Capoeira adaptation for elderly rheumatics

Abstract

This study aimed to systematize the practice of capoeira for the elderly. Twenty elderly women aged between 65 and 82 years of age participated in the study of the Maringaense de Rheumáticos Association (AMAR) in the city of Maringá (Paraná - Brasil). Twelve meetings of sixty minutes twice weekly were counted. The study participants had never practiced capoeira or anything equal to the modality. However, they were all participants in a physical activity program offered for the elderly. A systematization of teaching of capoeira was carried out, starting with the history of the modality and initiation to musicalization. In relation to the movements, we started with a sequence that served the body movements in a progression from the simplest to the most complex. The meetings were photographed and filmed. These resources were subsequently used to support the analysis of the data. A field diary was also written to record the specificities of each encounter, such as the evolution of movements and improvements in motor skills, socialization among participants, cooperation for joint movements of complex movements, memorization of songs, among other skills. Data analysis was performed using the theoretical-methodological assumptions of the Bardin content analysis. The results obtained during the corporal experiences with the practice of capoeira promoted self-knowledge of the body, identifying the possibilities and limitations of the body, promoted significant improvements in the physical conditioning of the elderly, increasing benefits in the socio-affective, cognitive aspects, motor skills and process enlargement sociabilizer of the subjects.