True Strength of Capoeira

[Fighting Cephalopod]

It is worth noting that American Top Team in addition to offering classes on BJJ, MT. MMA and Boxing, it also offers Capoeira. The fact that a top MA gym offers such classes may be telling. I don't think Capoeira will teach any practical MA moves or techniques, BUT it will make you fucking awesome when it comes to stamina and agility.

Militech teaches kids karate, Monson's gym has an aikijutsu teacher, and lots of BJJ schools teach yoga. None of these magically become good fighting arts by association. The real truth of it is that it's very difficult to run an MMA gym, even a big one, and turn a profit, so most of them will have some kind of crowd-pleaser classes to pay the rent.

[Lu Tze]

Cool, yeah, now I got all that other stuff off my chest It's good to shoot the **** on technique. plus like I said I could be wrong so i'll stick to stuff I know about first hand.

Closest I can do to describe it is this pic of the first part of Xiaoyus Phoenix Talon, I'm still trying to prove to myself if the next bit she does is humanly possible, which is the reason for having it screen capped. Ignore the first kick she makes with the right leg, you wouldn't do that it's the second leg that strikes.

To start it you'd drop into a negativa away from the opponent come back forward switching negativa and LAUNCH IT "Take that FUCKER! Yeah who's laughing at my breakdancing now? Could it be the this **** holding his face crying?" in fantasy land but in reality "Ow **** that really hurt last time I try that on a heavy bag, stop laughing everyone i think i kicked the chain"

Wow, there you have it guys, Capoeira is the best art to know if you ever get mugged by a video game character. :tongue5:

[Coyote]

Basically, the vast majority capoeria's weapons are high power long strikes. Tactically, you can see it as an extreme version of someone using TKD spinning kicks to headhunt all the time. Certainly, if you were to hit someone with a gigantic spinning kick, it would be pretty injurious. Certainly, if a capoeira guy surprised me and clocked me at distance in the head, I could easily be out of the fight right there. But the basic problem is that once someone clinches or grapples or even fights mostly close to you, you're out of your element.

That's why overall capoeira isn't really a "good" system. Because it's specialized in long range power hits, which is kind of a dangerous basket to put all your eggs in.

Reread the first post. I never said that Capoeira was great or even good. All I said was that the escape/counter moves such as the one discussed above could come in handy.

[johnbo]

I actually prefer capoeira over muay thai because capoeira doesn't hurt that much.

[Coyote]

Chapeu De Couro is one of my favourites too feels really good to transition from low to high fluidly. Especially if you can do it straight from landing in negativa from that 'crossing with opposite hand in a sort of down to the floor twisting cartwheel move' (I can't remeber what it's called think it's the Brazilian for Manta Ray because of the way a Manta Ray spin strikes with it's tail). I prefer to bring the foot down vertically for surprise value and I have surprised Capoeristas with it who weren't used to people who could get height with the move. I was joking about scraping the face wearing shoes because I can't bring myself to believe it would ever work in a real situation. If you get a nice high boost on the Chapeu De Couro and try and go more over/around the arm that stays on the ground you'll find the Macaco easier (one arm still touching the floor back flip type manoevre). But I advise learning the Giro De Mao (hand spin) and as you come down doing a Role to quick Ginga, becasue that's one of Eddie's victory moves from Tekken and it really pisses of higher cord Capoeiristas if you can do it and they can't.

Love that bit in Drunken Master II when Aninta Mui as Jackie's Mother tells him to use Drunken Fist and Jackie says "But Dad told me not to he'll punish me" and she replies "Never mind I'll still love you, now get them" or something like that, that's what I like about Chinese Martial Art movies, the humour that doesn't seem to be in Jackie's American films.

That's the kind of move I was talking about when I started this thread. Say someone throws a roundhouse kick to the head. You drop underneath it into negative, sweeping the leg as you go or maybe transitioning to a leg scissors. If you can’t reach his other leg, then wait until your opponent tries to follow up with either a stomp or low side kick. Move out of the way and follow with the good ol’ boot to the head as described above. If you practice enough to get fast with the technique, it should work.

[Coyote]

I actually prefer capoeira over muay thai because capoeira doesn't hurt that much.

He speaks the truth.

[Zendetta]

THe real reson to study capoeira is the Hot Chixxx in tight pants.

[Coyote]

THe real reson to study capoeira is the Hot Chixxx in tight pants.

Yes, but to impress them you must learn the escapes and counters.
And how to dance like THIS!!! :karated: :karated: :karated:

[Coyote]

I was just looking at the statistics for this thread, and I have to say that I am quite happy.
It's nice to know that my first thread has been seen by so many people, a bunch of whom contributed. I would like to thank you all for your posts, especially Chance, whose valued imput has made this forum an experience none will soon forget. If anyone has any other ideas or comments, please feel free to add on. No reason we should stop here, eh?

[Chance]

Thanks Coyote, and like I said on earlier posts if any of what I said is wrong I stand corrected but I don't think anyone knows for sure. It's just I'd never seen what I had been told discussed and it makes sense to me for the reason for the characteristic 'go with the force' movements of Capoeira. Most discussions on Capoeira, people say it was disguised into a dance, which is questionable when some of the only records available show that all aspects of the slaves culture including dances was suppressed at some time or another.

Some people said they had seen active blocking in Capoeira demonstrations, so have I and I wasn't impressed by the safety of having both players spin kicking the same direction so that any collision would slide off and then suddenly one player going Contra with a spin crescent type kick. I suspect if they trained their techniques on pads they would have a better appreciation of the force they are generating and what would happen if they tagged the other player.

Capoeira evolved slightly when Regional came into existance and I understand Mestre Bimba tried to convince all the other Mestres by saying that the reason for the change was that he didn't want other styles to be able to say they had beat Capoeiristas. The Mestres who didn't decide to go with him stayed with the style of Capoeira we refere to as Angola. Capoeira is interesting to me as a cultural expression, and what happens when different cultures meet. Some research suggests that some of the kicking movements might originate from the Native Brazilian Indians. I don't think you can stand in the way of 'cultural expressions' evolving when another culture embraces them. Puerto Ricans are credited with introducing the spinning motions on the floor to breakdance, the windmill which most people think of when someone mentions breaking was created/discovered by Crazy Legs.

I'm not sold on the evasive manoevres and counters having practical applications, but i have heard several stories where people going from Ginga to a barrage of Armadas, Mei Luas and airborne moves while contantly turning to show that they can could see everyone around them and couldn't be blindsided has had a high enough intimidation factor that they didn't have to fight a group of people they would have lost against.

FYI the character Jo in the Playstation game Ehrgeiz uses Capoeira and the opening movie has a cool few seconds fight on a train with a nice flow of Capoeira Movements.

(That anim gif of the Taekwondo guy dancing, I'm sure the source is an MC Hammer video.)

(As a rule I don't think women are impressed by Capoeira or Breakdance skills especially not in a club, they want you to dance with them, make them look good but at the same time want you to dance well enough that other women will be jealous that they are dancing with you)