I was wondering what the basic stretches are for an art that requires as much flexibility as capoeira does Also need to know how capoeira students increase there strength I know it must be isometrically because of its orgin..i just wish I could find a real authentic teacher not some brazilian who knows how to dance....
Hi Well in my school we don't do any capoeira specific stretching exercises, I think you can find stretching routines in H&F resource library. When a non capoerista friend of mine visited our group told me that our stretching reminded him of yoga exercises but since I've never been to a yoga class I don't have my own opinion. About strengthening now, it comes by repeating the capoeira moves our teacher shows. Of course there are times we do push ups or handstand push ups but in general we work our strength by repeating the moves. I don't know if that helped
Dynamic stretching If you want to increase flexibility for capoeira you can try several dynamic stretches that double as Capoeira Angola moves. I'll be using the taekwondo equivelant names for the kicks since I don't know the portugeuse for them. The first is just an inner crescent kick. Your leg comes up and travels through a short arc as high as you can get it in front of your body and then returns to the ground. Do the kick slowly, take a full breath to complete the kick and keep striving to get it higher each time. The second is the side kick, chamber and execute the sidekick slowly and then leave the kick extended and attempt to raise your leg as high as possible from that position for a solid breath then rechamber and replace. Repeat for the front kick. Plenty of people that can whip head high crescent kicks can't do a slow one at much more than waist level, but if you an do a slow crescent at about mid chest level you'll find you have a lot more control over your kicks and over your balance when throwing them faster. Same for the other kicks. Kintanon
