After some rumination, I decided to write this article.
The reason is that it seems some people still regard Mr. Sinhozinho's "capoeira utilitariana" as some pinnacle of Carioca development; a measure of what proper Capoeiragem Carioca should look like.
But nothing could be further from the truth. And if you want to understand what Capoeiragem Carioca was all about, you must abandon this falsehood.
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So let us start from the beginning:
Mr. Sinhozinho's greatest crime - and his principal one - was that he removed Peneiraçao from Capoeira and replaced it with boxing-like guard.
Some people might say, so what. He replaced one guard with another - that changes nothing.
But it changes everything. Ginga - or Peneiraçao, which is just a type of ginga - or an on-guard stance you replace them with - dictates which techniques will flow from it; and which will not.
This is why Bahian capoeira uses different techniques from Carioca. It is not because of a different climate in Bahia; they could learn from each other if they wanted.
It is because Bahian capoeira uses ginga; and techniques you do from ginga cannot be done from Peneiraçao and vice versa.
Try throwing Armada from Peneiraçao; or Cabeçada solta from Bahian ginga!
The type of ginga/guard stance determines which techniques and tactics you will use and which you will not.
Therefore, when you remove Peneiraçao, and replace it with a boxing guard, most of the real Carioca techniques and tactics will become impossible to do in a fight.
So what will you do?
Well, you keep those that can be salvaged; and create new ones where it is impossible.
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And this is what Sinhozinho apparently did! We can see it from his photos.
He kept 41 , Flying 41 and Voo do morcego, because these can sort-of be done from a boxing guard (I say sort-of, because they are probably a bit damaged too; but that is too subtle of a discussion for this general smear article).
But, for example, he could not use proper Carioca cabeçadas - Solta, Cocada or at least Double-leg cabeçada, because you cannot throw them from boxing guard. So what did he do? He invented his own cabeçada that can be done from boxing-like guard (but cannot be done from Peneiraçao - so it is not a Capoeira Carioca technique).
He also could not use Thesoura, because that also does not flow from boxing on-guard stance. So he invented something stupid he called 'tesoura' (it apparently entailed putting your legs between opponent's legs and spreading them; which is hilarious, because that is the direct opposite of Thesoura, which shears together. You have to wonder what sort of scissors Mr. Sinhozinho had in his home). But the main thing is, you can do this from a boxing on-guard stance(but you cannot do it from Peneiraçao - so it is not a Capoeira Carioca technique)..
It is harder to guess what this monster was a replacement for; but I would say Boca de calça. But Boca de calça cannot be done from boxing stance, so...you get the idea. (The file was named Baiana, which is what they called Boca de calça in Rio). And of course, Sinhozinho's monster cannot be done from Peneiraçao - so it is not a Capoeira Carioca technique.
Calço also cannot be done properly from boxing guard; so Sinhozinho used physical-only version of Calço he called 'Corta capim', in a sort-of parody on the real Carioca Corta capim (which cannot be done from boxing guard either). Again, this physical movement cannot be done from Peneiraçao - so it is not a Capoeira Carioca technique.
But what about the rest? What about Pantana, Pantana de lado, Low rasteira etc.? Forget it. These do not work from a boxing guard.
But I guess this is enough to tell us about Mr.Sinhozinho's method of creating his "capoeira utilitariana".
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Ixprimenti!
But do not believe me - try it! Try to apply Sinhozinho's new "Carioca" techniques (his cabeçada, inside-out 'tesoura', his inside-out 'baiana' etc.) from Peneiraçao (you should find out it is impossible). Then try to apply them from boxing guard (you should find out it is possible).
And then, try to apply original, real versions of Carioca techniques (Cabeçada solta, Thesoura, Boca de calça etc.) from boxing guard (you should find out it is impossible). And then apply them from Peneiraçao (which of course works).
This should allow you to see for yourself what Mr.Sinhozinho did and why he did it.
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Let us now stop here.
From the above, one thing follows. Even if Mr. Sinhozinho's capoeira would be 100% combat effective, it would still not be Capoeira Carioca (continuing the tradition of 19th century combat art from Rio); because he invented half of the damn thing himself. After the very core - Peneiraçao - was removed and replaced by a boxing guard. His new techniques cannot be done from Peneiraçao, which absolutely rules out the possibility of them being 'Capoeiragem Carioca techniques'.
Therefore, Mr. Sinhozinho's capoeira is simply 'Sinhozinho's capoeira'; not the old-school Capoeira Carioca.
There is a yawning chasm between Capoeira Carioca and Sinhozinho's capoeira; chasm that he himself created when he replaced Peneiraçao with a boxing guard.
Even this would suffice to make Sinhozinho's capoeira non-interesting for me. I am interested in the old Carioca martial art tradition; not in a ring fighting system created by Mr. Sinhozinho in 1940's.
Burlamaqui(1928) is still Capoeira Carioca to a great extent; but Sinhozinho - is not.
Do you understand what I mean? Why should I use Sinhozinho's silly inside-out "tesoura" where you spread your legs; when I can use the real Carioca Thesoura - traditional and effective - from Peneiraçao? The only possible reason could be if I refused to use Peneiraçao and instead insisted on using boxing guard. But I hope I already explained why Peneiraçao is the proper guard of Carioca.
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But even combatively, I have my doubts about Mr. Sinhozinho's capoeira. I have already talked about his 'cabeçada' lacking Nerve binding; and this is apparently only tip of the iceberg.
His 'baiana' physically sort-of works like Boca de calça; but it - necessarily - completely lacks the sophisticated entry (Chaotic nerve disruptor+Quasinegaca, for those "in the know"). It is just grabbing and pulling opponent's legs physically.
And I believe that applied for all techniques of Mr.Sinhozinho's system - there was nothing deeper behind them than the physical movements, created so they would work from a boxing guard.
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Sinhozinho's capoeira seems to me to have been a physical-only system; one that stood mainly on the athleticism of Mr. Rudolf Hermanny.
Which makes all the sense in the world - Mr. Sinhozinho was an athlete, he created a lot of athletes himself; so it is logical he would use a fighting system based on physical attributes.
But physicality is something you try to go beyond in martial arts; at least in the ones I am interested in.
So this is another reason I do not regard Mr.Sinhozinho's capoeira as a continuation of Capoeira Carioca - they kind of go in different directions.
Old Capoeira Carioca was a sophisticated martial art, 'mandinga'; while Sinhozinho's capoeira was a physical, athletic sport.
Old Capoeira Carioca was a street-fighting battlefield martial art based on Peneiraçao; and all its techniques (naturally) were executed from Peneiraçao.
Sinhozinho's capoeira was a ring-fighting system based on a boxing guard; and most of its technique cannot be executed from Peneiraçao.
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Conclusion
Let us conclude:
Mr.Sinhozinho created his capoeira by removing Peneiraçao from Capoeira Carioca and replacing it with a boxing guard.
This forced him to throw out most of the traditional Carioca techniques and tactics; leaving only those that can be used from boxing guard.
The rest of the techniques he created himself, 'inspired' by the original Carioca techniques; but coming up with physical parodies on them. And these new techniques do not work from Peneiraçao.
The result is that Sinhozinho's capoeira not only is not Capoeira Carioca; but it does not in any way conserve and keep alive the skills of old Carioca Capoeiragem. (Except the few physical techniques that can be done from boxing guard stance).
And that can be said about any capoeira that does not use Peneiraçao; and instead tries to fight from a boxing stance: It is not Carioca! (Let us leave out high-level stuff that people do not do today anyway).
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But you can still study and admire Sinhozinho's capoeira, do not let me stop you!
Just please do not equate it with Capoeira Carioca, the amazing martial art of 19th century Rio. In many ways, they are direct opposites.
And Carioca had Peneiraçao!
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Excursus:
Of course, not everything is wrong about Sinhozinho's capoeira. Thanks to it, I learned 41 and Flying 41 that survived from the old Carioca inside it.
Still, that does not save the system as a whole (or make it 'Carioca').
Excursus:
After writing this article, I think I better understand why people seem to hate Peneiraçao so much:
Because if Carioca had Peneiraçao - and it did, and it was its central technique - then it discredits Sinhozinho's capoeira and also the 'capoeiras' of all that try to imitate him by removing Peneiraçao.
If Carioca had Peneiraçao - and it did - then all these 'capoeiras' are not Capoeira Carioca at all.
There seems to be a movement of people that want to 'discover' the 'martial capoeira Carioca'; but one that is in fact effectively disconnected from the real combat Capoeira Carioca of 19th century - because it does not use Peneiraçao as its core.
And my research implicitly demasks these 'capoeiras utilitarianas' as imposters.
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PS: I encountered this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV1WLqj1Rp4
Watch the man tickle the heavy bag with his feet - can he really believe this impotent movement is in fact the power kick of old Carioca, the feared Rabo de arraia?
Can he be that separated from reality?
And what about the people that comment that it is a great video? Have they never seen a real kick in their lives?
Ciriaco would fall over laughing if they told him this is what they think he used to take down the japanese jujutsu man.
Perhaps that is the supposed effect of this 'rabo de arraia' - to make the opponent laugh so hard he would fall down.
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This is actually relevant to this article; because the trick is that real Pantana can be done from Peneiraçao; but cannot be done from a boxing guard.
On the contrary, this crap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV1WLqj1Rp4
can be done from boxing-guard; but cannot be done from Peneiraçao.
So if the man on the video used Peneiraçao (as it is proper for "Capoeiragem Carioca!") he could never throw that shitty kick he demonstrates; instead, he would be forced to throw the real "Rabo de arraia".
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