Every time I went through the links on this course's web site, I couldn't help but think of Capoeira. Um... yea... that word... Most people have no idea what that is. So, why is it that I kept going through trying to read these links but kept getting pulled back thinking of Capoeira?
Well... first off, let me explain a little of what Capoeira is. Capoeira could basically be generalized as Afro-Brazilian dance fighting. Interesting. Well... Capoeira (keep track of how many times I say 'well'... it will be, well, interesting) was created by slaves as a chance to develop martial arts skills while disguising their actions as a dance involving instruments and song.
What was so great (and is so great) about Capoeira is the communication involved. New slaves introduced into society to assimilate into new social circles and prove themselves and/or have fun by advancing in the art. Not like in some martial arts, you don't advance by kicking the shit out of your opponent... no. Capoeira is a conversation in itself. The two people participating, or "fighting" work with each other with non-verbal communication. Moreover, the songs themselves reflect what is going on in the game, or "fight." Unlike in modern culture where people communicate so bluntly and succinctly through text message and IM, Capoeira is fluid and is done subtly through eye and body movement. That is why I am so in love with this martial art. It is a throwback to an older time where we communicated with body language and not finger-typing language.
Capoeira became a niche society as time progressed and is now one of the few sports that is practiced in every country in the world. Because so much of Capoeira is based on communication between the two people playing, or fighting, I doubt it will ever become an Olympic sport. Too bad. I invite anybody reading this to Google Capoeira and look into it. Or, if you know me, just ask me and I will be happy to teach you a few things.
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4 comments:
Hey Morgan- Perhaps I missed the reading assignment that covered Afro-Brazilian sports, but I'm wondering what, if anything, your post has to do with knowledge management, open innovation, or customer support. While you have written a nice Wikipedia article, I fail to see the part where you connect Capoeira to the reading. You said you were reminded while doing the reading, yet you never told us what reminded you of Capoeira, short of "the reading" in general. I give you props though, for being very knowledgeable in the realm of Capoeira.
I couldn't help but think of Capoeira when I was trying to write the post, so instead of fighting the feeling, I just went with it.
Capoeira has taught me that fluidity of motion and feelings produces the best result. I understand you come from a military background, so many thinks are cut and dry. I can understand that as I went to military school and I too wanted to join the military. However, sometimes in life you just have to go with the flow and allow yourself the freedom to do what you feel needs to be done.
That is what is so wonderful about human emotion and society. That is why so many different social networks exist, such as Capoeira. Capoeira is it's own small social network with like-minded people that try to achieve a common goal, even out of the physical aspect of the art. Understanding yourself and your emotion are key, and with that, I listened to myself and wrote on my blog what I felt was important at the time.
Life is fluid, and sometimes the colors of black and white spill over onto each other.
I believe most sports, not just capoeira are based on good communication and body language. They are a network. They need to communicate and trust each other in order to succeed. All of them try to achieve a common goal.
A: "OMFG don't use Eddie, that's like cheating!"
B: "Just cuz your dude can't breakdance fight, don't mean using Eddie is cheating..."
I'm pretty sure anybody who've played any of the Tekken franchise know what Capoeira is. I've read up on Capoeira before, and the communication in the roda definitely can be related to the explosion of technology we are encountering today. These techs are allowing everyone to have more freedom in communicating, expanding communication to another level. Just like how Capoeira opens up your mind, today's tech in opening up our collective knowledge
I saw a Mestre's video recently. All I can say is...effing awesome.
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