Capoeira Takedowns

The slaves in Brazil who influenced the creation of Capoeira had to struggle to survive. They would try to run away and only defend themselves if they were caught. Today Capoeira is usually played without contact and the winner is not the one who out-kicks the other. Capoeira jogadores, the players, use strategy to trick their opponents into falling for traps. Takedowns and kicks are displayed but not usually carried out.

 

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Capoeira takedowns are movements where the player has to touch their opponent in order to knock them down. These movements need to be used only after lots of practice as there is a chance that the player could seriously injure themselves or their opponent. In Capoeira, the player is constantly on the move; they don’t stand still or return to a set position after making a move. A capoeirista should move round unpredictably and make it difficult for their opponent to find a pattern in their actions. The player uses all the space around them and tries to fake out their opponent. They should never move straight towards their opponent using a complicated series of movements to circle round them

 

A takedown is a move that knocks and opponent off his feet. In Capoeira, a player can use some spectacular takedowns using all parts of his body.

 

Common takedowns include:

 

Rasteira

 

This takedown is used as a response to kicks; the player uses the rasteira to sweep their opponent’s open leg. It can be performed standing or close to the ground. It is one of Capoeiras trademark manoeuvres. If a player can perform the Rasteira without thought when under attack, they will be able to overcome the violent opponent.

 

The Capoeirista executes the rasteira when he is being attacked in the heat of the game. They have no time to think and have to move intuitively. They go into the rasteira, simultaneously dodging the attack and pulling the aggressor’ support leg.

 

The rasteira is a scythe movement which can cause serious injury to the opponent if it catches them mid-kick. If the rasteira is well-executed the attacker will fall on his back and the back of his head can hit the floor, which can be very dangerous.

 

The rasteira can be executed with one, two or no hands on the ground. The movement slices in a continuous, low, fast movement. The sweeping foot hooks round behind the heel, no higher than the ankle, of the other player. Timing is very important to make sure it makes contact behind the opponent’s foot. Beginners tend to come in too early and end up hitting the other player shin to shin.

 

The best way to use the rasteira in the jogo is just to “show” it, stopping short of putting the other player down. It is usually used in response to kicks such as armada, queixada, martelo de esalo or any other movements that leaves the opponent on one leg.

 

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Vingativa

 

The Vingativa is a very useful takedown in Capoeira. It is used to knock the opponent off balance after a kick or from the ginga position. It is used very successfully against players who aren’t playing close and have let their guard down. In the Vingativa it is not obvious which player will use their leverage to knock down the other. It can provide both opponents the chance to perform a trick.

 

The player brings their extended leg up behind both the opponents’ feet. The player pivots the torso quickly and using the right arm (or move viciously, the elbow), the player levers the opponent over the leg.

 

To make sure you topple the other player, press the opponent’s knees with the leg you have put behind them and press their chest with the hand to push them off balance. The opponent may anticipate this move and raise their back leg and place it behind the player and jump a wide semi circle with the second leg to gain distance.

 

Tesoura

 

This takedown is performed from or close to the ground. Tesoura literally means scissors, which the player does with their legs around the opponent’s body near the stomach and behind the legs at knee height and twists themselves to apply pressure and make them fall over. One hand is used for support on the floor and the other can be used to push their body over backwards.

 

The tesoura can be done lightly if the timing is good. Only use this takedown if the other player knows how to fall as the move can be dangerous if the other player can fall quickly and bang the back of the head on the floor.

 

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Negativa

 

The Negativa is one of the basic techniques of Capoeira but not one of the easiest to master. The player drops into a crouch on one leg, leans close to the ground and stretches the other leg behind the foot of the opponents. It can be used to catch players off guard.

 

The negativa helps to the capoeirista to learn to control their movements on the floor and teaches a player to quickly recover from an attack, a fall or to execute a takedown. There are two distinct variations to the negative, the ‘Negativa da Angola’ and the ‘Negativa da Regional’. The main difference is that the Angolan version is much closer to the ground whilst the regional version is more upright. In this move, only the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands are allowed to touch the ground.

 

Banda

 

The banda is a very strong takedown and should only be used by very experienced players. It is usually used against the martelo or a similar kick but can also be used when the opponent isn’t attack, though this is seldom successful.

 

It is performed by the player catching the opponent’s leg in mid kick, moving inside and sweeping out their supporting leg. These takedowns can be used in all kinds of situations in the roda.

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