[Squeak]

Sparrow, that is a great idea. When I first trained on hoop…my instructor only had tape in major contact areas. If your grip is an issue…definitely feel free to use grip aids on the hoop just as you would with pole. You might also want to cross-train on fabrics a bit. I used to have grip issues on the pole and then got into fabrics for a couple of years. When I went back to pole, I had a death grip from working on the fabrics all the time!

[Squeak]

Touching on the question of no tape…

I prefer to not tape my hoops.
It is not dangerous at all and in fact, can allow the aerialist to wear less clothing without worrying about getting chafed by the fabric tape. I also find it to be easier on my hands. Taped hoops make my hands sore and red much more quickly.
As an instructor, I find that girls who come from pole actually take to an untaped hoop well…as they are used to gripping bare metal. (We offer both taped and “bare” hoops at my studio.)

Your studio is probably using untaped hoops for sanitary reasons (and probably to save time and money on keeping up with re-taping hoops). A bare hoop can be easily cleaned and sanitized with rubbing alcohol or mild cleaners. Whereas, the tape we use for hoops is essentially fabric and glue. Think about it…fabric and glue…can you imagine the germs and dirt that get stuck in that tape? And it is not exactly easy to sanitize between classes. Some studios go months between taping hoops. Thinking about how many people have touched the hoop, had it in their crotch, etc…no thanks. I’ll go play on the untaped hoop. 😉