Try something new: Capoeira

The University of York has almost 60 sports clubs but some of these are decidedly more popular than others. During the last week of term I went to a few club training sessions to take a look at some of the less well-known sports that the University has to offer.

The final club I visited was Capoeira. I hadn’t heard of this sport before I went to the session, so in case you haven’t either, here are some facts about it:

• Capoeira was developed by slaves in Brazil over 400 years ago as a release from their hard work and a method of self-defence.

• It incorporates elements of martial arts, gymnastics and dance.

• It was associated with criminals and gangs, and so was made illegal and had to be practised in secret.

• Capoeira is played inside a circle of people known as the ‘roda’ and is set to music or singing.

• Play is almost always non-contact.

• There are two main styles: Capoeira Angola includes slow moves played to slow music as players attempt to unbalance their opponents; Capoeira Regional is fast and includes more acrobatics and high kicks.

• Belts are worn to denote skills levels like in judo.

I turned up to the session quite apprehensive about trying out this new sport. We started with a warm-up, jogging around the room and stretching muscles. Then the music was turned on and everyone copied the trainer as he demonstrated moves and built up a routine. He performed some basic ones for me, including the basic step that is used in all moves and a basic kick, twist and crouch. I found them quite easy to pick up but it’s surprisingly hard to keep in time when music is playing and people are doing different moves around you!

After the warm-up, everyone gathered in a circle (the ‘roda’ mentioned above) and watched as pairs performed in the middle, practising moves and challenging their opponents. Each contest starts with the pair welcoming each other, usually by doing a cartwheel. Although there are kicks involved, the sport is mainly non-contact and the aim is to dodge and twist out of the way as rhythmically as possible.

The session ended with a short stretch and warm-down and, although I thoroughly enjoyed it, I was exhausted. And I’m not particularly good at cartwheels! I really enjoyed finding out about a new sport and it is one I would recommend people try as it was challenging but really fun. To find out more, see the Capoeira website: [1].

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