Capoeira- what's it like for a beginner?

[Jonathan]

A gym near my home is going to start offering capoeira in a couple of months. I know a little of it (enough to recognize it), but I've never been in a class proper.

What can I expect as beginning exercises and techniques? I'm curious.

Thanks!

 

[newGuy12]

I'm curious to. Since I don't know what this stuff looks like, I cannot confirm if this guy is doing it "right", but until someone can say one way or the other, here is a page with many videos of moves:

http://www.youtube.com/profile_videos?user=hazzyhill&p=r

If someone on this board knows if these are the "real" moves, maybe you can get a head start on the class!

 

[Carol]

That's a nice collection of clips!

Jonathan, there is a fellow here named Michael that posts as Flying Crane. He and his wife studied Capoeira for a good bit. I hope he responds because he's got a good bit of knowledge about the art.

Heck, I'd like to try it just for the workout. There is a large Brazilian community in my city and one of the buildings in the Portuguese section of town has a big sign up for Capoeira classes.

 

[bushidomartialarts]

Capoeira is absolutely wonderful. I studied for two years and have recently started up again.

Highly, highly recommended. It's very challenging, but a good instructor knows how to break in a newbie.

Seriously, go early and often.

 

[Flying Crane]

It's a lot of work, can be a very intense, full body workout, and a lot of fun.

The movement is like nothing you've done in any other martial art. While many of the kicks are recognizable, the whole context of how things work is very very different, so be patient with yourself. everything about the movement will probably be contrary to whatever you may have trained already. Learning the nuances of what is acceptable in the game can be very frustrating for a newbie. The rules often are unwritten, and can change in a heartbeat depending on who is present. You will intuitively understand it better after you have a few years experience (yes, I did say "years", and I meant it, it can still be frustrating even after several years, if you don't happen to speak Portuguese and you don't have your finger on the pulse of Brazilian culture). Just go with the flow and don't worry about it. This is a whole new universe you are entering.

Don't be in a hurry to do too many acrobatics. Get your basics solid first, those are far more important. You can be a very good capoeirista, with very few acrobatics. Those can come later.

Just keep an open mind, do your best, be prepared to be very sore for a while, and have fun.

If your group trains in bare feet (not all do), prepare to have "capoeira feet" for a while. It takes time to get your technique right, and for your feet to toughen, and until then you will have deep blisters and torn up foot-steak. Get athletic tape to protect your feet while they are healing.

Keep us posted, and if you have some information about the teacher, I'd be curious to know more.

 

[Jonathan]

Don't be in a hurry to do too many acrobatics. Get your basics solid first, those are far more important. You can be a very good capoeirista, with very few acrobatics. Those can come later.

Oh, I'm certainly not! I'm wondering, though, what are examples of 'basic techniques' in capoeira? I mean, what I see is guys cartwheeling, and whatnot, but I don't imagine that's beginning level by any means.

 

[Flying Crane]

Oh, I'm certainly not! I'm wondering, though, what are examples of 'basic techniques' in capoeira? I mean, what I see is guys cartwheeling, and whatnot, but I don't imagine that's beginning level by any means.

well, cartwheeling actually is pretty basic, as capoeira doesn't have a fixed curriculum where you learn X technique at X belt. Instead, everyone trains and works on everything, at whatever level. But you may find that certain things are outside your capability for a while until you develop a certain base of skill.

But the basic thing is the ginga, which is our base. It's not a stance, but rather a moving base, and everything builds on top of the base. Different schools do the ginga in different ways, but they are mostly stylistic differences and are probably more similar than different. From the ginga, you begin to learn to flow from one technique into another, and be spontaneous with that. You will probably practice basic kicks and movement, and begin to string these together with esquivas (dodging movements), rastieras (foot sweeps), and other movements meant to reposition and gain advantage. We have ground movements, but it's not grappling. Instead, it's movements with the body low to the ground, very unusual stuff. The teacher will probably spontaneously create sequences of movements for you to practice, as we don't have formalized kata. it's actually a bit difficult to explain if you haven't seen it. Just be prepared to work hard and be exhausted when you are done.

 

[Jonathan]

Just be prepared to work hard and be exhausted when you are done.

And that, sir, is what I wanted to hear.

Thanks for the insight! I'm liking the fact that it seems to be presented as an individualized style- if you can't do cartwheels, well, do something else! I like that. I'm excited about giving it a try when the classes start.

 

[Flying Crane]

And that, sir, is what I wanted to hear.

Thanks for the insight! I'm liking the fact that it seems to be presented as an individualized style- if you can't do cartwheels, well, do something else! I like that. I'm excited about giving it a try when the classes start.

let us know how it goes, and I'd be interested in knowing who the instructor is, and which group he belongs to.

 

[Flying Crane]

Jonathan, here is a link to the school I used to train with, they have some video clips. these were taken long after I faded away from the group, but there are some examples of different types of games, some fast, others slower and more thoughtful, etc. You might find it interesting.

http://www.abada.org/gallery3.html

 

[Phoenix44]

What's it like for a beginner? HARD. You will hurt in places you never even knew existed! But it's a lot of fun, and you'll probably meet good people.

 

[Gordon Nore]

I trained in Capoeira for about a year and a half, about eight years ago with my son, who was still a little boy. We had both been training Japanese and Korean arts. I was pushing forty and a very large man, so there no acrobatics. At my batizado (sp?), or baptism, when I received my first cord, I was given the nickname of Hulk. My son, agile and sneaky, was called Fish.

Despite my limitations, it was a phenomenal boost to my confidence -- it got me kicking more accurately and comfortably. It was great; unfortunately, my teacher relocated out of the city, I was going back to school. I highly recommend it for people who want a very dynamic training experience. As for its effectiveness, I've been clocked by some of those kicks, and I met a lot of good players that I would not mess around with.

Enjoy your classes.

 

[Jonathan]

I trained in Capoeira for about a year and a half, about eight years ago with my son, who was still a little boy. We had both been training Japanese and Korean arts. I was pushing forty and a very large man, so there no acrobatics. At my batizado (sp?), or baptism, when I received my first cord, I was given the nickname of Hulk. My son, agile and sneaky, was called Fish.

Thanks for the anecdote! Actually, the 'culture' surrounding capoeira interests me too... the 'baptism' of which you speak, is this part of capoeira training (as opposed to a typical 'belt promotion' in other styles), or was it something specific to your group? And nicknames? Are those generally given as well, or was it more of an informal, friendly thing among your specific group?

Also (and this is for anyone)- I note the term 'play' is often used... when 'playing', the idea is to simply exercise your techniques, is that correct? Am I understanding correctly that 'playing' is separate from actually competing/sparring (that is, the idea is not to actually strike your opponent)? Or did I miss something there?

 

[Flying Crane]

Thanks for the anecdote! Actually, the 'culture' surrounding capoeira interests me too... the 'baptism' of which you speak, is this part of capoeira training (as opposed to a typical 'belt promotion' in other styles), or was it something specific to your group? And nicknames? Are those generally given as well, or was it more of an informal, friendly thing among your specific group?

Also (and this is for anyone)- I note the term 'play' is often used... when 'playing', the idea is to simply exercise your techniques, is that correct? Am I understanding correctly that 'playing' is separate from actually competing/sparring (that is, the idea is not to actually strike your opponent)? Or did I miss something there?

Wish you had asked some simple questions instead of these that take all kinds of explaining...

The batizado, or baptism, is when a new student is formally welcomed into the capoeira community and given a nickname. In reality, the student may have been training for a while, but the batizado is usually a big ceremony so most schools only do them once or twice a year. The nickname tradition stems from the history of slavery in Brazil. This may not be 100% accurate history, but the gist of it is that the slaves referred to each other by nickname, especially when discussing capoeira and other outlawed activity, to keep identities hidden from the slave owners. If a slave owner happened to overhear some slaves talking about some activity that happened, they wouldn't know exactly who was involved because of the use of nicknames.

Nowadays, nicknames are usually based on someone's personality, or how they play, or some kind of teasing or something.

The batizado is often accompanied by the graduation ceremonies, where students are given rank advancements if merited.

As for the play, that is what we do in the roda (circle), when we "do" capoeira. It is kind of like the capoeira version of sparring, but it's not sparring as you might know it from other arts. What is more important is the physical dialogue that develops between players. Techniques are often thrown in a way that the other player can dodge them and respond, because the point is not to destroy the opponent, but rather establish your superiority by outplaying him and dominating him that way. It's easy to beat someone down. It takes much more skill to allow the game to progress, and dominate your opponent without beating him up. It's a bit hard to explain if you haven't seen it, but you'll understand after you train and play for a while.

The games in the roda can run the full range of easy and playful, to hard and furious, almost a fight. It really depends on the personalities in the roda at that time. Some people like to fight, so the games become closer to a fight. Other people like to take it easy, so they play less aggressively. Also, the specific rhythms played on the berimbau will dictate what kinds of games are expected. Again, time training will make all this much more clear to you.

Go back and check out the link to the videos that I posted on my school's website. It may be enlightening a bit.

 

[Jonathan]

Wish you had asked some simple questions instead of these that take all kinds of explaining...

Not at all! If you'll forgive the analogy- in the world of martial arts, Capoeira is one of those cities I've never visited but always wanted to.

As for the play, that is what we do in the roda (circle), when we "do" capoeira. It is kind of like the capoeira version of sparring, but it's not sparring as you might know it from other arts. What is more important is the physical dialogue that develops between players. Techniques are often thrown in a way that the other player can dodge them and respond, because the point is not to destroy the opponent, but rather establish your superiority by outplaying him and dominating him that way. It's easy to beat someone down. It takes much more skill to allow the game to progress, and dominate your opponent without beating him up. It's a bit hard to explain if you haven't seen it, but you'll understand after you train and play for a while.

So, it's a bit like saying "I'm so much better, I don't even HAVE to actually strike you."? I think I understand what you're saying.

 

[Flying Crane]

Not at all! If you'll forgive the analogy- in the world of martial arts, Capoeira is one of those cities I've never visited but always wanted to.

of course, this is true for most people. It's a very different animal and until you experience it for a while it can definitely be confusing, even to conceptualize the whole idea.

So, it's a bit like saying "I'm so much better, I don't even HAVE to actually strike you."? I think I understand what you're saying.

yes, in the context of the roda that is kind of it. If it was just a fighting match, then people would get beat up, the game would not progress, and it would be ugly. But because it has a more playful approach, we can develop the play much more fully and creatively, and the game doesn't come to an ugly screeching halt because someone landed a hard kick. You still want to threaten your opponent with your attacks, but you aren't just driving in to pummel him. He in turn evades your attacks and spontaneously attacks you back. You evade and return, etc. And it's all spontaneous, using the techniques of capoeira. None of it is pre-choreographed, altho to see two skilled capoeiristas play you often would think it was choreographed. It's really an amazing thing.

So within the game, this attack/evade/defend/counter-attack scenario, you seek to outplay the other guy. You dominate what what he does, control where he goes, put your foot in his face to show that you could have kicked his teeth out if you wanted to, but you have control so you didn't. You basically overwhelm him with your skill and how you position yourself in the game, to make it difficult for him to respond and counter attack, all the while showing how you could beat him up if you chose to land your attacks.

 

[Gordon Nore]

...the 'baptism' of which you speak, is this part of capoeira training (as opposed to a typical 'belt promotion' in other styles), or was it something specific to your group? And nicknames?

I understand the practice of the batizado and the nickname is common, but I don't know if it is universal. My white cordao grading was more of a formality to welcome the newcomer to the art. There were several of us that night, and I got the sense it was more of an initiation that a progression in rank. It was very festive. Bear in mind, when I did it, there were two Capoiera schools that I new of in Toronto. Quite a few more now.

 

[qi-tah]

I used to do capoeira many years ago and i loved it, it's great fun, but i'd also add a word or two of warning about potential injuries. Like any MA, capoeira requires a high number of repititions of basic movements to progress, and many of these movements are extremely acrobatic. If you have never done any acrobatics before, it's very easy for capoeira to become a high impact, high rep activity, putting huge stresses on yr joints, particualy the knees, back and shoulders. With this in mind, there are several things you can do to minimise the risk of injury:

1) If you are a beginner to acrobatics, practice on a surface which is more forgiving, eg. sand or mats, at the most a sprung wooden floor. Practicing on concrete is not a good idea! (I learnt this the hard way)

2) Do as much work on yr abs as you can... the stronger yr core, the more control you will have on yr landings.

3) Don't overtrain. If you have an injury, give it proper rest from practice. Capoeira is a physically punishing business and carrying an injury will make it worse!

4) You might want to supplement yr Capoeira training with some qi-gong, yoga, or similar activity, for healing and increased flexibility.

I hope that's helpful anyway. Have fun out there... axe!