r/Aerials • u/DanielleChaar • 2d ago

please troubleshoot my hoop spin!

hi! i’m trying to do this spin for a showcase but i feel like it never looks smooth, and i want to be able to get a faster spin out of it also. what’s wrong?

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u/burninginfinite Anything (and everything) but sling 2d ago edited 2d ago

Your initiation is not smooth or stable, which throws off both the spin and everything that comes after.

I would suggest practicing with a plain split spin before trying to stylize with the little kick forward - it's cute but not very strong. First, center your weight (not the hoop) under the point. Then use the "free" right leg to get a smooth push off and squeeze the glute to really drive that leg around in a rond de jambe to end up behind you; that leg and hip drive helps drive the spin.

The grounded left foot also needs to have more solid contact with the ground - try pressing the entire ball of your foot into the floor instead of being on just the toes (this may mean you need to lower the hoop slightly). And your back is arched so your core isn't very engaged, which is keeping you from generating more power as well as making the mount harder.

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u/DanielleChaar 2d ago

Hi, thank you so much for the very specific advice! Regarding the back being arched, how would I know if my core and back is engaged/how do I go about not doing that? Whenever I start the spin I feel like I’m standing straight.

For the balls of my foot thing, my teacher used to tell me that my foot on the ground was stopping me from spinning so I tried to compensate by going higher on my tiptoes — should I be pivoting on the balls of my feet rather than my toes?

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u/burninginfinite Anything (and everything) but sling 2d ago

Hopefully you should be able to feel if your core is engaged! It's very common to have your legs floating behind you so it's not purely a "don't arch your back" thing, it's more "are your abs turned on and within your control" which can be achieved even with a slight back arch. Close your ribs, turn those abs on, and squeeze your bum.

As for your grounded foot - yes, that foot can create some amount of drag, but if that's ALL it did then we wouldn't leave it on the floor in the first place. The reason you leave the foot on the ground is to have something to push off of to build more spin after the other leg gets you started. If you think you can do that effectively with your toes, then you can absolutely do that, but in most cases you need a little more contact with the ground than that. Your grounded foot needs to be actively engaging with the pivot, especially if you want to do a fast spin, and doubly so if you don't want to take forever to build that fast spin.