Week 6 - A Million Dollar Experience

For this week’s lesson, we want to share the experience of one of our Brazilian Capoeira Instructors at a recent training meeting:

“As an instructor at Brazilian Capoeira I am well aware of my continuing role as a student. In addition to developing my personal capoeira skills, I am also always actively working on improving my teaching, my mentoring, and my ability to help all of my students achieve success in their training.

I just got back from a weekend conference of martial arts studio professionals where I had the opportunity to be in a room of similarly-minded martial artists and instructors. It was an inspiring experience and I came home recommitted to the decision I made over ten years ago to devote my life to sharing the huge benefits of capoeira training with students here in Colorado Springs.

One of the conference presenters asked the group of seasoned martial artists a poignant question:

“If I had a time machine and could take you years back to the day you decided to train martial arts and could give you back every dollar you spent on martial arts classes, on workshops, on travel for training, if I could give you back all the time and the energy you spent learning what you have learned in martial arts…but in return, you had to give up all of the lessons you’ve learned; all of the physical and character development, the confidence, the relationships you’ve made, the experiences you’ve had as a martial artist….would you take the trade?”

Some in the room answered audibly. In my mind, I cried out “No!”

The presenter continued…”What if I offered you $50,000? But, you had to give up all of the experiences you’ve had, everything you’ve learned.”

“No!”

“One-hundred-thousand dollars?”

“No!”

“A million dollars?”

“NO!”

I really meant it. I was sincere in my answer. Take me back to my first capoeira class and ask me if I would give up everything I was going to learn, everything I was going to become in the next fifteen years as a capoeira student and instructor in exchange for a million dollars. No thanks. I won’t make the trade.

That’s the value of the benefit capoeira has given me. I know it can do the same for you. You’ve got the opportunity to have an experience that will be life-changing and invaluable.”

Muito axé,
Monitora Segura em Casa

Many other Brazilian Capoeira students feel the same way: