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What a fantastic week taking a break from the norm and exploring capoeira with all the classes. I trained in the martial dance years ago (stopping only due to a knee injury) and it’s been rewarding to share it with others again. I’ve always had a fondness for this Afro-Brazilian art and it was one of the things that helped me stay fit during the long lockdowns of yesteryears.

Well done everyone who attended, as you found out it’s quite a challenge mentally and a real physical workout – even with me toning it down for more mature students (including myself these days).

We’ve had so much great feedback from every class, some enjoying tapping into capoeira’s rich history and culture, others enamoured with its martial applications and peripatetic weapons skills. It all comes from the simple ginga dance movement, so remember if you can ginga you can do capoeira,…

A short photographic sequence to help out students who have started playfully dancing their way through sumkete (weaving thrust) as a means to explore a greater skill level.

Remember geometrically you are targeting the points of an inverted (apex down) triangle. 🔽

1 - Start with a roof block guard position. In Tai Chi Sabre this is ‘Side Press’. It’s stable and can hide the true length of your weapon.

2 - Step the back foot forward, delivering an over thrust. This is aimed at the top right of the triangle. Whilst at the same time withdrawing your live hand to a protect position.

3 - Remain in this forward stance and loop the weapon (just like in the lemniscate ♾️ exercise) to deliver a back hand thrust to the top left of the triangle.

4 - Still in the forward stance retract and deliver a linear thrust down to…

We have been featured in the Crawford Newsletter, currently going out via email to their subscribers. See the images below for our article and the What's On page for the Crawford Hut.

Martial and mystical training under waterfalls is an ancient ancestral tradition which occurs in many cultures.

In the Yamabushi, Shinto, and Shamanic traditions of Japan it is known as Takigyo “asceticism under the waterfall”. The practice involves standing/meditating under the force of a waterfall for a few minutes.

This requires certain preparations before entering :

1/ Light fasting or at least no meat as this produces psychic heat which reduces sensitivity.