The Little Capoeira Book

This book could almost serve as "the manual" for first year capoeira students. I only recently began training and it has been very helpful to me in my understanding of capoeira and the culture from which it developed. Brazilian culture is so much a part of what capoeira is all about that you can't separate the two. So for a gringo who has never been to Brazil it is important to learn as much about the culture as you can. I was also fortunate enough to meet the author recently and get him to autograph my copy. His words of wisdom help me get through some of my more difficult training sessions.

If you yearn to actually practice Capoeira and not just learn its history,buy this book.I have a nice martial arts library and this is my favorite book on Capoeira.Quite a few movements are illustrated here and you get a very good idea of this art form.Buy it and you'll be pleased with your purchase.

When I first read this book, not one year ago, I couldn't make myself read the first half (about the history and significance of capoeira, instead of the kicks and flips), because it meant nothing to me...I was too young in my capoeira life. I am still young, but having read this book two more times since then, and having praciticed capoeira non-stop in the last nine months, I get something new everytime I read it. What it reveals only gets truer with time, and I intend to keep reading this book until it falls apart.

This is most definitely the best Capoeira book that I have read and many will agree with me. The book starts off by giving an in-depth history of the Brazilian art. No one knows exactly how Capoeira started or what its original purposes were. However, there are many theories. Unlike most books that present one theory and proclaim it to be the truth, this book gives the most popular theories and gives reasons why they may or may not be true. This book also discusses some of the most famous Capoeiristas and what effects they have had on the art. In addition, it goes on to describe how the two major branches of Capoeira (Angola and Regional) came about and what their differences are.Next is a description of the jogo or game. This is the actual application of Capoeira. It is vaguely similar to sparring, but is very different in purpose and style. The music of Capoeira, which is played during all jogo is also described along with its main instrument the berimbau.The last half of the book deals with the movements and techniques of Capoeira such as: offensive and defensive movements, basic kicks, takedowns, advanced kicks and movements, head butts, hand strikes, and knee and elbow strikes. Each of the techniques and maneuvers are vividly depicted by drawings that are very easy to understand and learn from. There is also an explanation of both Angola and Regional versions of most of the techniques. This book gives a very good description of the history, game, and philosophy of Capoeira. While at the the same time it is the best training manual out there. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is in the least bit interested in this brazilian art.

This book is an extremely useful source on finding information on capoeira, and is very useful for beginners and/or self-teachers such as myself and my friends. Half of it deals with the roots and philosophy of capoeira, from the music to the history. The other half shows how to do moves and good exercies to help get them down good. If you someday hope to be a capoeirista, but don't have anyplace to learn it get this book, it's useful.