The speedy scissors -- ignore this post if you aren't interested in capoeira

When I finally learned how to do the slow Tesoura (scissor) move, it pretty much transformed my Angola game, opening up a whole set of movements beyond the slow meia lua de compasso and urso crawl. Last year while watchng the more advanced players in the jogos, I saw that almost everyone applied the tesoura move in their fast Sao Bento Grande games.  (And of course, I had seen Foca pull this move in Santa Cruz in 2008 to take down a huge guy by flying across the room Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon style.) On Wednesday night at the academy, in Zezinho's class, I learned how to do this movement in a fast game.  I understand now why it is such a cool/powerful dangerous move, and why it is executed by more advanced students. It'll be a while before I try it in the roda because one false move, one inch too far, causes a knee landing which results in a nasty bruise on the patella. (Yes, say hello to my bruised left knee.  In case I forgot it was there, I'll be reminded of it for the next few days.)  The bruise is not a big deal, but it's a great reminder that if I plan to leap at someone on my hands and grab them with my legs to force them to fall on me before climbing over them to get up in time to knee them in the face, I should really get my technique down very well first.

We also trained another move, which I'll keep secret for now, that I was able to execute perfectly and have added to my repetoire of sneaky attacks.  I pulled it off twice in that night's roda and again last night at Nagi's class. I also got to do my au to peao de mao (spelled wrong, but I'm referring to the handspin move we'd been training a lot back in Brooklyn) in the roda front of Nagi for the first time and he got so excited!  I was playing a really fast game with Coru (a blue/green cord) and totally held my own.  Nagi kept yelling "Olha Abobora  Look at Abobora!!"  The rodas in Nagi's classes are very lively, with people almost constantly yelling out commendations and cheers of excitement at what's going on with the players.

What Tataruga wrote about players in Brazil is true, everyone gets so happy when a move is well-exectued, even if it means they are the recipient of a rasteira or a well placed kick.  For example, last night I was training 2 by 2 with Cachinho, a girl who I had played with at last year's jogos and who has a great game.  I've been wearing my sneakers to train because it helps support my ankle, but it also makes me afraid of hitting someone because, let's face it, it hurts alot more to get hit with a foot within a sneaker than just the foot alone.  We were training three golpe rodados -- one round kick from me, one from her, another from me.  I started with armada, she returned meia lua de compasso, and I returned with a quexada at the exact moment when she was a little off balance from finishing her kick and damn near konked her right in the face.   I made a face of "I'm sorry!" and said I was worried about getting her with my shoes, but she just smiled genuinely and said "Nao, boa Abobora. Perfeito, Don't apologize -- good work, Abobora.  Perfect."  When I read Tatruga's book about this attitude, my own attitude was very much transformed.  Now that I am experiencing this attitude on a daily basis, I am transforming even more. Rather than get mad at someone for doing a movement well, or mad at myself for getting caught, it is so much more fun to appreciate the execution and skill of your friend/player.