oh girl, i've bruised myself all over in the last year since i took up hoop dancing--hit myself in the face, bruised my lip, bruised my forehead, my hips all the time in the beginning, my shins, my nose, knocked myself in the teeth--don't worry about it, whatever you do DON'T STOP HOOPING!--you'll be fine. i had bruises on my shins almost every day when i was first learning to climb the pole, and still i kept climbing. you're more resilient than you think--i think we all are! if you're learning tosses or duck-outs, a lightweight hoop will definitely make things easier on your body when the hoop does land on you--i got a lightweight hoop right off, during my first "tosses" class, and it was so much less bruising--and easier to hoop with for longer periods of time--that i just kept it for on-the-body hoop practice as well. i haven't gone back to heavier hoops since, actually, so that's one option. the lighter hoops will feel harder/faster at first, but after the first couple of days, you'll adjust, and those big heavy hoops will feel so...HEAVY, and SLOW. now i only use heavy hoops when i am first trying to learn a new move (unless it's a new toss). when the lighter hoops hit you in the face, it's still not pleasant, but you won't have black and blue marks for days (maybe just half a day ๐))