Hoop Anatomy
From Betty's 16 years of research with chiropractors, athletes, yoga teachers as well as her field study with thousands of hoopers, she created a system that targets and corrects the top 5 common ways people exhibit bad posture and body mechanics. HoopCore Fitness and this page offer a spinal decompression system which retrains the body to move correctly. Betty has realigned many people who have never hooped but want to increase sports performance, lifestyle and overall ability to feel less pain and more balanced.
SPINAL DECOMPRESSION STEPS: 1.) Finding your Center Line: Most people use their body in life and in all sports, by thrusting forward, away from their spine. This is the incorrect way to use the body. (You can spot this posturing in most people who practice yoga and hooping.) Injuries from hyper-extension in the chest and low back: Chronic pain and compression in L4 and L5 vertabra which can lead to sciatica, knee problems, plantar fasciitis, sunken rib cage, compressed organs, poor digestion, shortness of breath, ringing in ears, numbness in arms, limited range of motion in the ribs and pelvis. 2.) 3 Part Theory: There are 2 main axis that the body rotates around. The lumbar, (low back and core) and the thoracic region, (rib cage, lungs, heart) Lateral and rotational movements are limited when the ribs sink into themselves, the organs and the pelvis. 3.) Belly Pump Method: Thousands of athletes and people with chronic pain have greatly improved balance, flexibility, agility, injury prevention and sports performance in all sports, from this method. Dozens have lost 10 pounds and 4 inches in less than 1 month! The Belly Pump Method video is shown on it's own page. It is a series of quick contractions of the transverse abdominal muscles back toward the spine. This retrains the body to move with stability, in the central axis (core) first. This also relieves the fatigued/overused muscles and realigns the spine, muscles and anatomy. Stability to Mobility: The focus is for the core and pelvic region to move independently from the ribs and the legs. First, stabilize the upper and lower 3rd, (from the legs to the feet & from the mid ribs to the head) Then, only rock the hips side to side and back to front, from the center line. Once achieved, you will switch the focus to learning how to mobilize the upper and lower 3rd and stabilize from the core. This will put the body back on its axis, in its center and balance the neurophysiology.
Target & Correct your Top 5 Structural Misalignments in 5 Minutes
Which Top 5 are you? You could have more than 1! Whatever bad posture you have in life, you will use and make worse in all sports. Using the pictures below, figure out which postural mistakes you have and quickly correct them.
1.) FRANKENSTEIN: Tipping the torso up and down. This mistake fuses the upper and middle 3rd to move in one rigid motion. It hurts the lower back and the hoop will fall after a few rotations. It locks out the core so one cannot use it.
2.) THE CHICKEN: Thrusting the head forward, while pulling the elbows back. This mistake uses the upper 3rd. It compresses the spine which pinches nerves and discs in the neck mid back.
3.) THE SURFER: Trying to hoop with a stance wider than hip distance. If legs are wider than hips in any sport, it will limit range of motion in the hips and prevent one from being able to engage their core muscles. This mistake uses the lower 3rd (legs).
4.) THE BELLY DANCER: Most common in hoopers. This mistake uses the upper 3rd (ribcage) in small circles. Contrary to many youtube videos - YOU DO NOT - want to ever - roll ANY part of your body in circles. You will be pinching discs whether you roll your ribs around your pelvis or roll your hips in a circle to try to keep the hoop up. ALSO, it is simple physics, but the hoop is your wheel and it needs an axis (something which stays in a vertical plane) for the wheel to spin on. So if you try to move in a circular fashion, the hoop will not have anything to push against and fall.
5.) THE CAMEL: Most common in hoopers, yoga teachers/students. This mistake uses the upper 3rd. By lifting the chest, the low back and erectors will compress. This prevents one from engaging the core muscles. The hooper will stick the butt up to overcompensate for lack of range of motion in the low back and ribcage. This compresses the whole spine and shoulder blades and pinches nerves and discs.
CORRECT YOUR MISTAKES NOW!
FINDING YOUR CENTER LINE
How to Hoop Correctly: It is easier to learn by using the bones rather than by isolating and using the belly. Stand upright in your vertical plane. DO NOT lift your chest. Move your hips either side to side or back to front. You are the Axis the Hoop is the Wheel: You will move your hips side to side or back to front. Bend your knees but don't use them. *** MOST IMPORTANT: If you are not using the Betty Hoop, you will have a hard time and be setting yourself up for injury. Learn more on the product research portion!
QUICK TIPS: Suck & Tuck. (Suck your belly back toward your spine with force and tuck your tailbone) When the weight of the hoop pushes into your belly, push back into the hoop. DO NOT push into your lower back or push the chest forward or the butt back and up! (These are the common mistakes when trying to correct)