50 Lessons: On Capoeira, Teaching, and Life

Alex Maltsev
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A reflective podcast on capoeira, teaching, leadership, and community. The first season is based on a book "50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life" by Alex Maltsev Later seasons expand beyond the book — with personal reflections, lessons from the roda, and conversations with teachers and practitioners.

Episodes

  1. 9H AGO

    Identity Over Goals: Capoeira, Habits, and Who You Become

    This episode opens the second section of the book — a section about habits and self-improvement. At first glance, habits may seem far from capoeira. But capoeira is a lifelong practice of discipline, repetition, and perseverance. The same qualities that shape a good game in the roda also shape a good life. In this chapter, we explore the idea that goals alone are not enough. What matters more is identity — the person you are becoming through your daily actions. Not what you want to get, but who you need to become in order to get there. Using examples from capoeira, daily practice, and personal experience, this episode invites you to rethink how habits quietly define your direction, your character, and your future. Before moving on to bigger ideas about integrity and life, this chapter asks a simple but challenging question: What identity are your habits building — right now? The book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    6 min

  2. 2D AGO

    Passenger or Pilot? Taking Responsibility for Your Own Learning

    Are you just along for the ride — or are you actually learning? In this episode, we talk about what it means to move from passive consumption to real mastery. About the difference between sitting in the cabin, being part of the crew, and stepping into the cockpit. Using a simple but powerful metaphor, this chapter explores responsibility, engagement, and what changes when you stop waiting for knowledge to “land” and start taking control of the process yourself. This episode is an invitation to look honestly at how you learn — in capoeira, in work, and in life — and to decide whether you’re ready to take the controls. The book: ⁠⁠⁠⁠50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life⁠⁠⁠⁠ by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    6 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Malandragem Today: What Capoeira Teaches Us About Health and Survival

    Malandragem is often associated with mischief, cunning, and street smarts. In Brazilian culture, it grew out of necessity — a way to survive in a world shaped by inequality and oppression. In this episode, we explore malandragem through the lens of capoeira and ask what it means today. The book: ⁠⁠⁠50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life⁠⁠⁠ by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    4 min

  4. 5D AGO

    The Three Pillars of a Good Capoeira

    To become a master, you first have to become a good student. In this episode, we explore the idea of good study through the “Three Pillars” described by Mestre Ombrinho: the academy, homework, and travel. Together, these pillars form a balanced foundation for long-term growth — not only in capoeira, but in life. We talk about why regular classes alone are never enough, why solitary practice without connection leads to stagnation, and why constant traveling and workshops can become a distraction instead of progress. Each pillar serves a purpose, and imbalance in any one of them eventually shows up in the roda. Drawing from personal experience as both a student and a teacher, this episode reflects on plateaus, humility, and the importance of returning to fundamentals when progress slows down. The book: ⁠⁠50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life⁠⁠ by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    4 min

  5. JAN 21

    Learning, Practicing, Training: The Path to Mastery in Capoeira and Life

    Mastery in capoeira is not about titles, cords, diplomas, or recognition. It’s about shaping the body, the mind, and the spirit — and allowing a practice to transform the way you live. In this episode, we explore the three essential stages of mastery: learning, practicing, and training. Learning is understanding. Practicing is repetition without pressure. Training is practice under pressure — as close to real life as possible. Using examples from capoeira, music, and teaching, we look at why so many people get stuck in perpetual learning, why pressure exposes gaps we didn’t know existed, and why real growth only happens when practice meets resistance. Capoeira offers a rare space where pressure, play, risk, and safety coexist. A training ground for life — where falling, adapting, and acting under uncertainty become skills, not accidents. The book: ⁠50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life⁠ by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    5 min

  6. JAN 19

    Apples and Potatoes: Capoeira, Career, and the Long Game of Life

    In this episode, we explore capoeira as a philosophy for life through a simple but powerful metaphor: apples and potatoes. Potatoes give quick results. Apples take years to grow, but last a lifetime. Jobs often look like potatoes. A calling, a craft, or a way of life looks more like an apple tree. I share a personal story from my years teaching capoeira in China — from balancing a corporate job and evening classes, to trying to make capoeira a full-time profession, and eventually burning out. Through a lesson passed down by my teacher, Mestre Cueca, this episode reflects on the tension between survival and meaning, short-term effort and long-term vision. This is a story about work, purpose, burnout, and why many teachers and practitioners lose sight of their “apples” while digging endlessly for potatoes. Eat your potatoes — but don’t forget to keep planting apples. The book: 50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    5 min

  7. JAN 17

    Capoeira as a philosophy for life

    In this episode, we step back and look at capoeira not as a set of movements, but as a philosophy and a way of life. Capoeira is a young, evolving art — shaped by communities rather than institutions, by creativity rather than rigid rules. There is no single definition, no fixed system, and no universal philosophy. And that may be its greatest strength. At the center of this chapter is the roda — a space that mirrors life itself. In the roda, you learn to fall and get back up, to adapt when the rhythm changes, and to respond creatively to what’s in front of you. Feedback is immediate, presence is required, and progress comes from participation, not theory. We explore how capoeira teaches adaptability, creativity, rhythm, integrated presence of mind and body, and a deep sense of respect and equality. It’s a practice that trains perception as much as movement — and offers a powerful metaphor for navigating life with awareness, autonomy, and grace. Even if you’ve never practiced capoeira, this episode may help you understand why so many people are deeply captivated by it — and why it continues to shape the way they think, teach, and live. The book "50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life" by Alex Maltsev Contact: mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    7 min

  8. SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 TRAILER

    50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life. The Introduction.

    What this podcast is about, where it comes from, and who it’s for. 50 Lessons is a podcast built around capoeira — not only as a physical practice, but as a philosophy, a culture, and a way of life. In this short introduction episode, I share the idea behind the podcast, a bit of my own background, and how this project connects to my book 50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life. You don’t need to practice capoeira to listen. But if you’ve ever stayed with something long enough for it to change you, this will feel familiar. In this episode: What 50 Lessons is really about Capoeira as a lens for habits, integrity, leadership, and community Why capoeira is more than movement — and why it still captivates so many people A brief background on the author and the path that led to this project How the podcast is structured and what to expect from the first season If this introduction resonates with you, continue with the next episode. Thank you for listening. mail-podcast@alexmaltsev.me

    4 min

Trailer

About

A reflective podcast on capoeira, teaching, leadership, and community. The first season is based on a book "50 Lessons on Capoeira, Teaching, and Life" by Alex Maltsev Later seasons expand beyond the book — with personal reflections, lessons from the roda, and conversations with teachers and practitioners.

Information