the hierarchy of the senses

watch more, listen less
listen more, talk less

reread post: the new awakening (hit it on the nail)

whenever you forget.

capoeira log 7

Monday (June 16, 2008):
today we did two sequencias, very simple, as this is the beginner's class.
1. quexada - esquiva parallel - switch jinga twice
2. armada - descida - switch jinga twice

i guess the focus here was to work on control and fluidity.

we also practiced kicking our leg straight up in the air, switching jinga and doing it on the other side. what's that kick called? it's just a straight high kick.

+ a new instructor came from las vegas to be with us. he's very fast.
+ today i was "hungry for capoeira". haha, mestre high-fived me after the roda. he said "what did you eat?" i said "nothing". and he said "oh, you must've been hungry for capoeira". haha. yeah, i guess was a bit excited today. but to be precise i think, it was the salmon dinner.
+ my classmates had just come back from the summer weekend retreat. they look so happy in the photos. damn.
+ haha, more fun to come.

Tuesday (June 17, 2008):
sequencia -
start from jinga, right leg back - jump and replace the front leg into esquiva parallel to the right - back to jinga (left leg back) - esquiva parallel (* 2) - switch jinga - armada - quexada - jump into rasteira to queda de rins - negativa - roquo - back to jinga

practice:
martelo rotado
esquiva parallel to martelo rotado

[ the martelo rotado is like an armada followed directly by a martelo in the air. Mestre says to kick the martelo-ing leg towards the ground, to get the movement correct and avoid kicking the fan hehe.]

roda:
i shouldve stretched and eaten properly. i was sloppy today. + i have to practice looking more at the other when i do my movements.
eh, tomorrow will be better.

Sat (June 28):
In the park, we worked on various floreiros:
1. queda de rins negativa
2. au to peau je mao
3. au de caluna?
4. the head flippie thing

we also worked on combining 2 - 4. i have to work on *looking* when i do all my movements.

reality is

"There is, by the way, an area in which a man's feelings are more rational than his mind, and it is precisely in that area that his will is pulled in several directions at the same time. You might sneer at this, but I know now. I was pulled this way and that for longer than I can remember. And my problem was that I always tried to go in everyone's way but my own. I have also been called one thing and then another while no one really wished to hear what I called myself. So after years of trying to adopt the opinions of others I finally rebelled. I am an invisible man. Thus I have come a long way and returned and boomeranged a long way from the point in society toward which I originally aspired".
- The Invisible Man (by Ralph Ellison)

the 5 -10 most useful capoeira conditioning routines

hey, i started on the wrong foot with the whole capoeira conditioning posts. i am gonna start it over real soon. i have so much to say about conditioning that one or two posts simply won't cut it. but for now, i just wanted to write down the 5 most useful routines that helped my game:

1. au/mea lua stretches (left, right, and back)
2. squats (standard + in the jinga position)
3. rasteira/negativa stretches and splits (as low as you can go)
4. handstands (and handstand pushups) on the wall
5. bridges and wall wheels

i feel that just doing these 5 types of conditioning routine in addition to playing capo regularly has helped me tremendously with flexibility, agility, springiness, and fluidity.

if i were to go further to write the 10 most useful routines. i guess i would add:

6. all types of lower ab crunches (everything works your upper abs, so ignore those)
7. tricep pushups (diamonds, v's, and negativa)
8. touching your toes (while standing)
9. laying down on your back, while stretching your legs over your head till it touches the ground (and also holding your toes)
10. the jinga (and all its variations)

no house, no chairs

we have no house, no chairs
just the pat of one another's breath
lying softly on the ears
on my chest
she rests through the phone
somewhere in the echo
we find a home

death is inspiration is life

capoeira condit continued again...

k, by now you probably lost all faith in me :) . with good reason.
now i'm bored and don't have the same enthusiasm about talking about capoeira condit. i'm tired. and want to grab a good novel and watch grey's anatomy or something. heeh, just kiddy. k, alright lemme start before you lynch me.

i don't know how to do much. i'm still excited about how much i've been able to learn. my first performance later this june, with my group. i never imagined this day would come. i pictured myself a lazy bum watching grey's anatomy or something haha. about a year ago, i started. capoeira reinvingorated me with that sense of play and violence i buried inside of me since my youth. well here goes:


the S-dobrado was the first floreiro move i learned. how did i? there's a secret to every move. you think you know, but you have no idea. to do this one (and many others), you really have to learn to let go of yourself falling. you start by getting that precise swing of the legs going, while swinging up the hand that touches the ground first vigorously. the swing is like a rasteira, but at the very end of the movement, you kick the sweep leg off the ground. it is precisely at this point the support hand that was previously on the floor should get thrown backwards behind you in au/macaco fashion. for this, and other capo moves, you need ab strength, so if you try and try and try. and keep failing - go do some crunches. and try again. eventually, your body will know what it's doing once you perfect the swing and have enough ab strength to sweep yourself up initially.

it is funny that i picked up the S-Dobrado before the macaco because in my personal opinion, it seems the macaco is somewhat of a training for the S-dobrado. actually, once you can do a macaco - you have a lot of options open to you, it seems. to do a good macaco (one that looks nice) , you can't avoid a little condit. before i could even get off the ground, i had to start by doing: the wall wheel and the back bridge. these are amazing condits, and i still do them to this day. and i still do them to this day. and i highly recommend them. definately. after a month or so of doing wall wheels and back bridges, i slowly felt myself falling into the macaco, the more i tried. now, i don't have to think too much about it. i can go into a macaco, anytime any place.

a macaco is almost a back flip. so it is crucial to get over the fear of falling. practice from the first step, holding yourself up with one hand in crouched position. then swinging your other hand behind you as far as you can, till you are almost midway in the bridge position. THIS IS IMPORTANT: follow the hand that goes back with your eyes. for every movement you do actually, you should look where you are going. it helps you psychologically/physiologically somehow, to complete the move. eventually, start kicking up your legs when you do it. then go for the full motion. fall a couple of times. do some ugly ones a couple of times. go do some crunches. get a smoothie. keep practicing. a month later, and what do you know - perfect macaco. haha.

k, gotta get ready for class. i will continue this later. i prom. :)

capoeira condit continued...

ok, i'm back. if you are paying attention, you could've gone and worked your lower back and abs in the meantime. also, if you haven't done so yet -- go pick you up a copy of capo condit. from gerard taylor. it doesn't look like much - but it's a great book.



+ watch the vid up above. i'll be back in a few.

capoeira condit

i learned a lot in capo about life.
mine and the world.
the roda.
you don't just move left and right.
you move in circles. dissemble.
anyways, philosophy lesson later.
i need to talk about condit.

it's a blessing when you learn something new.
i want to tell you how i learned a few of the moves i learned in capo
and the hunches i have about the moves i'm about to learn.

first let me prep, i used to have the weakest lower back in the world.
which is bad for capo, and in general, it's just bad. go get you a strong lower back before you do anything else. seriously.

second, i used to have the weakest lower abs in the country.
that is also bad. go do some crunches and situps > it will do you good. seriously.

haha, i;m beearting aroung the bush to make this post long and prooooolific.

alright cut to the chase in a few (after these messages -- lemme grab a drink first from the refriga)

capoeira log 6

my apologies, joaninha! haha, the log continues...

M (6/2/2008) :
Today we practiced one long (and interesting) sequencia -
right leg back - step + mea lua de frente - quexada - esquiva right/left - left leg back - esquiva lateral - negativa / rolle (2 times) - switch negativa - roquo (sp?) -
martelo (off left) - left back - rastera (off right) - slide in the rastera foot into roquo - back to jinga + switch jinga

T (6/3/2008) :
People were shocked I came two days in a row, haha. Well today we practiced this sequencia -
1. mea lua de frente - quexada - mea lua de compasso / queda de rins * - roquo (sp?) - jinga twice
2. mea lua de frente - quexada - mea lua de compasso / queda de rins * - half rolle - macaco - jinga twice

* haha, i don't know the exact title of this move - so i call it mea lua de compasso / queda de rins to describe it because it's like both of those moves combined. you twist your legs in, ducking your head through your hands through your legs, and sweep compasso style only while leaning your hips on your elbows. you then point your leg back into negativa again. you know what i'm talking about -- you've probably seen it 10,000s of times.

F (6/6/2008) :
1.) reach out wide into au stretchy pose - pull in your body into queda de rins so that your ear nearly touches the floor, but doesn't - negativa - rolle - switch jinga - quexada - slide into that "queda de rins/ mea lua de compasso" move - negativa - rolle - switch jinga
2.) repeat 1, but start off with an armada.
3.) start from 2, but after the first negativa, switch negativa - au over into negativa on the other leg - rolle.

[ this movement is from last week: au - descida - negativa - rolle (diagonal forward) (+ repeat) ]

happy jogando!