For quite a few years now I've practiced Capoeira!

I picked it because it was unique and interesting. Is it a fighting style? A dance? A game? Yes, actually! ;)

The philosophy of using it as a means to obtain freedom and an expression of such really resonated with me. Also, culturally, there's just so much depth there.

...But also I like to tell people "It's one of the only martial arts you can really show off at dance parties." Lol

I actually teach it now. Most of my lifestyle involves a chair and glowing computer screen, so I wanted to look after my health and be able to move in really cool ways! :)

Capoeira for self defense: I'll be the first to say, if you want the most efficient, quickest way to beat up a human being as soon as possible...this is probably not it.

BUT it's quite a challenge on your cardiovascular system and you learn to move and flow in really neat tricky ways, which can be valuable to any martial artist or fighter. Over time, you almost learn to mind-read the other player, and even manipulate them into traps.

A Capoeirista with a solid grasp of the art knows when a movement is practical to defend themselves, vs. just for fun in a game, but a perk of training cartwheels and handstands is that "A capoeirista is never upside-down." We can land on our hands and feet with equal confidence, and retaliate from many different awkward positions.

And I love how it's a game too, and there's even a music element to it. The kicks can be SCARY but we also place high value on demonstrating control to not incapacitate our training partners.

(This is why we separately practice contact work for practical scenarios outside the "roda" or circle of the game.)

It's a lot of fun, and there's so many nuanced layers to it. I am in agreement with a lot of posters here: "fighting" is a different skillset to martial arts, although martial arts helped.

I myself, thankfully, am not accustomed to violence, but I am always mentally training to spot and avoid trouble. I definitely have a leg up in a fight against the risks of a sedentary lifestyle though. 😆