What is Capoeira? A look into the dancing martial art

Origins and the slave trade in Brazil

Capoeira is a martial art that originated in Brazil during the 1820s. It was created by African slaves who were sold on the continent with many being from countries such as the Congo. This martial art was unique in that it was hidden from the slave masters. Basically, the slaves would pretend to be dancing whilst practicing the movements to look more innocent. However, the reality was that they were training how to fight which was disguised in the form of dance.

As a result, the art of Capoeira often looks like dancing whilst also offering practical fighting stances and techniques. Due to the taboo around empowered slaves at the time, Capoeira was at one point banned in Brazil due to fears of slaves equipping themselves with fighting skills.

It took nearly 100 years for Capoeira to be accepted in Brazil and was openly practiced in the 1920s. Since then, the art became widely practiced and even lead into being one of the most popular martial arts of today, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. BJJ has similar movements based on fluidity and timing, which derived from Capoeira. Similarly, some martial artists will cross-train both such as the likes of Jose Aldo.

In terms of technique, Capoeira can be divided into two areas. The first is the upper body, and the second is the lower body. The lower body focused on kicks, sweeps, and foot movement whilst the upper body was based around dodging strikes and punches. Not only this but in some cases, Capoeira was taught with weapons such as knives which offered self-defense on a street level.

However, in modern-day it is rarely associated with weapons and is based mostly around the movements. Because it was associated with music, the movements found in Capoeira are based on rhythm and so rely heavily on the quick movement of the practitioner. The term Capoeira roughly translates to forest which is where slaves would hide and train the art away from the eyes of the slave owners. Not only this, but some of the slaves believed their moves would be passed on to ancestors after death, which was another reason for training as well as the physical benefits whilst being alive.

Modern-day Capoeira

As has been established, the origins of Capoeira were based on secretive self-defensive from the perspective of slaves. Since then, Capoeira has spread around the globe and typically most major cities throughout the world will have Capoeira gyms or at least gyms that offer Capoeira as a form of fitness. These days Capoeira isn’t based on self-defense as much and is seen as a form of athletic dance.

Because of this, it is often seen as a choreographed performance rather than a martial art. For instance, a Capoeira school may perform it as a form of dance as a piece of street art in front of a crowd rather than teach how to kick as much. Bearing this in mind, mechanically Capoeira has a bit in common with break dancing in terms of its fluidity and body movements. These movements include acrobatic feats such as cartwheels, spins, and kicking whilst placing your hands on the ground.

Having said this, from a combat perspective Capoeira is still helpful. Because of its style, it teaches Capoeiristas key skills such as athleticism, balance, base and core strength as well as cardio. As any proven martial artist will attest to, these are valuable skills in any fighting skills and can easily turn a fight in your favor. With this said, it could be argued that Capoeira is the perfect martial art to accompany other fighting skills. For example, if you were to train Capoeira and then start boxing you would be at a significant advantage due to the skills obtained from Capoeira.

Basically, Capoeira would teach you bodily awareness and speed as well as footwork. All of these help in boxing to help avoid strikes and stay nimble. So, even though modern Capoeira is often taught as an enjoyable form of fitness it also has crossover with other fighting skills and helps condition the mind and body into that of a fighter. It should also be added that many skills do offer sparring in a Capoeira setting.

Further, another feature that is often found in modern-day Capoeiristas is an affinity to strength and conditioning. As Capoeira requires a strong core and athleticism, it’s common to find Capoeiristas will train their bodies on the side. Often this includes body workouts as well as cardio drills. Similarly, jumping and stretching exercises can also be used to improve your Capoeira skills. Imagine trying to implement a high kick with little flexibility or base in your jump. With this said, it’s easy to understand why Capoeiristas will improve other areas of their fitness to improve their skills at Capoeira.

Does Capoeira have ranked belts?

As has been established, Capoeira is a unique martial art. It isn’t like many others that originate from the far east and so its structure is somewhat different. Because of this, Capoeira does not have a ranking system nor does it have belts. From a historical level, this makes complete sense. It wouldn’t have been wise for slaves to display their Capoeira rank by wearing a belt and logistically speaking it may not have been possible either.

Since then, Capoeira has never adopted the belt system. Having said this, you may find some Capoeira schools that do adopt ranked belts. Generally, though this is rare and isn’t the norm. This means that if a school did have belts then this may differ from place to place and isn’t recognized universally.

What is Angola Capoeira & is regional Capoeira ineffective?

So far, we’ve spoken about modern Capoeira which has an array of athletic moves and is also based on music and dance. Whilst this still has ties with self-defense, it is not as focused on combat as Angola Capoeira is. In short, Angola Capoeira is based on more of the traditional, martial arts side of the sport. This means a bigger focus on grappling and you can find more realistic sparring in these gyms. For instance, one critique of Capoeira is that it offers flashy kicks and movements that aren’t always applicable to real fighting.

This criticism is often aimed at various martial arts as people may claim they lack the reality and grit found in fighting. This is a personal question with no real right or wrong answer, for instance some may argue that flashy Capoeira kicks work whilst others will say they’re a waste of time. Regardless, if more of a ‘real’ form of Capoeira is what you’re after, then Angola Capoeira is probably where it’s at.

Another criticism of Capoeira could be that from a fighting aspect, it focuses too much on the dancing and music side of things. In some schools, you can also choose to play instruments whilst learning the physical movements. Whilst this is a nice nod to its roots, it’s obviously not relevant in a fighting situation. With this in mind, once again Angola Capoeira offers more of a straight-to-the-point style of Capoeira which may be what some are looking for.

Lastly, another issue in terms of reality is the idea of purposely going to ground in an actual fight. This criticism has also been pointed towards BJJ down the years with guard pulling which is when the practitioner chooses to sit on the floor. In fighting, going to the floor is not always advised. For obvious reasons such as gravity, you are vulnerable on the floor as head kicks are now far easier for the opponent.

One issue with Capoeira is if you opt to put your hands on the floor to generate an up-kick. Whilst this may work in some situations, it’s generally not advised. This is because the kick may fail with devastating consequences. For example, if you kick whilst standing and miss then it’s not a major deal. However, if you do this on the floor, you could end up getting kicked in the head. However, it could be counter-argued that you wouldn’t choose to do this in a real fight situation anyway and would fight with more sense over style.

Final Thoughts

Capoeira is a fun activity to jump into. Whether it’s for martial arts reasons or simply to learn unique dance movements, it has its place for everyone. As has been mentioned, it offers athletic improvements and can benefit other areas of your physical body. Not only this but it is often considered the perfect complement to other martial arts by offering a strong physical framework.

It is also proven in MMA with various Brazilian fighters and champions praising Capoeira throughout their career. Put simply, if Capoeira wasn’t effective then this wouldn’t be the case so the proof really is there for all to see. With this in mind, Capoeira is something different that is great for fitness as well as having a unique approach that combines dancing and fighting. If you think this is for you, then give it a go!

Want to learn more about the cultural origins of Capoeira? This book does a great job explaining everything.