How to Do a Behind-the-Back Hoop Juggle Toss

Have you ever learned a hoop trick that opened the door to a whole family of transitions? The behind-the-back juggle toss is one of those moves for me. It shows up often in my flow because it can connect vertical and horizontal planes while moving naturally between on-body and off-body hooping.

It can look complicated when you first see it, but the secret is not to attempt the whole movement at once. Break it into a controlled release, a roll behind your back, and a clean catch. Give each part time to settle into your muscle memory, then slowly piece them together.

In the video below, I teach the full move outdoors in Mountain Home, Arkansas, on one of the last colorful days of fall. Let’s slow it down and work through it together.

Why I love this hoop trick

The behind-the-back juggle toss is fun on its own, but what makes it especially useful is its versatility. Once you feel comfortable with the basic move, it becomes a beautiful way to travel between different parts of your flow.

You can use it to move from a vertical plane into a horizontal one, shift between on-body and off-body hooping, or create new combinations with rolls, escalators, tosses, and elbow hooping.

Before we explore those variations, let’s build the foundation.

Choose a hoop you can control

In this tutorial, I’m using a 30-inch, 3/4-inch polypro hoop. For this particular move, I recommend experimenting with a lighter, smaller hoop that feels manageable in your hands.

A heavier hoop requires more force during the release and may become wobblier while it rotates behind your back. A lighter hoop can make it easier to practice the pathway with control rather than feeling like you have to fling it and hope for the best.

Step 1: Practice the release and catch

Begin with the hoop in the hand that feels most natural. My dominant hooping hand is my left, so that is where I start. If you are right-handed, you may prefer to begin on your right—but try both sides and see what feels most comfortable.

Hold the hoop beside you with your thumb facing up and a fairly loose grip. Place your other hand close against the side of your body behind your back, with your palm open and facing outward and your thumb pointing up.

Your first goal is simple: lightly release the hoop into the open palm behind your back.

The control comes from your wrist and fingers. Cradle the hoop between your thumb and fingers, give it a gentle swinging motion, and aim it toward your waiting palm. The wrist action feels a little like the motion you would use to begin a chest roll.

Practice only this release and catch until the pathway begins to feel familiar. You do not need to add the roll yet.

Step 2: Turn the catch into a roll

Once the hoop reaches your hand behind your back, its momentum will naturally want to carry it toward the opposite side of your body.

Allow the hoop to drop onto your thumb for one rotation. As it comes back up for the second rotation, place the rest of your fingers inside the hoop. The hoop should now be rotating around your fingers in a vertical plane behind your back.

This part can feel awkward at first. Focus on keeping your body and the hoop facing the same direction. If your body turns away or the hoop tilts off its vertical plane, the rotation will start to wobble.

For now, practice just two pieces together:

1. Release and catch the hoop behind your back.

2. Let that catch continue into a controlled roll around your hand.

Use the slow-motion demonstrations in the video to study how the hoop moves from the thumb to the fingers before continuing into the release.

Step 3: Add the final release and catch

When the behind-the-back roll feels comfortable, add the final release.

Gently send the hoop upward and in front of you, then catch it with the hand that began the movement. Catch it with your thumb pointing up and your palm facing your body—the same general hand position you used for the first release.

Think of the complete movement as a sequence:

Release. Catch. Roll. Release. Catch.

You do not need to throw the hoop forcefully. As it leaves the hand behind your back, let your fingers release gently and point upward toward the sky. Keep that hand close to your body throughout the rotation. Reaching comfortably around your side gives you more control and helps the hoop follow a cleaner path.

Troubleshooting a wobbly hoop

One challenge is keeping the hoop level while it rotates behind you. If yours is wobbling, return to the separate pieces instead of rushing through the entire trick.

Pay attention to two things:

• The hoop’s plane: Keep it rotating vertically, with your body facing the same direction.

• The hoop’s momentum: Use enough energy to carry it through the roll and release, but not so much that you lose control.

Finding that balance takes trial and error. Build the muscle memory slowly, stay patient with yourself, and keep the practice lighthearted. It feels amazing when all three pieces finally meet in one smooth movement.

Practice your opposite side early

One lesson I learned later in my own hoop journey is how valuable it is to practice both sides from the beginning.

For off-body hooping, try new moves with both your dominant and non-dominant hands. For on-body hooping, practice in both your natural and opposite currents. I learned many tricks almost entirely with my left hand, and as a more advanced hooper I found myself returning to the basics to teach my right side what my left already knew.

My own opposite-hand attempt in this tutorial was still a little fluffy, with plenty of room for improvement. Giving that side attention early can benefit your flow tremendously later.

Explore transitions and variations

Once the basic behind-the-back juggle toss feels steady, creativity can come into play. In the video, I demonstrate several of my favorite ways to enter or exit the move:

• Enter from a tuck toss, which places the hoop naturally into the starting position.

• Release upward into a chest roll by leaning back and giving the hoop enough momentum to clear your shoulder.

• Continue into a reverse escalator.

• Release into a more advanced head toss.

• Place your dominant elbow into the hoop and continue into elbow hooping or elbow breaks.

Each variation asks for a slightly different amount of momentum. When moving into a chest roll, for example, the hoop needs a little more upward energy than it does for the basic front catch. Keep the hand behind your back close to your body and move your free arm out of the hoop’s path.

Once the basic move is comfortable, experiment with these transitions and discover which ones fit naturally into your own flow.

Keep building your hoop-dance foundation

If you enjoyed breaking this move into clear, manageable pieces, Learn to Hoop Dance continues the same step-by-step approach through more than 50 lessons. We build from foundational movement into intermediate hoop-dance skills, including tosses, isolations, sweeps, escalators, transitions, and ways to bring the movements together creatively.

Most importantly, remember that hooping is a practice. Patience, play, and repetition are all part of the journey. Celebrate the little breakthroughs, keep exploring both sides, and have fun discovering where this move can take your flow.

Happy hooping!