Capoeira From A to Z: Useful Information on the Most Spectacular Martial Art

Capoeira is one of the most beautiful martial arts that originated in Brazil. This is a combination of various acrobatic tricks and dancing elements performed to national Brazilian music. This activity became martial art thanks to freedom movements among Brazilian slaves. The most peculiar features of capoeira include a lot of low positions, kicks, and acrobatic tricks.

Advantages

This battling dance trains all the muscle groups and contribute to perfect stretching and ability to navigate in space. In this case, people become tight, flexible, as well as learn how to coordinate their movements better. Those people who deal with capoeira on a regular basis can impress with their excellent ability to pose.

It is possible to regulate training intensity by playing fast or slow music. In addition to that, capoeira training proves to be useful in creating proper psychological orientations that can be helpful to cooperate with a partner effectively, which is of key significance for everyone in the modern world.

Disadvantages

This kind of physical exercises is suitable for people who are physically fit, which can be achieved through years of training. If a person has never done sports, capoeira training can be dangerous for them. Furthermore, capoeira training is counter-indicative for people with cardiovascular issues, poor coordination abilities, and joint problems.

When it comes to capoeira, desire and regularity of training sessions are of the same importance as they are in other kinds of sport. The most essential issue here is to start from a level that is the most suitable for your capabilities, rather than try to chase more experienced and skillful fighters. The fact is that there are some training sessions created specifically for novice fighters; they contribute to a general physical development. During training sessions, it is of crucial significance to follow the instructor’s advice to avoid some injuries, both minor and serious.

General Rules

Up to now, there is no precise definition of a capoeira fight that, by the way, is generally called a roda. If it is a kind of sport, there must be some regulations as to how long a fight can last. However, when it comes to a roda (the word literally means “circle” from Portuguese), it can last for a few hours without any stops or breaks. There is a simple explanation of this fact: it is not reasonable or advisable to stop or shorten a fight when opponents take delights in it. What is more interesting, fighters call a roda a game, while they call themselves players, which determines the nature of a single fight and the given kind of sport at all. Moreover, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that a fight takes place in an informal manner to traditional Brazilian music.

As for the music, it serves for rhythm and tempo as well as to create special mood for fighters. Those people who see a roda for the first time, especially when it is held in accordance with all the national traditions, believe that it is a fantastic dance, rather than martial art. That is why it is not a surprise that capoeira fighters are regular participants of Brazil carnivals where they demonstrate all their skills.

Considering the fact that capoeira is a democratic kind of sport, competitions can be both full contact and of limited nature as to the allowed holds and kicks. Thus, professional fighters participate in fights free of strict rules. As in many other martial arts, capoeira has a ranking system, in which a green belt denotes a novice fighter, while white one is a sign of the most skillful and professional fighter.

School and Styles

The process of creating capoeira schools was difficult one: the police remembered well their disobedient representatives. It was a common practice for the police to block places where capoeira fighters gather, but it was impossible to catch them flatfooted; as soon as the police were approaching, appropriate people started playing a corresponding tune to inform all the fighters of the approaching danger. However, the first capoeira school appeared in Salvador in 1937. The given school developed a style that was known as Capoeira Regional. In addition to that, 1941 saw as representatives of another school created the style of Capoeira Angola. A great jump in development of this martial art happened in the 1950s when this fighting technique became popular in Europe and the USA.

To tell the truth, the two capoeira styles above are requested even nowadays, and there are some differences between them. On the one hand, Capoeira Regional is a speed and power style that is full of various acrobatic elements and kicks that are to be performed in the air. On the other hand, Capoeira Angola is a milder and calmer style that is characterized by patient and “viscous” movements without strict borders between separate ones. However, the style distribution is considered formal because fighters are free to alter them during a single bout. One should note that young and aggressive fighter prefer using Capoeira Regional, while Capoeira Angola is suitable for more experienced and skillful fighters.

Equipment and Weapons

Traditional capoeira uniform consists of white cotton trousers and sleeveless shirt that should bear a school logo. As has been stated, fighters should wear a belt, a color of which denotes a fighter’s level of skill. It should be mentioned separately that those school that do not have appropriate certificates from a national federation, can have their own distribution of colors concerning the belts.

Capoeira technique supposes that a person can fight alone against a few opponents, an unarmed person can fight against armed ones, and a person can fight with this hands being knotted. Furthermore, some parts of capoeira training is devoted to weapons work. A machete is a national and traditional weapon for capoeira fighters. In addition to it, professional capoeirista can use special knives with curved blades and without handles. The blades in toes, fighters can injure seriously their opponents’ backs and chests.

Technique

Capoeira is martial art; that is why it offers many kicks, shots, and even hits with heads. Its technique is replete with counter-attacking actions, throwing elements, inclines, and various transitions. Appropriate acrobatic elements are the first thing that are striking for people who watch capoeira fights for the first time. For example, fighters use back and forward somersaults either to escape an opponent’s attack or to start their own attacking actions.

At particular moments, capoeira technique is similar to that used in other martial arts. The fact is that it is difficult to create new holds or kicks, but some differences still exist. Thus, capoeirista tend to perform kicks and use their leg as a footing. As a rule, fighters aim their kicks in opponents’ heads and bodies.

As for protective movements and inclines, they are peculiar in every separate school. However, the most professional capoeirista know that constant moving is the best defense. The thing is that this strategy will make it extremely difficult for opponents to hit them. This martial art is versatile because it provides athletes with an opportunity to change defensing movements to attacking ones in a split second.

History

Nowadays, it is difficult to say what country has become the first motherland of this martial art, who was its founder, why it is of such great popularity. As for a generally accepted opinion, one should pay attention to Southern America of the 17th-18th centuries. African slaves who were brought to Brazil to work on plantations escaped harsh conditions and created their own communes in the Amazon jungles. Then, they encountered aboriginal American Indians who were free from the influence of European colonizers. It was a common thing for the two groups to protect their settlements against enemies, and close fights were one of the most requested means for that. Historians believe that it was a reason for the martial art of capoeira to appear. Although the word “capoeira” does not have a precise translation, one believes that it means American jungles. However, there is also another opinion that suggests that the word means a small field with low grass – a territory that is suitable for capoeira fights.

In 1888, the slavery was abolished, but that positive thing did not influence the African slaves. Official powers tried to ban capoeira several times, but the poor managed to preserve it as both a dance and martial art. The situation was greatly improved in the 20th century. Thus, capoeira became an official kind of sport in the 1930s.