Section 1 of 4 - Prev - Next
All sections - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

Archive-name: martial-arts/faq/part2
Last-modified: 02 February 2004

Posting-Frequency: twice per month


                  rec.martial-arts FAQ - Part 2 of 4
                  ==================================

======================================================================

Part 2 of 4

    16) What are the different Arts, Schools, Styles?

16.1)  Aikido          16.2)  Baguazhang    16.3)  Brazilian JiuJitsu
16.4)  Bushidokan      16.5)  Capoeira      16.6)  Cha Yon Ryu
16.7)  Cuong Nhu       16.8)  Daito Ryu Aiki-Jujustu
16.9)  Gatka           16.10) Hapkido       16.11) Hwa Rang Do
16.12) Iaido           16.13) Judo          16.14) Jujutsu
16.15) Kajukenbo       16.16) Kali/Escrima/Arnis
16.17) Karate          16.18) Kendo         16.19) Kenjutsu
16.20) Kenpo (Amer.)   16.21) Kempo (Kosho Ryu)
16.22) Kempo (Ryukyu)  16.23) Kobudo        16.24) Krav Maga
16.25) Kyudo

Part 3 of 4:

16.26) Lua             16.27) MMA/NHB         16.28) Moo Do
16.29) Muay Thai       16.30) Ninjutsu        16.31) Praying Mantis
16.32) ROSS            16.33) SAMBO           16.34) Sanshou
16.35) Savate          16.36) Shogerijutsu    16.37) Shuaijiao
16.38) Silat           16.39) Tae Kwon Do     16.40) Taijiquan
16.41) Western MA      16.42) Wing Chun       16.43) Wushu/Gongfu
16.44) Xingyiquan      16.45) Yoseikan Budo

===================================================================


16) What are the different Arts, Schools and Styles?

This is a question with many, many answers---some could say that there
are as many styles as there are martial artists.  So, we'd like to
introduce some Schools and Styles that will give you a basic
familiarity with the world of martial arts.  The Arts are listed
alphabetically.

Important note:  This information is true to the best of the knowledge
of those who wrote the descriptions of the various arts.  If your
style has only a small write up or none at all and you have enough
information on it to make a good FAQ entry, write it up in the form
shown below and send it to mcweigel@cs.cmu.edu.

If you have a question about a particular style or its writeup, one
option is to look in the next section for who contributed to the art's
writeup, and send e-mail to them.  Otherwise, comment to
mcweigel@cs.cmu.edu.


16.1) Aikido

(contributors: Eric Sotnak - esot@troi.cc.rochester.edu,
               Alex Jackl - ajackl@avs.com)

Intro:

Aikido emphasizes evasion and circular/spiral redirection of an
attacker's aggressive force into throws, pins, and immobilizations as
a primary strategy rather than punches and kicks.

Origin:         Japan.

History:

Aikido was founded in 1942 by Morihei Ueshiba (1883-1969). Prior to
this time, Ueshiba called his art "aikibudo" or "aikinomichi".  In
developing aikido, Ueshiba was heavily influenced by Daito Ryu
Aikijujitsu, several styles of Japanese fencing (kenjutsu),
spearfighting (yarijutsu), and by the so- called "new religion":
omotokyo.  Largely because of his deep interest in omotokyo, Ueshiba
came to see his aikido as rooted less in techniques for achieving
physical domination over others than in attempting to cultivate a
"spirit of loving protection for all things."  The extent to which
Ueshiba's religious and philosophical convictions influenced the
direction of technical developments and changes within the corpus of
aikido techniques is not known, but many aikido practitioners believe
that perfect mastery of aikido would allow one to defend against an
attacker without causing serious or permanent injury.

Descriptions:

The primary strategic foundations of aikido are:
(1) moving into a position off the line of attack;
(2) seizing control of the attacker's balance by means of
    leverage and timing;
(3) applying a throw, pin, or other sort of immobilization
    (such as a wrist/arm lock).

Strikes are not altogether absent from the strategic arsenal of the
aikidoist, but their use is primarily (though not, perhaps,
exclusively) as a means of distraction -- a strike (called "atemi") is
delivered in order to provoke a reaction from the aggressor, thereby
creating a window of opportunity, facilitating the application of a
throw, pin, or other immobilization.

Many aikido schools train (in varying degrees) with weapons. The most
commonly used weapons in aikido are the jo (a staff between 4 or 5
feet in length), the bokken (a wooden sword), and the tanto (a knife,
usually made of wood, for safety). These weapons are used not only to
teach defenses against armed attacks, but also to illustrate
principles of aikido movement, distancing, and timing.

Training:

A competitive variant of aikido (Tomiki aikido) holds structured
competitions where opponents attempt to score points by stabbing with
a foam-rubber knife, or by executing aikido techniques in response to
attacks with the knife.  Most variants of aikido, however, hold no
competitions, matches, or sparring.  Instead, techniques are practiced
in cooperation with a partner who steadily increases the speed, power,
and variety of attacks in accordance with the abilities of the
participants. Participants take turns being attacker and defender,
usually performing pre-arranged attacks and defenses at the lower
levels, gradually working up to full-speed freestyle attacks and
defenses.

Sub-Styles:

There are several major variants of aikido.  The root variant is the
"aikikai", founded by Morihei Ueshiba, and now headed by the founder's
grandson, Moriteru Ueshiba.  Several organizations in the United States
are affiliated with the aikikai, including the United States Aikido
Federation, the Aikido Association of America, and Aikido Schools of
Ueshiba.

Other major variants include:

* the "ki society", founded by Koichi Tohei,
* yoshinkan aikido, founded by Gozo Shioda,
* the kokikai organization, headed by Shuji Maruyama,
* "Tomiki aikido" named after its founder, Kenji Tomiki.


16.2) Baguazhang (Pa Kua Chang)

(Contributors: William Breazeal  - breazeal@tweedledee.ucsb.edu,
               Mike Martelle - 3mbm@qlink.queensu.ca)

Intro:

Baguazhang is one of the three orthodox "internal" styles of Chinese
martial art (the other two being Taijiquan and Xingyiquan).
Translated, Bagua means "Eight Trigram".  This refers to the eight
basic principles described in the ancient metaphysical treatise the
Yijing (I-Ching), or "Book of Changes".  Bagua is meant to be the
physical manifestation of these eight principles. "Zhang" means "palm"
and designates Baguazhang as a style of martial art which emphasizes
the use of the open hand over the closed fist.  Baguazhang as a
martial art is based on the theory of continuously changing in
response to the situation at hand in order to overcome an opponent
with skill rather than brute force.

Origin: Northern China.

History:

Although there are several theories as to the origins of Baguazhang,
recent and exhaustive research by martial scholars in mainland China
concludes without reasonable doubt that the art is the creation of one
individual, Dong Haichuan (or Dong Haiquan). Dong was born in Wen'an
County, Hebei Province about 1813. Dong practiced local martial arts
(which reportedly relied heavily upon the use of openhand palm strikes)
from his youth and gained some notoriety as a skilled practitioner. At
about 40 years of age, Dong left home and travelled southward. At some
point during his travels Dong became a member of the Quanzhen
(Complete Truth) sect of Taoism. The Taoists of this sect practiced a
method of walking in a circle while reciting certain mantras. The
practice was designed to quiet the mind and focus the intent as a
prelude to enlightenment. Dong later combined the circle walking
mechanics with the boxing he had mastered in his youth to create a new
style based on mobility and the ability to apply techniques while in
constant motion.

Dong Haichuan (or Dong Haiquan) originally called his art "Zhuanzhang"
(Turning Palm). In his later years, Dong began to speak of the Art in
conjunction with the Eight Trigrams (Bagua) theory expoused in the
Book Of Changes (Yijing). When Dong began teaching his "Zhuanzhang"
in Beijing, the vast majority of his students were already
accomplished martial artists in their own right. Dong's teachings were
limited to a few "palm changes" executed while walking the circle and
his theory and techniques of combat. His students took Dong's forms
and theories and combined them with their original arts. The result is
that each of Dong's students ended up with quite different
interpretations of the Baguazhang art.

Most of the various styles of Baguazhang found today can be traced
back to one of several of Dong Haichuan's (or Dong Haiquan's) original
students. One of these students was a man called Yin Fu. Yin studied
with Dong longer than any other and was one of the most respected
fighters in the country in his time (he was the personal bodyguard to
the Dowager Empress, the highest prestige position of its kind in the
entire country). Yin Fu was a master of Luohanquan, a Northern Chinese
"external" style of boxing before his long apprenticeship with Dong.
Another top student of Dong was Cheng Tinghua, originally a
master of Shuaijiao (Chinese wrestling). Cheng taught a great number of
students in his lifetime and variations of his style are many. A third
student of Dong which created his own Baguazhang variant was Liang
Zhenpu. Liang was Dong's youngest student and was probably
influenced by other of Dong's older disciples. Although Baguazhang
is a relatively new form of martial art, it became famous throughout
China during its inventor's lifetime, mainly because of its
effectiveness in combat and the high prestige this afforded its
practitioners.

Description:

Baguazhang is an art based on evasive footwork and a kind of
"guerilla warfare" strategy applied to personal combat. A Bagua
fighter relies on strategy and skill rather than the direct use of
force against force or brute strength in overcoming an opponent. The
strategy employed is one of constant change in response to the
spontaneous and "live" quality of combat.

Bagua is a very circular art that relies almost entirely on open hand
techniques and full body movement to accomplish its goals.  It is also
characterized by its use of spinning movement and extremely evasive
footwork.  Many of the techniques in Bagua have analogs in other
Northern Chinese systems;however, Bagua's foot work and body
mechanics allow the practitioner to set up and execute these
techniques while rapidly and smoothly changing movement direction and
orientation.  Bagua trains the student to be adaptable and evasive,
two qualities which dramatically decrease the amount of physical power
needed to successfully perform techniques.

The basis of the various styles of Baguazhang is the circle walk
practice. The practitioner "walks the circle" holding various postures
and executing "palm changes" (short patterns of movement or "forms"
which train the body mechanics and methods of generating momentum
which form the basis of the styles' fighting techniques). All styles
have a variation of the "Single Palm Change" which is the most basic
form and is the nucleus of the remaining palm changes found in the
Art. Besides the Single Palm Change, other forms include the "Double
Palm Change" and the "Eight Palm Changes" (also known variously as the
"Eight Mother Palms" or the "Old Eight Palms"). These forms make up
the foundation of the Art. Baguazhang movements have a
characteristic circular nature and there is a great deal of body
spinning, turning and rapid changes in direction. In addition to the
Single, Double and Eight Palm Changes, most but not all styles of
Baguazhang include some variation of the "Sixty-Four Palms." The
Sixty-Four Palms include forms which teach the mechanics and sequence
of the specific techniques included in the style. These forms take the
more general energies developed during the practice of the Palm
Changes and focus them into more exact patterns of movement which are
applied directly to a specific combat technique.

Training:

Training usually begins with basic movements designed to train the
fundamental body mechanics associated with the Art. Very often the
student will begin with practicing basic palm changes in place
(stationary practice), or by walking the circle while the upper body
holds various static postures (Xingzhuang). The purpose of these
exercises is to familiarize the beginning student with the feeling of
maintaining correct body alignment and mental focus while in motion.
The student will progress to learning the various palm changes and
related forms. The Sixty-Four Palms or other similar patterns are
usually learned after some level of proficiency has been attained with
the basic circle walk and palm changes. Some styles practice the
Sixty-Four Palms on the circle while other styles practice these forms
in a linear fashion. All of the forms in Baguazhang seek to use the
power of the whole body in every movement, as the power of the whole
will always be much greater than that of isolated parts. The
body-energy cultivated is flexible, resilient and "elastic" in nature.

In addition to the above, most styles of Baguazhang include various
two-person forms and drills as intermediate steps between solo forms
and the practice of combat techniques. Although the techniques of
Baguazhang are many and various, they all adhere to the above mentioned
principles of mobility and skill. Many styles of Baguazhang also
include a variety of weapons, ranging from the more "standard" types
(straight sword, broadsword, spear) to the "exotic." An interesting
difference with other styles of martial arts is that Baguazhang
weapons tend to be "oversized," that is they are much bigger than
standard weapons of the same type (the extra weight increases the
strength and stamina of the user).

SUBSTYLES:

Each of Dong Haichuan's (or Dong Haiquan's) students developed their
own "style" of Baguazhang based on their individual backgrounds and
previous martial training. Each style has its own specific forms and
echniques. All of the different styles adhere to the basic principles
of Baguazhang while retaining an individual "flavor" of their own. Most
of the styles in existence today can trace their roots to either The
Yin Fu, Zheng Dinghua, or Liang Zhenpu variations.

Yin Fu styles include a large number of percussive techniques and fast
striking combinations (Yin Fu was said to "fight like a tiger," moving
in swiftly and knocking his opponent to the ground like a tiger
pouncing on prey). The forms include many explosive movements and very
quick and evasive footwork. Variations of the Yin Fu style have been
passed down through his students and their students, including Men
Baozhen, Ma Kui, Gong Baotian, Fu Zhensong, and Lu Shuitian.

Zheng Dinghua styles of Baguazhang include palm changes which are
done in a smooth and flowing manner, with little display of overt
power (Zheng Dinghua's movement was likened to that of a dragon
soaring in the clouds). Popular variants of this style include the Gao
Yisheng system, Dragon style Baguazhang, "Swimming Body" Baguazhang,
the Nine Palace system, Jiang Rongqiao style (probably the
most common form practiced today) and the Sun Ludang style.

The Liang Zhenpu style was popularized by his student Li Ziming
(who was the president of the Beijing Baguazhang Association for
many years and who did much to spread his art worldwide).


16.3) Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu

(Contributor: Don Geddis - webmaster@bjj.org)

Intro:

Possibly the premier ground-fighting martial art. Made famous by Royce
Gracie in the early UFCs in the mid-1990's, it specializes in
submission grappling when both fighters are on the ground. Techniques
include positional control (especially the "guard" position), and
submissions such as chokes and arm locks.

Origin:

Brazil.

History:

In the mid-1800's in Japan, there were a large number of styles ("ryu")
of jiu-jitsu (sometimes spelled "jujitsu"). Techniques varied between
ryu, but generally included all manner of unarmed combat (strikes,
throws, locks, chokes, wrestling, etc.) and occasionally some weapons
training. One young but skilled master of a number of jiu-jitsu styles,
Jigoro Kano, founded his own ryu and created the martial art Judo (aka
Kano-ryu jiu-jitsu) in the 1880's. One of Kano's primary insights was
to include full-power practice against resisting, competent opponents,
rather than solely rely on the partner practice that was much more
common at the time.

One of Kano's students was Mitsuo Maeda, who was also known as Count
Koma ("Count of Combat"). Maeda emigrated to Brazil in 1914. He was
helped a great deal by the Brazilian politician Gasto Gracie, whose
father George Gracie had emigrated to Brazil himself from Scotland. In
gratitude for the assistance, Maeda taught jiu-jitsu to Gastao's son
Carlos Gracie. Carlos in turn taught his brothers Osvaldo, Gasto Jr.,
Jorge, and Helio.

In 1925, Carlos and his brothers opened their first jiu-jitsu academy,
and Gracie Jiu-Jitsu was born in Brazil.

At this point, the base of techniques in BJJ was similar to those in
Kano's Judo academy in Japan. As the years progressed, however, the
brothers (notably Carlos and Helio) and their students refined their
art via brutal no-rules fights, both in public challenges and on the
street. Particularly notable was their willingness to fight outside of
weight categories, permitting a skilled small fighter to attempt to
defeat a much larger opponent.

They began to concentrate more and more on submission ground fighting,
especially utilizing the guard position. This allowed a weaker man to
defend against a stronger one, bide his time, and eventually emerge
victorious.

In the 1970's, the undisputed jiu-jitsu champion in Brazil was Rolls
Gracie. He had taken the techniques of jiu-jitsu to a new level.
Although he was not a large man, his ability to apply leverage using
all of his limbs was unprecedented. At this time the techniques of the
open guard and its variants (spider guard, butterfly guard) became a
part of BJJ. Rolls also developed the first point system for jiu-jitsu
only competition. The competitions required wearing a gi, awarded
points (but not total victories) for throws and takedowns, and awarded
other points for achieving different ground positions (such as passing
an opponent's guard). After Rolls' death in a hang-gliding accident,
Rickson Gracie became the undisputed (and undefeated!) champion, a
legend throughout Brazil and much of the world. He has been the
exemplar of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu technique for the last two decades,
since the early 1980's, in both jiu-jitsu competition and no-rules MMA
competition.

Jiu-jitsu techniques have continued to evolve as the art is constantly
tested in both arenas. For example, in the 1990's Roberto "Gordo"
Correa, a BJJ black belt, injured one of his knees, and to protect his
leg he spent a lot of practice time in the half-guard position. When he
returned to high-level jiu-jitsu competition, he had the best
half-guard technique in the world. A position that had been thought of
as a temporary stopping point, or perhaps a defensive-only position,
suddenly acquired a new complexity that rapidly spread throughout the
art.

In the early 1990's, Rorion Gracie moved from Brazil to Los Angeles. He
wished to show the world how well the Gracie art of jiu-jitsu worked.
In Brazil, no-rules Mixed Martial Art (MMA) contests (known as "vale
tudo") had been popular since Carlos Gracie first opened his academy in
1925, but in the world at large most martial arts competition was
internal to a single style, using the specialized rules of that style's
practice.

Rorion and Art Davie conceived of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.
This was a series of pay-per-view television events in the United
States that began in 1993. They pitted experts of different martial
arts styles against each other in an environment with very few rules,
in an attempt to see what techniques "really worked" when put under
pressure. Rorion also entered his brother Royce Gracie, an expert in
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, as one of the contestants.

Royce dominated the first years of the UFC against all comers, amassing
eleven victories with no fighting losses. At one event he defeated four
different fighters in one night. This, from a fighter that was smaller
than most of the others (at 170 lbs, in an event with no weight
classes), looked thin and scrawny, and used techniques that most
observers, even experienced martial artists, didn't understand.

In hindsight, much of Royce's success was due to the fact that he
understood very well (and had trained to defend against) the techniques
that his opponents would use, whereas they often had no idea what he
was doing to them. In addition, the ground fighting strategy and
techniques of BJJ are among the most sophisticated in the world.
Besides the immediate impact of an explosion of interest in BJJ across
the world (particularly in the US and Japan), the lasting impact of
Royce's early UFC dominance is that almost every successful MMA fighter
now includes BJJ as a significant portion of their training.
Description:

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is primarily a ground-fighting art. Most techniques
involve both fighters on the mat. There is a heavy emphasis on
positional strategy, which is about which fighter is on top, and where
each person's legs are. Positions are stable situations, from which a
large variety of techniques are available to both fighters.

The primary positions include:

    * Guard: The person applying the guard is on the bottom with his
    back on the ground; his legs are wrapped around his opponent's hips
    (who is said to be "in the guard").
    * Side control: Chest-on-chest but without the legs being entangled.
    * Mount: On top of his opponent (who "is mounted"), sitting on his
    chest, with one leg on either side of his torso.
    * Back mount: Behind his opponent, with his feet hooked around his
    opponent's hips and upper thighs.

Specific techniques taught are designed either to improve one's
position (for example, to "pass the guard", by going from being "in the
guard" to getting around the opponent's legs, resulting in side
control); or else as a finishing submissions. Most submissions are
either chokes (cutting off the blood supply to the brain) or arm locks
(hyperextending the elbow, or twisting the shoulder).

Belt ranks start at white belt, and progress through blue, purple,
brown, and then black. It generally takes about 2-3 years of training
multiple times per week to be promoted to the next belt rank. However,
there is no formal rank test. Instead, rank is about the ability to
apply jiu-jitsu techniques in a competitive match. A student generally
needs to be able to reliably defeat most other students at a given rank
in order to be promoted to the next rank.

Given the jiu-jitsu roots, and the interest in competition,
occasionally related techniques are taught. In each case, other
specific martial arts focus on these sets of techniques more than BJJ,
and they generally just receive passing mention and rare practice in
BJJ training. For example, takedowns tend to be similar to Judo and
western wrestling; leg locks (such as in Sambo) are not encouraged but
sometimes allowed. Some schools teach street self-defense or weapon
defense as well; this instruction tends to be much more like old-style
Japanese jiu-jitsu with partner practice, and rarely impacts the
day-to-day grappling training. Also, many dedicated BJJ students are
also interested in MMA competition, and attempt to practice their
techniques without a gi, and sometimes with adding striking from boxing
or Muay Thai.

Training:

Most training has students wearing a heavy ("jiu-jitsu" or "Judo")
gi/kimono, on a floor with padded mats. A typical class involves 30
minutes of warm ups and conditioning, 30 minutes of technique practice
with a willing partner, and 30 minutes of free sparring training,
against an opponent of equal skill who attempts to submit you.

Most of the training is done with all students on the mat. For example,
training usually beings with both students facing each other from a
kneeling position.

Competition is also encouraged. For a jiu-jitsu tournament, competitors
are divided by age, belt rank, and weight class. Time limits are
generally five to ten minutes, depending on belt rank. Matches start
with both competitiors standing, on a floor with a padded mat. A tap
out from submission ends the match. If time runs out without a
submission, points determine the winner:

    * 2 points: Takedown from standing; Knee-on-stomach position; or
    Scissor, sweep, or flip, using legs (from bottom position to top)
    * 3 points: Passing the guard
    * 4 points: Mount; or Mount on back (with leg hooks in)

Many BJJ students are also interested in open submission grappling
tournaments (different points rules, usually no gi), or Mixed Martial
Arts (MMA). Most BJJ instructors encourage such competition, and often
assist in the training. However, typically BJJ classes wear a gi, start
from the knees, and prohibit strikes.

Sub-Styles:

None.

However, note that Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is sometimes taught under
slightly different names. In Brazil it is generally known simply as
"jiu-jitsu".

Members of the Gracie family often call it "Gracie Jiu-Jitsu", and in
fact this name probably pre-dates the now more-generic BJJ for
labelling the art when outside of Brazil. (This probably would have
become the generic name for the art, but Rorion Gracie trademarked the
phrase for his academy in Torrance, CA. A later lawsuit between Rorion
Gracie and Carley Gracie was resolved to permit Gracie family members
to use that phrase when teaching their family's art of jiu-jitsu.
However, the generic term "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu" is now preferred for
referring to the art independent of instructor.)

Also, the Machado brothers (cousins of the Gracies) sometimes call
their style "Machado Jiu-Jitsu". Any of these names refer to basically
the same art.


16.4) Bushidokan

(Contributor: Bob Blount - robertb@sound.net)

Bushidokan is an eclectic art of recent origin, founded by Jim
Harrison in the late 1960's.  Harrison has studied Judo and Shorin-Ryu
karate extensively.  The Bushidokan Art is a combination of Okinawan
karate, judo, and some JJ, with the primary emphasis on karate.  The
karate portion of Bushidokan's training is quite similar to Shotokan -
definitely Okinawan in ancestry.  Bushidokan is best suited for those
interested in effective street self-defense, tournament fighting, and
fairly rugged physical conditioning.

Beginning students learn seven basic stances, seven basic strikes (six
linear, one circular), seven basic blocks (one of which is circular)
and seven basic kicks.  Many of the self-defenses taught incorporate
techniniques not included in the "basic" seven, thus exposing the
student to a greater variety.  These include a number of throws, a few
soft (redirecting) blocks, and several wrist/hand locks. Two basic
self-defense strategies - a direct counter and an indirect counter -
are taught for each type of attack.  Sparring is introduced as
students progress, but is always optional, and ranges from "no
contact" to "full contact".


16.5) Capoeira

(Contributors: Daniel C. Sobral - e8917523@linf.unb.br,
"Lagartixa" (Gecko) - nworthin@rohan.sdsu.edu )

Intro:

This is a very acrobatic, very energetic Brazilian martial art.

Origin:         Angola and Brazil

History:

Capoeira is the common name for the group of African martial arts that
came out of west Africa and were modifed and mixed in Brazil. These
orginal stlyes inculded weapons, grappling and striking as well as
animal forms that became incorpated into different components and sub
styles of the popular art.

In the 1500's, black slaves from Africa were used in Brazil to build

he empire of the sugar cane. These slaves lacked a form of
self-defense, and in a way quite parallel to Karate, they developed a
martial-art with the things they had in hand, namely, sugar cane
knives and 3/4 staffs. Being slaves, they had to disguise the study of
the art, and that is how the dance came into it.

In the early 1800's Capoeira was outlawed in Brazil, especially in its
"home state" of Bahia, where gangs utilized it as their personal
fighting style against police.

Capoeira was born in the "senzalas", the places where the slaves were
kept, and developed in the "quilombos", the places where they used to
run to when they fled from their enslavers.

Description:

Capoeira consists of a stylized dance, practiced in a circle called
the "roda", with sound background provided by percussion instruments,
like the "agogo", the "atabaqui", etc.  The "Berimbau" is a
percussion instrument that is always used on rodas.

Capoeira relies heavily on kicks and leg sweeps for attacks and dodges
for defenses.  Is not uncommon to not be taught any kind of hand
strike of parry, though arm positioning for blocks is taught.

The "ginga" (meaning "swing"_, the footwork of Capoeira, consists in
changing the basic stance (body facing the adversary, front leg flexed
with body weight over it, the other leg strechted back) from the right
leg to the left leg again and again.

Capoeira also puts a heavy emphasis on ground fighting, but not
grappling and locks. Instead, it uses a ground stance (from the basic
stance, you just fall over your leg stretched back, flexing it, and
leaving the front leg stretched ahead), from which you make feints,
dodges, kicks, leg sweeps, acrobatics, etc.

Hand positioning is important but it's used only to block attacks and
ensure balance, though street fighting "capoeiristas" use the hands
for punches.

When fighting, it is rare to stop in one stance, and in this case, you
just "follow" your opponent with your legs, preventing him from
getting close, or preparing a fast acrobatic move to take advantage
when he attacks. The rest of the time, you just keep changing stances,
feinting, and doing the equivalent of boxing "jabs".

Training:

After a through warm-up, standing exercises are done, with emphasis on
the "ginga", the footwork characteristic of the art, and on the basic
kicks: "bencao", a front-stomping kick, "martelo", a roundhouse kick,
"chapa", a side-kick, "meia-lua de frente", a low turning kick, "armada",
a high turning kick, "queixada", an outside-inside crescent kick. Then
walking sequences are done, with the introduction of sommersaults,
backflips and headstands, in couples and individual. Some more
technical training follows, with couples beginning a basic and slow
"jogo", and then the whole class forms and goes for "roda" game for at
least 30 minutes.

Capoeira conditions and develops the muscles, especially the abdominal
muscles.

Sub-Styles:

Regional: Capoeira in a more artistic, open form, giving more way to

Section 1 of 4 - Prev - Next
All sections - 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

© allanswers.org | Terms of use