To Hit or Not To Hit??

Ola!!!

to answer the question posted on our tagboard by freshie1 with regards to whether we actually hit(ie is there actual contact) when we spar....

for us, we don't normally(sometimes we do) hit our sparring partners, as most of you have noticed when we spar in the Roda. the reason for this is:

-firstly, for your fellow capoeirista's own safety. as most of us still can't fully control our kicks(ie speed, strength and aiming) it you just 'fling-it' and hit your sparring partner, chances of injuries are gonna sky rocket. before you know it, WHAMP!!! your partners on the floor, and there will be crack ribs, broken toes, dislocated jaw...etcetc.

-secondly, and more importantly, it is to learn CONTROL...to throw a kick and know when to stop or when how to discontinue a kick in the middle of its execution or how to change in the middle of a kick is CONTROL; to kick and hit where intended with the intended amount of power is CONTROL. Throwing a kick and stop just inches away from your sparring partners head is much tougher and takes more control then to just fling a kick madly with full force. Force and power of attacks are easy to obtain, but CONTROL of a kick is muchmuchmuchmuch much(x infinity) takes a lifetime to master.

Thus, its more of a kicking and attacking with control and to let your sparring partner know that "oh...i could have hit you. but i didn't...bleah=p" then to kick and attack madly irregardless of where you hit, how hard you hit and whether your partner SURVIVES the attack or not.

However, after saying all these, don't be surprise if you happen to encounter Rodas outside where fully contact of attacks occurs. Since capoeira is a martial art, the very raw essence of self-defence and injuring your opponents is still present.

To Hit or Not To Hit is a question with answers that differs from schools to schools and groups to groups.

Pek/Cabure