Videos and Tutorials

Axé Capoeira Maryland participated in a workshop in Atlanta taught by Marcia Carnauba, daughter of Mestre Barrão, hosted by Axé Atlanta leaders: Feijoada and Avestruz. Carnauba brought a strong philosophy and teaching to Atlanta, passed down to her from her father, our Mestre and president of our group, Mestre Barrão. Below was one of the sequences taught by Carnauba during the workshop:

There are many traditional and contemporary rhythms of the berimbau that exist, and each Capoeira school uses particular rhythms for their own training purposes. Though many of the same rhythms are used by different Capoeira schools, the names, rhythm speeds, and game styles of the rhythms vary by school. Common rhythms trained in Capoeira schools are Angola, Benguela/Banguela, Regional de Bimba (São Bento Grande de Bimba), and São Bento Grande de Angola. This article will focus on Benguela and Regional games as practiced by our Grupo.

Note that most of the groups called “regional” today are actually much closer to contemporânea than to Mestre Bimba’s original capoeira regional (which used a very particular and specific teaching method).

Below are some sequences that we normally practice in Axé Capoeira Maryland classes. Students will be taught the building blocks in order to make the movements feel natural to them, and will be kept challenged past their perceived limits.

Paired sequence drill is a good way to train techniques as it allows you to apply what you have learned in a controlled setting. In class, usually we start the drill with something relatively simple, and as the class progresses, we add more and more to the sequence. To illustrate this, follow the link below and view where the first drill builds up to the second.

Happy New Year 2015 from Axé Capoeira Maryland crews!

Here at Axé Maryland, we ended the year with a bang: our first workshop with Professor Bambu at our new location (Jing Ying Academy). Lots of folk ask me what Capoeira is, and I thought I'd posted an official video that was created by the Brazilian government as part of their application to UNESCO to make Capoeira as a cultural heritage of mankind (see the video in the article itself). Below is the Google definition of Capoeira, but I encourage you to see the official video and get a glimpse of what Capoeira is. Salve!

ca·po·ei·ra

kapo͝oˈārə / noun

a system of physical discipline and movement originating among Brazilian slaves, treated as a martial art and dance form.

The Meia-Lua de compasso (lit: half-moon compass) aka Rabo de Arria, is an attack that embodies the true element of Capoeira since it combines an evasive maneuver with a spinning kick. The transfer of power begins with the hand slamming into the ground and ending with the spin of the kicking heel. The power of the kick derives its energy from the similar centripetal force of a golf club swing. The transfer of power begins with the spin of the hand slamming into the ground and ending with the spin of the kicking heel. It has earned its place in capoeira as being called the "King of Kicks". There is even a saying among capoeira mestres on how a capoeirista's general skill level can be determined on how well and fast they are able to execute a Meia-Lua de Compasso.