Bruce Lee once stated, "Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless-like water. Now you put water into a cup, it becomes the cup, you put water into a bottle, it becomes the bottle, you put it in a teapot, and it becomes the teapot. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend." Freestyle Calisthenics is like water. It is not just organized body weight movements, but instead it is a way to freely express yourself. Like water, it can be whatever it is on, in, or around. It has no smell, sound, color, or shape - just flow. When you hear calisthenics, you normally think of gymnastic exercises used to achieve bodily fitness and grace of movement. Push-ups, sit-ups, squats, lunges, jumping jacks, crunches, calf-raises, dips, flutter kicks, and planks are considered the sole manifestations of calisthenics. In the days of old this might hold true, but as all details in life evolution is just a matter of time and opportunity. Ancient Greeks called it kallos-sthenos, directly translated; it means, "beauty in strength." You can say that the Spartans and original Olympians knew the secrets of its benefits and the possibilities of its future.
Isometric, plyometric, aerobic, gymnastic, bodyweight movements, and generally all other exercises are derived from calisthenics. In today's, "check the box," society, you will find the majority of people looking for some sort of clearly defined form or regime to embrace. The minority of creative and self-expressive individuals find independence through Freestyle Calisthenics. Resembling waves rippling through the ocean, the bar athletes complete reps of movements that build into sets. Sets swell from ocean ripples amassing over time into explosive energy waiting to be released. With the basic movements mastered to become almost instinctual, the bar athlete can now orchestrate a visual symphony. Just like a conductor uses the musicians, a bar athlete uses his body to manifest poetry in motion.
