Anybody can make anything work. It may not be everyones cup of tea, but that is besides the point. The statement was,
"Atacx gym capoeira: You can fight with it". My answer, ya, some probably can, others like myself no. I been around a long time and have learned to stay very open minded, because I have put my foot into many a mouth in my day, including my own. Just my 2 cents.
I would say 3 things to the above:
1. Reasonable position
2. That same thing could be said about almost any art..."yeah some people can rock tai chi or taekwondo or muay thai but not me..."
3. I would hesitate to make a blanket statement like the above quoted statement [ even though it's reasonable] because the quote above assumes that one knows or has been exposed to the whole or majority or significant portions of an art. The whole premise of my thread is that the impressions that the overwhelming majority of people on this planet have about capoeira is erroneous.. A palm strike to the face work. A backfist work. A hand trapping tech work. A groin punch work. I'm willing to bet that you can make a groin punch-palm strike-knee to the body work. I showed all of these things in my ENTER WITH MALICIA video. Maybe you're not the kind to throw a head kick, but I bet that you can throw a leg kick...and that's in my video ENTER WITH MALICIA too. Maybe you're not as agile or flexible as I am, maybe you're just ideologically opposed to techs that require or emphasize moderately high to high levels of dexterity and agility. Okay cool. But that's different than saying that YOU CAN'T FIGHT WITH A WHOLE ART. Clearly there are significant portions of ANY valid martial art that you can fight with. At least 55% of capoeira's arsenal you can fight with because you already fight with it...the techs that are in your martial art almost 100% certainly in capoeira too. Maybe you guys don't train it the way that "roda oriented" capoeiristas do and that's fine because I don't train those techs that way either.
"IT'S NOT JUST WHAT YOU KNOW IT'S HOW YOU TRAIN"...a major saying in my Gym and a quote in my sig.
If capoeira isn't for you? Then it isn't for you. But you CAN fight with it. Don't conflate the position "what little I know of capoeira makes me think that it isn't for me" with "I can't fight with it because what little I know of capoeira leads me to opine that it isn't for me" because that's not true. You CAN fight with it...and what little most of us know about capoeira accents our ignorance, and our miniscule knowledge base. So we're not qualified to make the comment that the whole art and the combative expression for capoeira isn't something that we can fight with...especially when we're looking at empirical evidence that the overwhelming majority of whatever striking based martial art that we practice is also in capoeira. With the only difference being that capoeiristas do those techniques from every whichaway, whereas most of us do those techs from only a few selected postures and positions.
This in no way denigrates other martial arts. My core art is Kenpo karate, and that's just the way it is folks. But my exposure to capoeira has revolutionized my perspective and approach to every other martial art I've studied...and my range of study is rather large. Functionalizing capoeira has made my combat skill knowledge and everything else related to martial arts--including fitness confidence position recognition and understanding of movement and technique--make a garagantuan quantum leap that is literally not possible for me without my exposure to and practice with capoeira's vocabulary of movement. The process of that discovery and its continuing process even as I type this post combined with what I have shared with quite a few other martial artists visavis capoeira regardless of where they are in their martial journey--master or student or in between--has simply reenforced the belief that they too can benefit enormously from capoeira.
Brazilian jiujitsu was much more stilted and robotic, much less fluid, until capoeiristas came to bjj and revolutionized its expression. It's fitting then, that a capoeira instructor who trained for years with the Gracies was also the first non-Gracie to defeat a Gracie with Gracie Jiujitsu. I refer to Waldemar Santana. This same capoeirista drew with Kimura...the same Kimura who also famously defeated Helio Gracie [whom Waldemar defeated]. Waldemar also faced Carlson Gracie numerous times, with the results being hotly disputed in 4 of the 6 alleged matches [ all parties agree that there were at least 2 draws in the 6 matches]. The only video evidence I've been able to obtain reflects the decision being a draw, although in at least one case it seemed clear to me that Waldemar did everything except finish Carlson and should have gotten the nod. To me, Waldemar vs Carlson is sorta kinda like boxings Juan Manuel Marquez vs Pacman...JMM in many people's eyes won 2 of the 3 fights but the record reflects otherwise.
Anywho, back to what capoeira can do for others when trained functionally...
...basically grasping the functional methods of capoeira will amp your offense and defense by allowing you to do things in places and positions that you never considered or were told that you couldn't do such and such in. The functional supremacy of capoeira's functional vocabulary of movement cannot be overemphasized because all techniques are movements but not all movements are techniques. You are virtually guaranteed to unpleasantly shock your opponent and pleasantly shock yourself by amplifying the cleverness, misdirection, unpredictability and thus difficulty of thwarting your entries exits and the delivery of your techs...and that folks is what it's about when you get right down to it. Who DOESN'T want to find ways to make your entry to say a cross or reverse punch or kick to the nads or leg trip better faster easier more fluid more powerful more difficult to counter more likely to succeed and much much harder for you to get hurt doing? Functional capoeira can virtually 100% guarantee you that. If you don't WANNA do that? Cool. But that's not the same as saying you CAN'T or IT DOESN'T WORK...cuz you can and it does work.
Waitaminnit. I should amend that like Flying Crane said...with an ATACX GYM twist
"yeah it works"
"No it doesn't!"
"Yes it...okay then have it your way; it doesn't work"
[ nails you with a knee palm stike and takedown ATACX GYM CAPOEIRA style]
"thought you said that capoeira doesn't work?"
"it doesn't work! That wasn't capoeira! That knee was Muay Thai, that palm strike was kung fu, that scissor leg takedown was taekwondo! I know because I train those arts!"
"Those techs are in capoeira too"
"Nothing you can say will convince me that those tricks work"
"But I just hit you and took you down....wait. Okay yeah. Have it your way; it doesn't work...if you don't recognize when it does work and won't train the techs for your strengths and weaknesses so it works for your personal martial expression. Have a nice day, man."
[ nails you with a knee palm strike takedown and gingas away]
