Capoeira movements

Capoeira movements are designed to flow into one another to be able to make a game that keeps going and never stops. Moves can be broken down into three categories: attacks, dodges, feints, floreios and takedowns.

Here’s a brief explanation of the different types of movements that are used in a game. While I won’t get into the specifics of each move, here is a good website that has videos of all the capoeira move, and has them ordered according to the move’s difficulty.

First of, the most important move of capoeira is the ginga. It is a simple motion that a capoeirista does to keep their body moving. During a game, a capoeirista never stays still, they are always moving. From the ginga, a capoeirista can go into almost every other move there is. The ginga is the base upon which a capoeira game is built upon.

Utilizing all of the movements of capoeira, capoeiristas create a game that is equivalent to a conversation with their bodies. Attacks are kicks and punches that an opponent must respond to. They can range from the simple and safe, to the elaborate and slightly dangerous. Responding to an attack, a capoeirista does a dodge, which involves the capoeirista getting out of the way, and then moving from the dodge to an attack or their own or something else.

An attack and a dodge in a game of capoeira

Feints are tricks thrown by capoeiristas in order to confuse the opponent so they can be caught in a trap. Traps can either be another attack that the opponent wasn’t expecting, or a takedown, which is simply when another capoeirista takes another opponent to the ground.

Floreios are movements done in a game to add style. They are flashy movements that are done to show off and impress. However, they are also some of the hardest to do for these same reasons.

UConn capoeiristas showing off some of their favorite moves:

The movements of capoeira are varied, numerous, and can take a long time to learn. However, they can make a beautiful game that showcases a one-of-a-kind martial art.

Capoeirascience.com is a website that has videos of more intricate floreio moves, as well of videos of some capoeira games.