Upcycled Hula Hoop Football Target for Backyard Ninja Course

I created a football target made out of an old hula hoop to be hung on a backyard ninja line. It’s perfect if you have a broken or damaged hula hoop that doesn’t serve its purpose very well anymore. It is intended to work with ninja lines similar to the one shown here. I am an eighth grade student at Westwood Middle School, which I understand qualifies me for the student prize in the 2026 Backyard Contest.

You will need:

1. your hula hoop
2. a drill with a rather large bit
3. (optional) a vise to hold the hula hoop
4. the project is intended to be strung on a ninja course like in the photo, but if you had a ziptie you could likely hang it on just a tree branch.

Mount the hula hoop in your vise so that you can drill into it without damaging the vise or the bit. Depending on how firm your hoop is, you might want to adjust the squeeze force.

Take an awl or a screwdriver and poke a hole where you want to drill the hole. This helps for keeping the bit aligned with the spot on the plastic.

take your drill and use the awl hole to guide the bit through the plastic. The hole should be big enough to fit your carabiner in, but you could alternatively use a zip tie.

Put your carabiner or zip tie in the hole. If using the zip tie, wait until the next step to secure it.

Mount your carabiner on the ninja line. If using a zip tie, this is the time to zip it.

You can now practice your aim with a football or baseball by throwing it through the hoop! Congrats on saving a damaged hula hoop from the trash can!