Only The Strongest

A guide to which acrobatics are worth your time to try and learn. Some moves look great but they take way too much work to achieve. And some moves can be pretty easy, but they're undignified. Where's the sweet spot between the work required and the result? Hint: steer clear of armada dupla. 

When did you start to find your groove in capoeira? How do you keep your wrists healthy? What are the best ways to develop vision in your game? The internet asked and, unsolicited, we answered.

Can other martial artists get capoeira to work for them in a self-defense situation? Some youtubers are asking that question, and we're here to answer (even if we think that's not really the right question to be asking in the first place).  Sensei Seth. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2x1bUgi0l1Y Kevin Lee. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LVelHYQcQE

https://youtu.be/1Vy8-HAeAnc?t=145 How to Watch a Roda! A listener-submitted video proves difficult to diagnose. Who are these people? Is this game aggressive? Is it okay for a small person to wheelbarrow a big person into an atabaque? The one thing we all agree on is that this game is a blast to watch.

We quickly recap an event we all attended, recording in between the actual batizado and dinner. Azul's hair was still wet from the shower, Varal had just hastily brushed his teeth, and Bonzinho was perfectly ready because he opted not to shower since that would wash away the axé.

Desconfiado graciously rejoins us today to talk about a problem he has with nicknames, and also the dark secret around his own nickname. Then we move on the conundrum that independent schools find themselves in - it's nice to run things your own way, but you gotta do everything yourself. A larger group gets you perks but not autonomy; what to do?

Azul and Bonzinho are back from a great event and live podcast panel. They recap everything for Varal, who listens with increasing jealousy. Art exhibits, rodas, after-parties...so Hollywood. Plus the live podcast discussion alongside two other great capoeira podcasts, linked below. Singing For Survival https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/singing-for-survival-capoeira-history/id1523973571 The Ca...

We retry some things we didn't do so well before. Some talk of how best to train au, and lots of talk about how to keep your au from getting stale.

A free association of thoughts and feelings about the new year. Capoeira resolutions, regular resolutions, and a morsel of existential angst.

The podcast For the Love of Language joins us for a special crossover mashup episode. They school us on how to make learning Portuguese easier, how oral history impacts capoeira, and whether it's cool to sing songs that aren't in Portuguese. Stacie and EJ are both linguists, capoeiristas, former students of Azul's, and delightful. Find them here: https://open.spotify.com/show/ 5UY4kBQHEHVGovy1kLUW...

For students, the secret strategies by which your teacher tests your loyalty. For teachers, our top tips to ensure that you never sign up another student.

We talk starting capoeira when you're past your salad days and how to achieve a few age-appropriate acrobatics. Then we move along to discussing what is sacred in capoeira. Everyone's answer is a little bit different, but why does it have to cause so much strife?

Lotta stuff today. Bonzinho creates a handstand protocol for Varal to follow. Azul buys the game and declines to play when injured. Varal learns how to fight even when he doesn't have a tambourine. The Bonz protocol for all you handstanders (rest at least 1 min in between each): 1 min - regular handstands, straight, tuck, split leg 1 min - wrist rolls 1-2 min - ninja lowers. straight, then side to...

Azul quizzes Bonzinho and Varal about their spiritual beliefs. Do you have to be spiritual to train capoeira? Does training capoeira make you spiritual? Why does Azul remember a handspin in LA in 2012 more clearly than the births of her children? Plus, a quick update on cannibalism.

Varal's book https://www.amazon.com/Capoeira-Guidebook-Investigations-Philosophy-Afro-Brazilian/dp/1523827386 Varal steps up to the lectern to talk about where capoeira comes from, why whistling is gang behavior, and why we can't decide whether capoeira even comes from Brazil.

Ask Me Anything! You had questions, we have answers.

Here's the video (not required viewing, but still interesting). https://youtu.be/lkkJT04WBRo?t=1868 We're back! After a refreshing summer break we're ready to bloviate about capoeira once again. Today we're talking competitions and the sort of capoeira they promote. Azul thinks the games lack deception, Boninzho thinks a player's elasticity is important, and Varal thinks they're all doping.  

Find out what capoeira means today, and where it's at re self-respect, money, and gatekeeping. Bonzinho says no more music in capoeira, ever. Varal says there's more Portuguese in capoeira than jiujitsu. Azul respects the shit out of herself, and capoeira, and you too.

Our guide to the upcoming Brazilian 2022 election. All the madness of a US election but with that Brazilian twist. Fake investigations, real investigations, fake elections, real elections, fake covid, real peacock attacks...the list goes on.

Our friend and special guest Quebra Nos joins us to air some unpopular opinions. We debate whether teachers matter, if capoeira should have even more subdivisions, whose fault it is when you don't play at the batizado, and whether Bimba's sequences are still relevant.

All tunes all day today. Azul gives us a crash course on learning to sing and play the instruments (even if you fear and loath the music, like Varal). Then we hash out the top 3 best and worst capoeira songs. Spoiler: stop singing O Sim Sim Sim. Send It with OTS https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1ZlCirhTVWqrrjz2GX3btK?si=uhT48i3LTbGLHXC2fUkxfA&utm_source=copy-link&nd=1&pt_success=1 Chill with OTS...

Azul and Bonzinho are opening a studio! Their studio in Parker, CO opens in June 2022. We talk about their hopes and dreams, their lack of affiliation, whether their students will wear cords, their controversial motto, and what the heck is a ronin anyhow. https://ronincapoeira.com

https://youtu.be/h0OfP6wqeLU How To Watch A Roda returns. A dense game that seems to have just about everything. Attacks, counterattacks, playfulness, malicia, fairness, and even a little dash of positive gender dynamics. Help us answer the question all of capoeira youtube is asking: what's her name?

To keep the universe in balance, we're complimenting our previous episode about beginners with one about creaky knees and incontinence. We ponder the idea of aging gracefully in capoeira, and try to grow out of the desire to look cool. It's gotta happen sometime, and that time is  when Azul waves bye-bye to ponte forever.

Everything you need to know to get started in capoeira. How to find classes, what to expect when you show up, how to make friends and destroy enemies, etc.  Bonzinho optimistically suggests trying a couple different studios in your area, Azul is confident the community will support you, and Varal is overly concerned with sleazy instructors for some reason.