Capoeira: Anyone Takes It?

I finally found a place in my area that teaches this fantastic art, Capoeira. Capoeira is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines music, dance, acrobatics, and fighting. Capoeira gives you strength, flexibility, coordination, balance, and musical abilities. It's a great way to have fun and stay in shape, and it's a great alternative to the gym.

In these boards nobody notices but outside the net world everyone thinks my father and I should have been born brazilians. I love their soccer team for four world cups (1994, 1998, 2002, and now 2006) and I know their history more than I know US history. My dad knows how to breakdance which relates to capoeira but I decided to never learn it that way because I prefer the pure brazilian style.

I just wanted to know if there was anyone here who has taken lessons and if they could tell me if it's vigorous. I remember wanting to try Muay Thai (inspired by Tony Jaa) but I became discourage with the years of training and how brutal practicing it was. I found a class that will take $100 which I can afford easily, and take lessons for three months. Great deal but I bet I won't get too experience in such little time. I'm fast and agile, I weight about 140-150 lbs. (18 years old), I'm not overweight, but I have crappy flexibility (I can almost reach my toes >.<), I can barely keep balance on a headstand (which I haven't done since I was 10) and my stamina/endurance is bad. I should condition myself before I take this class or I'll pull a string or something.

So any body here knows it or takes Capoeira lessons? I would be grateful to hear you guys talk about your experiences in it.

I'm in muay Thai and Brazlian Jui-Jitsu. I love martial arts, and I always thought Capoeira looked cool, but there are no school for it around my house. Infact, the martial arts gym I go to is about an hour away from my house. Although Capoeira looks cool, could you ever actually pull that stuff off in a fight? It looks cool and fancy, but gimmicky.

Wow. Sorry to pop in like this, but Capoeira was never a fight style from the start. It's a fight dance meant to replace fighting. It was never involved with contact, just a substitute for fighting. Now you know.

-TFS

Capoeira doesn't have to be a martial art and really isn't but there is a style that is filled with tricks and feints to purposely confuse your opponent to defeat him/her easily and the way you can do that is to be creative. So Capoeira is a potential fighting style, it's up to the participant to make Capoeira physical.

Originally Posted by The Four Sword

Wow. Sorry to pop in like this, but Capoeira was never a fight style from the start. It's a fight dance meant to replace fighting. It was never involved with contact, just a substitute for fighting. Now you know.

-TFS

Kind of like a dance off?

No...not like a dance off. Capoeira is a FIGHT DANCE, a style all it's own, a dance off isn't.

-TFS

I practice capoeria and the others are right it is a fight dance, there isnt supposed to be any contact. It is interesting and fun to learn, Its a little bit tough. you fall down a lot. But if you are as passionate as you say you are about Brazilian culture you will love it.

Ive never actually did any capoeria, but Ive certainly played Tekken, which should be the closest Ive gotten to real capoeria dancing.

I always thought it looked really interesting, but I know I would fall on every attempt. When it's done properly though, they make it look really easy.