Ido Portal is an Israeli movement teacher known for a broad, non-specialist approach to training the body that draws on capoeira, martial arts, gymnastics and dance. He teaches what he calls Movement Culture, and gained worldwide attention after working with Conor McGregor before McGregor’s 2015 title win over Jose Aldo.
Brian Rose first interviewed Portal in 2014, and London Real has published ten Ido Portal episodes up to 2020. They include studio interviews, a conversation recorded while walking through London, the feature-length film Just Move, a premiere Q&A and three full-length bonus interviews filmed in Israel.
Across them, Portal talks about why he rejects the word fitness, what it means to be present, and why there is no black belt in movement. Every episode is listed below in order.
Just Move (2017). London Real’s feature-length film about Ido Portal is the fullest picture of the man and his ideas. For a straightforward sit-down interview, start with Move or Die (2015).
In his first interview in 2014, Portal argued that people are essentially animals and need to reconnect with their physical selves through movement, something he sees as more urgent in an age of screens and desk work.
Speaking in 2015, he said he wants to get away from the word fitness and from narrow specialisation in the gym. He encourages students to explore everything the body can do, drawing on martial arts, dance, gymnastics and more.
Portal describes movement practice as open-ended. There is no final grade or finished state, only a continuing relationship with your own body.
In the 2017 beach interview he said you cannot really be in the moment unless you are being challenged. A skill that has become automatic, even a one-arm handstand, leaves the mind free to wander.
Asked in 2014 why he had not written a book, Portal said a book is a static snapshot of the past. He prefers to teach people directly, in workshops and camps.
Ido Portal is an Israeli movement teacher whose approach draws on capoeira, martial arts, gymnastics and dance. He teaches what he calls Movement Culture through workshops and camps around the world.
He talked about his movement philosophy, why he rejects narrow ideas of fitness, his background in capoeira, being present, and his work with Conor McGregor. London Real also made a feature-length film about him, Just Move.
Start with the 2017 film Just Move for the full picture. For a conventional interview, Move or Die from 2015 is a good introduction to his ideas.
London Real has published ten Ido Portal episodes between 2014 and 2020: three studio interviews, a walking conversation, the Just Move film, a premiere Q and A, three full-length bonus interviews from the film, and a 2020 London Real Journeys episode.
Just Move is London Real’s 2017 feature-length film about Ido Portal and his approach to movement. It premiered in London in August 2017, followed by a live Q and A with Portal and Brian Rose.
Yes. Portal joined Conor McGregor’s training camp ahead of McGregor’s 13-second knockout of Jose Aldo in December 2015. London Real recorded A Moving Conversation with Portal a few weeks before that fight.
Official site: idoportal.com
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