adult size hoops depending on the size you want
• Ratcheting PVC cutters (pipe cutter for tubing)
• coupling inserts, approximately 10 (make sure you get the correct size, for example 3/4 inch insert for 3/4 inch tubing)
• hair dryer or hot water
• duct tape
• decorative tape

Most of these items (tubing, pipe cuters, coupling inserts, duct tape) can be found Home Depot or Lowes and I get all my decrotive tapes for hula hoops at Identi-Tape.

The first thing you need to do is figure out what size you want your hoop. I usually make my hula hoops about bellybutton height from the floor. Remember, the larger you make your hoop, the easier it will be to hoop, so I recommend going for a slightly larger hoop meaning somewhere between your bellybutton and chest is a good place to start for beginners. Using the 100 foot bundle of 3/4 inch tubing you should be able to make 10-13 adult sized hula hoops total, depending on what size you are making. Using 1/2 inch tubing for children's hula hoops, you should be able to make about 15 hula hoops, give or take depending on size.

After you have decided on your hoop size, simply use the ratcheting PVC cutters to cut completely through the tubing. The next step is to use a hair dryer or run hot water on the end of the tubing to expand the tubing in order for the coupling insert to fit inside the hoop. Push the coupling insert half way inside the tubing and bring the other expanded end of the tubing around and connect the remaining half of coupling insert inside (bring the ends together). Make sure you push the tubing together as tightly as possible (you do not want any gaps or to see the coupling insert). Then use a piece of duct tape to secure around where you connected the tube ends. Now you are ready to decorate your hoop with a tape pattern.

The best advice I can give for taping hula hoops is practice and be creative! This is the trickiest part when making your own hula hoop.

First choose 3 or 4 color tapes you want to decorate your hula hoop with. I usually start with the hoop laying across my lap (me sitting inside the hoop) and begin taping the first color to an angle. Once the first tape is completely laid on the hoop, begin laying down the second color aligning it with the first color. I recommend laying down a vinyl or gaffer tape first, then "fancy" tape (glittery, pretty tapes) second because they are the hardest tapes to work with. Once they are laid, it's hard to readjust without them tearing or bubbling up. Then once the "fancy" tape is completely down, follow up with the last vinyl or gaffer tape because it is easy to stretch and hide the imperfections.

It's fun coming up with different color combinations and patterns for taping. Sometimes I like to crisscross the tape pattern to add interest to my hoops. Just remember to be patient, take it slow, and follow the previous tape angle.

Now that you have your very own custom made hula hoop assembled, now it's time to take it for a spin for a fun core workout!

Start with your feet hips width apart and give the hoop a swing around your waist. The best way to keep the hoop from dropping is to sway from right to left when the hoop moves around your waist. Remember that hooping will get easier the more you practice. My best advice is to watch some hula hoop tutorials on You Tube to get some pointers and to learn some new hoop tricks to practice. Make sure you share your hula hoops with your freinds and family because hooping can be fun for everyone.

Happy hooping!