Capoeirista & Mobility trainer Sjuul Daamen wrote this blog about mobility for Het Gymlokaal. We would like to share his story: ''People always say we only use 10% of our brain capacity. What if you realised that we also only use the same amount of our body capacity?

Ever since I was young I have been inspired by movement. I practiced various sports untill at the age of 13 when I discovered Capoeira. Back in the time it was the most complete form of moving for me and the perfect combination between acrobatics, dance and martial art. I trained Capoeira for over 15 years throughout different cities in the world. In 2014 I ranked 4th place in the world championship in Germany. Besides being a trainer in mobility and capoeira I am also a physical education teacher at two primary schools in Amsterdam and I have a Bsc and Msc degree in social sciences at the UvA.

We live in a society where people sit, walk and lay horizontally most of their time. Human bodies aren’t used to move the way they were intended to move. This is the equivalent for your brain as adding up one plus one all of your life. The moment your brain really has to do some cognitive work it won’t know what strikes it. The same is true for you body.

Mobility is freedom of movement thanks to flexibility and strength in your joints.
In the mobility classes we use innovative training systems and stretches that improve the ability to control and move your body. You expand your flexibility, strengthen your joints and challenge your nervous system to increase the control of your body.

The big problem of not being flexible or being “stiff” you don’t find in the muscles but in the fact that you just don’t know where your body can go. You once knew, but because you never used it, so you lost it. In the Mobility classes we train the joints using isometric stretches like the pancake or tailor pose, functional range conditioning methods® and make them stronger with animal flow and other muscle durability exercises.

You can use mobility as a goal in itself, to move more flexible and stronger through daily life. But you can also use it to improve your body and create a better foundation on which you practice other sports. You can see mobility as vitamin C for your body, it might not always taste very special, but you sure become healthier through it.

If you would like to get a better idea about mobility and what you are capable with a more mobile body check out this link about Ido Portal who trained mma world champion Conor McCregor and is very influential in the world of movement and fitness. Or check out other videos about movement and mobility.

See you in the gym! www.hetgymlokaal.nl