Show Up

Reading about habits makes it seem so easy.

That’s like saying imagine if all you had to do was show up. Show up to that empty dance space, and suddenly, your arms are stronger. You have more balance in your handstands. Your kicks require less effort, and you can finally link them together. The first time in years you’re able to execute a macaco.

It’s not a farfetched as it seems.

Getting there’s the battle. It’s not having enough time, or forgetting to pack something you need there. Showing up is the first step. How else you are you going to have the space?

It’s a trick question- you don’t really need space.

You do need switch the style up. Angola is something that can be in tight quarters, focusing on staying low and closed, moving around a partner with a closeness that is absolutely necessary. That also means in that in most cases, it can be done in most rooms. Adding a chair usually helps a work out.

But even just forcing your self to go can do so much for your training, especially if the struggle is starting.

Keep Going

It took a long time for me to be comfortable with my capoeira.

Of course, I was excited about it. I wanted to share it with everyone I knew. For as long as I could remember, if you knew who James E. Green III was, you also knew he did capoeira as well (maybe not what it is or even what it looks.) It consumed me as I learned it, and it’s why I still study and practice it today.

The excitement of training resonating with my friends who trained also, and we had tons of fun in class, at events, and even when we occasionally trained on our own. We called them Capo Chills. We went out to public park-esque portion of our dormitory, working all everything. We worked music, movements from class, and made sure to work on our games as well.

With a lot of that gone, I can’t rely on others for that excitement. I have to create myself. I have to hone my skills to make sure when I play, I can play confidently. I have to make sure to play comfortably. Kicks thrown with insecurity create a dangerous environment for everyone. You learn the kicks, and it doesn’t take long to know how it’s done correctly, but throw those kicks with proper form on instinct takes time and repetition.

Comfort came from consistency. It came from practice.

Now I must be persistent to regain my comfort.

Vocab of the Week!

Today's vocab of the week is practice. Like the Rutgers Capoeira practices? No. Like the Capoeira Maranhão practices? No. I'm talking about the most important kind of practice. I'm talking about the practice that you do by yourself. That's right, no teacher, no classmates, just yourself. Why is that important you ask? Think about it. Think about how homework, studying, learning on your own is so important. You are the only person that can do the learning. Nobody can  learn for you. That's something your instructor would want to give to you, that knowledge to just have and then take advantage of. Unfortunately, that can't happen. You have to struggle, you have to be confused, and you may have to be a little frustrated.That is how you get better. Professor Maranhão will tell you about all the time he has spend in the park practicing by himself. The capoeira classes we take is only 2 hours. We can't cover everything in 2 hours (and trust me, I wish we could) so we have to let you work on some stuff on your own. At the classes, we do what we do to help guide you in your learning of capoeira. We are your pitstops on your journey of becoming of capoeirista, but you're the only person that can take the ride.