Which 'Rabo de arraia' just hit me?

'Rabo de arraia' is an overused name in capoeira history. Any time there was a kick(leg technique) that was deemed devilish enough, contemporaries started to call it 'Rabo de arraia'.

This is why I never use the name to avoid confusion (except for one particular technique).

And you should never assume that 'Rabo de arraia' in a historical source means what you think it means.

To make it obvious, let us show what it can mean when you read that 'Rabo de arraia' was used at different time periods:

1)Bahian Mldc

Bahian Mldc (Meia lua de compasso) was called 'Rabo de arraia'; we are told so by Mestre Decanio in his book Heranca de Mestre Bimba(1997); and it is also "generally known".

2)Carioca Mldc

Carioca Mldc was called 'Rabo de arraia' by Placido de Abreu in his book Os capoeiras (1886).

And you can also see it on this picture(Careta 1915):

3)Carioca Pantana (de frente)

Pantana was called 'Rabo de arraia' by Anibal Burlamaqui in his book (1928).

Burlamaqui also explicitly states it was this 'Rabo de arraia' (Pantana) that Cyriaco used to defeat the jujutsu man.

(And from the illustration, the same is obvious - O Malho 1909).

It is sad than many sources today perpetuate the wrong notion that Cyriaco used Meia lua de compasso in the match; just because it shared the name 'Rabo de arraia'.

4)Carioca Rabo de arraia takedown

Rabo de arraia takedown is shown in Careta(1931).

5)Bahian Single-leg Pantana

6)Batuque/Carioca Pantana Tiririca

On this picture(Careta 1926), Carioca Pantana Tiririca is called 'Rabo de arraia':

And I also remember they called the same technique 'Rabo de arraia' in Batuque.

7)Carioca Low rasteira

Carioca Low rasteira is also called 'Rabo de arraia' frequently(O Malho, 1927):

In 'Nosso jogo/Silhuetas' (1922) Low rasteira is also called 'Rabo de arraia'.

8)Carioca 41

Carioca 41 is called 'Rabo de arraia' by Sinhozinho(1951):

Conclusion

As you see 'Rabo de arraia' can mean as many as 8 different kicks.

1)Bahian Mldc
2)Carioca Mldc
3)Carioca Pantana (de frente)
4)Carioca Rabo de arraia takedown
5)Bahian Single-leg Pantana
6)Batuque/Carioca Pantana Tiririca
7)Carioca Low rasteira
8)Carioca 41
 

So the moral of it is:

a)Never use the name 'Rabo de arraia' if you want people to understand what you mean.

b)Never assume 'Rabo de arraia' in a historic text means the technique you know under that name.

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 PS: And that is only taking history into account; in contemporary capoeira, there are more kicks that are called 'Rabo de arraia', namely
 

9)Mldc without hands
10)the so-called 'scorpion kick', which is what modern capoeiristas think Pantana looked like
11)the so-called 'traiditional rabo de arraia', which is what modern capoeiristas think Single-leg Pantana looked like

While for the historical kicks above, there is a least some reason for the name 'Rabo de arraia' - these kicks were terrors - for the modern ones, it makes no sense at all; especially the 'scorpion kicks' are stupid and weak no-kicks.

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