Hip belay tips

The rope that runs to the climber (the loaded strand) should run through a biner on the front of your harness. This increases your control of the belay.
Take a wrap of the rope around your forearm(s) for extra security. Note: this technique may lead to forearm injury if you catch a hard fall, so use it only on moderate terrain.
Despite what you might see in the old climbing books, hip belays are best used on snow or low angle rock, not on high angle rock where a hard fall is possible.
Be sure your connection to the anchor is on the opposite side as your brake hand. For example, if you use brake with your right hand, the tie-in to the anchor should come from your left side. In the event of a fall, your body will turn toward whatever side you are anchored to - in this case, you’ll be turned to the left. This increases the security of the hip belay, as you are tightening the belay by being turned to the left. This may be a bit hard to visualize, but try it and you’ll see.

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