Here we go again..... Maybe this guy carries around broken glass in his pocket, too, so that capoeiristas can't do any hand-planting disco dance moves of death to him. It still doesn't cease to amaze me how people with so little experience of anything will call into question everything. Hey, I have no experience with howitzers or nuclear warheads, not sure that they'd work in a fight/cage/sparring match/on the rua. Save me, I'm bored.
My favorite Capoeirista Vs. ****** issue some guy was watching a couple of my friends who are Capoeiristas play in the park. He asks me what they are doing, I explain. He tells me "that's stupid! i could kick both their asses." I hollered over to one that this guy wanted a demonstration of a capoeira fight, and told him to go over. He runs over and tries to take a swing at my friend, my friend moves out of the way, ducks down, and headbuts the guy straight in the solar plexus. He takes classes with them now. Kintanon
I was training with MMA guys on Sunday and I Brazilian guy turned up who done BBJ. He could hardly speak english (kept asking if we spoke Spanish), but he has some experience of Capoeira. He was showing them all an application from Capoeira to avoid a shoot for the leg, hooking the underarm, flipping them over and then they dropped into an armbar. A successful MMA squad not only doing this, but really liking it. Brilliant. What Martial Arts is about if you ask me. Is Capoeira useful in a fight? I can say with confidence that it is useful against a shoot for the legs.
Thanks for your addition to this thread. There are many grappling/anti-grappling movements within Capoeira. We can tesoura arms, use negativa to arm bar, arm bar when an individual catches a martelo (..for example), etc. etc. It is hard for those without adequate Capoeira experience to realize that all of these movements exist. These movements will almost never been seen in Capoeira rodas (...except for maybe Muzenza or Topazio) due to the fact that they are generally "dirty" techniques, and disrupt the flow of the game.
Is Capoeira useful in a fight? Capoeira defenses consists of evasive moves and rolls. A series of ducks called 'esquivas', which literally means escape(of kicks) are also staple of a capoeiristas' defensive vocabulary. There are typically different esquivas for every step of the Ginga, depending on the direction of the kick and intention of the defender. A common defense is the 'Rolé', which is a rolling move that combines a duck and a low movement. This move allows the defensive player to quickly evade an attack and position themselves around the aggressor in order to lay up for an attack. It is this combination of attacks and defense which gives a game of Capoeira its perceived 'fluidity' and choreography. Other evasive moves allow the capoeirista to move away or dangerously close in an attempt to trip up the aggressor in the briefest moment of vulnerability (usually in a mid-kick). There are also styles of moves which combine both elements of attack and defense. An example is the 'Au Batido', a move commonly associated with Capoeira. In essence, the move begins as an evasive cartwheel which then turns into a blocking/kick, either as a reflexive response to a blocking move from the opposing player or when an opportunity to do so presents itself (an opponent's drop of guard for example). For students who have mastered the basic moves, their game naturally progresses towards a more cunning slant. The art of trickery, or 'Malandragem'. This involves a lot of improvisation and modifications of basic moves into a flurry of feints and fakes in a blatant attempt to trick the opponent in responding wrongly. To this end, the ability of the capoeirista lies in their skill to observe and reliance on their innate sense in anticipating the moves of their opponents and prepare the appropriate response. Some capoeiristas take this aspect of the art to heights akin to the guile of theatrics and drama. Games displaying elaborate performances and even staging skits reenacting historic cultural aspects of Capoeira are commonly demonstrated amongst the most learned of the art.........im sure they can handle any body on the streets.......also considering the fact that the attacker probably has no prior fighting history.....there should be no question that he could defeat the attacker
