Mandinga e Malandragem: Capoeira and the Trickster
In capoeira, I have often seen a small, physically much less powerful women completely overpower and dominate a huge, well muscled, physically very intimidating, and skilled man. She can do this by finding the weak spots. Getting inside his game and exploiting the weaknesses. It is a matter of knowing how to see, using your own mandinga and malandragem to gain the advantage, not relying on physical strength or speed. I have often heard, and have said that in capoeira, it doesn't matter how fast or strong you are, there will always be someone who is stronger and faster than you, the trick is to be smarter, more creative, use your mandinga. That is where anyone can excel and dominate the game.
I have seen mestres in their 60s and 70s completely shut down contramestres or mestres in their 30s and 40s. Not because they can keep up with the strength and speed anymore, but because they have the vision. With a well place foot or shoulder, they can completely cut off and disable a series of fast, powerful kicks, but knowing how to use the ginga, they can cut off every avenue for escape or attack with seemingly doing nothing. Often I have seen thus done with incredible humor and style. It looks completely effortless, but having played capoeira for almost 10 years, I know that the effort is a product of the trickster, seeing the path that their opponent has set up for them and choosing something completely different and circumvents the plan.
They use their humor, intelligence, play and to dominate speed and agility. This is the trickster. Lewis Hyde says about trickster's use of language, "The point of the game is to play with language, not to take it seriously, or better, to stay in balance on the line between the playful and the serious while trying to tip one's opponent off the balance" (272-273). This is what they capoeirista does, but instead of using words, we use the language of capoeira.
Humor lubricates movement. In capoeira, I have seen those who are truly playing the game, with fun, with flow, with expression and creativity shut down those who are just being aggressive. The fastest path to losing in capoeira (if there is a loser) is to stop playing and start fighting, that is when you have let your opponent gain control over you and you have truly lost, not to him, but to yourself.
Humor lubricates movement. In capoeira, I have seen those who are truly playing the game, with fun, with flow, with expression and creativity shut down those who are just being aggressive. The fastest path to losing in capoeira (if there is a loser) is to stop playing and start fighting, that is when you have let your opponent gain control over you and you have truly lost, not to him, but to yourself.
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