@ Flying Crane
You obviously possess some knowledge of Capoeira. This is a great example of something that I would consider 1-2 dimensional along with many other styles(boxing, bjj, sikaran). Since I am ignorant to the combat apps of Capoeira. Could you enlighten me? Capoeira, frequently is viewed in this light I think. So I think this would be a great opportunity to shed a little light on it.
When I think of Capoeira, I see many fascinating kicks, movements and such, some that I can see higher % moves, and some that are not. Do they normally train 'capoeirista v capoeirista, like a duel( not for play, but counter for counter spar)? Or are there really some schools that teach how to use Capoeira to counter other styles(wrestler, boxer etc. ) ?
I'm intrigued.
ps. I saw some guy (mma fighter I think) on youtube a few months ago. He was doing some badass moves from capoeira on a hanging heavy bag, and ground n pounding it using capoeira etc. It was fascinating! Wish I could find a link 4 u, but I can't
OK, we may be drifting farther from the thread here but that seems to be happening and if everyone is happy to take the discussion where ever it goes, I'm game.
Capoeira as we know it today was first developed in Brazil during the slavery era. Africans from different tribal groups and different parts of Africa were deliberately mixed in Brazil, by the slave holders. This was done to undermine the ability of the slaves to stage an uprising, as different tribal groups often had different cultures, different languages, etc., and it made it more difficult for the slaves to communicate and organize, and feel a sense of unity in such a culturally mixed environment.
Of course over time, the slaves learned the language of the owners, and perhaps learned the African languages of those held with them, and the were able to communicate. But at lest initially the mixing of groups helped to prevent unity and uprisings.
Within this melting pot of cultures, ideas were shared. Keep in mind that many of the slaves brought from Africa were warriors, and they brought their knowledge and techniques of fighting with them. This knowledge was shared amongst their slave groups, and a method of fighting was born. It is highly probable that the fighting method was also influenced by native Brazilian and Euro-Brazilians as well, as the interaction between these groups would have provided for it. It is impossible today to say specifically, which techniques or which cultural influences and elements came from which group.
This is the beginnings of what became capoeira.
African cultures tend to differ from European cultures in a couple of striking points that heavily influenced the development of capoeira. The big one is the music and rhythm. African cultures tend to express themselves musically, thru instruments and singing, and this is prevalent thru many aspects of the culture. Music brings the people together, gives them something to focus on to take their minds off tedious work, helps them remember their cultural past as they sing about their ancestors, etc. This would be an important tool in the reality of slavery, as it helped an oppressed people survive and cope with their grief and suffering and loss.
This element is prevalent in capoeira as well. Just as music is present in the other aspects of the slaves' daily lives, working in the fields, taking produce to the markets, etc., it was present during their limited time for recreation and when they would practice fighting techniques.
Capoeira has always been a fighting method. It was heavily oppressed in Brazil because it was recognized that as a powerful fighting method it gave the slaves and the recently freed Blacks a tool to oppose local law enforcement and disrupt the status quo. In the post-slavery era the police would crack down on capoeiristas, and the laws on the books specifically outlawed the practice. Known capoeira "troublemakers" would be hunted down by law enforcement and brought to justice, and their capoeira skills were justifiably feared.
This is where capoeira comes from. It was always a fighting method from the beginning, tho it holds other cultural elements that are not common to other martial arts. This gives it a unique flavor and can sometimes obscure the original intent of the method, but it was a fighting method, a martial art, before anything else. Coming out of the unique cultural mixing pot that was its genesis, it takes on aspects that outsiders may have trouble with reconciling as a martial art. But martial art is what it is.
Today things have changed and capoeira skills are no longer necessary on a frequent basis to save one's life from the oppressors. The art has changed from its original form, and probably what is most noticeable is its game-like, playful attributes. I do not deny this and I understand why people tend to believe that it is not a true martial art. But that is why I tend to speak up about it, to set the record straight and help educate those who may know just enough about it to misunderstand what it is.
There is a difference between playing capoeira, and fighting with capoeira. The capoeira game is played in the roda, between two antagonists, surrounded by the group who plays the music and sings the songs (the songs are often about old and dead capoeiristas, the heros and founders from the past, the ancestors), and give the game its rhythm and intensity. The players create a physical dialogue, spontaneously attacking and defending and moving and positioning. The intensity of the game can range from mild and gentle and jovial, to harsh and fast and brutal and nasty. A lot of it depends on who the players are and whether or not they have some perceived grudge to avenge. I've seen games between rival groups that have gotten bloody, people getting tossed out of the circle, kicked and smacked around. I remember one player's face was busted open by a kick because she didn't evade in time. I've had it done to myself, kicked in the ribs hard enough to throw me out of the circle, swept and taken down, rolled across the floor and pummeled by the other guy who was on top of me, tho I've managed to avoid being truly injured. I've done it to others as well, swept them down, knocked one player out with a kick to the face tho it was an accident and I didn't intend it. The energy of the game can take you away and it becomes intense. But this is the game of capoeira, what is done inside the circle, in the group. This is how capoeira is practiced, it is capoeira's method of sparring.
Fighting with capoeira is different. I believe that most schools in the US at least, practice and play the game of capoeira and don't really train to fight with capoeira. To do so, one must train differently.
While capoeira has a number of techniques that are unique, it also has a lot of standard fare that you would find in other systems: front kicks, side kicks, roundhouse kicks, spinning kicks, crescent and reverse-crescent kicks, knees, tripping, sweeping, take-downs, elbows, palm strikes, evasive bobbing and weaving methods, etc. These tools all exist in capoeira, as well as some unique kicks and acrobatics and methods of moving and repositioning. When one fights with capoeira, the fancy things are taken out. The playful elements, the acrobatics, the dance-like and game-like aspects would be eliminated. These things add spice to the game, make it fun and exciting. But in a fight, those things are not appropriate. It is no longer a game, and the capoeirista will attend to business. I think that to fight with capoeira will look a whole lot like fighting with any other style: ugly, brutal, brief, decisive. A capoeirista in a real fight isn't going to do a bunch of cartwheels and acrobatics and stuff. That's showing off and the enemy will obviously take advantage of that to strike. Instead, the capoeirista will use his techniques to get in and strike hard and finish the issue. That is fighting with capoeira, and I realize that is not the image that is usually shown to the public.
Many people like to use capoeira as a performance art because in the context of the game it lends itself well to performance. The music and rhythm, the singing, the acrobatics and playful attitude can be a real crowd-pleaser. So I get it when people call it a "folk game" or think that it's a form of dance. I really do get it. But they are wrong, that is not what it really is. That is just one aspect that is on display.
Regardless of how it is done today, regardless of the fact that most people today train for the game and not for the fight, that doesn't negate the fact that it developed as a fight, and it is still a viable fight to those who train appropriately. This is what makes it a martial art, like any other. As a martial art, it can stand next to karate, kungfu, and all the rest.
In the last decade or so there have been a number of well researched books written in English on the topic. There are some good stories in those books. One of my favorite capoeira stories that I read goes like this: Shortly after the abolishment of slavery when capoeira was heavily repressed, there was a somewhat famous capoeirista who was known for causing trouble for the local law enforcement. He was feared by the police, and they decided they needed to bring him to justice. An officer tracked him down and cornered him, with no way to escape. The capoeirista collapsed in a blubbering heap, crying and pleading for his life. The officer was shocked at this display of weakness and could not believe this was the same man who was so feared. In the officer's hesitation, the capoeirista jumped up with a straight razor in his hand and cut the officer's throat and escaped. This is capoeira. Capoeira is deception.
that is why I say that the old masters would be happy to let everyone believe capoeira is a folk game.
). Not my training arena or field of expertise. 
