Keeping Things Together

The Rutgers Capoeira Club warming up. 

Politics annoys everyone.

It happens whenever people organize, in different clubs or groups or affiliations. It’s a necessary evil that contains a lot of discussion that can easily turn into disputes, which align with arguments if not handled properly. It’s a pain, but its how people get things down.

Convincing colleagues to follow your lead it a tough gig. Everybody has their own ideas, plans of execution, and can be stubborn. As one of the latter, I know it alms my frustrations, and as a leaders, is the best thing to do for those wanting to contribute.

It’s also one of the better problems to have-- having many people to organize and agree on things means that your organization is growing. Growth is how all business survive, and the lack of it shows which ones die. So if you aren’t dealing with those politics, you’re growing to the point when you do.

I remember being a part of the Rutgers Capoeira Club leadership, arguing over what we should do, how we do it, and how to convey the information to our mestre. You can’t figure bonds that develop doing those meetings, and loathe them while you’re in it. Arguments can leave each member discouraged when they got back to the dorm at night.

I can’t help but miss the opportunities to have meetings like that.

Capoeira is Different

Kicks are a part of the art.

With it out, it becomes a dance, or a gymnastic floor. Something that already exists, which are two fantastic things. Something the world has and shares amongst those looking for a hobby that’s safe. Exciting…but safe.

The kicks give it edge.

The kick gives purpose to the movements, the why the relationship with the ground must change, becoming more intimate, requiring more time, more appendages, and needs people to be closer to it. It needs a complexity a well, something that two feet cannot do by themselves.

A flip is impressive, as well as a back bend, but attack a dangerous intent of a well-aimed kick, soaring through the air, poised to strike at the most important part of the human body. Something the human needs more than anything, and cannot be simulated, or supplemented when damaged. The human brain is the central of the body, and that’s why capoeiristas aim for it when we kick.

The danger is what creates the value, giving the practitioners an incentive to dodge effectively. The value is knowing how to defend yourself, especially an individual’s most important asset. Doing the movements in the peril is a feat of strength, showing something, like a feint, is something that appears to be there for the taken, but really is a trap. A trap set for those unaware, creating a vulnerability when there wasn’t one.

Kicks are part of the art, but malicia makes it capoeira.  

Classes and Learning

Tough movements look impossible.

That’s probably the hardest thing to convey about capoeira nobody starts doing all the cool stuff right away. I imagine the beginnings watching the advance instructors, professors, and mestres spin on their hands, arms, and heads, wondering why mystics they invoked to let them accomplish such a feat. It’s truly amazing watching skills like that shine.

I’m sure the performers appreciate you missing out on the years of the struggle on working all of those moments.

I realize that now as I’ve taken several of the breaks on my training, especially when I moved away from my four days a week classes with my mestre, that the classes themselves can be a hinderance. It doesn’t limit what your learn or exposure to, but it can be reliance. I felt it myself, wishing that I had some class to go to, even that I can only really learn and develop moves with a teacher and about 10 other people working on it with me. That stopped me from moving to that empty room, working on those movements myself.

Obviously, the preceding helps a lot.

The classroom is only a part of the development. The part that shows you’re the tools, giving you slight instruction on its execution. They can watch you do or attempt the movements a few times, but their job ends when you leave the room, going home for the night. Unfortunately, the time away from the mestre  the majority of when your learning and development happens. Playing those games without the instructor’s guidance, taking the time to kick over a chair several times, or just waking up and doing queda de rins push-ups is when the skills grow.

Don’t let your classes hinder your development (and appreciate that you have them.)

Keep It Together

Keeping it together is understated.

Life is known for throwing random occurrences, obstacles, and overall doubt with the pathway to greatness. The journey almost requires it, and when a destination is reached, you can look back and marvel at how you got there the luxury of hindsight. As you travel, you have to deal with the muck.

The muck is everyday responsibilities, along with the procrastination that curses those roles, along with the people who depend on you. Those people love you, and you love them, but they get in the way. Life goes on without them, but life is harder with them gone (so you keep them.) This is another dangerous bend on the path to the top, keeping the people who go with you in check, carrying them for as long as they need you to.

Sometimes, it’s just being patience as you recruit people to come with you.

It takes a village to do anything, and building it is a painful task. It’s possible, and been done millions of times, but that doesn’t make it any easier. Great things come with struggle, but even knowing that doesn’t make the struggle easier.

It does keep the path in sight.  

Training 3/17/17

The plan is to whip myself into shape...But first, I need to build a training foundation. Regime as of now:

-100 kicks (Meia Lua de Frente, Meia Lua de Compasso, Martelo, Armada, and Quexida)
-Bimba Sequências 1, 2, 3 and 6 (whatever correlates with class)

I know on days outside of class I need to do more, so I want to focus on things like my handstand, my queda de rins, and Au. A few reps  of that should get me in a more comfortable place, but I will need to start incorporating more fitness workouts.

Sigh.

Class 3/16/17

Today, I want to focus on several things. I feel that we need to keep the class physical, so I want to work on movements, several involving the hands (Au, negativa, and queda de rins.) Also, four Bimba sequências: 1, 2, 3, and 6

Tim Ferriss Books are Good

Okay, I only read one, but

It's got me thinking about a lot.

A whole lot.

Like an significant amount.

It feels when thinking about a leap of faith. I guess to a degree, you aren't suppose to think? Taking that kind of jump must be taxing, right? Ignoring social norms, your friends, your families, and most importantly, your bank account? As a stress eater, I know the long term goals start with little adjustments, looking like hurdles. I also know that diabetes is a looming figure on my life, who salivates when I consume a cheeseburger...or cookies (rather, cookie sandwiches.) Does that mean to just...you know, jump?

It just can't be that easy - read book then fix life. Maybe it can? No, it definitely can't. Books of knowledge have been around for forever, which each having their own bias, but doesn't that mean this stuff should be learned behavior by now? Back to the bias- each story has the first drafts, the notes, the revisions, the cut material- all of this is a part of the process, but only a small part of it is seen. How messy did all of this leap of faiths get?

It's not like you can get the perfect youtube tutorial give you the precise step by step to happiness. Vagueness never did anybody any favors, but I feel like no matter how detailed it gets, there's gotta to be more than meets the eye. I also feel like there's no way any kind of self-help book or reference material can not be vague. You only get the see the masterpiece- only one person gets to see the single stokes, the tossed out canvas that have been trampled on in frustration. It's not like I shouldn't trust because it's neat, that's just professionalism.

Is it that I like a little mess?