Martial Art Name: Capoeira
Other Names: --
Description: The dancing movements are not just for show. Capoeira movements are fast and the rotational spinning of the limbs adds power to the strike. It allows the fighter to come at different angles of attack, and it also allows for constant motion, never allowing the opponent to locate a weak spot for too long.
The stance of capoeira, called the ginga, is not really a stance at all. It's a constant movement of moving from one foot to the other. This keeps you from keeping your center of gravity in one place, allowing for an attack from any spot. It also allows you to keep your opponent on edge. This constant bobbing and moving doesn't allow any points of attack to leak through, but it also keeps your opponents from knowing where the first strike will come from.
Capoeira attacks are almost completely centered around powerful swinging kicks. These kicks aren't the same kind from karate and taekwondo. Rather these kicks come from multiple angles and can be done while doing handstands, or by jumping in a rotation. The trick is to disguise the kick within the dance. Though elbows and punches are used, they are not nearly as common.
Unlike other martial arts, capoeira defensive moves center around evasion. Instead of blocking attacks, ducking, cartwheels, handstands, and constant motion allow the artist to avoid blows rather than block. This evasive style of defense gives the artist an advantage because they don't have to waste time trying to recover from the block; they can easily jump back into the fight with a counter attack at a different angle.
Specialties: Music, Kicking, Acrobatics
Sub-Specialties: Leg-Sweeps, Takedowns, Elbows/Knees
History: Back in the early 16th century, Africans were taken from Africa to Brazil where they were sold as slaves. In their attempt to liberate themselves, they tried many times to start rebellions and escape. In order to stop this from happening again, the slave owners shackled the slave's hands.
In order to fight back, the slaves trained to create a new martial art. To disguise their training from their masters, the slaves turned their training into a dance. To the unknowing eye, their spinning and flips looked like nothing more than a dance. However, this dance disguised dangerous and powerful kicks and blows that makes the style extremely unpredictable.
Even today, capoeira is still an extremely fun and challenging martial art. It's dancing movements and unpredictability make it a dangerous style against conventional fighters. Many of the movements, such as cartwheels and hand stands give the illusion that it is a style of break-dancing. This illusion however, only adds to effectiveness of the art.
Capoeira today has also become a game. It is used between two people and, though it still uses the same lethal kicks and motions, the lethal nature has turned to sport and focuses on the skill of the artist, not the killing potential. Like in the past, capoeira games often are done with music. This is because the music gives rhythm to the fight and it allows the movements to look even more impressive and graceful.
