Capoeira; the ideal exercise for Tech. Geeks



Aside from being a Tech. geek, I happen to know a number of them and we tend to have 3 habits in common:

  1. Get little sleep
  2. Get little exercise
  3. Have an affinity for junk food (no time to cook)

I -for one- spend the bulk of my day sitting in front of a computer or on my mobile phone and only notice how hungry, tired or sore I am after shutting down or logging off. A good number of we Tech. geeks also tend to spend more time indoors than outdoors, this prompted me to recommend getting indoor plants to help with air purification.

Exercise is very important as it protects you from heart disease / unhealthy fat accumulation, helps boost memory, energy and has a host of other benefits. Time and space could be a constraint when you choose to exercise, this makes Tai chi and Yoga quite attractive. Well guess what, there’s a fun kid on the block; Capoeira.

What is Capoeira and its origin?

Capoeira is a Martial Arts form which blends Music, Dance and Acrobatics. Capoeira dates back to 16th. Century Brazil. The Portuguese colonial masters relied heavily on slavery to grow their economy and they were unspeakably cruel to their slaves. Against several odds that normally stifled slave rebellions back then (e.g illiteracy, malnutrition, distrust, language barriers, lack of weapons etc), a slave rebellion was born but they couldn’t afford to have the masters get wind of the plot. They didn’t have any spare time to train privately so they needed to devise a way to train for war right under the masters nose; Capoeira was thus born. With this art form, the slaves were able to hide lethal kicks in entertaining dance moves. This dance of deception played a critical role in a successful rebellion.

But isn’t Capoeira for attack and self defense?

If you watch some videos on this art form, you’ll be wowed and wonder if you’ll ever be able to replicate those great moves.

Well my friend, your goal is physical fitness, the Ginga and Esquiva are just fine.

Benefits of Ginga & Esquiva for Tech. Geeks

The Ginga is the fundamental movement of Capoeira.

Capoeira Ginga physical fitness exercise

The Esquiva is an escape movement (Capoeira features more escapes than blocks)

Capoeira esquiva

Capoeira esquiva

Capoeira esquiva

There are many Esquivas and practicing each with the Ginga helps exercise your heart, stretch your muscles, improve blood flow and flexibility.
Here’s a video to get you through the basics. You can head over to Youtube for more.



2 thoughts on “Capoeira; the ideal exercise for Tech. Geeks”

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

live chat
whatsapp telegram instagram
Scroll to Top