General Rules: In Capoeira you don't try to beat your opponent. The other one is not your enemy, he is your friend, and both of you try to keep the game going. Therefore no bleeding noses please. No active blocking in Capoeira; instead try to be evasive. When the pace of the game increases, get some distance between yourself and your fellow (at least in Regional). Don't be predictable. That may sound hackneyed, but since Malandragem (dirty tricks) is accepted and widely welcomed among Capoeiristas, you can easily get tricked into some serious trouble. Be creative and let the music take controll.





Ginga: the most basic movement of Capoeira. Instead of taking a fixed stance, you have to keep moving all the time; all the other moves derrive from this dance-like pattern. Ginga becomes soon second nature and provides great potential for unpredictable 3D movement and fake attacks.





handstand: practice practice practice! It's very stylish and part of many defensive/offensive movements. If you never ever tried it, start with swinging up at a wall. Don't look at your hands, keep your eyes on the opposite wall instead. Once you get the feeling for it, try a handstand without support. If you are about to topple over, lift one hand and find your balance again. Occasionally that won't work; then try to roll over or -even better- lift one palm, use your other hand as a pivot and gently step down in the opposite direction.(example: lift your left hand, turn clockwise for 180 degrees, put it down again, lower one leg, touch the ground, lower the other leg, get up and always keep smiling:). No problem you say? Then try to... get up into handstand from a squatting position. get up into handstand from a cartwheel. get up into handstand from a headstand. get up into handstand from a macaco. get up into handstand with a 180 deg turn. combine the above. walk on your hands. Forwards (where the heels are) is easier than backwards. clap your feet to the rhythm of the Berimbau. Straddle your legs both back and forth and left and right. Straddle your legs and twist your hips for 90 degrees. go into handstand and squat with your legs in the air. stretch your legs into an angle with your body (big inverted "L"). stand on one hand. spin on one hand (e.g. starting from a one-handed Compassa). combine the above. get down into a headstand. get down into a Queda de Rins. get down with a handspring.