could you link this in the faq... very nice article

I have this feeling that Siriema posted this up cause of uhm….that incident last Saturday?

What happened last Saturday?

We all KNOW…(ahem) what happened last saturday… hehehe…

I would like to add a bit to the comments, that sometimes, you will see senior students attempting to play malendradge (did I spell this right?), which involves some taking down.

Although it appears to be okay for this to take place, know that it is an understanding shared by both players in the game. If you’re not comfortable with being taken down, please tell your partner before the game.

It’s malandragem, which means trickery in capoeira.

Ahhhh…. very good…. people are starting to realize that the roda is not all fun and games. Most of us here at Bantus Malaysia have never seen a strong, tricky, dangerous, and sometimes even vindictive game being played by two capoeiristas. Its good that everyone begins to understand that anything can happen in the roda. You can be playing a nice friendly game when your partner decides sudden ‘practice’ their takedowns, or martelo, or bencao. This is part and parcel of capoeira. Even if we choose to play only nice and friendly all the time, we MUST be aware that the roda can quickly become a dangerous place if we don’t have our wits about us. I’ll be talking about this more in class..

Well, in my case, it wasn’t malandragem, it was a dick move on my part.

Catatao, you needn’t be so hard on yourself. What’s really important is that we all learn from each other’s experiences and emerge the better for it. So the best thing to do now is to pick yourself up and move on. We’re all meant to help build each other up, not tear the other down.

Rodas are microcosms of real life situations. Our behaviour in rodas quite accurately reflect our personalities, which makes it an interesting place to observe people.

As Queka put it: “There’s no right or wrong in a roda, only good and bad manners”.

I did’t mean to imply that I’m losing any sleep over what happened, because I don’t think I screwed up MAJORLY (as in an earth-shattering catastrophe)

BUT

I did screw up. That’s a fact. And yes, I learnt something from that experience, and I’m very grateful for the advice that all of you have given me.

Will I still be berating myself over this by the next roda? Most likely not. Yes, it IS time to pick myself up and move on.

Will I still remember this incident a year down the road? Yes, because the moment I “take it easy” over this is the moment when something like this might happen again. Moving on doesn’t mean forgetting something or letting yourself off the hook that easily.

This is how I’ve learnt from my mistakes, and though I’ve definitely made more serious mistakes in my life than bad behaviour in a roda, I don’t treat it any less seriously either. And it shouldn’t be.

‘nuff said.

Just be extra careful when playing with anyone in the roda and during practice! Anything can happen, esp. when malandragem is involved.

I think sometimes we get too excited – too much axe? (Is there such a thing?) which makes our games a little more dangerous.

Also remember ladies, in this day and age of gender equality, the guys are very willing to take us down too.. so dont blame them if it happens!

Well said Lynn, and having you said that, I would simply loooooove to play you in the next roda!

Hey guys, sorry to barge in on this conversation but I’m quite curious as to what Catatao actually did?

Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiim…whats up? Hows everyone in Perth?

I wanna know too! What’s the big hoo-ha about? BTW: Did I ever tell you guys about the time I was in Vancouver playing in a roda of a certain famous capoeira group over there. The roda was in the centre of the town, on a busy street in the shopping area. A reasonable sized crowd had gathered to watch. For many people, the first time to witness capoeira. Anyway, two of the senior girls were playing and things were getting a little heated. One zigged when she should have zagged, and copped a kick in the face. This really riled her up, you could she the anger in her eyes. Ginga, ginga, balançao, them BAM! She grabbed the other girl’s hair, and planted a knuckle sandwich right between her eyes. Of course the Mestre had a few words to say, but it was too late by then. I believe there’s room for a bit of malandragem and hard ‘n fast games, but that’s a little bit too dirty for my liking. So remember this story when you think the roda’s getting a little too rough after just a little malandragem. But at the end of the day, if it’s kept in the roda and we’re all friends over dinner, no blood no foul.

Over here in Japan things are actually quite friendly between most groups. There’s a few grudges here and there, and some groups are just plain unsociable (I’m not going to name names, but you’d be surprised) but in general the scene is quite cool. Although, I’ve seen a couple of egos get their noses put out of place, literally!

Hey quecka! i’m fine but i dislocated my elbow at training so i’m out of action for a little while… will be back into it very soon though everything else is good as well at GBC Aus

I’m glad to say that nothing like what Cacapa described has ever happened in Perth but I could definitely imagine it happening in a lot of groups elsewhere… Gringo trains us very hard and we only play hard games in the academy, never in street rodas… but Cacapa is right, if everything remains in the roda and we can smile and shake hands afterwards then it’s all good

Hope everyone is training hard for this years Batisado! Still a while but not too much longer now

hey, Quecka! Flora here. shd get some of yr guys down to singapore for exposure to extreme malandragem. (just kidding) we may bear the scars but it was great training for esquiva-ing the dark lord here in the roda of life.

Wooo Hooo Roda Rocks ! My 1st roda and i had a great time participating in it ! Yep got my ass whooped by the seniors but it’s all in the spirit of fun and learning

Just a reminder that in the roda be respectful of your oponent. Don’t use extreme force in your moves so as to not injure him/her. A little playful contact kick here and there won’t hurt as long as you kiss and make up at the end !

Can’t wait for the next road show hehe !

I would like to know where I can learn Capoeira in Malaysia, espeacially in the Penang Areas. I`m quite interested in learining it for a long time.

hi there. just wondering if there is an age limit to START taking Capoeira lessons???

Yo Gabs … should post these type of questions in the FAQ section where we can readily address them … and no there is no age limit to learn capoeira … excluding new-born babies that is heheh !

What about frequency of buying, it seems that the some capoeristas are buying all the the time, not giving other s a chance. Making the Roda a bit of a “snake pit”

Yo Dutch, buying the game is based on how eager the person is to play. Just like in life when we stand in a corner without making a sound, no one will notice us.

Games have to be bought and when people hesitate to buy the game, the more senior capoeristas will usually do the honors. It’s all about how ready you are to enter and your level of self-confidence.

By the way, priority is given to the seniors to play since it’s not polite for junior students to buy over a senior unless if they are brought in by one Some people are satisfied with only going in once while others aren’t so it’s totally up to the individual how many times he/she wants to buy the game. Cheers!

Sorry for interupting. Although I have not been in capoeira’s roda before, I agree with Decill that before buying urself into the sparring U should know ur level. & if u really got urself injured, it’s just merely practicing. Take it easy & learn from the experience instead of keeping grudges. It’s through sparring that 1 will get to improve.

What if like you’re playing and you end up kicking the other dude in the face.

What happens?

Apologise and make sure the other dude is alright before continuing. In any case, other dude shouldn’t get his face kicked if he’d remember to “protect his face”—first rule of ginga.

Depends on how bad the contact was. If it is just a little bump then please continue with the game. Remember, contact is a part of capoeira. However, if your partner is visibly unable to continue then make sure he is ok or take him out of the roda to attend to him. But beware, it might be a ‘malandragem’ trick to lure you in so he can take you down…

Muito Axe’ Um jogo bonito aqui! Dois anos há, eu vi o jogo do professor Gringo, mim aprecio o estilo dos bantus! Um dia, eu comprarei os jogo de Bantus! Vamos Jogar Capoeira! Beleza!

What a wonderfully positive group you have here! I will enjoy reading here, and thank my Israeli friend for sharing your site with me.

Your discussion of roda etiquette and such is very helpful for this inciante- I am still a bit shy to buy in, but with time, and support, I know I will learn to love it.

Muito Obrigado Axé Capoeira Mom in US