Is capoeira really a good martial art?

Question

Like, it look impressive and such, but would it really be practical in a street situation if someone tries to attack you? Or is it just good for like a school fight?

Answer 1

Like all traditional martial arts Capoeira has a great history behind it. Which is always cool to learn when studying anything. But with all the high risk techniques used your more likely to hurt yourself before your attacker can. Just can't see much use for all that in a bar, in the mall, in line at 711, or in the parking lot.

Remember beginners don't start out doing all those aerials and stuff they have basic kicks and punches just like any other fighting system.

MMA is about mixing it up! So it may not be 100% practical

that doesn't mean it's useless though. Figure it out for yourself. . .

Answer 2

Just like most martial arts capoeira has a lot more going on than meets the eye.

The dance routines and acrobatics are a great training tool to improve your strength and stamina.

but there is a very effective art hidden in capoeira.

Capoeira was used as a system of self defense by the Brazilian slaves for over 400 year, and it is presumed that the origins are even older and go back to Afrika.

the great strong point of capoeira is that you learn to use your full body for balance and not just your feet as is taught in most eastern martial arts.

Is it effective.  

Not in the way that you will see in a capoeira demonstration, but you are taught some effective fighting moves.

all those MMA glory huggers must realise where the origins of MMA lie

Brazil has held Vale Tudo (anything goes) competitions for over a century.

many capoeirista have taken their place in the ring and stood their man.

My own teacher was a regional vale tudo champion in Segipe for 2 years in a row.

In Brazil capoeira is much rougher than in the western world  In a roda here we usually "play"fight and try not to hurt the other.  In brazil you have to be on your toes or face a few good kicks.

Answer 3

capoeira is extremely difficult and you basically are dancing the whole time.

Answer 4

Capoeira is a great martial art. I feel that you have to take up training at a young age though, due to the array jumping, flipping and kicking contained in the style. However, I have seen the street applications contained in the style. While "demonstration" Capoiera is flashy, fighting Capoiera is brutal, straightfoward and extremely effective.

Answer 5

True, capoeira does look impressive when you see some people doing a demonstration, but it looks when impressive when you see two or more high level cordaos (belts like in karate and stuff) going at it.  The stuff that we do in demonstrations is flashy for a reason, and that reason is to attract people to the art, in classes you learn the real stuff and the flashy stuff, like vingativa.

Capoeira teaches you some of the most important aspects of fighting.  It teaches you how to judge distance and it hones your timing and speed.  

And if you're smart enough to realise it, and not a jackass like most of the people on yahoo answers, you'll know not to try to flip into your opponent in a fight.  When using capoeira in a street fight you'd probably do something like a chapa baixa (low straight kick to the knee), bencao (straight kick to the guy), ponteiro (kick up in the nads), or martelo (standard side kick).  You might not even ginga thats all up to you.

Another thing is that a ton of people will criticize capoeira because of the ginga, but if you break it down the ginga is really just a constant switching between an orthodox boxing stance and an unorthodox boxing stance (southpaw).  Plus there are takedowns, elbows, and slapsand even headbutts  in capoeira, contrary to popular belief, we are not all kicks.

Answer 6

like any other martial art its not defined by what is seen at a demonstration.

with a tsd or tkd back round you learn to kick high...but we all know that in a self defense situation our kicks are thrown below belt level.  so why do we learn it?   tradition... and body control.

lets remember the dancing style was invented to "hide" the fighting techniques while still training.  so like any other martial art----it is as effective as the martial artist who trains in it...

Answer 7

As a capoeirista I will tell you this: capoeira is a difficult art to master. why? because it requires an understanding of the philosophy behind its movements, its songs, its "dance". Capoeira is not all the flashy maneuvers one sees at a demo...it is utilizing the art to ones benefit to defeat the opponent, and this in itself takes time to master becasue it is especialized- somewhat akin to boxing. Many vale tudo fighters (Brazilian UFC, which is much more brutal than its american counterpart) are trained in capoeira and choose to cross train in other martial arts for a well rounded basis of fighting knowledge. if you want a more direct art try some MMA or something more akin to it like muay thai. But depending on the training your Mestre (teacher, master) offers you, that is how prepared you wlll be for self-defense.

Answer 8

Not in my opinion, its techniques require pin point accuracy, phenominal balance and superb cardio in order to be effective.  It looks cool but my game is all about effectiveness and arts that are flashy tend not to be especially against a trained fighter.

Answer 9

capoeira is very effective in a street fight, many people underestimate the dancing part.

Answer 10

it is impressive, but i think its only real effective in a Tekken fight

Answer 11

capoeira is really effective..many people underestimate capoeira on its dancing part..when demonstrating capoeira in the public they do flashy moves(i think every martial arts demo. they do this). but in terms of capoeira in streets, i must say ITS REALLY EFFECTIVE...if you dont want to belive me...do this..theres one technique of capoeira that you called asfixante..asfixante is eyepoking..and another one..telefone technique..if you want to know what im talking about..try to search in yahoo.."capoeira techniques wikipedia" you'll know how to do it..theres other guy saying that he's a BJJ practitioner..and if youre going to analyze his statement he's point is that..capoeira is not effective and BJJ is effective in streets..let me tell you guys this...if your on a street fight/gang war..dont tell me your going to give your opponent a arm bar?!...thats bullshit...BJJ only works great on MMA..thats the funny thing that youll ever do on a street fight..give arm bar to one person?..how about the rest?..ahahaha..thats c**p..capoeira has so much to offer..and mind you..capoeira too. has so MANY TAKEDOWNS..ok let me end my statement/answers(LOLZ)..every martial art is effective(except BJJ but BJJ may be effective on a 1-1 match but group?..you got to be kidding me) it will just depend on the practitioner itself..no matter how many or great the martial art is...but if the player is lousy..same goes to his art..i guess it will just depend on the practitioner...

every martial art is effective its just the practitioner makes it lousy..^_^

Answer 12

Well , Capoeira its an art form create it  500 hundred years ago by the african slave and it has survive ,why has survive ?

cause it had different faces thru history , at the beginning  the slaves didn't want there slave masters to know  what they were  doing (that means we have done a good job hiring  that secret )

but ones the slave master new about  their  training,dancing or wherever it was , they try to stop them  by taking away their music culture and  rituals,so thats  when  the resistense movement  stare it  by running away  to the jungles  and creating the Quilombos ........

another face ,In the time when Brasil  stop being a colony of portugal and became  a  republic  you  had the maltas (gangs of capoeiristas who  were hired by different people who wanted to keep the power  of goverment, by killing the other people who want it to become in power of the state )

Now days there are no  slaves (but lots of opression)so the resistense  its different and more through activism ....

but  we need to make money  and  put food in our mouths  so  we teach something beautyfull and for everyone .....than once you get  to a high level  we teach  all thoses secrets of figthing  but we need to see commitment  and  interest

otherwise it will always will look  as a dance  to some people  cause thats our job to mainteing  the secret to the eyes of people who will never understand   but always would look beautyfull.......

i hope that  can be helpfull

Contra-Mestre Cipo

Answer 13

I have seen plenty of demonstrations and not been impressed. But one time I saw two experts and saw how dangerous it can be to an opponent. They spin and cartwheel at incredible speed, so the opponent could be hit with a hand or foot at any time.

However, I wonder if Bruce Lee would just step back and chop the guy between the legs when they came up.

In a street situation you would spin around a couple of times and get hit by a passing car probably before you could do much.