Atacx Gym Capoeira and modern capoeira

A friend sent me the following find from the youtube:

http://atacxgymcapoeira.blogspot.cz/

(In short, it is a black guy who claims to teach combat effective version of capoeira, perhaps even original capoeira)
And asked what I thought about it.

Since to some extent, what the guy claims to teach is similar to what I claim to teach, a comment is perhaps in order.

First, what that guy does is very sympathetic; unlike myriads of people who propagate capoeira as senseless jumping and swinging their legs around, or as a harmless folcloric activity, he actually pursues it as a fight.

Second, what he teaches doesn't seems bad too; the techniques make sense, and, to some extent, fit in the framework of capoeira.

However, if you ask me whether his system has a connection to the fighting capoeira of 1800-1950's, the answer must be NO. In what he shows, there is little to no connection to the techniques actually reported to be used by capoeiras in fighting. He has no bandas, no rasteiras, no (real) cabecadas; he even doesn't do ginga/peneiracao. He breaks some of the rules of old capoeira, such as no clinching, no ground grappling,etc. Therefore, his 'fighting capoeira' is a variation on modern capoeira - a capoeira that (according to some) itself is not capoeira anymore.

[His work is actually similar to what I was doing in 2006-2008; lacking the original Carioca techniques, I tried to reinforce the Regional we were doing with wrestling techniques]

As a fighting system he himself created, it might be OK; I will not try to analyse  the actual fighting effectivity as that would have to be seen in sparring.

However, as far as techniques and tactics go, as far as I can tell, it has nothing to do with the old fighting capoeira(Carioca).

So if you want to make your modern capoeira more fight-ready, by all means, study with him. However, if you are looking for the way the capoeiras of old fought, he cannot help you.

This video of his, to some extent, sums it all up:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3F9Hk-vZBXk

Modern capoeira got so far from combat that people with the hearts of fighter feel the need to 'improve it' to make it more effective. It is 1920's all over again, when Mestre Bimba condemned the degenerated Bahian capoeira (Angola) and set out to create Regional - by throwing out the "porcario", and including batuque, jujutsu and greco technique in it.

This black guy likewise throws out the posturing, and includes BJJ and wrestling.

To certain extent, it is pissing me off - because it shows that Bimba's efforts were pretty much wasted. Forty years after his death, and the porcario, the rubbish, is back there in capoeira; people do stupid, inane movements in roda, and even invoke Mestre Bimba's name while doing it.

So Mr.Atacx Gym Capoeira might be a bit of a hustler, but since he actually follows in Bimba's footsteps, still deserves more respect that all the wanna-be capoeira-dancers over the world.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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