I lie to my students. Whenever I receive a new Capoeira student, I tell them, “It will get easier, just keep coming.” The reality is that dedicating yourself to improving in Capoeira does not get easier with time; it often gets harder. During the United Capoeira Association’s 2019 batizado in Berkeley, California, I planned to give a brief speech. During my graduation, I hoped to share some advice from thirteen years of Capoeira experiences. There was much to celebrate during

Busy and blessed are the best words to describe last weekend. I battled food poisoning, attracted two thousand subscribers to my family’s YouTube channel, and graduated to another level in Capoeira. Before returning from the US to Antigua, I also spent a day with my family in California. I went to the States for the 2019 United Capoeira Association (UCA) batizado. A batizado is a ceremony where new students in Capoeira receive a formal introduction to the community, and older

We must learn to let our egos die. Yes, we must embrace courageous actions that include accepting failure and rejecting foolish pride. In TD Jakes's book Destiny: Step Into Your Purpose, he writes we must interpret failure as an incident and not a conviction on the value of your life. I know admitting failure is difficult. It is challenging to acknowledge that sometimes working hard is not enough. We can put in an insane amount of effort and still fall short of our goals. Las

Are you listening to your instincts? If you follow an internal compass that guides you to places only you can see, the chances are that you and instinct share an intimate relationship. Instinct gives you the courage to respond to a higher calling because it is part of a larger purpose for your life. When my family and I lived in Mexico, I read TD Jakes’s book Instinct: The Power to Unleash Your Inborn Drive. This book became one of the resources that helped me make sense of m

I have a new goal. The next time I give a lecture, I want to do it without mentioning Capoeira! Last week, I gave a dynamic talk to first-semester medical students that discussed strategies to increase positive self-awareness and manage anxiety. Afterward, several students said they enjoyed the talk. The presentation's content came from many of my personal challenges. I have had moments when I didn't love myself and refused to talk about my problems with others. When any of u

Do you stay woke? I’m not talking about having an awareness of yourself, history, or current injustices. That form of staying woke is important. I am asking if you stay awake when you should be asleep. I am telling on myself in this post. I don’t always practice what I preach. Yes, I make mistakes. I strive for excellence, but sometimes, I make poor decisions. I struggle with prioritizing sleep. For years, I convinced myself that while sleep is critical, it can wait until I'm

Maxwell and Sharpton could not be any more different if they tried, but in their writings, they express similar views about leadership. John Maxwell is a former church pastor turned business leadership consultant. Al Sharpton is also a minister, but many of his insightful experiences derive from the political arena. For many years, I disregarded Rev. Sharpton. I couldn’t take the permed hair and tracksuits that were staples of his persona serious. After reading his book, The

Last weekend, I went to Los Angeles to attend the Critical Race Studies in Education conference. It was hosted on the campus at the University of Southern California (USC) by the Race and Equity Center. I went to learn from an incredible community of social justice advocates and to present a chapter from my latest book, Capoeira, Black Males, and Social Justice: A Gym Class Transformed. My presentation coincided with the day my book appeared available for sale on Amazon- (tha

She started with, “I like your aura.” “Thank you. It’s nice to meet you,” came my response. We then began to talk about a video I posted on Facebook to advertise Capoeira classes at Sugar Ridge. I listened when she continued by saying, “The video of you with your kids helping you to promote is cute, but what is Capoeira?" As a former marketing executive, she viewed the video through lenses with thirty years of experiences in marketing and sales. In her opinion, the video is t

What does it take to be a Mestre? A Mestre is what people in the Capoeira community call the senior or Master teachers. To earn the title of Mestre, it often requires a minimum of 20 years of training in the self-defense, music, acrobatic, philosophical, dance, and ritual components of Capoeira. It also mandates the woman or man live a full life. I gained plenty from the United Capoeira Association Hayward’s 2019 Batizado. My three previous blog entries discussed some of the

It’s important that we remind ourselves to slow down. In the mornings we try to get out of the house as fast as possible to get to our jobs. During our workday, we often rush from one task to the next. In the afternoons, we try to get home by the quickest route. I understand you are a working professional with a family. Work and family responsibilities can make it difficult to understand the concept of simplicity. I work a full-time job, manage a business, and partner with my

What do you do when you are in-between? By in between, I mean the time in between paychecks with unexpected expenses, in between relationships, or in between other challenging moments. How do you cope with feelings that resemble a setback? The best response will depend on the situation. There is no one size fits all approach to ease the transition that can serve as a bridge from where you've been to where you are going. Imagine struggling to pay bills. There are a couple of o

A Capoeirista is someone who trains Capoeira. They represent learning and growing in the music, rituals, self-defense, acrobatics, dance, and philosophical elements that make up an art form created by Africans stolen and planted in Brazil. I am a Capoeirista. After work, one evening in 2006, my journey in Capoeira began. I came to the Abbot Park field house, located on Chicago’s Southside, because a friend gave me a flyer that advertised the class. When I saw the Capoeiristas

Last Friday, I appeared on a local radio show. The host, Janis Hough, invited me to the show to discuss an introductory Capoeira workshop I will hold tomorrow at the Sugar Ridge Resort in Antigua. During the broadcast, I talked about my background, the history of Capoeira, and sang a song while playing the berimbau. Before the show began, she gave me an assignment. She asked me to choose three songs to represent an aspect of my identity or position in life. It appeared easy,

Twelve showed up on Monday. On the first Capoeira club meeting for the semester at the university, twelve people came to participate. My more seasoned students worked well with the beginners to offer encouragement and support. Last semester, I also had a strong turnout on the first day. The smiles on the students’ faces revealed they were excited to be part of an enjoyable, healthy activity. Many of the students who began training with me last semester were familiar with Capo

I know that when many people see me training, they think I am crazy. Sure, some are impressed. However, I would argue that a significant number of people in Antigua don't know about Capoeira. Are you reading this, and thinking I don't know what to make of Capoeira? Keep reading, and I will define it for you along with what it can teach you to reach your 2019 goals. Antigua is a small country located in the Caribbean islands. It’s about fourteen miles from the south to the nor