John Kevin's Journal: CAPOEIRA: DANCE, OR FIGHT? (Also known as, When Capoeira stops being nice... and starts getting real Part 2)

Sunday, March 30, 2014

CAPOEIRA: DANCE, OR FIGHT? (Also known as, When Capoeira stops being nice... and starts getting real Part 2)

Hi Guys,

A couple of days ago, I posted a blog called WHEN CAPOEIRA STOPS BEING NICE, AND STARTS GETTING REAL. Well, here's a little follow up to that post.

The video below, is one of my favorite of the ATACXGYM CAPOEIRA videos. It's a bit of an overview of what Head Coach Ras teaches.

Published on Nov 5, 2013
https://www.google.com/url?q=https%3A... My 6 hour long Instructional is packed with mind-body Capoeira flow and real Street Warrior Capoeira self defense, inclusive of real world, functional armed and unarmed training. All sparring and drilling clips are real, not faked or altered in any way. Follow my blog CAPOEIRA THAT WORKS http://atacxgymcapoeira.blogspot.com/
Category
Howto & Style
License
Standard YouTube License

Since this video was made, Head Coach Ras has expanded it to 6 HOURS!

I especially like the PRAYER near the end of that video.

Now, there are some people out there who don't want to see, play, or even talk about this side of Capoeira. THIS is the Capoeira they want to see:

Now, I think this is AMAZING. It's beautiful, it's flowing, it's dynamic, and yes, IT IS CAPOEIRA. However...

THIS IS ALSO CAPOEIRA!!!

Yes, Capoeira is art, dance, philosophy, education, culture, spirituality, everything the mouth eats (to quote Mestre Pastinha)

However, NEVER FORGET that Capoeira is FUNDAMENTALLY a EXTREMELY DANGEROUS MARTIAL ART!!!

Capoeira emerged in brazil in a very dangerous time for the people who developed it, men and women enslaved in africa, and brought to brazil.

These warriors, forced to be slaves, had to develop these skills LITERALLY "under the sword" of their oppressors. They were often outnumbered, and had to deal with men armed with whips, bats, knives, swords, guns, chains, dogs, and horses... and for those who escaped and joined a QUILOMBO (free community usually created by runaways), they had to repel constant attacks by slavers, militiamen etc. looking to put them back in bondage, or COMPLETELY wipe them out. It was further developed by their descendants, men who were pushed to the margins of an extremely unfair society, and were forced to be GANGSTERS, BANDITS, THEIVES, etc. from the late 18th till the early 20th centuries.

Only after 1934 was Capoeira permitted, and even then, only under certain conditions, and with the understanding that it would be taught AS A SPORT AND AS A FUN, ATHLETIC CULTURAL DANCE. In fact, when Mestre Bimba (The 1st capoeira mestre to start a academy) started his school, even with the legal permission of President Getulio Vargas, the most powerful man in Brazil, Mestre Bimba still couldn't boldly proclaim that he was teaching Capoeira. On the advice of a lawyer friend of his (Sinsanado, I believe), He named his school the CENTRO DE CULTURA FISICA REGIONAL BAIANA (Bahian Regional Physical Culture Center), and he called his style LUTA REGIONAL BAIANA(Bahian Fighting Style).

So what's the point of this little history lesson? It's to remind all of you that one of the primary reasons, if not THE primary reason to learn and play Capoeira is for self-defense. If you're not training for SELF-DEFENSE, then YOU'RE NOT PRACTICING CAPOEIRA, PERIOD!

Now note that I typed SELF DEFENSE, NOT FIGHTING. There's a HUGE DIFFERENCE between SELF DEFENSE, and FIGHTING.

And speaking of FIGHTING, for you MMA sport fans out there who think Capoeira is useless in THAT arena, here's two brothers from AXE CAPOEIRA proving all of you fuckers WRONG...

Now there are some of you out there who are all PEACE AND LOVE, who don't practice Capoeira primarily for self defense(even though you should).

Hey, I know where you're coming from. I GET IT. When you play capoeira in the roda, or watch it being played in the roda, you feel the Axe, the comradeship you have with your fellow players, and you feel joy, compassion, and LOVE. Capoeira is everything the mouth eats(there's that quote again), it's ALL THE GOOD THINGS IN LIFE!

Yes, I GET THAT. But, if you believe that capoeira is a reflection of the fullness of life, then you must accept the fact that like in life, you can't have joy, compassion, love, and friendship, without fear, violence, treachery, hate, and revenge. And not to mention, pride, self-respect, forgiveness, and humor. All of these things are part of living, part of LIFE.

And besides, if you learn a Martial Art, something that's supposed to teach you how to defend yourself, and you CAN'T defend yourself with it, then how much of the REST of your training is a bullshit lie?

Even though it may seem like it, I'm not writing this blog just to promote some product that I like. Well, actually I think it's AWESOME, but that's not the point.

This blog is about ALL Capoeiristas out there learning, practicing, preserving, and passing on this beautiful art of Capoeira IN ALL IT'S ASPECTS. The rodas, the music, the philosophy... And yes, the SELF DEFENSE skills as well.

Here's a quote from Head Coach Ras:
I'm sharing the information that I have because I WANT EVERYONE TO TRAIN REALISTICALLY WITH MBUNDU KIPURA. Can you imagine how skilled and amazing we would be? A bunch of real life ASSASSIN'S CREED level warriors who know the real story stretching from Africa to wherever we live now. The whole world...humanity, animals, the planet as a whole, not just the martial arts world...would be a better place if we embraced each other and sought mutual betterment with the kind of vehicle that Mbundu Kipura is. We owe ourselves, our future generations, the planet, and the universe that the Creator made AT LEAST that much, don't you think?

Note: MBUNDU KIPURA is the TRUE name of Capoeira, according to Coach Ras, although personally, I think Capoeira may be the portugese pronunciation of the Ndongo word KAPWERA.

Anyway, here's yet ANOTHER reason why you should buy his instructional:

And like I said before, at $45.00, IT'S A STEAL.

Here's his web site:

ATTACXGYMCAPOEIRA

And here's his CAPOEIRA You Tube Channel:

ATACX GYM STREET WARRIOR CAPOEIRA

Head Coach Ras has also written an EPIC eye-opening blog detailing the African origins of capoeira, putting together a HUGE amount of information in a way that has never been before. I STRONGLY suggest you read it.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE

And if you don't buy his instructional, and start learning some real world self-defense, Capoeira Style? Well...

WHAT WAS THAT PRAYER AGAIN? AH YES...

No comments:

What is a Warrior?

I see through different eyes.

I see a bigger picture when others see only grey skies.

Though many can’t conceive it,

I stand... facing the wind.

My bravery not from fighting,

but from my strength within,

I am a Warrior.

I will walk the extra mile,

Not because I have to,

Because it’s worth my while.

I know that I am different,

When I’m standing on a crowded street.

I know the fullness of winning;

I’ve tasted the cup of defeat.

I am a Warrior.

They say I walk with ease.

Though trained for bodily harm,

My intentions are for peace.

The world may come and go,

But a different path I’ll choose.

A path I will not stray from,

No matter... Win or Lose.

If you've been in the Martial Arts for a while, you'll find many people who would like to believe in the idea that just because they practice the Martial Arts, they are some kind of Warriors.(I like to call them Wannabee Warriors).

But what exactly is a Warrior? I mean, throughout history, there have been many different types of warriors, all having different Codes of Honor that they live by (And in case you're wondering, yes, there is a Warrior Creed that I follow and try to live up to also...) . But if you really try to define what a warrior is, there seems to be no one answer to that question. In fact, there seems to be many answers, almost as many answers as people you ask.

So, what I did was provide some links to some different websites about different warriors and types of warriors throughout history. Hell, I even posted links to web sites about Dan Millman and Carlos Castaneda for you "Spiritually Aware" types. Perhaps if you look through them, you'll find a good definition of a warrior for yourself...

And for you Wannabee Warriors out there... Some of the links I put up are to Law Enforcement & Military websites. If you really want to be warriors, Check out those links and become a police officer, or go join the armed forces. They need you!!!

FROM WIKIPEDIA, THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA: Silat is a collective word for indigenous martial arts of the Malay Archipelago and Malay Peninsula of Southeast Asia. Originally developed in what are now Indonesia, peninsular Malaysia, southern Thailand and Singapore, it was also traditionally practiced in Brunei, the Philippines, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. As a result, it is closely related to other Southeast Asian martial arts including krabi krabong and eskrima. Practitioners are called pesilat. The Chinese fusion of silat is known as kuntao.

There are hundreds of different styles but they tend to focus either on strikes, joint manipulation, bladed weapons, throws, animal-based techniques, or some combination thereof. Silat is one of the sports included in the Southeast Asian Games and other region-wide competitions. Training halls are overseen by separate national organizations in each of the main countries the art is practiced. These are Ikatan Pesilat Indonesia (IPSI) from Indonesia, Persekutuan Silat Kebangsaan Malaysia (PESAKA) from Malaysia, Persekutuan Silat Brunei Darussalam (PERSIB) from Brunei and Persekutuan Silat Singapura (PERSISI) from Singapore.

Below, I added some links to various websites and video clips so you can get a better understanding of what Silat is about.

One of the gravest disservices we have done to the people of our world is to have provided them with a poor education. We do not teach students to think.

If you do not learn to effectively process information (and it is a learned skill) then you will always be at the mercy of people promoting their favorite dogmas.

The problem is, that all kinds of people would like you to uncritically believe what they are telling you about the way the world is. Many of them pretend that such uncritical belief is "faith", which it is not.

If you do not have the tools to discover what a given person or group is really trying to sell you, then you are libel to be making some really wacky presuppositions about the world, which will in turn become the heuristics by which you operate.

About half of what we perceive as "intelligence" is the ability to process information effectively, so if you want to be "smarter" then all you have to do is improve in that area.

While this is pretty simple, it is not necessarily easy. In my experience, most people are conditioned to a way of thinking already comfortable to the individual. When a person tries to change the way they process information they run a good chance of evoking a "threat response" from within themselves.

The wonderful thing about the internet is that you have access to so much useful information. If you're reading this, then you are able to self-educate on any number of subjects to a remarkable degree, and do it almost for free.

And that's what this section is about. I added some links here so anybody with a brain can study and learn to use it.

Remember 2 things people:

"I NOT ONLY HAVE THE RIGHT TO THINK AT ALL TIMES, BUT THE RESPONSIBILITY TO DO SO."

"IF I DON'T THINK FOR MYSELF, THEN SOMEBODY ELSE WILL DO IT FOR ME".

There are over 10,000 different religions in the world, 150 of which have at least 1 millions followers. Which one is the truth? "Christianity!" someone says, but even Christianity alone has over 38,000 different denominations. So which interpretation is the TRUE one?

Religion is not the anchor-point of truth. The truth always existed. Religion is man-made, meaning that the truth existed prior to both man and religion. Religion may be an effective catalyst for some individuals who desire to invest their minds into ideological association for whatever reason, but it is not a necessary nor a sufficient condition for a relationship with God, and understanding of the Creator, or the inner workings of the self.

Spirituality is not a belief. It is a state of consciousness, a mental framework with which you approach the world. Spirituality is in fact what birthed religion through the attempted organization of experience and wisdom, which ended up being the hierarchical stratification of various belief systems that we call religion.

Don't let the commitments you have to a religious belief system in your mind take you away from your natural state of Being with all things. You were a human before you learned religion. God's light existed in you before you learned this through some spiritual guru. Does this mean don't read or believe what Jesus of Buddha had to say? Of course not. Just make sure you take the time and effort to experience the rose instead of just believing in the accounts of others. This is not an attack on any religion by any means, and religion has brought many people happiness and the experience of being close to one's creator, but don't let it cause segregation away from our inherent unity.

As for my religious beliefs, well...

I'm a CHRISTIAN, in the sense that I believe that personal redemption is feasible for everyone and that universal love makes that salvation possible.

I'm a MUSLIM, in the sense that I believe that there's only 1 GOD, ans that all are equal under this one GOD. And, althought I'm not jewish, I do have a respect for JUDAISM.

I'm a BUDDHIST, in the sense that the seeds of enlightenment are within all of us as an integral part of our DNA, and that we are capable of reaching the Absolute through our own efforts.

I'm a HINDU, in the sense that I believe that GOD takes many shapes and forms to reach out to mankind.

I'm a TAOIST, in the sense that I have a total belief in the reality of Yin & Yang Energies.

And I also have a total belief in the world of spirits, and what we can learn from them, so I guess that makes me an ANIMIST.

I never want to tell someone what to think, for ones spirituality is a private matter between that person and their creator.

My goal here is only to show all of you the history and traditions of the many, many ways the people of the world have reached out to god.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

CAPOEIRA: DANCE, OR FIGHT? (Also known as, When Capoeira stops being nice... and starts getting real Part 2)

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