History of Capoeira

History of Capoeira

Capoeira is a martial sport which was developed by African slaves in Brazil in the years around the 1500s. Dance-like movements in capoeira and dotted heavy on the kick. The fight in capoeira are usually accompanied by music and called Jogo. Capoeira is often criticized because many people doubted its efficacy in a real fight, compared to other martial arts like Karate or Taekwondo.


Capoeira is a traditional martial system founded in Brazil by African slaves brought by the Portuguese to Brazil to work on large plantations. In ancient times they were put through exercises accompanied by traditional musical instruments, such as the berimbau (a wooden arch with a rope strings are struck with a small wooden vibrates) and atabaque (large drum), and is also easier for them to hide the practice them in various activities such as pleasure in the party that performed by slaves at their residence named senzala. When a slave escaped he would be pursued by the "hunter" named capitães professional armed-do-mato (forest captain). Usually capoeira is the only martial arts used by slaves to defend themselves. The fight they usually occur in the field in a forest in Tupi-Guarani language (one of Brazil's indigenous languages) is called CAA-puêra - some historians argue that this is the origin of the name of the martial arts. Those who had fled the villages gathered in the fenced called quilombo, in places difficult to achieve. Quilombo of Palmares which is most important is where the inhabitants had to amount to ten thousand, lasting for about sixty years against the powers that want to invade them. Their most famous chairman named Zumbi. When the law appears to eliminate slavery and Brazil started importing workers of white workers from countries such as Portugal, Spain and Italy to work in agriculture, many Negroes were forced to migrate to cities to live, and because many of those who do not have jobs started to become criminals.
Capoeira. It seems at this time that they start using a razor in a fight, this is the influence of capoeira player who came from Portugal and singing fado (traditional Portuguese music that is similar to keroncong). At that time also some racist sectors of Brazilian elite scream against the influence of African culture in the country, and wanted to "whiten" their country. After approximately half a century are in clandestine, and people mepelajarinya hidden in the streets and in the pages back of the house, Manuel dos Reis Machado, the Master (Mestre) Bimba, held a show for the Getúlio Vargas, president of Brazil at the time it, and this is a new beginning for capoeira. Start academies founded, that the public can learn the game of capoeira. The names of the most important at that time was Vicente Ferreira Pastinha (the Master Pastinha), who taught the school of "Angola", which is very traditional, and Mestre Bimba, who founded the flow with some innovations which he called "Regional"
From that time until the present capoeira through a long journey. Today capoeira studied almost all over the world, from Portugal to Norway, from the United States to Australia, from Indonesia to Japan. In Indonesia capoeira already known to many people, in addition to existing groups in Yogyakarta, also there are some groups in Jakarta. Many players who are interested in learning capoeira because the environment is relaxed and happy, is not the same as the harsh discipline that is usually contained in a system of martial arts from the East. As once said by a great writer Jorge Amado of Brazil, this "battle of the most beautiful in the whole world, because this is also a dance".
In capoeira techniques basic movement starts from the "Ginga" and not from the stop position which is characteristic of karate, taekwondo, martial arts, wushu kung fu, etc ...; Ginga movements of the body is sustained and aims to find the right time to strike or defend themselves, which often times is to avoid the attack. In the test wheel capoeira players themselves, the passing game match, in the middle of the circle made by the musicians with African musical instruments and sing various songs, and other players clapped and sang the chorus. Lyrics of the songs were about the history of art, a professor at the past and present, about living in slavery, and resistance to achieve independence. Has a different style of playing music rhythm game for a variety of capoeira, there is a slow and there is also rapid.

Capoeira is not just become a culture, but also a national sport of Brazil, and the teachers of the country makes capoeira became continuously more international, teaching groups of students, a variety of fitness centers, small organizations, etc.. Their students learn to sing songs of Capoeira in Portuguese - "Capoeira é pre Homi, / mininu e mulhé ..." (Capoeira is for men, / children and women).
In Indonesia, the same as in other countries, the possibility of Capoeira will grow.Some movement in Capoeira:1. Ginga2. Handstand3. Backflip4. Headspin5. Whirling handstand

This article is taken from=> http://haxims.blogspot.com/2009/11/sejarah-capoeira.html#ixzz1bWeiAecV
By Haxims