A few months ago I decided I would take up Capoeira. If you’ve never heard of it, It’s a martial art that’s disguised by music, dance and acrobatics….so it looks more impressive than it is effective. Not something you would use on a couple of thugs trying to take your wallet. However Capoeira is full of good vibes and you can learn some new mad skills that you didn’t know the body can do.
I was exited about my first class and the first couple of sessions went off without a hitch. We went through the fundamentals and I was confident that this was my new thing I’m going to love doing for many years. After my third session I was invited to a mixed level class on a Saturday and I was reassured that I would be fine even though I was a complete novice.
Saturday arrives and I walk through the doors and soon realise that I am the only beginner. It didn’t phase me so I warm up with the rest of them. Then this is where things went down hill. If you have ever seen Capoeira then you’ll know that there is a lot of coordination required which I thought I had…I was wrong.
On this particular day, the teacher was covering for the teacher that I had previously. Clearly she wasn’t used to such a beginner in the midst of a group of intermediates. She quickly showed a sequence of moves and then without any further instruction everybody would follow suit.
I felt like a potato with legs. What made it worse was the entire wall was a mirror, so my attempts at looking semi-competent were futile. Every time I would stuff up, the teacher instead of coming over would just shout “Just do the first bit” and about 20 heads would turn around and look….If the ground opened up and swallowed me I would of been ok with that. I felt like an idiot (more so than usual).
Then it dawned on me.
I hadn’t been in those shoes for quite sometime. The shoes that people have on when they walk through the gym doors for the first time having no idea what they are doing.
It’s easy to forget how it all begun when we have been doing something for many years. We’ve got to remember that we all once started somewhere.
Keep going, persist and be stubborn. It’s going to be ok. You have to be uncomfortable sometimes and you will be stronger for it. One day it will be nostalgic when someone else walks through the doors in those shoes and you’ll remember where you once were….maybe go over and say hello.
Thanks for reading
Coach – Alex Low