© 2019 Copyright held by the owner/author(s). This paper investigates discrete and continuous hand-drawn loops and marks in mid-air as a selection input for gesture-based menu systemsonoptical see-through head-mounteddisplays (OST HMDs). We explore two fundamental methods of providing menu selection: the marking menu and the loop menu, and a hybrid method which combines the two. The loop menu design uses a selection mechanism with loops to approximate directional selections in a menu system. We evaluate the merits of loop and marking menu selection in an experiment with two phases and report that 1) the loop-based selection mechanism provides smooth and effective interaction; 2) users prioritize accuracy and comfort over speed for mid-air gestures; 3) users can exploit the flexibility of a final hybrid marking/loop menu design; and, finally, 4) users tend to chunk gestures depending on the selection task and their level of familiarity with the menu layout.