Capoeira Basics

Let me tell you that I am just a beginner in the art of Capoeira; I've been studying for half a
year so far and maybe the whole section is utter crap in the eyes of an experienced Capoeirista.
This page is designed for newbies who want a brief insight, it's nowhere intended to be some
sort of reference material. Nevertheless I would appreciate any feedback on this particular
section; come on, let me know!

General Rules:

• In Capoeira you don't try to beat the shit out of your opponent. The other one is not
your enemy, he is your friend, and both of you try to keep the game going. Therefore
no bleeding noses please.
• No active blocking in Capoeira; instead try to be evasive. When the pace of the game
increases, get some distance between yourself and your fellow (at least in Regional).
• Don't be predictable. That may sound hackneyed, but since Malandragem (dirty tricks)
is accepted and widely welcomed among Capoeiristas, you can easily get tricked into
some serious trouble. Be creative and let the music take controhoholl.

Ginga: the most basic movement of Capoeira. Instead of taking a fixed stance, you have to
keep moving all the time; all the other moves derrive from this dance-like pattern. Ginga
becomes soon second nature and provides great potential for unpredictable 3D movement and
fake attacks.

Handstand: practice practice practice! It's very stylish and part of many defensive/offensive
movements. If you never ever tried it, start with swinging up at a wall. Don't look at your
hands, keep your eyes on the opposite wall instead. Once you get the feeling for it, try a
handstand without support. If you are about to topple over, lift one hand and find your balance
again. Occasionally that won't work; then try to roll over or -even better- lift one palm, use
your other hand as a pivot and gently step down in the opposite direction.(example: lift your
left hand, turn clockwise for 180 degrees, put it down again, lower one leg, touch the ground,
lower the other leg, get up and always keep smiling:). No problem you say? Then try to...

• get up into handstand from a squatting position.

• get up into handstand from a cartwheel.
• get up into handstand from a headstand.
• get up into handstand from a macaco.
• get up into handstand with a 180 deg turn.
• combine the above.
• walk on your hands. Forwards (where the heels are) is easier than backwards.
• clap your feet to the rhythm of the Berimbau.
• Straddle your legs both back and forth and left and right.
• Straddle your legs and twist your hips for 90 degrees.
• go into handstand and squat with your legs in the air.
• stretch your legs into an angle with your body (big inverted "L").
• stand on one hand.
 • spin on one hand (e.g. starting from a one-handed Compassa).
• combine the above.
• get down into a headstand.
• get down into a Queda de Rins.
• get down with a handspring.

Queda de Rins: "stand on the kidneys". Begin as if you wanted to go into a headstand;
crouch. Turn both your knees that they face your right elbow. Shift your weight over your left
hand, then lower your head. Place the area above your left hip on your left elbow and let the
left side of your head touch the ground. Slowly raise your legs and put your right knee at your
right elbow to a rest. Both legs are now drawn up.

The picture on the right

shows an example of
how the Queda de Rins
can be put to good use
in Capoeira. In the
image we start from a
Queda de Tres but you
can enter the QDR from
Negativa, jumping in
etc. as well. Drop down
to one side but keep
your body up by
touching the ground
with one hand and sticking the elbow into the flank of your body. Feels awkward at first
because you have to twist your arm somewhat, better get used to that. Now lower your body
further, stretch your free hand over your head and put it down as well. Then let your head
touch the ground on its side; put it on the imaginary line between your two hands (Normally
you need not put everything in a straight line but for this trick it makes getting up much
easier). Your weight rests mainly over your support arm (the one that rams into your side) at
this point. Time to get up again: Lift one leg (diagram: right leg) and move it in a straight arc
over your torso. The other legs follows as well but concentrate on the first one for now. Get
this first leg over your head and try to let its foot touch the ground on the extended line that
goes through your hands. Stretch out your aching arm (image:left one) again, thus pushing
yourself up (6th frame). This takes some muscular effort- later on when you get down the
balance and perform the move with schwing it gets much easier. When your head's off the
floor, push with both hands and get straight up.
Au: the cartwheel.
Immensely important in
Capoeira. Use it for a
quick retreat or lure
your partner into a trap.

• Common Au: I
assume
everyone knows
how to do this.
In Capoeira
remember to
keep eye contact
with your
partner; don't
ever look at
your hands. At
first, don't stay too long on both of your hands; try to have only one hand at a time on
the ground. Later on you can try to delay the movement or even to freeze in handstand
position. Always be prepared to get knocked down by a Cabecada or Bênção.
• Small Au: Not so flashy but much more safe. Put your hands further apart, move your
head closer to the ground, keep your knees bent and work strongly with your hips to
shift your body's center of gravity over your head.
• Au with spin: Start an Au to your left side until you reach handstand position. There
take off your left hand and spin on your right hand in clockwise direction. After
turning ~270 degrees, go down as shown in the diagramm. This is a cute style move
that leaves you open for a brief moment, so try to do it quickly (It shouldn't take more
time than an ordinary cartwheel).
• Au into Queda de Rins roll: Do an Au. When you pass through the handstand position,
drop down into a Queda de Rins and roll over. You will end up in negativa position. If
you like to watch the difficult part of the exercise, take a look at my private homepage.
In the upper right-hand corner you can see a 'Macaco into Queda de Rins roll'
animation.

Au Malandro: I really love

this one. If you attempt a
cartwheel and your roguish
partner goes for the Cabecada
(headbutt into your stomach), -
BAFF- he'll get punished by
your lightning-fast legs. To pull
off, grab the ground with one hand and jump. Now you twist your chest slightly upwards and
do the jacknife movement with the upper leg. At the begin it's easier to keep the other leg bent;
later on, you can try to keep it stretched. Now simply go down forwards or sidewards.
Experiment with hitting above your head and to your front, try out various angles between
your legs (striking with two legs, doing the splits etc). If all that poses no problem to you,
continue the movement to a handstand, do an Au Malandro in the opposite direction and go
down there. Voila,a Capoeira cartwheel.
This is a really tricky movement. For training purposes I
suggest you get yourself a partner who can give you
support. Face your friend ; both of you should grab each
others arm (see pic: right arm to right arm). Now start as
if you tried an Au (cartwheel). Once you are 'airborne',
twist your body a little bit upwards.. fold your first leg
towards your face and don't worry about the other one
at first. If you keep a firm grip on your partner's forearm
(and vice versa), you can train this move with great
efficiency. I strongly recommend (as for all other movements too) practising the move in both
directions.

Cocorinha: A way of avoiding circular kicks at a close

distance. You duck below the kick and lift the arm on
the side the kick comes from, thus protecting your head
(Lift it higher than the man on the right!). The other
hand touches the ground and gives you balance. Make
sure your entire soles have contact with the floor; else
you could easily be pushed over. And keep eye-contact.

Queda de Tres: While the Cocorinha is employed mainly in

Regional, Angoleiros favor the Queda de Tres instead. You
crouch on your toes and put one hand diagonally behind for
better balance. Unlike the Cocorinha, the Queda de Tres
requires you to turn your body away from the partner a little
bit (the scribble on the right shows the move viewed from the
front). The remaining hand protects the head from kicks that
come from the side which are more likely to occur in Capoeira Angola than in Capoeira
Regional. You can shift your weight over your supporting hand and lean away from the other
Jogador if he comes too close; or you can go into Queda de Rins, Tesoura Angola, Negativa,
Rolê to to keep the game flow smooth.

Queda de Quatro: The Queda de

Quatro is a way of dodging kicks and
typical for Capoeira Angola. Let's
assume your partner launches a Rabo
de Arraia at you and you decide to
evade with a Queda de Tres (described
above). You go along with the kick when your friend suddenly changes legs and performs the
Rabo de Arraia in the opposite direction, aiming directly at your face. To perform the Qdea de
Quatro you glide gracefully backwards onto your hands (coming from the Queda de Tres) and
walk away on your hands until your legs are stretched. From there on you can do the Rolê,
cross your stretched legs and attack with a Rabo de Arraia, move forward again and carefully
get up etc. Always remember that you may never touch the floor with your bottom.
Negativa (Stance): Very important because of the vast range of
follow ups; you can rolê away, go into Au/Head/ Handstand, do a
Macaco, attack with an S-Dobrado, Martelo or Meia Lua de
Compasso, change orientation, retreat, close in,... Basically it's a
way of avoiding kicks (see Cocorinha) but can be done for its
own sake as well. You can drop into the Negativa from the Ginga,
from an Au, a Queda de Rins, whatever, just keep it fluid. You have one leg bent and your
weight should be balanced on its football. The other leg is stretched (or only little bent), with
the toes pointing to the side. That's for reasons of safety, because if someone kicks at or falls
onto your knee with your foot pointing upwards your leg could get broken in a very nasty
way.. Gain better balance by touching the ground with the one hand on the side of your
stretched leg. The other leg can protect the head if necessary.

This kind of the Negativa is fundamental to Capoeira play in general. However, there's a
variant that is used exclusively in Capoeira Angola...

• The Negativa Angola shows

all trademarks of a classic
Angola: you are bent really
deep down, both feet and
both hands touch the ground
but everything else floats
closely above. Coming from
the Ginga you step parallel
and move down, similar to
the Cocorinha (feet are a bit
further apart). Now 'flow' to
one side, in the direction the
incoming kick goes. Shortly
before your head touches the
floor you have stop the movement and remain in this position. Your one hand gives
support in front of your chest, the other hand behind your back. Looks like a pushup
where you have your body twisted to one side. The leg on the upper side is stretched,
the other leg is bent. Try to touch the floor only with both of your hands and your feet,
but do it as deep as possible. To come back into Ginga, do everthing in the opposite
direction.
• When you're down in the Negativa Angola and your partner is standing rather close to
you, exchange the position of your feet. This is a great setup for a Rabo de Arraia
(Meia Lua de Compasso with both hands on the ground). Scroll down to the rolê or the
Meia Lua de Compasso to see how the movement continues after the the third image.
• The lower leg of your bent leg travels forward so your leg gets stretched. From here on
you have all the rolê move variations at your disposal, look up the item below for
reference.
• Negativa Angola into Headstand-Au. If you are down in the Negativa, pull yourself a
little forward with your hands. Put your head in upright position down on the floor (-
strain on neck). Now try to push/pull yourself over into headstand and get down on the
other side; it should resemble a very deep Au with the head on the ground. Try to do it
very slowly in training so you learn to control it better.
Rolê: This 'rolling'
motion is -together
with the Ginga and
the Au- the basic
method of moving
around in the Roda.
The diagramm to
the right shows the
Rolê from the Negativa into the Ginga. Start from the Negativa. Lean to the side you're going
to rolê to (image: left, always the side with the stretched leg) and shift your weight a little
forwards. Push yourself up by stretching your bent leg while rotating along the axis of your
left leg until your chest faces the ground. Left hand gives support. Now put your other hand
on the floor and swing your right leg around; look through between your legs to keep your
partner within your field of vision. Finally take off your left leg and swing it around as well;
rotate for 180 degrees and put it down behind. Better keep your upper body low until you
finished the rolê, else you could eat an Armada. Keep your eyes fixed at your partner for the
entire movement; when your body is facing away, let your head hang down.
P.S. You need not rolê into the Ginga stance. It's perfectly right to rolê closer to the ground
into Negativa position again.

Here we have the Rolê combined

with the Martelo. Easy and useful.
Just stand up from the Negativa
but keep your hand on the ground.
This creates tension around the
hips on the side of your rear leg.
If you now take off your rear leg,
it should soar through the air; hit
with the instep and put it down after rotating 180 degrees. Continue the Rolê movement as
described above.
To put it in other words: do the Rolê but lift your rear leg a little higher and keep it stretched
when turning.
If you do the same
movement with
jumping off, it's
called S-Dobrado.

This is basically an
ordinary Rolê but
with a Meia Lua de
Compasso tossed in. Easier to do if you are further away, so you can role towards your partner
instead of escaping him. Just think of a Rolê where you strike with the heel of the leg that was
stretched in the Negativa. Here's the description for the proper execution of a Meia Lua de
Compasso.
Chapa de Costas: Move of Capoeira
Angola. Do it of the Role, Queda de
Rins, from the Rabo de Arraia etc.
Aim for the groin or head. If the other
one is far off, don't simply strech your
leg but work with your arms and
standing leg as well to achieve a long
range.

Negativa (Takedown): By
employing the Negativa you
can elude your partner's kick as
well as let him kiss the ground.
Simply bend one knee and dive
away in the direction the kick
goes. Make sure you upper
body half is really deep down;
your bent knee should be the highest part of your body. Slide with your other leg behind your
opponent's pivot leg and hook in there. When the kick has passed by, shift your weight over
your hands and jump into straddle position; the hands remain on the floor. If you did it right,
you pulled away your partner's foot and sent him down.

Meia Lua de Frente:

Coming from the Ginga
you lift your rear/relieved
leg and move it in a half
circle motion. To maintain
balance move your arms in
the opposite direction, so
you don't lose your
orientation. Stretch out your pelvis to achieve a better kicking height. Once you can't move
your leg any further without turning away from your partner, bend the kicking leg and pull it
back into the position of the Ginga (parallel or step position). During the Meia Lua de Frente,
your arms should always counteract (to) your leg movement.

Macaco: Sit down

with your entire
soles touching the
ground. Put your
right hand on the
ground behind you.
Now stretch out
your left hand in
front of you; focus
it throughout the whole sequence. Say "one!" - wave your left hand over your head, follow it
with your eyes, stretch out your knees, then go back into inital position. Say "two!" - repeat
step one but do it with more power; stretch into bridge position as in scribble no.2; don't jump
off yet. When you say "three!" you have to explode: pull your left hand fiercly over your head,
throw you head back and jump off with both legs. If everything goes straight you will land in
a handstand, which leaves you open to 1000 possible movements described above; but at first
you should simply step down. For this exercise you need the stretching of your shoulders and
your spine. In practice you can be supported by two people who grab you under your thighs
and at your back; they should be able to lift you gently over without any danger to your body.

S-Dobrado: S-
Dobrado is a
generic term; this
technique allows
dozens of
variations. To
perform this kick from the Ginga simply grab the ground with your left hand; dive down on
your left leg and pull the other one in a circular motion around in front of you (Alternatively
to the Escopado you can also opt for a Rasteira now). Then shift your weight over your right
hand and drag up your right hip in one continuous, fluid motion (scribble no.3). At this point
you may decide either to continue the Escopado or to jump a Macaco (Be creative: I like
doing an Escopado-into-Macaco-into-headstand). For the Escopado keep your hips wide open,
don't ever bend your hips! Pull your right hip up, then let it gently float to the right and put
your right foot finally down in front of you. The kick itself is executed with the left leg which
is dragged behind the rest rest of your body. Remember to hit with the instep. If done right,
the striking leg will fly by and you can turn further to face your partner again. The whole
sequence consists of one single fluid motion; until the very end, your right leg never touches
the ground. Keep the movement round, avoid any edges.

Bênção: A straight kick that still requires some skill.

Pull up one knee and hunch your torso as if you tried to
grab your partner. Then slowly stretch your lifted knee
and drag your virtual opponent behind. Again, you have
to work very heavy with your hips. Hit with the sole.
Don't try to snap; don't kick soccer-like. The leg does not
come directly from the ground, that would make your
intention visible and leaves you prone to counter attacks.
When you lift it first, your partner doesn't know whether a Bênção, a Martelo or some other
mean kick will follow. And once again: You should be able to push your partner away not get
him bruised; kick him rather slowly but firmly.
Ponteira: Looks similar to
the Bênção but it's quite a
different move. Whereas
the Bencao is very common
in both Regional and
Angola, the Ponteira rather
suits to Regional style
because it's a lot faster and
more unpredictable. Imagine you are wearing sandals and want to get rid of them; you then
throw your foot fiercly forwards in a snapping motion to shoot them away as far as possible
(pic 3). With the Bencao, you first lift your knee very high then push your leg towards the
opponent (foot trajectory is parallel to the ground). The Ponteira flies in a round arc from the
floor to your partner's stomach/chest, however you do not keep your leg stretched throughout
the entire kicking motion. Lift your knee while stretching out the kicking leg so it gets
extended to the maximum at the point of impact. Hit with the foot ball, don't break your toes
with it. The Ponteira doesn't require muscular effort, it is easiest to execute with much swing
and it hits in an instant. Don't overuse it unless you want to make the Jogo more competitive
and aggressive. Try to follow up the Ponteira with a Martelo or a spinned Chapa without
putting your kicking leg down; works very well if you want to surprise your opponent and
catch him off-guard.

Meia Lua de Compasso

(Rabo de Arraia):
Staple move. When you
step behind during the
Ginga, keep your feet
where they are and shift
your weight over your
front leg (by stretching your rear leg). Bend your upper body inwards and down. Reach down
with your hands until your hips can't get twisted any further; drop your head so you can keep
constant eye-contact with your partner. By now great energy should be created by the tension
you built up. Unleash this power by taking off your rear leg; it should fly around in a quick
half-circle without any muscular effort. Always hit with the heel! Once your kicking leg is
aligned parallel with your upper body, finish the motion by rotating your entire torso until you
face your partner again. Watch out that you don't get hit because of raising your head too
early - Meia Lua de Compassos are often answered with further Meia Luas.
This is one of the most common yet difficult moves, but with constant training you will be
able to deliver fierce single-handed Meia Lua de Compassos within fractions of a second.
Queixada: This kick
(pronounced
"kishada") is a great
setup for kick
combinations;
common follow-ups
are Queixada,
Armada or jumped
Martelos. The
movement can be slightly awkward when you do it only with force, so try to relax and get in
the flow..
Proceed as shown in the diagramm on the right. Coming from the Ginga, you turn your body
slightly inwards to prepare some centrifugal force for the kick. Don't let your arms hang down;
keep them ready for loose protection of your head and use them to enhance the swing. Now
throw your upper body around in the opposite direction while crossing with your rear leg
behind your front leg. Take off your (old) front leg; It should fly in an arc without any
muscular effort if you produced enough rotational power with your upper body. Your final
position now mirrors the stance you started with, so you can easily do another Queixada in the
other direction.

Armada: The
standard standing
spin kick in
Capoeira. It is a
crossing between the
Mei Lua de
Compasso (rotation)
and the Queixada
(hitting area, posture). As usual, start from the Ginga. Turn inwards on your heels (or foot
balls); rotate for 270 degrees on your rear leg and for 180 degrees on your front leg. Now
quickly throw your upper body around until you see your partner again. You will lose eye
contact with him for this moment, so get this part over quickly. Once you can't twist your
torso any further, release the tension by linting your rear leg; it should get dragged along very
fast as your body is untwisting. This kick is performed with the hitting leg's foot pointing
straight up (The same applies to the Meia Lua de Frente and the Queixada). Put your foot at
rest in the same position you started with. You can now follow up with further Armadas,
Queixadas in the opposite direction, Meia Lua de Compassos etc.

Martelo: Common kick in Capoeira

Regional. It requires good stretching of
the legs and a fair sense of balance.
Looks very simple yet it needs constant
training.
Lift your knee as it is seen in the Bênção
movement. Turn for about 90-180
degrees on your foot ball; keep your
kicking leg's knee at roughly the same position. Remember to turn your hips as well. Do you
feel now why you need stretching of the legs? Lean back a little to keep balance. If done right,
your hips should be aligned parallel with your kicking leg. Your thigh should point straightly
at your target (shoulder/head area). Contrary to the other kicks mentioned above, you now
have to snap quickly with your lower leg. Hit with the instep. To prevent spinning away from
your opponent move your arms in the opposite direction - just compare diagramm 2 to 3 (this
protects head area as well). Finished? Put your leg down again.
The Martelo is very Regional, very competitive, quick, brute and unaesthetic. However it's a
good way of interrupting an opponent who is stuck in endless spinning kicks, just wait for a
kick to pass by and quickly jump in with a Martelo. Or do it from the side your partner is
going to step with the Ginga to. He'd better rolê away...

Martelo Rotado:
Compare it to the
Rolê+Martelo move
described somewhere
above. Basically you
do the Martelo but
pull your leg violently
through and slam it
into the ground right
behind you. This kick
has to be done fast
and with force; it's not
very good to start
with when both you
and your partner just
ginga but if you want to have the last word in a frenzy exchange of kicks throw the move as
fast as you can. Still don't overuse it, stick rather to Armadas and Meia Luas for setting up a
game of call and response.
First, lift up your knee. Then turn on your foot ball while stretching out your kicking leg, gain
momentum by pulling with your hips. Wave your arms around the other way (compare pic 3
to pic 4). Study the Martelo explanation above. Instead of putting the leg down you pull it
powerfully down to the ground behind you, accelarating all the way. Keep your head at facing
your partner until the kicking leg rests on the floor. Now throw your upper body around
(untwisting your torso, pic 7) and go back into the Ginga. Although this expanation makes the
move sound rather stiff it's a very smooth and fluid motion with no stop in between. Try to get
it technically right, then work on speed.
Martelo Rotado
(jumping):Now
the common
jump kick of
Capoeira, the
Martelo Rotado.
Not too difficult
if you practiced
the other kicks
before. Stick to
the first line of
pictures first.
You start as if
you did an
Armada- do
everything as described there; twist your upper body so that you get your partner back into
view and to generate lots of tension. Unleash the tension by taking off your first leg (the
kicking one if you did an Armada). However, keep it bent now. Lean back a little with your
torso and jump off with your support leg. Open your hips on the side of your second leg, don't
bend them there. As you spin around, the second leg gets dragged behind. Since it is the
kicking leg, try to execute the strike in the same way as with the standing Martelo Rotado.
Keep it bent at first, then pull it powerfully around (where it gets stretched and hits like a
whip). Hit with the instep- watch the descriptions of the normal Martelo. Don't kick with your
foot pointing up (like Armada, Meia Lua de Frente etc.). Now while the second leg flies
around you gently land on your first leg. Pull down your second leg and put it to rest behind.
Rotate (both feet now grounded) till you face your partner again.
Note: 1. In the picture the kick is executed in the opposite direction compared to the scribble
of the standing Martelo Rotado. Don't let that confuse you. 2. Because of the arrangement of
frames one could believe that you have to jump far to the front.. Don't travel too far, it's better
to stay stationary (still depends on situation).
The second line shows a one-legged MR. This one is quite hard: You have to jump really high
and delay the rotation as long as possible. You lean back even a little more. Then when you
reach the apex/peak, you have to pull off the kick so violently that you complete the rotation
still in the air. Now you land on your kicking leg first which by now has overtaken your first
one.

Escorão/Chapa: The Escorão is a kick that is somehow

similar to the Bênção and the Martelo; you have to hit
with the sole but your body takes a
sideways/lateral(?lack of vocabulary!) stance. At the
Escorão (from the front), you put for instance your right
foot from behind into parallel stance. Then you turn
your body a little bit to the right, drag your left leg
along, lift it up a little bit and push it in the direction of
your partner's chest (watch picture). You can do it from behind as well, crossing your legs as
with the Queixada and then throw the kick. Or do a Esporão, aka spinned Chapa, where you
have to spin -similar to the armada- and then deliver the blow out of the rotation in a straight
line. However I'm not sure what the arms do during the motion; if someone knows exact
details, feel free to email me (or perhaps I'll ask my teacher tomorrow).
Rasteira:
Pronounce
Hashtera, 'a'
like in 'car'.
The most
common way of taking someone down. It's applied against all kinds of incoming kicks, it's
simple to execute but hard to time. Note: don't sweep your partner's feet away in an arc-like
movement, that would only hurt both of you. The move is strictly a 'go in-pull out' kind of
motion.
Do it as followed: If there's, for example, a circular kick coming your way from the left, bend
down to the right. Always move in the same direction as the kick goes. Keep your weight over
your right foot while trying to get your left foot behind the attacker's supporting leg. Your
right knee should point straightly away from your target (requires good stretching). Gain
balance by putting down your right hand somewhere on the imaginary line you're going to
pull along. Keep your left leg stretched and hook in behind your partner's supporting leg (the
lower you hook in the better the leverage). Keep your left arm above your head. If you can
feel your opponent's heel on your left foot, it's time for the pull. The power doesn't come
mainly from your leg; except for the hooked foot your leg should be totally relaxed. Stretch
your left arm as far as possible and move it over your head until your hand touches the ground.
Since you are stretched from your left hand down to your left foot, your left leg is
automatically dragged along. Your partner should start to fall right now, and we complete the
movement by swinging our left foot around and stepping back with the right leg.
The Rasteira is very timing-dependent. Do the pull when your partner is throwing his leg up
in the air, that's when there's little weight over his supporting leg. When his kick has already
passed the vertex (?), you have to pull far more harder.

Cabeçada: The Capoeira Headbutt.

Regional variant: Keep your back straight.
Aim at the solarplexus region of your
partner, bend your knees and lean over.
Gain momentum by stretching your rear
leg and strike in a straight line. Keep your
hands crossed loosely in front of your
face; They should provide protection
from surprising knee-strikes or accidental
spastic movements of your partner.
Angola variant: Keep everything low. Get close to the ground, take aim and thrust yourself at
your partner's stomach. You end up with only your hands and feet touching the ground but
everything else hanging down. Arms remain stretched, legs spread a little bit.
The Cabeçada is applied mainly against Aus, handstands and headstands but also against
some kicks (Meia Lua de Compasso, Rabo de Arraia). Advanced players also aim at the
opponent's head (chin and nose). Of course it's perfectly feasible to knock someone out of a
handstand with a Bencao; but since a handstand is thought as a provocation, kicking means to
deny the challenge and take the safe/cheap route.
Escorpiao: Mind
you this is not a
very common
attack and it
should only be
used if you are
very certain that
it will surprise/
hit/leave you unharmed. Do an Entrada, step slightly forward. Duck as if you simply want to
evade a move, then put both your hands in front of you. Now jump up into handstand but but
keep your legs drawn up, ready to explode. Twist your hips towards the other player. Extend
your legs suddenly into his direction. Now don't try this step by step but instead in a
continuous motion without a break, like a spring you drop down, get small and then shoot out
with force -doiiing! The problem with the move is that you break the basic handstand rule of
Capoeira of never showing your back to your opponent, but if it is done in the proper situation
everything's fine. Again, you should keep eye-contact with your partner throughout the
movement. This is much easier if you start with your partner not directly to your front but
more to the left or right, therefore the Entrada in the beginning (Does this make sense to you?).
At the end you should get down as fast as possible because you are in a very vulnerable
position; don't simply drop down but draw you legs up again actively and with force while
going down (see 5th picture).

Vingativa: Fancy movement;

If you get it through, it will
provides you with great
satisfaction. However, you
must be really quick to get the
timing right. Once the other
one moves in and attempts to
land a, say Armada, you have
to place your right foot right
beside your friend's right one.
Stand firmly on your right leg, get behind your opponent (see scribble No.1) with the other
one. Meanwhile use your elbow to prevent him from escaping to the front. Now shift your
body weight from your right leg to your left one and watch your partner slowly falling
backwards. The throw itself works very well when applied at the proper moment.

Tesoura:
translates as
'Scissors'. The idea
is to trap the other
player between
your legs and lever
him over. Step
with your left foot beside your partner's right foot and cross your other leg behind; this
resembles the inital Vingativa position except that your legs get crossed and you plant your
feet just the other way round. Your upper body is facing rather downwards, but your head
keeps looking at the opponent. The right hand stays firmly on the ground, the left hand can be
also put down if you like to. Get your crotch(?) really close to your partner's leg, because the
throw works better when performed with the thighs rather than with the lower legs. Once you
are properly aligned, throw your left arm fiercely around. This should make your upper body
and finally your hips and legs rotate to your left (counter-clockwise). Now your partner
should start to fall over behind. Rotate further on until your left hand touches the ground; lift
off your right hand and do the rolê over your partner's stomach. If he struggling to get free
you may nail him with your left knee in his belly and fake a knee strike (right leg) at his face
(last picture). The player who gets thrown with a Tesoura is advised to make the fall as soft as
possible and to cross his arms in some distance in front of his face because of a possible
incoming Joelhada (knee blow).

Once you master this move and your partner got accustomed
to the many hard falls, you should try to jump in with a
Tesoura. This is much more safe to you because if you do it
the other way your victim could hurt your tripping leg during
the fall, crushing on the knee from above at a bad angle etc.
The move stays basically the same, although your right leg doesn't touch the ground at all. In
this case the right leg flies straight at the back of the knees while your left leg is aiming at the
stomach area. Mind you this is elegant yet very rough if not applied properly, so do it with
caution and only if your partner can deal with such a situation.
(A) Tesoura from standing (B) Tesoura jumped in (recommended)

Tesoura Angola:
Better don't do this
move in a Roda of
Capoeira Regional
unless you like
getting jumped in
the back from
above.. This
version of the
Tesoura is a good example for the playfulness of Capoeira Angola. Although you might use it
for quickly approaching your partner and throwing him with the scissors move described
above, it's rather a challenge you propose to your partner. You may start the motion from
wherever you like, but Queda de Rins, de Tres or de Quatro are all good occasions. Spread
you legs a little and face the floor with your front. The only body parts that make contact with
the ground are your feet and your hands. Let your body hang through but nevertheless keep up
some tension. Now turn your chest to one side so that your body gets twisted down to your
hips. Watch your fellow Capoeirista over your shoulder and push yourself in his direction
with the help of your hands. Your feet slide across the floor in an attempt of trapping your
partner between them. Your further actions depend on your opponent's reaction:
To him the most obvious way of escaping is making an Au to your backside; cause that's
where your eyes can't follow him easily. If he does the Au to your front side, kick him
Bênção-like with your lower lying leg. Or try to catch him with with a Cabecada, either way.
If he tries to flee through the backdoor (watch diagramm) you can get on him by rotating your
body on one hand and the lower lying leg; pull your higher leg through underneath and aim
your kick him at the stomach/chest area (3rd picture). Alternatively try a Cabecada, but then
timing may be critical.
Another nice method of countering the Tesoura Angola is sliding through between the
attacker's legs with legs first (I forgot drawing a picture, perhaps next time). It's executed in a
similar fashion to the TA, yet legs are closed so you fit through. Mean people lift their heels
when their feet pass by underneath the attacker's face, others like to get up violently. I have
even seen an advanced player rolling over the attacker's back when he got approached by a
Tesoura Angola, but that had been a joking Roda anyway:)

Cruz: The Cruz

(cross) is an
elegant way to
evade an
incoming
Bênção or
Ponteira and
throw the
partner at the same time. Instead of pushing the kicking leg away you bend down and slide
under it. Spread your arms so his leg cannot escape to the side, trap it on your back. Now
simply get up again and watch your opponent fall. If you get trapped with a Cruz by someone
else, don't fall on the back of your head as the Capoeirista on the right does. Try to fall to the
side and dampen the fall with your hands, doing a Au-like motion.

This is Cruz viewed from

above. The diagramm
shows the move the way I
was told, and I found it
very practical and useful
since then. If there are
any other variations I'd be
glad to get emails from
you. To avoid getting accidentally hit by the supporting leg during the throw you have to shift
your head to the right side. If you perform the Cruz and and your position is that of the first
picture, you have to roll your head to the other side so that you end up as in the second picture.
If you're already there, don't do anything except standing up. I do so since the girl I intented to
throw over with a Cruz did a Macaco backwards and kicked me with her support leg right into
my jaw (Hi there Julia!).
Style Moves

Backflip: I didn't
learn this move at
Capoeira, I adapted
it from the lessons I
had in gymnastics.
Still it's a nice way to enter a Roda, following an Au or Macaco or doing it on its own. Mind
you this transcends Capoeira Basics, there's a high risk of injury if you don't take proper
precautions. Ask two friends for help and try this out on a soft mat in a gym hall.
Stand straight, keep your arms stretched in front of you. Now sit down as if there were a chair
behind you. Very important: don't move your knees forward, keep your lower legs at exactly
the same position, just move your thighs. Your upper body shifts back- and downwards but
remains perpendicular to the ground. At the same time, swing your stretched arms down and
behind (see diagramm). Once your posture consists of two 90 deg. angles (hips, knees), do the
following actions at the same time:
1. reverse the swing of your arms, throw them from behind in a wide circle far over your head.
Do it really fiercly, because it's the only way to gain the necessary rotation. Throw your arms
back as far as possible, keep them stretched at all costs, and throw your head back as well
(you should see where you land after all).
2. Stretch out your legs as quickly as possible. The main power for jumping off doesn't come
from your feet but from your thighs, the sudden burst should travel straight through your legs
into your heels.
If you did right the above, everything left is pretty obvious: you land on your hands but the
rotational power pulls your legs down (either one after the other or both at the same time).
Common follow ups are further backflips or backwards somersaults.
For training purposes get yourself a soft and a hard gym mat. Place them in such a way that
you jump off from the hard one but land with your hands on the soft one. Have a friend at
each side of yours who grabs you at your back (>support) and under your thighs (>rotation).
At your first try let your friends do all the work; fall backwards and let them carry your whole
weight. They should put you gently down in handstand position. With every further try jump
off a little more until you need no active support from your friends anymore. It's hard work
but can be mastered; Today I do it on concrete one after the other, yet I don't dare to finish
with a somerault yet:]
Please do this really carefully, I don't want to feel guilty for any accidents of yours. Thanx.