I just recently began training with a friend who studies Capoeira. He's so far taught me the Ginga shifting footwork and the Armada outside crescent kick. I really like the movements and the kicks especially are very fast and non-telegraphic. What I would like to know is are there any people here who have combined the attacks of Capoeira with kickboxing. I've used the footwork in kickboxing for a long time and it works well with the roundhouse, straight kicks, and punches. The Ginga is of course completely different, so does anyone have tips on using them both together. Would it make sense to use my boxing footwork most of the time and then use Ginga just before kicking? My friend has never done any other martial art so he has no knowledge of combining things together.
i always wanted to do capoeira for various reasons.... then i started MA training and had an extra reason to want to train in capoeira - its diversity.. i think in the way a kickboxer uses their own stance for their move set and the way a capoeirsta uses a ginga like movement for theirs is unique. that said its down to you the practise both and see what is comfortable when mixing, and see what 'works' when you try.. i cant give specific advice or examples like 'movement X works well with kick Y', like i say, mix it up, see what you can come up with
Hi I've been in Kickboxing for over 6 years now and Capoeira just over 1. I've always found myself writing all the Capoeira moves into some sort of kickboxing terms. Depending on what type of fights you do in kickboxing (points, light con, full con) would vary as to your use of capoeira. Myself I love to throw Ginga into points fighting just to dance about and depending on tournament rules I know WUMA allow hands on the ground so all your Au variations can score as long as they're above the waist, and I've seen the 'L Kick' - can never remember capoeira name for it - used too. Light Continuous or Full Contact, I wouldn't bother. The only problem is Ginga is very easy to read and your Capoeira kicks you literally step up into, allowing your opponent to see you are moving forward to kick. In my Capoeira club I've never been taught to kick with my front leg or project in, it's always kick from the back leg or step across with ginga and kick with the other leg, like a step up kick, literally because you're not aiming to kick the.. out of them!!! So Ginga will give your kicks away. Your fighting with someone and see them step up, the chances are they are getting comfortable / closer to kick so you move back and they don't hit you. Also Ginga you are very square on, making you a bigger target than when standing side on in left/right stance, with your front arm covering your body. Just throw it in for fun, to confuse them. Although I have found it useful to help keep me moving around circling my opponent rather than attacking down the line. Hope this helps, have fun.
the L kick is an Au Batido. The easiest kicks to combine with kickboxing in my opinion would obviously be a bencao (front kick), martelo (roundhouse), and meia lua de compasso (spinning heel kick i think). You can also stop the bencao motion before the kick for knee strikes. Crescent kicks i don't find very useful for kickboxing purposes. Every once in a while i'll find an opening for a meia lua de frente, but that same opening can be used for a regular martelo as well.
You've only been in capoeira for a year... give it time. Understand the ginga a little better. You'll find the ginga to be your best friend when playing a rough games against instructors. As for blending, my capoeira instructor sometimes talks about other martial arts especially muay thai. The muay thai stance is perfect when you want to do a muay thai attack or defense. But if you want to do capoeira moves from a muay thai stance, it's no good. And vice versa is also the same. Muay thai moves do not work well from the ginga. But capoeira moves are golden from the ginga. Understand the stances of the different arts you want to combine. From there you'll figure out how to blend it all together.
I agree with Harth1026, get to know the ginga much better. The ginga can be amazing at opening up someone's left and right sides, and manuvering around an opponent, but at that you do open up your body a lot more then a kickboxing stance. But I suggest you develop the flexability and speed that Cap. gives you, and understand what position your body needs to be in when you do the Cap. kicks. And then apply all of that to all your kickboxing stances. I used to do that, but I've long forgoten my Cap. training.
YES, someone else who shortens it to cap instead of capoeira! lol, i played a lot of capoeira with friends last year and whenever we'd discuss it we'd always say cap because we were too lazy to say the whole thing.
I have an issue with threads such as this. Threads about mixing Capoeira with other MA's are usually started by people with very little experience in and/or understanding of Capoeira and its applications. This leads to responses from people with very little experience in/understanding of Capoeira (...similar to "the blind leading the blind"). Adam.... ....the ginga is only as telegraphed as you want it to be. New Capoeirista's - such as yourself - are the easiest to read due to the lack of experience. Beginner's tend to apply the ginga exactly as it has been taught in training. Experienced Capoeirista's tend to use more variations, telegraph less, and have an improved sense of vision. Like someone else mentioned, the ginga is arguably the best weapon available to a Capoeirista (...once the movement is learned how to be used effectively). The ginga is everything, and it is nothing.
Thank you all for your helpful posts. I do find it difficult to be really open to another art with some similarities (ie. the kicks), having been stuck in my kickboxing ways for years now and continuing to train both. I'm only thinking of things I've noticed when taking Cap back into Kbx (more abbv 4 u all!) But you're right it is from my limited knowledge and experience, so these are problems I am finding at the moment. I would love to see my Mestre put my kbx equipment on and enter a tournament, because I'm sure that a lot of things would be transferable, sweeps (rasteira) for def. Unfortunately I don't think he would agree to this! MM: "the ginga is only as telegraphed as you want it to be" If I try and mix it up, I just feel like I'm being intentionally awkward or doing things that aren't allowed, or then it 'doesn't fit with this song!' Sometimes it seems I can't win! Sorry if my frustration is coming out in this post when maybe it should be somewhere else, but I suppose it stems from my kickboxing, and this post was started referring to cross training.
Here's a capoeira fighter who seems to have learned how to use his well. Heck of a knockout. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rD38hvYOvc"]YouTube - Capoeira KO in MMA - Marcus "Lelo" Aurélio vs. Keegan Marshall[/ame] I would say, if your friend is teaching you on the side and you're not paying anything for it, why not? Keep it up. Cross-training is always fun.
You'd be surprised! Many mestres have participated in tournaments (..many of them full-contact) while training in Brazil. As far as your issues with the ginga are concerned.... ....you feel awkward because you're a beginner. It takes awhile to find that rhythm, that swing.........that is the ginga. The ginga varies as widely as skin color. Take a look at Mestre Boneco's ginga, then look at Mestre Sampaio's crazy ass ginga. Sampaio often seems like he's hopping around like a crazy wild-man (..as opposed to Boneco's cleaner lines), but it's a highly effective ginga for him, and playing him is an experience. Give yourself time, and learn Capoeira for Capoeira's sake.
I've never trained Capoeira myself, but have sparred Capoeristas in the past. Last time I got kicked in the face with a reverse macaco, one of the best shots I've ever taken! It can be a very good discipline to learn, and often underrated.
I've done Thai for years and dabbled with Capoeira for a few months earlier this year. The main conflict I found was the approach to defence. Thai is pretty much a block it and carry on type art. There is evasions and footwork but there is a certain amount of absorbing going on. Capoeira on the other hand is basically all about evasion (as far as I could tell). For example a head kiick in Thai would be blocked on a high guard so you are still in the pocket to fire back. In Cap I was taught to squat down (sorry can't remember the name of that technique) and then transition into another technique. That created problems for me as the stand and block Thai approach is so ingrained.
Evasion is a tenet of Capoeira culture & movement, but not necessarily evasion alone. Evasion with a counter is most appropriate. The squat movement (..cocorinha) can be used, but it isn't my ideal response to such a kick; I prefer to use that movement for circular kicks. There exist many possibilities when responding to a martelo: rasteira esquiva entrada entrada with a cotovelada to the thigh (..feels like a charlie horse! Ouch) entrada with a cabecada entrada with banda tesoura de frente to the base leg gancho/esporao step laterally and perform a chapa to the mid-section/hips etc. etc. etc. The list goes on, and there are many, many answers to every type of attack.
Indeed! I have trained in Capoeira with a good friend of mine Cicatrix. I use the jinga within vertical grappling sometimes for balance breaking. Also I catch myself slipping into it during long range sparring, and have been known to use the odd vingativa in close^^ Capoeira is certainly, criminally underrated.
