List of capoeira techniques
[2][3] Beside the engolo core, the sole major technique incorporated in capoeira was headbutting, derived from a common African practice.
[4] Pastinha believes that the original martial art, brought by Africans during colonization, was secretly transmitted without further development because slaves were prohibited from practicing personal defense.
[5] Some authors believe that West African martial arts, such as Hausa Dambe, and Nuba wrestling also influenced capoeira techniques.
The razor was seamlessly integrated into the core art by gripping it between the toes, preserving the feet as the primary weapon while adding efficiency with the blade.
[10] In one case, when the soldier attempted to arrest Celestino, capoeirista from Salvador, he instead received a headbutt that "caused his death almost instantly".
[11] In other case, a police officer in Rio had been murdered with a headbutt, whose upper body "had been flattened as if the implement of death had been a mallet".
Mestre Bimba incorporated new techniques into capoeira from the African arts of batuque and maculêlê, as well as from Greco-Roman wrestling, ju-jitsu, judo, and French savate.
[13] Those techniques include: Regardless, Desch-Obi concludes that after the centuries of evolution, contemporary capoeira remained firmly based on crescent and push kicks, inverted positions, sweeps, and acrobatic evasions inherited from engolo.
An aú, in its base form, is performed slowly, with arms and legs bent in order to keep a low target profile.
Its constant triangular footwork makes capoeira easily recognizable as well as confusing, since it looks much more like a rhythmic dance step than an orthodox static fighting stance.
The main purpose is not dancing but rather to prepare the body for any number of movements such as evading, feinting, or delivering attacks while continuously shifting stances and thus providing confusion.
[17] The ginga also allows the capoeirista to continuously maintain enough torque to use in a strike while providing a synchronization of arm movement to avoid and slip under attacks.
rabo de arraia (stingray's tail), is an attack that embodies the true element of capoeira since it combines an evasive maneuver with a spinning kick.
It is generally defined as a strike with the instep, or lower part of the shin against the opponent's body; the most common target is temple of the head.
The Martelo do chão is delivered from a lower position usually right before a rolê while in esquiva baixa or downward going into a queda de rins.
It is performed by lifting the knee and quickly extending the leg with toes pulled back while tilting the torso slightly backwards to strike the opponent in the abdomen, chest or face.
By usually ducking under a kick or punch, the player will spring forward with full force targeting the head, stomach, or groin.
The above version is found in the books by Nestor Capoeira; however, in the original Regional style of Mestre Bimba, Açoite de Braço (lit.
A version of the Boca de Calça that involves turning your back, reaching between your legs, and pulling the other player down by his ankles or cuffs.
By standing up (or in some cases jumping) with the kicking leg trapped along the blades of his shoulder, he provides the leverage necessary to knock his attacker to the ground.
This is the most common form of a rasteira characterized by its long extension of the hooking leg, use of one or two hands for balance, and lower center of gravity.
The capoeirista moves under the incoming kick, hooks the opponent's standing heel or ankle with his instep and pulls it in a straight motion.
It takes a little longer to execute than a rasteira em pé making them more suitable for medium to high spinning kicks and/or when playing games of benguela or angola.
Once the capoeirista has locked in the position, they use one arm as a base and rotate their body to the side, forcing their legs to "scissor" the opponent and bring them to the ground.
Commonly performed from negativa or queda-de-rins, the capoeirista goes to a prone position, legs facing the opponent and scissored out, hips twisted to protect the groin, supporting themselves on their hands and toes.
The bananeira's other uses can be to take a quick break and observe the other player, draw an opponent into a trap, or show off balance and strength as a floreio.
A basic S-Dobrado can start from a Negativa, whip the straight leg around in a half circle to face the other direction, kick up into a Macaco.
The macaco begins by lowering the body down into a low crouch and placing one hand on the floor directly behind the back making contact with the ground.
Instead of crouching and jumping, the capoeirista falls backwards onto one arm while bending his back and allowing his hips to go over his head while moving into a standard macaco motion.
The spin point is the small portion of the carpus (same as the 1990 or piao de mao), so that there is a minimal amount of friction between the hand and the ground.
