Recently, I published a video of Carioca Insect entry into Double jawkick.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XluErSMYZOI
I can fully understand that this technique is problematic for the modern viewer.
First, the Insect entry stretches his capacity of belief to the breaking point (perhaps even breaking it altogether).
Second, the finish, even if it works as I describe it, is totally impractical to him: Why would he want to break somebody's back?
On the other hand, this allows me to explain some important things about this page and my research in general.
The technique is not for you
It is first and foremost important for the modern viewer understand that this technique (and Carioca techniques in general) was not created for him.
It was created for a Carioca ganster of 19th century, who fought life-or-death on perhaps a daily basis (that happens when you use weapons in mass battles).
It should be understandable that such a man would like to have the most effective techniques at his disposal; at least on par with a long knife stabbed into the guts. He did not need some stupid punches or kicks; these are for martial art hobbyists to play with.
He wanted something that finishes the opponent for good quickly (ie before the opponent does the same to him; for example by stabbing a knife into his guts or cutting his neck artery with a straight razor). And breaking the spine is the most effective way to neutralize a man.
There is a great chasm between this old-school Carioca attitude; and the attitude of modern viewer who studies martial arts either to play-fight(various martial sports); or for 'self-defence' - which, in the modern world, usually means, surviving the attack of unarmed urban scavenger without harming the later much so there are no trouble with the law.
And I am not saying that you should go out and conduct life-or-death mass battles on the street. I am just saying that if you want to understand Carioca, you have to be able to abandon your own 'practical priorities' and accept the old rules of the game.
I know you do not need to break anybody's spine. But Carioca capoeiragem was used by people who did need it.
To grok what I show, you have to have certain degree of humility. By which I mean, you have to accept that this world does not revolve around you, your needs and your concepts of 'practicality'.
So while you might find some techniques extremely impractical, it does not matter; there were probably people in old Rio who found them very practical.
Remember, I do not claim that I will teach people 'practical self-defence'. This site just shares my research about old martial Capoeiragem, nothing more, nothing less.
Non-crippling Double jawkick
That said, there is a simple way you can turn Insect-entry Double jawkick into a non-crippling, more 'modern-practical' technique:
After entering and throwing the first kick into opponent's lower back that arches him, make your right hand into Tiger claw and put it into his face (fingers in the eyes, but these will probably not injure them, just make it impossible for him to resist). Then step down behind him with your right leg and press down with your right hand, arching him backward for a hard takedown on his back.
(Be careful though; as the fingers in his eyes make it impossible for him to resist the throw; so you can still injure him if you use too much force; especially on a pavement. Still, the injury is not as grave as a broken back).
This is sort of Banda de costa that first arches him by hugging his lumbar spine with your leg; then takes him straight down. In other words, instead of the second back-breaking kick, apply the Tiger-claw-in-the-face takedown.
This way, the beautiful entry gets a finish that can be applied even in modern self-defence.
But I only wanted to share it with people who got through the above article ;-)
Also, I will include a trick: If you add a vocalization "TokTokTok!" to the entry, it should be much more powerful.
!!! Warning: Never step on his foot before the first kick; this would apply RubberLegs version and subluxate his back.
Disclaimer: This technique is described just for historical reasons; do not attempt it.
Non-lethal Rabo de arraia
While we are at it, I can also tell you how to apply Insect entry Rabo de arraia (or Rabo de arraia in general) without killing your opponent:
Simply skip the buttocks-bump; just introduce your leg behind him and use the other leg to lever him over. This way, just one nerve strangle gets applied, so he does not fall on the back of his head.
This is how Burlamaqui(1928) describes the takedown(calling it 'Banda forçada'). This version needs more force to apply*); but does not kill the opponent.
Ie it is what you would do in a sport match; in a street mass battle, you would prefer the original version.
*)This might be why Burlamaqui calls it 'forçada'.
!!! Warning: Never add the buttock bump or you might kill the opponent!
Disclaimer: This technique is described just for historical reasons; do not attempt it.
Excursus:
I would like to mention that in my experience, the 'practical' approach to martial arts - embodied by martial-sports and modern self-defence - is extremely limiting. It is a dead-end street; because when you get to the point where martial arts become interesting, you have to stop.
That is because where the martial arts start becoming interesting, they also start becoming impractical from modern point of view.
Most great techniques are also very dangerous/lethal. You cannot really study Carioca (or old kungfu, for that matter) without accepting this.
So if you would take my advice, try to expand your mind so it will be able to take in even techniques that seem impractical to you. Because, in my experience, that is where the path of martial arts leads.
Do not use 'practicality' as a sieve; or there might remain nothing valuable out of martial arts on that sieve.
As I wrote to one of my readers: Keeping just 'practical' techniques always impoverishes the martial art.
It is not about 'playing a tough guy'; it is a if you pulled lion's claws and teeth out - it would remain just a silly big cat.
Lion, for it to be a lion, has to have that potential to kill and rip apart. It is what makes it a lion.
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In fact, as I hint in my other article, it might have been practicality what killed Carioca; because it is just not practical to train a battlefield martial art when there are no mass battles anymore.
But making a sport of it (like what happened to judo, karate etc) is not the way out; as you cannot make a sport out of martial art without killing its essence.
Some people use 'I train for self-defence' as an excuse to study some of the more bestial techniques; but let us face it - you do not need to break opponent's neck with Cocada for self-defence. So it might lead to some dishonesty; and fear-motivated training("I want to break that MoFo's neck before he does the same to me"), which is unhealthy and wrong (unfortunatelly, all too common in the "self-defence" crowd).
My advice is, train martial arts because you love martial arts - with love, you can go anywhere.
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