That's awesome! The history of it is absolutely fascinating and it's great that you found something you're really connected to.
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I'm A Capoeirista; Ask Me Anything
- Thread starter Nepenthe
- Start date
That's awesome! The history of it is absolutely fascinating and it's great that you found something you're really connected to.
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That is an au, or a cartwheel. That's not the basic sideways au though- there are specific names for aus that go in different directions, and unfortunately I've not commited them to memory! But yes, any time you rotate your legs over your head and come back down, it's an au!
Haha, I've tried! Not against a real opponent, and I'm afraid to with how bad the vision is, but I know I can can ginga, au, role, and do kicks in it. I tried a bananeira (handstand), but was surprised at how heavy my feetpaws were and it threw off my balance immediately. I basically flipped over and landed on my ass. Fun times!
We actually spar (albeit not with the aim to seriously injure). There are choreographed sequences to learn which reinforce basic positions and flow, but unless you communicate with your partner, good luck actually following through in the roda. Rodas are freestyle, commonly called a "martial arts rap battle." When you're inside, you're giving everything you've got with the aim of taking your opponent down, or simply putting them in the position to let them know that had you committed, you would've knocked their head off.
Did you know my Mestre listens to death metal? I didn't until a few months ago during training when he put it on! Nothing phases me, I'll fuckin' fight to K-Pop at this point lol.
That's not true. There are different styles, or games, to capoeira. Some are dances, some are friendly spars, some are fights with the intent to knock people out. Try going into a street roda in Brazil with that attitude and see what happens. :P
Totally.
Sure is!
My Brazilian martial art comes with free barbecue. Even if a BJJ practioner puts me down I'm automatically the real winner.
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Easily.
I notice Mazda left out the part of the black man killing someone in their commercials. <<;;
If the music is good enough I'd probably just start dancing. Until a mosh pit happens cuz that's when the fight starts.
It's very insular, and on top of that you get people immediately dismissing it as useless. It also doesn't have the mainstream appeal that BJJ does because it is not as practical nor any real clout in Hollywood movies. I would love for an animated film about it though; the history and folklore alone is enough to create some amazing stories.
I appreciate the back up, although I expect ribbing from BJJ practioners/lovers.
Pikachu and Sonic.
I'm biased because my Mestre knows the person who motion capped for Eddy in one of the games, so I'm always gonna go with him!
Desculpe! I told you my Portuguese is bad!
One of my fav movies ever! I practiced Capoeira for 2 years or so when I was in High School thanks to this movie.
What is your general stretching routine and general squat routine? A lot of up and down from negativa stuff goes on in Capoeria. I dabbled in between kung fu and wrestling in early 2000's and the footwork it lent me was incredible for handling falls or throws just knowing a few basics. However to really maximize what little I had involved a lot of generalized squats, and stretching and for that I had to essentially make my own regiment.
What is the typical stretching routines and leg building exercises utilized? Is it just generally doing the ginga and going through the positions a lot for plyometric workouts or was their a more focused strength/flexibility regiment than this?
What sort of crimes where people using capoeira to do that got it outlawed?
Nepenthe Thank you kindly for your detailed and heartfelt response.
Now I am thoroughly intrigued. Was thinking about looking into Brazilian Jujitsu for next year but this has me even more curious now (I am quite a petite person). Of course, it may be for naught given it may not taught where I reside.
Now I am thoroughly intrigued. Was thinking about looking into Brazilian Jujitsu for next year but this has me even more curious now (I am quite a petite person). Of course, it may be for naught given it may not taught where I reside.
Probably attacking people with it. All that spinning generates a lot of force. Getting hit with a spinning heel kick will knock you the fuck out. Plus that mobility probably helped with escaping ala parkour
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This is why we need more capoeira movies! When people see it, they fall in love!
One of my fav movies ever! I practiced Capoeira for 2 years or so when I was in High School thanks to this movie.
In class we do basic split stretches on the ground or against a wall with a partner, squats (cocorinha), lunges, and rotational leg moves for around 10-15 minutes. For building leg strength outside, it's recommended to use resistance training with a bungee or other similar cord: loop the cord around your ankle and a chair leg, and do reps where you hold your leg out sideways for 10 seconds. That builds the strength in your thigh and knee to kick straight outwards with power and hold it, as well as do certain floreios like the macaco more easily. Doing ginga and esquivas a few times a week in class will just build your leg strength naturally, but if you want to have tree trunks for legs this will help lol.
Thank you Voli!
It ranged from petty street thievery all the way up to political assassinations. Gangs were formed of capoeiristas to help ensure protection of areas and to secure resources like housing and food. But then again, you know, black people performing a martial art during the height of colonialism wouldn't have sat well with the Portuguese anyway, especially not with reports coming back of one runaway slave fucking up three/four/five officers in the grass. It was almost guaranteed to have been outlawed anyway.
They say that smaller people have an easier time in capoeira because you can get lower to the ground, and the distance your legs have to travel from kick to back to the ground is shorter. I've been called fast myself. Granted, the problem is you have a harder time getting into distance with a taller person, because they can kick you in the chest from across the room. But close quarters is naturally the name of the game anyway. Give it a try and see!
Nepenthe Aha, it is indeed the reason why I first though Judo would be the ideal, albeit non-flashy, martial arts for me to learn.
Side note: Oh shit! I just realized that Christie Monteiro utilizes the same fighting style. God I hated playing against her given her constant movement making it for a difficult read (for a novice player like myself).
The style looks to be all about creating openings to use parts of the body as pivot points to generate generate angular momentum with maximum forces acting through the extremities. This would definitely require strong abdominal muscles (specially the obliques) for stability and control to get the most out of the techniques.
Side note: Oh shit! I just realized that Christie Monteiro utilizes the same fighting style. God I hated playing against her given her constant movement making it for a difficult read (for a novice player like myself).
The style looks to be all about creating openings to use parts of the body as pivot points to generate generate angular momentum with maximum forces acting through the extremities. This would definitely require strong abdominal muscles (specially the obliques) for stability and control to get the most out of the techniques.
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I think Judo would be more pratical if you want to learn something more direct, but capoeira is certainly not out of the realm of possibility for small people!
And the difficult reads are the point! Any given pose you put yourself into is with the aim of letting your opponent understand you are ready to either get out of the way of an incoming strike, nail them in the face, or both depending upon the movement you wish to pull off. Feints only make the art more tricky. Meia lua de compasso is great for this because it sets your head down to the ground and away from the opponent, allowing you to then rotate yourself into the kick. Pulled one off against a friend in front of his wife as payback for him taking me down. I'm feisty like that.
You're also correct: a good capoeirista can use multiple angles and body parts to rotate into position from either standing or on the ground, and the rotations require both good abdominal and arm/shoulder strength. My ground game is weak because I have noodle arms right now. I can do a qeuda de rins, but to rotate around into something like a role is really hard for me. Don't ask me to make it look pretty.
If there was anything to critique on Eddy from my level, it'd be his insistence on using elbow strikes and punches, punches which I've honestly never seen in the art (we moreso do slaps). He also doesn't dodge a lot! No esquivas or cocorinhas! But that's just me being picky about maintaining the beauty of the art. When you're fighting random-ass jokers from around the world with their own deep motivations, all bets are off!
Hey, thank you!
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Nepenthe Thank you for clarifying things with terminologies. Looked them up on google and sure enough core strength is a must and the same goes for hip flexors as well as hip abuctors.
After your feisty self pulled off a Meia lua de compasso aided roundhouse kick, I guess your friend acknowledged Meia Culpa
Btw, all in all, I forgot to congratulate you on your hard earned and glorious achievement. So, congratulations:
Onwards and preferably upwards for you.
If I do end up finding any place that teaches capoeira and do end up joining it, I'll remember to send a note. Looking at its brutal efficacy and power in MMA has me very interested. Thanks and cheers.
After your feisty self pulled off a Meia lua de compasso aided roundhouse kick, I guess your friend acknowledged Meia Culpa
Btw, all in all, I forgot to congratulate you on your hard earned and glorious achievement. So, congratulations:
Onwards and preferably upwards for you.
If I do end up finding any place that teaches capoeira and do end up joining it, I'll remember to send a note. Looking at its brutal efficacy and power in MMA has me very interested. Thanks and cheers.
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Haha, I'm stealing that meia culpa pun for the next time I nail someone with it. Or the next time I get hit: my teacher got me in the skull on Wednesday and put me out for two rounds. If nothing else, this art will teach you real quick how to get out of the way!Nepenthe Thank you for clarifying things with terminologies. Looked them up on google and sure enough core strength is a must and the same goes for hip flexors as well as hip abuctors.
After your feisty self pulled off a Meia lua de compasso aided roundhouse kick, I guess your friend acknowledged Meia Culpa
Btw, all in all, I forgot to congratulate you on your hard earned and glorious achievement. So, congratulations:
Onwards and preferably upwards for you.
If I do end up finding any place that teaches capoeira and do end up joining it, I'll remember to send a note. Looking at its brutal efficacy and power in MMA has me very interested. Thanks and cheers.
And thank you very much! If you ever join, please hit me up. Hell, I'll even host you in my house for our local batizado if you stick with it and wanna come down to Georgia to see how we play!
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That's pretty hard to answer since there's so little of it being displayed purely in film. Only the Strong is the most famous example as you've noticed here, but I've been recommended Besouro (The Assailant) instead, which was based upon an actual existing capoeira fighter during the prohibition era. If you want fun stuff though that also shows off the art, look up pretty much anything by Lateef Crowder, who played Eddy Gordo in the admittedly-awful Tekken film.
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Teach me how to do an au batido, Mestre. I want to learn that one for my Lucio cosplay.
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What do you think I wanna do?! For graduation this weekend I've done about 15 hours of capoeira over the course of three days. My thighs and shoulders are shot and the ibuprofen ain't touching it.
And I'm still going to class tomorrow.
Ay, thank you very much!
The one against that thai kickboxer where they fight on a wet floor is beautiful
You young folks don't know how to deal with struggle.
But congrats on your advancement
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Oh my god, yes. The way the water traced his actions was perfect. And he was actually winning for most of the time. 8'D
I'm 29 and I feel the creep of the 30s downhill slope looming ever closer. My regret was that Overwatch didn't come out earlier in my 20s so I could've learned about this. But no excuses; one of the Mestres beating our asses this weekend is in his 60s. So you know!
And thank you!
Angola or Regional?
I met Mestre Cobra Mansa in college. He told us to come visit him sometime in Brazil. Never made it, but I did take some Portuguese in grad school and learned how to play a few things on berimbau.
I met Mestre Cobra Mansa in college. He told us to come visit him sometime in Brazil. Never made it, but I did take some Portuguese in grad school and learned how to play a few things on berimbau.
I've always wanted to get into capoeira. I'm Brazilian-Canadian, but to be honest I'm pretty out of touch with Brazilian culture since I moved here pretty young. I visit my grandparents every year, but I don't feel super in touch with my culture. Feels weirder because I'm pretty white looking so most people react with "Oh wow you're from Brazil? Ya sure don't look like it." So I always wanted to do capoeria to sort of remember my roots a bit more...plus capoeira is rad as hell. Also I imagine I'd run into some Brazilians doing capoeira and that would be a good way to make sure I didn't forget Portuguese.
How flexible does someone need to be to start out capoeira? Also, anything I should avoid when looking into a capoeira school, like any warning signs that should make me go "Oh boy, yeah not touching that"?
How flexible does someone need to be to start out capoeira? Also, anything I should avoid when looking into a capoeira school, like any warning signs that should make me go "Oh boy, yeah not touching that"?
What's your favorite capoeira fight scene. Mines the one from Tom yum goong
Tony Java Vs. Lateef Crowder
Tony Java Vs. Lateef Crowder
Congrats Nepenthe! I knew of capoeira from my martial arts friends (they all do kung fu tho) but not its history. Should have guessed it was fascinating.
The head kicks in the vids posted in here sound brutal af lmao
The head kicks in the vids posted in here sound brutal af lmao
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Right now it's Pomba Voou because of this beautiful rendition:
I also feel the spirit of this one I think it's called Faca Porrente FacĂŁo, where the refrain is the small knife breaks the big knife. Basically, don't underestimate the small fighters in the roda (I'm 4'11"), and in a more historical context don't underestimate the black slave.
Thank you! I also need to use my Portuguese more conversationally and I think posting in there would help a bunch.
Which one do I prefer between the two? Regional. High speed brawls are my bag! However I respect Angola. That's the style we played on Wednesday when my Mestre nailed me. 8P
And I envy people who can play bereimbau. I joke that I can hold one, but not play it. The "tssh" sound is pretty easy, but moving from "ding" to "dong?" Forget it. Give me a pandeiro or the atabaque. I can play those like a champ.
Yes. There are different levels to the game, with straight up fights being more common between high level cords and in Brazilian street rodas. Broken bones and popped tendons are common: a professor popped his ankle because he got caught in a leg bar on Saturday. One of the visiting Mestres basically has a deformed bicep and cannot play the music for long. My own teacher basically over-rotated his arm and snapped that last year. Everyone also has a knockout story.
The dance and acrobatics make the style visually appealing and allows it to be underestimated, but I suppose is the point: The disguise. Not like your slave master would allow you to practice a more straightforward martial art openly. Making your opponent think all you're doing is dancing and goofing around is a surefire way to catch him off guard.
When I was first starting I would walk/jog up and down my street about three times a week as well as up and down my stairs for 15 minutes as hard at night as I could. This was to build me up to where I could get through a class without fucking dying. Now I'm at a level where I can do class with some energy to spare provided I eat right, but that has made me lazily stop the rote cardio. But now I've got two good roda rounds in me before I'm done. I want to last longer in the ring, so I'm gonna ask Mestre for a cardio routine to do to work on for that.
You posted it haha. Again, the water was an ace visual choice. Lateef fucking cuts through it like a Naruto character. It's great.
Thank you very much!
And yes, the history is magnificent. I enjoy the wild west nature of that outlaw period, because despite the lack of documentation on it, it gives an interesting almost tall tale aspect to capoeira that I really like. I want to do a comic set in that timeframe myself.
And they are brutal. My teacher recently told us of a guy who got hit just right in the head that he suffered partial paralysis. Was basically never the same again after the fact. We're not to be trifled with in the roda!
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Well, keep going man. You're doing era proud becoming a certified badass. I ship out to basic training in 45 days and right now cardio is my biggest weakness, I'm trying to build myself up in the little time I have left so I am in a better place when I ship.
P.S. Stay Hydrated.
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Thank you very much! I'm doing my best to represent out here.
And good luck to you as well on basic training! I'm sure they're going to build you guys up to where you need to be when you get there, but it never hurts to prepare either.
Also I drink water like a horse now during class; Gatorade if I want some sort of flavor. I'd argue you can't do this and not drink water.
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as many as you want, but for every missed kick you get punched in the stomach by a muscular 130lb individual. you can choose the individual.
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In that case, I can do it in one swing.
Because either I will manage the aim to actually do a proper martelo or quexada, or the punch will put me out entirely.
Some questions if I may:
Do your opponents (and anyone watching really) get dizzy watching you before you've even managed to lay a punch (or kick) on them?
Would Capoeira be an effective combat style if you had to fight on a flight of stairs or on a steepish incline?
How would a mass battle between Capoeira practitioners play out?
Can you reliably spell Capoeirista?
What's the most common type of injury suffered by practitioners of this sport / art ?
Are there any non-shredded overweight capoeira practitioners?
Thank you for your time.
Do your opponents (and anyone watching really) get dizzy watching you before you've even managed to lay a punch (or kick) on them?
Would Capoeira be an effective combat style if you had to fight on a flight of stairs or on a steepish incline?
How would a mass battle between Capoeira practitioners play out?
Can you reliably spell Capoeirista?
What's the most common type of injury suffered by practitioners of this sport / art ?
Are there any non-shredded overweight capoeira practitioners?
Thank you for your time.
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1. I'd probably get prone to getting dizzy first. My airborne allergies keep fluid in my head, so if we're drilling au or role it's a wrap for me.
2. I'd like to think so! We're exceptional at training balance, how to fall, and how to attack from a down position.
3. I'd imagine a confusing mess of fast kicks until the numbers dwindled. If everyone has 10+ opponents, no time for fancy flips.
4. I probably have an 80% accuracy on any term in capoeira....including capeoira. 8P
5. Most injuries of my generation seem to be lower back issues from bad ginga posture/ overextending on back bends, and toe injuries. Older Mestres, particularly from Brazil before widespread ergonomic and posture knowledge was a thing, seem to suffer more from over-rotated and broken joints than we do.
6. Sure are! I have a few in my class I'm good buddies with, and there are videos that exist of obese people in the roda. Very few are entirely incapable of learning capoeira!
And thank you for the questions.
I have to admit I was confused about the synopsis of a little girl trying to find her identity until I actually saw some panel art of it. xD I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the recommendation!
Extra Sauce is a bad person who doesn't appreciate capoeira.
I guess that isn't a question.
Why is Extra Sauce a bad person who doesn't appreciate capoeira?
There we go.
I guess that isn't a question.
Why is Extra Sauce a bad person who doesn't appreciate capoeira?
There we go.
Congratulations!
Now you'll spend the rest of your life explaining to people that "no, that afrobrazilian style is not capoeira, there are other ones too".
Honestly, I had to explain what maculelĂŞ was once and it was hard being interrupted all the time with "isn't that capoeira?"
Now you'll spend the rest of your life explaining to people that "no, that afrobrazilian style is not capoeira, there are other ones too".
Honestly, I had to explain what maculelĂŞ was once and it was hard being interrupted all the time with "isn't that capoeira?"
