The graceful martial art of Capoeira stands-out from those of other traditional combat arts in that it employs the use of percussive music and a capoeira match itself looks like a dance. Made famous in pop culture by the videogame character Eddy in Playstation’s Tekken and a 90s movie “Only The Strong”, there is some dispute to where it originated. Common belief is that it has its roots in Brazil in the 16th to 19th centuries during the slave trade. Africans brought over by Portuguese slave traders were said to have developed the musical, dance-like martial art as a way to disguise their practice sessions from slave masters.

The origins of the term “Capoeira” itself is unclear as there are many possible sources and several meanings. One is that it came from the word ‘capao’ or castrated rooster. A pair of capoeiristas engaged in sparring in a way resembles a cockfight. Another possible source of the term is derived from two words from the South American Tupi-Guarani language- kaa and puera which put together means ‘formerly a forest’ or a forest clearing. Such an area in the middle of a thick jungle would have been an ideal place for escaped slaves to hide from their oppressors. Whatever the true origin for the word, the martial art of Capoeira is widely accepted to be an Afro-Brazilian martial art developed by slaves under oppression from South American masters.

Capoeira moves include acrobatic moves, feints and groundwork which in a way resembles the urban art of breakdancing. The latter may in fact may have been an offshoot of Capoeira with its fluid gymnastics and reliance on percussive music. Body-throws, elbow, fist and strikes using one’s head are also used in Capoeira combat although to a relatively lesser degree than leg sweeps and kicks which make-up the majority of attacks. Reason for this may be because a slave’s hands are usually manacled and only the legs are free to move around.

There are two classifications for Capoeira- traditional and modern. The traditional and thus much older Capoeira Angola has generally sneakier moves with players maneuvering their bodies in a closer distance to each other and lower to the ground compared to the modern Capoeira Regional. Capoeira grandmaster Bimba developed Capoeira Regional to bring the art to its original fighting roots, employing faster and more athletic techniques. It’s also associated less with Brazil’s criminal elements.