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Drill Time70% of the class time is spent doing simple movements in pairs, usually 2 or 3 moves in combination with the other person ducking your kicks and then doing the same thing back to you.20% of the time is spent on individual drills like "do hand-stands all the way down the hall until you're totally sick and dizzy and/or have fallen on your spine and have become permanently paralyzed." Play TimeThe remaining 10% of the time is spent "Playing Capoeira", which is when you go into a circle surrounded by the rest of the students, some of whom are playing instruments and the rest of whom are clapping. You then frantically do moves at random, trying to demonstrate that you can remember the moves you learned from the class. Or failing that, trying to demonstrate that you remember anything at all besides just cartwheeling. (I usually freeze up and just do cartwheel, spin-kick, hook-kick over and over again until they throw me out of the circle.)Evil TimeSometimes the instructors wax sadistic and select moves that burn up your muscles (like these lame leg-lifts), or moves that invade your partner's personal space in a super-uncomfortable way, like last night's "head-butt-the-other-person-in-the-chest-while-they-cartwheel-around-you" move--- extra fun for girls!The hand-shake situationAs a fellow OCD-afflicted person, you need to know something important about Capoeira: During the pair exercises (which are most of the class) you have to shake hands with your partner once to select them (which itself is like a little mini-prom 20 times a night, where you get stuck with Angry Guy over and over). You then have to shake hands again a few seconds later to start the exercise, and again at the end to thank your partner. Over the course of a night you'll definitely shake hands with every person there at least twice. So if you're squeemish about shaking hands with people who have been touching the floor and each other all night, Capoeira is not for you. On the bright side, it's a good immune system builder, I guess. |
My 'lol' EVIL TIMES?
I know what you are talking about and the cartwheel
is as funny as hitting the 'bananeira' with you head. I mean: for girls that's defneatly not comfortable :)
Greetings from a capoeirista of the
Nzinga Group in Hamburg, Germany.
Carlos aka Boa Gente
Posted by: carlos at February 19, 2007 03:27 PMIn my classes we almost never shook hands, we just punched each other in the chest and smacked forearms until we were covered in bruises. Then you'd smear the "jow" stuff all over the bruises, and miraculously (and sometimes quite unfortunatly) the bruises would mostly go away and you'd be able to do it all over again the next day.
Over time you started to see that the class was composed of 3 types of people: Wimps, Masochists, and Evildoers.
The Wimps were the ones who hadn't trained much and were averse to a little pain (really, honestly, it doesn't hurt much). It was boring to work with a Wimp because they'd always want to strike up a conversation, rather than strike you. I found it was most fun to do both at the same time, but the Wimps never had the coordination to do that, since by definition they hadn't been at the classes long enough and they didn't have the coordination to do the basic routines yet anyway.
The Masochists are the ones who hadn't trained much and were willing to show their strength (or actually, lack thereof) with gusto. The key element is that they had trained less than you. It was always fun to train with a Masochist, sort of like a cat playing with a mouse that hissed. Awwww... Look at that cute mouse, it actually hissed at me - smack! :)
The Evildoers are the ones who trained more than you. Unfortunatly, because of obvious rules of self selection, these characters were also Masochists, sometimes to a degree that was difficult to comprehend. Technically most of them weren't actually evil, they just wanted someone to train with, and if you were assigned to work with you, they were going to get everyting out of it that they could. Many bruises would result, and you'd get to see what your real outlook on life was like. Did you give up and quit the field, or become inspired after seeing what was possible? Best of all, did your teachers start asking you if your parents beat you, and how did you answer?
Posted by: Evildoer-wannabe at February 26, 2007 01:44 PMI have had 6 lessons so far...and its hard!! I didn't think it would be hard after watching youtube videos and researching it slightly more have since realised I need ALOT more upper strength. I get totally your article about the invasion of space etc..its somethign you have to overcome. Also the Roda..I quake in my boots (well, bare feet!) as I get very self-consious..but I learn alot from other players..I hope to get more supple and stronger and I am also fascinated by the history!
I am a female by the way!!
I JUST LOVE CAPOEIRA!!!!!!!!
Posted by: Gris Cortez at February 13, 2008 10:46 AM