Old school in a new age

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Some of you may know I used to train and teach the martial art of Capoeira.

I learned so many lessons about coaching and building a business from this experience.

Like the one that inspired this new post on Escape Velocity. Here is a taste:

I always could tell which new students were going to be a problem.

Walking confidently into the studio, they would look around and size up the students around them.

“Let’s come over here so I can teach you the basic movements,” I would say.

They would grudgingly walk over, while looking over their shoulder at the more advanced students in the class.

“How long before I can do that?” one would say, pointing at a high kick or back flip.

“In about 10,000 push-ups, 5,000 sit ups and a few hundred near kicks to your face, with five or ten that land,” I would reply.

I don’t like shortcuts.

Read the rest here.

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10 Responses to “Old school in a new age”

  1. Zinggggg!!! HOT!! Those arms .. that strength. That is so awesome! What’s awesomer though, is being where you are 🙂 Truly, every stage of life is the best when we remember to be IN it fully.

    I reckon it depends on what you really want – if the aim is to experience a lot of different things and not go deep into any experience, then the fastest way wins. If it’s about deeper, soul searching stuff time and patience are in order.

    A good mix of outside help (like a coach) and inner work + action is way faster AND more fulfilling than trudging along on your own. So smartcuts is what I’ll go with over shortcuts 🙂 Smart-cuts #ftw!

    And those arm cuts … phoar.

  2. A few hundred kicks to the face sounds a bit horrible. But if most of them won’t land, I could probably make a decent fist of it!

    Good analogy though. You’ve got to put the hard yards in – you can’t just stroll to success.

  3. […] Some of you may know I used to train and teach the martial art of Capoeira.I learned so many lessons about coaching and building a business from this experience.Like the one that inspired this new post on Escape Velocity. Here is a taste:—I always could tell which new students were going to be a problem.Walking […] Original post […]

  4. Re: “In about 10,000 push-ups, 5,000 sit ups and a few hundred near kicks to your face, with five or ten that land,”

    Ha! Learned a new fact about you today 🙂

  5. I guess it depends on your definition of a shortcut. There are short cuts which do away with an unnecessary thing and there are shortcuts which skip over vital parts. The first is good, the second is bad. The trick is recognizing the difference and being willing to admit you’re wrong sometimes 🙂

  6. Jason says:

    I absolutely love this and agree 100%. Shortcuts suck.

    And thanks for introducing me to Escape Velocity.

  7. Amanda Wang says:

    Holy cow, I read this on EV but didn’t see *this* picture of you kicking butt!!! And the definition in your arms! That is so awesome — something for me to aspire to! When I’m a grandma, I want to have a kick butt picture like this and say to my grand-kids, “look what your nana used to do!” I’m always amazed by the journey that got you here. Thanks for having us share a part of your life — it enrichens me tenfold.

    Eye of the Tiger!!!

    • Pamela says:

      I enjoy being 44, but I have to admit I would trade a lot to get back those 25-year old arms! Maybe doing 500 push ups a day had something to do with it … 😉

  8. Naomi says:

    Nice canaveti kick!

    Certainly old school is always worth keeping. Sayings like ‘Rome was not built in a day’ stick around becuase, well, they’re true.