Hello Everyone,

As I said on the CAPOEIRA ANGOLA REIGNS SUPREME!!! page, there is a much more constant, persistent, and DEADLY opponent that you have to prepare for, and that’s the many forces that would hurt your HEALTH.

So, this page is about ways to protect our all too precious health, and how capoeira angola fits into it.

We all know that Capoeira Angola is a Martial Art, but often times, we don’t talk much about Capoeira Angola as a HEALING ART.

Well… Let’s explore this aspect of the art a little bit.

Healing = noun or adjective ‘process that brings about/amends wholeness to health and wellness’

I think ALL traditional human practices that involve musicality, singing, dancing, spoken literature, writing, the process of art: pantomime, play, drama, expression, etc. is a healing art form. 

Capoeira Angola happens to be one form of human expression that embodies most (If not all) of these disciplines into a way to create and promote personal change, and development. 

This art form has physical material as well as an intangible, incorporeal SOMETHING that can be experienced only through active participation.

Now, let’s talk about fitness.

If we are studying self defense for anything other than a fun weekend pastime, then we need to be physically prepared to use it.

We need to be fit.  It’s that simple.

We need to eat the right foods to build and fuel a fit body.  We need to exercise in order to be stronger, have more endurance and recover from injury.

In truth, we are not just fighting the “bad guy”Bad Guy”, but we are fighting diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and a long list of other conditions that are the result of a lifestyle that is not focused on health and fitness.  To be effective with self defense and to be able to apply your skills, you need to include real fitness in your training.

For example, Look at the video below:

Now you tell me… Do you think those men could play like that for almost 15 minutes without being fit and healthy?

Look, I hate to say it, but your ability to perform Capoeira, or any other M.A. or self defense system, is dependent on how fit you are…

 Techniques can give you an advantage of course, but techniques are still based primarily on your physical skills.

 In other words, technique alone is not enough.

 We need to be able to generate speed and power.  We need to be able to endure the demands of training and apply our techniques at full speed.  We need the stamina to fight not only one, but multiple attackers.  At the very least, we need to be able to run fast, but we may need to be able to fight and run fast all in the same incident.

Far too often you hear people saying their techniques are too deadly to need much physical conditioning, when in reality what they’re are showing is that they’re  inexperienced and unprepared.

You may be better off than the average Joe on the street unless he has also taken some M.A. classes. Or he may just be simply stronger, in that case you run the risk of getting your ego knocked in, along with your head.

Most people who want to fight, no matter what their size, are usually pretty confident in their abilities; they have something to prove and they don’t usually go out starting fights they think they will lose. Those they can beat up usually do not want to fight in the first place.

The fact is, your training should protect you against a trained fighter. You want to train smart, and combine your conditioning to create a strong body ready for whatever comes at you.

However, for those of you who can’t seem to find the time, or motivation to train, let me provide you with a bit of… INSPIRATION:

And if that doesn’t “inspire” you, maybe this will…

So, with all the many exercises and exercise systems out there, you’re probably wondering (hopefully), where do I start?

Well first, I want you to watch this video, from You Tuber SPENCER CORNELIA. It’s a reminder that in your fitness journey, there can be a lot of pitfalls. Be careful, and don’t get caught up in some fake bull#*it.

Okay, now before I type any further, I want to stress something to you:

EVERYTHING I’M ABOUT TO SHARE WITH YOU BELOW IS BUL#@%IT… UNTIL YOU APPLY IT!!!

This is just a bit of information on a web page. It is YOUR responsibility to go out, research, study on this, and start APPLYING this information, and benefit from it. But if you overdo it and end up hurting yourself, it’s not my fault.

Now, let’s do this.

Now personally, I find that the BEST exercises for Capoeira Angola is actually DOING CAPOEIRA ANGOLA!

REALLY. Just doing the  BASIC MOVEMENTS over and over will get you in the shape that you need to do them. You don’t really need to do anything else.

Here’s some examples of what I mean, with this YouTube video playlist that I created. Shout out to Lev Coracao, Eigil Hoeyrup, Sekou D Desormeau, and everybody else out there who are helping our human family be the best we can be, through the medium of Capoeira Angola.

Now mind you, I’m not into learning capoeira Angola from any type of video tutorials, You Tube or otherwise, for various reasons. In fact, all over this website I tell you if you want to learn capoeira Angola, then GO FIND A CLASS!!!

However, if your goal is to GET IN SHAPE, or to learn something when there are no classes around, then something is better than nothing, I guess.

But eventually, you’ll have to find a class.

The unique movements of this art are replete with meaning, generally contemplative, performed in cooperation and balanced with a competitive playful spirit… Inner change and awareness tends to be the primary impact/goal which arguably affects wellness/health promotion/ healing.

However, if you REALLY feel the NEED to do some supplemental exercises, My teacher  CHARLES always says that there are 4 physical trademarks that make a great Angoleiro. And those 4 trademarks are:

1. A good GINGA.
2. A good BANANEIRA (Handstand).
3. A good PONTE (Backbend).
4. The ability to do the Splits (FRONT and SIDE).

So, I would suggest that you find and do exercises to help achieve those things.

Now one exercise routine I love to do is called The Five Tibetan Rites of Rejuvenation, or the Five Tibetans for short.

If you would like to practice them, I recommend you do it once in the morning after you wake up, and once at night before you go to bed.

If you would like to know more about them, then click HERE.

However, like I said, the best way to get in shape to do Capoeira Angola is to do it. There are many exercise & conditioning videos made for capoeira on You Tube  to help you out.

This particular one is my favorite:

The reason is it was my very first capoeira  video. I had many fond memories following along with this video (the VHS series from Panther Productions) in my bedroom, and practicing the movements from this series in my old backyard… well, for me it’s very nostalgic.

Now, If you want to know what the specifics of what I’m learning in my own class, well sorry to disappoint you, but…

YOU HAVE TO COME TO MY CLASS.

Click HERE for where and when.

Oh, and for you hardcore types who just have to “GET IT IN”, read THIS ARTICLE, and dive right in.

Now, I would like to talk a little bit about something that is all to common in Capoeira, and any other martial art or physical activity. And that is INJURY.

As I type these words, my knees are in serious pain right now, so much so that I had to skip Capoeira class today, and rest here at home.

At some point in every capoeirista’s time in capoeira, they’ll have to deal with Injury. It happens in different ways and at different stages in our Capoeira lives… But it is part of the game.

There’s an AMAZING capoeirista out here in the L.A. area (Not to mention an absolute genius) who probably wouldn’t claim me as one of his students, but I’m very proud to claim him as one of my teachers. His name is Tope Akintunji, and he has very graciously allowed me to post his prezi presentation on injury prevention for capoeiristas on this web site.

CLICK HERE TO CHECK IT OUT

He’s somewhere in some of these photos. I won’t tell you where, because he likes his anonymity. But he has a vast amount of knowledge about life itself, and has contributed tremendously to my growth as a capoeirista, and to the growth of my fellow brothers and sisters in capoeira.

And also, I’ve created a video playlist which deals with this very important subject.

Now, let’s get something straight: I created this video playlist to help show you some things you can do to help with MINOR injuries. If you have a serious injury, YOU SHOULD MOST DEFINITELY GO TO A PROFESSIONAL DOCTOR, OR HEALER!!!

Today in this day and age, we must be our own health manager.Our bodies are the temple of god, so we need to look after it.  If you want to be healthy, KEEP YOUR BODY CLEAN. If you want to be happy, KEEP YOUR HEART PURE. If you want to be wise, KEEP YOUR MIND CLEAR.

We must take an active part in our health care, and learn what and what not to eat and put into our bodies to maintain health.  If we need to see a health practitioner, go see one and be aware of what is recommended, medications, supplements and other suggestions. We have but one Body and Life.

I’ve purchased a copy of his book, and it has helped helped me tremendously in my journey for better health.You can also purchase a copy of this book on amazon.com by clicking HERE.

One thing that has also helped me, is a method called INTERMITTENT FASTING.

Now I’m in no way a doctor, or a health expert. I’m just a middle-aged capoeirista, and I’m very aware of my own mortality, which means I’m trying to increase my health and quality of life as much as I can. When I turn 80, I’m gonna be the healthiest 80 year old man that I can be.

Like the people on this playlist…

Anyway, I posted a few resources  you can go to to get some insights on ways to increase your health.

THE INNER BODY -Your resource for trusted information about Health and the Human Body

THE ENERGETIC ANATOMY

If you would like to know more about energy and energy healing from a scientific basis, then check out

ENERGY MEDICICE – THE SCIENTIFIC BASIS by James L. Oschman

WebMD – Better Information. Better Health.

MEN’S HEALTH – the brand men live by for fitness, nutrition, health, sex, style, grooming, tech, weight loss, and more.

WOMEN’S HEALTH – Your go-to destination for new workouts, legit nutrition advice and weight loss tips, the latest health news, healthy recipes, and more.

I BELEIVE IN MOTHER NATURE –  A place to find incredible natural remedies for health and vitality. Keep your body and soul at your peak.

NATURAL NEWS – Natural News is a science-based natural health advocacy organization. The key mission of Natural News is to empower consumers with factual information about the synthetic chemicals, heavy metals, hormone disruptors and other chemicals found in foods, medicines, personal care products, children’s toys and other items. They cover  holistic health, nutritional therapies, consciousness and spirituality, permaculture , organics, animal rights, environmental health, food and superfoods , and performance nutrition.

BEST FOLK MEDICINE – Wisdom of our Ancestors.

OLDWAYS / INSPIRING GOOD HEALTH THROUGH CULTURAL FOOD TRADITIONS – From their website: Oldways is a nonprofit food and nutrition education organization, with a mission to inspire healthy eating through cultural food traditions and lifestyles.

And finally, I would like you to watch this You Tube video, and answer the question posed in the 1st part of it for yourself. Just a little food for thought…

The reason I posted the above video and the description, is because although this particular video primarily talks about african healers, I believe this message applies to ALL alternative practicioners and healers.

Whether it’s a Chinese acupuncturist, an Indian Ayurveda practicioner, a Native American healer, or whatever, they should be given the same respect as a western trained medical doctor. And when it comes to your health and well-being, you should go to the best medical practicioner . No matter what form of medicine they’re in to.

Oh, there’s ONE MORE VIDEO I think you should see…

Let us all embrace the holistic approach of being healthy in Body, Mind and Spirit.

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