Kicks are a part of the art.

With it out, it becomes a dance, or a gymnastic floor. Something that already exists, which are two fantastic things. Something the world has and shares amongst those looking for a hobby that’s safe. Exciting…but safe.

The kicks give it edge.

The kick gives purpose to the movements, the why the relationship with the ground must change, becoming more intimate, requiring more time, more appendages, and needs people to be closer to it. It needs a complexity a well, something that two feet cannot do by themselves.

A flip is impressive, as well as a back bend, but attack a dangerous intent of a well-aimed kick, soaring through the air, poised to strike at the most important part of the human body. Something the human needs more than anything, and cannot be simulated, or supplemented when damaged. The human brain is the central of the body, and that’s why capoeiristas aim for it when we kick.

The danger is what creates the value, giving the practitioners an incentive to dodge effectively. The value is knowing how to defend yourself, especially an individual’s most important asset. Doing the movements in the peril is a feat of strength, showing something, like a feint, is something that appears to be there for the taken, but really is a trap. A trap set for those unaware, creating a vulnerability when there wasn’t one.

Kicks are part of the art, but malicia makes it capoeira.

The danger is what makes capoeira what it is, and we get back practicing it when we create that danger. Crazy, huh?