Brazilian

But by far the biggest lesson I learned was humility. As Marcus likes to say “your opponent is always bigger than you, stronger than you, and uglier than you.” You always avoid a fight, and you always try to walk away. Your jiu jitsu skills are only there as a last resort.

Capoeira, on the other hand, is like dance fighting, an even more puzzling and fantastic combination. In capoeira, which African slaves started in the 1500s in Brazil, participants form a roda, or circle. They take turns playing instruments called baterias, and singing songs that can be range from lighthearted to tragic, which are often about famous capoeiristas. Capoeira fighters challenge each other with a series of high spinning kicks and dodges, tricking and faking each other out in a mesmerizing ritual.

If jiu jitsu resembles two beetles fighting in a jar, capoeira is more like two spider monkeys engaged in a lethal mating dance. It is a magical and spiritual thing, the roda, and you have to see it to believe it. Even more than jiu jitsu, capoeira encourages—actually demands—that you express who you are. Your fighting and movements are a reflection not only of your personality, but also of the way you deal with others. To extend the metaphor, you can change your personality by changing your fighting strategy.  (I have less social anxiety since I’ve been forced to “roll” with total strangers on the jiu jitsu mat.)

So is capoeira the less aggressive cousin of jiu jitsu? Not exactly. One day I asked Marcus why capoeira was considered fighting. “What are you going to do?” I asked sarcastically, “Flip around and kick someone in the head on the street?” He raised his eyebrows, and said in his slow Portuguese baritone, “The real capoeira guys, in Rio, they put razor blades between their toes. And they cut you.” Yikes.

I’d recommend capoeira or jiu jitsu for those people really interested in a hard-core workout, but also because of the whole package they offer. Brazilian sports combine a mental and physical workout with a sense of humility and a love of life. It can all add up to a transcendental experience.