Injury Prevention While Hoop Dancing

You must warm-up, warm-up, warm-up. Just like any other dance form, hoop dance requires a full body warm-up. In its full expression, hoop dance requires full body extensions, body twists and seamless turns. So why would you not warm-up like any other dancer or athlete?

Your warm-up should include movement to increase blood flow to each body part. Therefore, moving into and out of a movement rather than a hold is safest. If you hold a position, you are ‘cold’ and more at risk to tear muscle fibers. But, keep in mind, moving gently and fluidly in and out of a stretch does not mean ‘bouncing’. It is important that you listen to your body.

Your routine for stretching should be specific and instructional. A general warm-up may miss warming up your ankles or wrist. As we know in our hooping community, these joints are prime body parts for injury, so DO NOT forget these guys in your warm-up each time. And what makes warming up even more fun and interesting is to make your warm-up more integrated. That is, add some full body movements while warming up your wrist or ankles.

Some other concepts I would like to talk about is the difference between muscles for stability vs. strength. We all have heard the term, ‘strengthen your core’. And we all know hooping can do this for you. But, what does that all really mean?

Basically, your core stabilizers are small muscles that support your spine and trunk to be safe for long periods of time while doing daily functional activities like wiping the counter or lifting a light or heavy box. On the other hand strength is the muscles that turn on quickly to aid in lifting or moving objects. Both types of muscles are important, but we often tend to train strength rather than core. This may be due to core muscle exercises being very specific and may take more time to train/turn on during an exercise program in relationship to strength muscles. And well, hooping meets this goal.

While we all know we can hoop for extended periods of time doing both on body and off body movements, hooping can be very repetitive. Be sure to be more symmetrical in your practice. I cannot emphasize enough how quickly you can have an injury from repetitive movement.

One of the many beauties of hooping is the fluidity of movement. So you may notice when you are first learning a movement, whether it is on your waist, shoulders or hands, it may not always be smooth at first. When a movement is jerky, it is indicating that not all segments of your body are moving in correct timing. Your body will move like a symphony when your muscles are recruiting properly. Therefore, your hoop gives wonderful feedback as to when you are moving correctly. If you find you are moving jerky with a new movement, be sure to do the following: breathe, do the movement without the hoop, visualize the movement, watch yourself in the mirror, and most importantly, DO NOT spend too much time practicing a movement incorrectly. You will often find, the next time you pick up a hoop, your body will ‘learn’ the movement and it will be easier to be bad ass with that ‘trick’.

After a hoop practice, be sure to do a cool down stretch and drink plenty of water. This will help keep your muscles from getting stiff and sore later on. During the cool down, it is appropriate to do stretches you can hold. This is safe here because your muscles are already warm and less likely to ‘tear’. It is also a good time to do a body scan to help increase your body awareness. Good body awareness can help prevent future injuries. If you are in tune with your body’s limits, you will be able to listen to your body better.

Jodi Jainchill PT, CFMT

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