The true Bahian Physical-game Arrastao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFxk3jAm3s
allows me to demonstrate several things about old capoeira:
At first glance, the technique does not look like much. You grab opponent's legs and throw him on his back - that sounds like boring, basic wrestling. That is true for most old capoeiragem techniques.
Yet, as you know, the technique hides a nasty secret: It misalign opponent's shoulders and hips as he is thrown; so he will crawl in an ugly way on the ground, unable to stand up.
This is typical of old capoeiragem techniques; they are both bestial and a bit 'magical' (mandinga); including almost supernatural body manipulations.
However, this 'mandinga' does not come cheap (unlike real magic, which comes cheap, because its real cost is carefully hidden - never touch real magic, including hypnosis!!!).
To apply the body manipulation of Arrastao properly, your own body must do an acrobatic movement.
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Laconically, you have to jump and execute a 'windmill roll' in the air; rolling first your left, then your right scapula as you rotate your body leftward around your spine.
You land with your left leg crossed behind your right leg.
In application, it is the two scapula rolls that misalign first opponent's hips, then his shoulders as you spin him.
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Like Bencao (video), true Arrastao looks like a simple technique, but it is actually quite hard, requiring high level of body-control and advanced mechanic archetypes. It is a high-level whole-body locking/wrestling technique.
(It also includes the nerve disruption, without which the opponent would escape your body manipulation).
This is what old capoeiragem was about - using high-level bodyskills to apply 'mandinga' against the opponent; using wrestling techniques.
Another point is that only the true, old version of Arrastao reveals the hidden meaning of its name - 'the crawler' is a natural name for what becomes of the opponent.
Yet another point to note is how degenerated Arrastao has become in modern capoeira; basically being just a type of 'baiana' (double leg); losing all the original 'mandinga'!
Note also that true Arrastao can only be done from proper Physical-game ginga (video) (and vice versa, from Physical-game ginga, you can only do true Arrastao; they are tied together).
True Arrastao was primarily a technique for a game (Physical-game capoeira); yet, I guess you could very well use it even in a fight.
Ignoring the entry for now, if you throw an opponent using Arrastao, while he remains conscious, he is absolutely unable to stand up for say 20 minutes; so you can safely walk away, or engage his friends if needed.
This seems to be a lot better than normal double leg takedown that often leaves then opponent able to stand up immediately, or even ends up with you entangled with the opponent on the ground; so you can neither run away nor fight other opponents.
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Moreover, in true/old Arrastao, there is no sprawling. Normally, as you dive for opponent's legs, he can sprawl them backward, frustrating your grab.
However, in true Arrastao, you first rub his sides with your hands. This creates a nerve disruption, making him unable to sprawl his legs back, so he cannot escape your following legs grab.
Note that he also cannot grab your body with your arms to pull you down with him.
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Finally, it seems the way opponent 'crawls' on the ground is fascinating for people; they cannot take their eyes off him. So if you take one opponent to the ground with Arrastao, chances are other opponents will be compelled to look at him 'crawling', which will make it easier for you to escape or fight them.
And if you take more of them down and create more 'crawlers' - well, who knows what happens ;-)
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There is only one defence against true Arrastao (and there must be one, as true Arrastao is a challenge of Bahian game, ie there must be an answer); and that is an early fall into Rear (LightSkills) Negativa, as is sort-of conserved in Bimba's 4th sequence.
However, the challenge is not as simple as is falling from modern "arrastao"! Do not attempt this escape if you do not know what you are doing, as you can break your arms.
Without going into details, to escape properly(ie uninjured), you must use similar skill as in the RubberLegs Volta por cima balao (video).
In self-defence, if there is just one opponent, you can probably also use Arrastao for mental intimidation: When the opponent is on the ground, in shock from what you did to his body and defenceless, unable to move coordinately, come close to him and explain him in detail what you could do to him in this state.
It is probable that the cosmic horror of his predicament (remember: he does not know what you did to him and he does not know it is temporary) coupled with your threats will make him so terrified of you he will not dare to attack you again - without you having to hurt him in any way (except mentally).
However, take care, as if you overdo it with the threats, in his precarious 'cosmic state', I believe you might give him a mental illness.
So this is a humane technique; albeit humane in a bit cosmic way, but humane nonetheless. (BTW: This is 'Shaolin humaneness'; but I will probably never explain this one).
For those interested in how Arrastao became what it is now, here is my current understanding of Arrastao history (see also my article on capoeira history):
1) Original Arrastao was used in Bahian Physical-game capoeira, entered offensively from a nerve disruption, as shown in the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vCFxk3jAm3s
It was a challenge you would escape by falling into Rear Negativa (or you got turned into 'crawler').
2) Bimba adapted this old Arrastao into his Nemer system. This version - Nemer Arrastao - might be published later.
<TO_BE_PUBLISHED_LATER>
It was part of Bimba's 4th sequence. It was not done offensively as original Arrastao, but as a counter/answer to Nemer Galopante.
https://youtu.be/wPMGgOEhtQo?t=92
Old Bahian capoeira did not have hand attacks; Nemer system has them, and because Nemer system is still Bahian capoeira, with the challenge-answer scheme, even its hand attacks are challenges, each with its proper answer.
So Bimba changed the original Bahian capoeira Physical-game Arrastao so it was done from his Nemer ginga, and as a counter to Nemer Galopante.
This is the resulting challenge: Opponent challenges with Nemer Galopante, you counter with Nemer Arrastao and he escapes by falling into rear Negativa as in the original Arrastao challenge.
3) Bimba's students probably were unable to use his Nemer system (see my article on that), so Arrastao and 4th sequence got adapted to what we know today from Filhos de Bimba:
https://youtu.be/jDmDnR2A018?t=117
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyCWJ9LzcJA
The scheme remains outwardly the same - Arrastao is a counter to Galopante.
However, this version is purely physical and weak. Note that if the Arrastao were done for real and not just "shown", you would not be able to escape by falling sideways into Negativa like this; so this is only a quasi-challenge.
(Also, there is no need to escape with Au from opponent's Negativa, as standing on both legs, you could easily just step over opponent's Negativa pull; the Au escape was needed in old capoeira and Nemer system, but that is beyond the scope of this article).
4) Modern Arrastao is simply poor man's double leg takedown. It is not a challenge and you cannot escape it by falling into Negativa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GR9pSPmT_vA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SkI6o0jRXfw
There is no challenge and so no (Bahian) capoeira.
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