Using GST to become better at Capoeira

[Randeep Walia]

To be fair, I think most people outside of Brazil aren't that interested in the music, the traditions, etc. A big part of this is simply because we don't know much about them. I know I was one of those people but over time I did a complete 180. Individual results may vary, but I say give it a shot.

[Fred Mak]

yeah, i'm thinking about trying out a class when i'm healed (i'm injured right now), because there is a teacher, amir solsky, in my area who is a gymnastics AND capoeira coach, so i figure that he might be better than the average capoeira coach.  all the gymnastics places in my area have really, really, really subpar coaching.  (i have not tried amir solsky's gymnastic's class, though - it's kind of far, and it's on weekdays also)

 

antranik, who's a member of our forum recommended him on reddit and said really good things about him:

 

http://www.reddit.com/r/bodyweightfitness/comments/1t3uht/can_anyone_recommend_any_local_gymsclubsgroups_in/

 

this is the capoeira guy's actual website:

 

http://capoeiralosangeles.com/classes/

 

has anyone taken his class?  what was the physical/joint preparation like?  is it safe?

[Fred Mak]

well, i'm thinking about checking out his capoeira class, but i'm gonna have to think long and hard whether i have time to do it.  i do foundations at gymnastics studios 2x a week, hardcore stretching sessions (2 hours long) 3x a week, sprinting 1x a week, plus really short yoga sessions in the morning before i go to work.

[Randeep Walia]

Parafina, aka Amir, is a great coach! I was working a contract in Los Angeles and I used to hop on the Van Nuys shuttle whenever I could to go train with him up in Van Nuys. He actually gave me my foundation in tumbling when I didn't know how to do anything and I wish I could train with him now having a few things under my belt.

 

I never trained with him in Capoeira, but the great thing about him is he has a good background in both Capoeira and gymnastics and did not try to train to any one style when I was there. Anyways, thanks for the memory- I have to look him up next time I am in Los Angeles.

[Randeep Walia]

BTW: Axe Vita Osa is another great Capoeirista and tumbler in the Los Angeles area and I recommend checking out his stuff as well.

[Sean Whitley]

 

if i just want to learn movements like the macaco but am not interested in roda, singing, or playing musical instruments, it worth going to capoeira classes?

 

 

 

Yes, definitely still go. You will learn the moves and maybe you'll find you enjoy the music and rodas. Roda's can be quite fun. Its nice having to rapidly change your flow to adapt to something out of your control. 

Even if you find you don't like the music or whatever, you can still attend and learn the moves, but believe me, it can be so awkward if you end up visiting other groups and you get forced into music and have to sing with the rest of your group or something. They're usually not like my uni class where I can leave before the music session due to other commitments.... As my teacher keeps telling me- "its not capoeira without the music and the roda. its the whole thing", but I'm happy to go learn the movement side and take what I enjoy from the art. 

Don't let me put you off, definitely give a class a chance. Capoeira, or just movement if thats what you get out of it, is so much fun. After a few classes you'll find yourself randomly ginga-ing, throwing kicks, doing au's and flowing around your room. 

[ADRIANO FLORES CANO]

This book is how I first got my splits.

Kit Laughlin's work is better and more comprehensive in some ways, but Stretching Scientifically does a great job of teaching you the whys and hows of stretching, and how to be intelligent about it. Also, yep, comfortable suspended splits, Whereas Stretching and Flexibility is 'today you will do this,' and very Foundation-like, rotates systematically through limiting factors to address each aspect of the issue, with a discussion of what's going on beneath the surface and a lot of information on how to tweak the positions for different levels.

Wait... you mean that that book/dvd is useful? The trailer seems to me pure marketing product "get splits in 3 weeks" wtf? Can you talk a little bit about it? 

 

Thanks Jon.

[Jon Douglas]

Wait... you mean that that book/dvd is useful? The trailer seems to me pure marketing product "get splits in 3 weeks" wtf? Can you talk a little bit about it?

Thanks Jon.

It's been years since I read it now. I've not seen the dvd, but I found the book very useful. There's a big emphasis on isometric and dynamic stretching.

Looking back it's more of a carpet-bomb approach to flexibility, heavily focused on getting splits in particular. Kits work is far more complete and will probably have you feeling much better too. There isn't really a comparison after trying Stretching and Flexibility in depth

[jbunla]

Another Capoeira practitioner here oi  ...

[Edward Prah]

I just started doing more glute activation exercise like the hip thrust. I do single leg (unilateral) hip thrusts on a couch or bed with no weight right now and I get a good burn with 15 reps. I would like to do it in a gym with a barbell but I don't want to be the only one doing it because it's kind of embarrassing if you didn't notice, lol.

The reason I wrote this here is because I talked with a chiropractor who told me that my glutes are not functioning right especially when I squat in a narrow stance. I sit a lot so that explains it. I figure that these glute activation exercises will carryover to capoeira by allowing you to get into and out of low positions a lot quicker. For some reason I feel working on my glutes and hip flexors will also help my kicks. My meia lua de compasso (I know I mangled the spelling) can probably benefit from more glute and hip flexor work.

[Randeep Walia]

I had the same problem and I definitely feel that reactivating my glutes has helped my game a lot.

[Edward Prah]

I've made progress. It might sound like nothing to you guys but it's a big deal for me. For a backstory, I developed huge quads from doing leg extensions at a young age. Then I started sitting a lot and not working out much. This led to me developing anterior pelvic tilt and it's affected me ever since. I used to be very good at martial arts before I touched weights.

 

Anyway, to give an example of my progress lately: before when I reached for pots and pans in my lower cupboard, I couldn't bend down all the way without feeling huge pressure on my hip flexors and I felt a lot of weight on my ankles. I would bend at the waist most of the time to reach the pots because of this. Now, after doing single leg hip thrusts for a week, I can bend down and get up no problem. My hip flexors don't feel as tight and I feel good. I haven't even started doing the barbell version of this.

 

I believe the hip extension done with single leg hip thrusts or hip thrusts in general, have a good carryover to martial arts like capoeira. I also found that I have a glute imbalance when I started doing these exercises. My goal is to re-balance my glutes and strengthen them so that my quads aren't always taking over. Man...as soon as I get where I want to be with this, I'll start doing that hip flexor exercise (that worked) in the MOBILITY forum.  Butterfly twists and armada duplas, here I come!

 

Btw, I do the couch stretch before I do hip thrusts.

 

3 sets of 15 for the hip thrusts (each leg).

 

Edit: What I really meant to say (in a short summary), is that there is less pressure on my knees so bending down and getting up is much easier. Sometimes I randomly do it just to see if I still got it.

[Michael Pinto]

Anther capoeirista here (clearly),

 

I think GST has absolutely helped my game for a few very imporant reasons:

 

1. Trunk mobility is so incredible vital to 90% of my ground game for all the neat, flexy ponte tranistions and ground acrobatics, and Foundation has improved that for me incredibly

 

2. Improved pressing strength and balance from HeSPU/HSPU work as well as planche progressions has helped immensely with body control, especially through a lot of different florieos (accordeon, escorpiao, queda de rins variations, au variations, etc.)

 

3. Most importantly, my body awareness has really grown by leaps and bounds, making my acro a hell of a lot nicer and making it easier to move through space more fluidly and creatively in floor work.

 

EDIT: Figured this might be the appropriate place to share this, here's a video I took recently of both GST and Capoeira movements I have been working on: 

Edited August 12, 2014 by capoeirista

[Carlos Chinchilla]

Hello, another fellow capoeirista here.

 

One thing i can contribute to this topic is that shoulder dislocates have helped me inmensely with my shoulder problems from capoeira (mostly from ponte). I've been doing them with a broom stick or a deusser band with good results, but after listening to Coach Sommer's last podcast with Robb Wolf i decided to get some small weight plates and start doing weighted dislocates from now on, as described by Coach in the podcast.

 

I assume getting Foundation 1 (and Handstand 1) would be a great complement to my capoeira training, so i'm thinking about getting them, maybe just Foundation 1 first. What kind of equipment (if any) do you need for this courses?

[Edward Prah]

This man's movement is a work of art. (Cara de Peixe)

[Fidel Pomajambo]

Another capoeirista here, glad to find you guys here, Ive just become aware of this forum a couple of weeks ago and been thinking about doing F1 and H1 .... How is it going for the ones that have been following those series?

[Keilani Gutierrez]

martial work has improved for sure. mobility has been the golden ticket, as well. that's single handedly the best part of doing the programs. that's been it for me. oh, and being able to muscle around my bike easier has been fun to dial in some tricks that used to be challenging before.