The Floreio Art

For a long time, since the creation of my 'Self Dominance' video I have been getting hundreds of emails asking me about the process of training and creating the flow presented. In the near future I intend to share through my blog the details behind the process, training tips, video clips and other useful information that will help people interested in this kind of practice achieve similar skills.





The daily posts I intend to present here will be a useful tool for fitness enthusiasts, dancers, movement artists, martial artists, Crossfitters, bodyweight trainees and of course Capoeiristas and will be completely free.


The name of the art presented in the videos above is called Floreio. For a lack of better term, I will use this word to represent what I intend to teach you. The Floreio Art.
Floreio means flower in Portuguese. and it is a sub-art of Capoeira which includes a very sophisticated form of floor flow work.
In the last 15-20 years this art has made big steps and developed a great deal, but only by a select talented individuals in the Capoeira world that showed a much higher level of Floreio work than the rest of the 99% of Capoeiristas.

I have taught Floreio work to all types of people - young children, women from all ages, (most of my trainees are women actualy) older folks who started to practice after 50, injured people, professional athletes, circus perfomers, dancers, etc, etc. Even though the demonstrations above may look like high end circus and out of reach for most people, basic and beautiful floreio work can be done by anyone and advancing into more difficult skills will occur with time.

Using this blog I will share knowledge, daily workouts, movement instruction and sequencing that will enable, for the first time, for people to learn, practice and reach amazing levels of development in this beautiful (but not only beautiful) art form.
I will try to provide material for beginners, intermidiates and advanced Floreio practitioners, I will provide insight into the training, guide you through it, help with plateus, make sure you are prehabbing problematic musclature and provide a daily template for this process.

To the best of my knowledge, this is a first and unique try to teach this amazing art of flow in its pure form. I am also not aware of anyone who has taken the instruction and teaching of this art into the levels I plan to present here, even within the Capoeira scene. I am talking about biomechanical analysis, breathing synchronisation, step by step instruction, video demos and multiple levels and degrees of dificulty.

The rewards for such practice?

Until today I have found very little in the world of movement, fitness and conditioning that aproaches floreio's rewards as a means of metabolic conditioning, joint mobility, strength endurance combined with balance, power (advanced movements include jumping into and out of various position on your hands for example) and relative strength. (The use of maximal strength both static and dynamic positions and movements through the flow - like in the 'Self Dominance' clip)

Other advantages:

1. Neverending truly chaotic and improvised practice that does not enable one to adapt completely to it. Never. The always changing joint angles, sequencing, entries and exists and the mental and physical advantage of improvised practice (The highest level of performance in ANYTHING is ... improvisation) are big factors in Floreio work.

2. The amount of different muscles in the upper, core and lower body under work during Floreio practice is just huge. The type of muscular work in Floreio is almost 100% closed kinetic chain, 'control your body or go home' - the most difficult but rewarding muscular work.

3. Floreio is a great substitute for people who are already training in other modalities: Crossfitters, fitness buffs, strength/speed oriented folks, dancers (control of the floor), martial artists, yogis and people who are interested in movement and dominance of their bodies in their environment. But, it can also become your central focus.

4. Floreio is a FUN, Big time rewarding practice, and will make you work hard without noticing it, just like any other 'tricks oriented' practice - BMX, skateboarding, rollerblading, etc. You will enjoy the experience of dominating new skills and movements and the hard work will take care of itself. Remeber riding your bike for the first time?..

5. Floreio provides amazing increases in REAL, USABLE joint mobility, range of motion, flexibility from different kinds and stability and strength to go hand in hand. It is not magic, it is just the nature of the practice. Watch the videos I present in this article and you will see what I am talking about right away. Floreio work speaks for itself, unlike other practices I do not hide behind those claims. Just watch the movement.

6. Floreio will open your mind to new possibilities of moving in space. Especialy for fitness enthusiasts, this will enable you to train your body in ways you could never achieve with the 'boxed' aproach to fitness. The reward is a much more balanced, controled body.

7. Ultimately Floreio is an art. We would treat it as one, and not only as a physical practice. Floreio in the higher levels will enable you to express yourself, communicate with others (Capoeira's use for it), move for the sake of flowing and moving and enjoying a new artistic output.

8. Floreio practice needed tools - your body& small amount of space. Nuff' said.

9. Due to many of the reasons above, Floreio work is a great tool for achieving and maintaining single digit bodyfat percentage. I carry the same amount of BF for more than 10 years now, due to consistent practice of Floreio almost daily. (Last time I got measured, by my good friend and fellow coach Scott Hagnas in Portland, Poliquin's Biosignature program could not register my BF, a couple of years before that, in a BodPod device I measured below 5% BF)



10. Floreio work brings to the table an aspect in physical training missing in most modern aproaches to fitness development - quality of movement. This is a trait that is missing from the training of most physical development enthusiasts nowdays - the beauty and the quality of their movement patterns. The best athletes - from Olifting to Soccer to Sprinters to Martial Artists will have this down naturaly - they move efficiently AND beautifuly, but less talented individuals that get into sport and fitness training get very little to zero instruction on the quality of their movement. It is mostly about efficient, healthy and correct movements that they will get guidance with, (if they are lucky) and little less.
In Floreio, due to its artistic aspect, this is very basic - quality of movement will be practiced and preached every time.



I will take you through a couple of aspects of Floreio work here:

1. Learning basic floreio templates. Movements, movement sequencing, and other aspects I developed over the years like 'Closed System Practice', (on that in future articles) special strength and conditioning and flexibility work geared for Floreio developement, prehab work and other advanced material.

2. Instruction in the creation process of new and interesting sequences and Floreio pieces glued together from the movements taught here - by you!

3. Guidance in improvisation practice, as an ultimate goal, and the ability to just 'Flow' on the ground with the use of your new abilities and knowledge.

Are you with me on this exciting journey? Email me with a subject line 'Floreio' to:

floreioart@gmail.com

And I will join you to the Floreio Art mailing list. You will get notices of new blog posts, video links, articles and special anouncements of workshops, meetings, and other content.

Join me for our first workout, sign up now,
Ido Portal.