is it true capoiera

Discussion in 'Other Styles' started by zakariyya21, Feb 11, 2013.

  1. zakariyya21

    zakariyya21 Valued Member

    Is it true capoeira Angola is more self defence based than Regional? And is it true Regional is more acrobatic based?
     
    Last edited: Feb 11, 2013
  2. dormindo

    dormindo Active Member Supporter

    No, that is a gross oversimplification.

    Capoeira angola certainly has far less of the aerial acrobatics (though aerial attacks aren't totally absent), but there are 'acrobatic' moves from the floor. I put acrobatic in quotations because while such moves have an aesthetic and theatrical purpose, they also, ideally, serve a purpose in the flow of the game.

    Regional (de Bimba) also does not have much in the way of aerial acrobatics and, in truth, does not look much different from capoeira angola in many respects.

    Capoeira contemporanea is the form that many are familiar with that has a great variety of aerial movements. Nevertheless, contemporanea is not based on acrobetics, they just feature them prominently during certain types of games. Contemporanea is based on the same corpus of movements, tactics and strategies that inform angola and regional.

    Capoeira angola certainly tends to have a strict adherence to concepts like corpo fechado and the like that are meant to help a student play in a way to take advantage of the other person's openings while presenting as few openings of one's own as one can and this certainly has martial implications. But self defense is a whole other matter and consists of those things that help you avoid going to blows in the first place. As to that, there is a long tradition of capoeira lore and sayings meant to express the need for one to be streetwise and slick enough to evade danger, probably stemming from the very real need of bonded Africans to have to do this on occasion in Brazil and possibly even linked back to Central African Bantu traditions of knowing how to 'walk in the night'--in short, just part of human knowledge of keeping out of the path of someone else's bad intentions. It's interesting and is certainly food for thought, but training of the type done at a really good self defense workshop with scenario drills, talking down and knowing the legal implications of violence is about as common, to my knowledge, in capoeira as it is in other MAs: not very.

    Is there something specific you're wanting to know about comparing these arts?
     
  3. zakariyya21

    zakariyya21 Valued Member

    I just wanted information, from your answers i'm finding there is alot of misinformation on the net, thanks for your response.
     
  4. dormindo

    dormindo Active Member Supporter

    Yes, as for any subject, there is a lot of misinformation out there. A lot of good info, too, if you know where to look.
     

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