When I was a teenager and butting heads with my Dad, I'd just go outside and rope the sawhorse (spent quite a few hours working out my bone-headedness with the rope rather than in the house). Good way to learn consistancy and nice to practice on a still target before advancing to the stock. Just nail a short stick flat across one end and you've got a horned dummy to practice on.
If you don't know anyone personally that ropes, I've seen some fairly decent videos in the tackstores on learning how to do it. Maybe somebody can recommend one to you.
Between Honey's three and my three kidlings we have a great time whiling away summer evenings on a couple of sawhorses with our ropes.
Ollie, I learned to throw the hoolihan a couple years back, but mostly use it if I've got to rope a colt. Seems like after the timing, the key is not to jerk your slack too soon... at least that's how it's been for me.
One of my favourite neighbours received a ranch roping video for Christmas last year from his wife (they rope their calves same as we do in the spring, and he's an old team-roper at heart, so it was the perfect gift for him). We watched it with them a couple times last winter, and sure really enjoyed the way those boys could make their shots.
One in particular that Honey and I have been trying to get down pat is where you throw a kind of hoolihan over the back of the animal, figure-eights over their hip and still get a set of double hocks. Kind of hard for me to explain, but sure is fancy to see....especially at the distances those boys were making their throws from.
Take care.