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As the name implies, mixed martial arts draws from a wide of combat sports. There are devasting kicks from Muay Thai, knockout straights from western boxing, fade to black submissions from jiu-jitsu, and much from the great martial art that makes all else possible – wrestling. However, more obscure arts too have techniques that can useful in a fight against a trained opponent. One such is Capoeira, arguably the world’s most beautiful martial art.
Developed in the 15th century by Angolan slaves in Brazil, Capoeira draws from dance, acrobatics, and music. In 2014 it was granted special protected status by UNESCO as an “intangible cultural heritage.”
There are three main styles of Capoeira: Angola, Regional, and Contemporanea. Angola is the traditional, more dancelike approach. Regional is more martial arts oriented. And Contemporanea, which is the most common today. Unlike many martial arts, which have a centralized body with a fixed curriculum and certifications, capoeira schools typically operate quite independently, retaining the freedom to experiment and grow however they find fitting.
A central form of practice and demonstration is the Roda (Portugues for “wheel” or “circle”). The group stands in an evenly placed circle, or, for a demonstration, a half circle. Most but not necessarily all of the people who form the roda then take turns performing inside the circle.
Demonstrations of Capoeira are beautiful to look at, and both uplifting and amazingly physically challenging. However, this Capoeira demonstration in Brazil went from a fun showcase, into an all-out brawl. Some spin kicks were just a little too close, and that leads to punches, a slam, and then it descended into a wild, multi-person melee.
In a pattern that is familiar to anyone and everyone who watches what happens when martial arts are attempted on the street, the brawl quickly turns to grappling.
In this case, the fighting seems to be a little more pre-planned, but gets pretty scrappy pretty quickly, over and over.
And here is a highlight capturing some of the crazy complexity of the art.
What do you think about Capoeira? Share your thoughts on The StreetGround.
