SPECIAL TRAINING OF THE RASTEIRA

A.A. Decânio Filho

Translation by Shayna McHugh

 - Importance of the initial position: It is mainly the initial position of the attacker that will determine the power and the velocity of the movement, or in other words, the unbalancing and the impulse transmitted to the objective of this movement. Additionally, the rasteira’s development or form of application is modified according to the initial position of its executor, independently of the opportunity for application and the position of the target.

 - Initial positions: The rasteira can be applied from a high or standing posture, low posture (with or without the support of an upper limb on the ground), and from a variable degree of crouching. The most generalized use is from a semi-crouched position, during a descending esquiva. The standing application, although technically more difficult, is very fast, safe, efficient, unexpected, and in a certain way, more powerful; with the advantage of preparing the practitioner for the use of the dourada and of the bandas (de frente and traçada).

 - The hook of the foot: The position of the foot is in the form of a hook around the point of application of the rasteira.

 - The bending of the knee: The semi-bent knee much increases the efficiency of the movement, making possible the simultaneous use of the leg musculature of the attacker, assisting in the dislocation of the adversary’s base of support forwards and triggering his unbalancing backwards, while it reduces the journey of the movement of the executor.

 - The wedge of the leg in the standing rasteira: During the application of the standing rasteira, the dorsal flexing of the foot in a hook with the simultaneous flexing of the knee puts the lowest part of the leg of the attacker against that of the attacked. This technique blocks escape movements and ensures a stronger contact of the attacker’s foot with its target.

 - Rasteira exercise by dragging a rubber strap: The dragging, in the direction of the rasteira movement, of a rubber strap with about 0.8 meters of extension, tied on the ankle of the trainee, develops all the musculature employed in this move and makes the practitioner use the whole body in this impulse.

 - Rasteira on a stump: A small stump, made with the trunk of a heavy wood, around 0.3 meters in diameter, with the cut areas parallel, is sufficiently heavy and balanced to be dragged with some effort in a rasteira movement, in order to develop the muscular power and the technique essential to the execution of an efficient rasteira. The weight and the dimensions should be proportionally varied with the evolution of the practitioner’s strength and efficiency.

Rasteira on a supported partner

A very heavy companion who is well-supported on the ground with the legs spread, supported behind and by the armpits by another colleague, must be dragged and lifted by the rasteira.

This same method can be used for the improvement of the “banda-traçada,” of the “dourada” and of the “vingativa de laço,” masterfully practiced by Dr. Cisnando. As an alternative we can use a beam of wood or iron, or even a thick cord to facilitate the catch, in which the partner is secured with the hands to avoid a fall. In a similar way we can hang a strong sack full of sand, around one meter in height, supported by the bottom on the ground to be dislocated by the rasteira, dourada, vingativa, banda-de-costa or banda traçada.

Rasteira on a partner in the high guard

The rasteira can be practiced in any appropriate opportunity, as long as there is time for the application of this takedown blow. Those who desire to perfect themselves in this movement can do a special training in which one partner protects himself, only doing esquiva and applying rasteiras, while his partner performs the moves/attacks that he wishes. This training should be reserved to graduated students of the best technical development.

Rasteira on armada

One of the partners does armadas while the other tries to take him down with rasteiras, always dodging in the same direction as the attacking blow. Initially the attacks should be slower to develop the ability to see the blows, and the velocity should progressively increase according to the degree of learning of the participants. At a more advanced time, the training of the rasteira’s application should be done during a common return in which the partners play without a previous agreement, each one trying to take advantage of the opportunity to use the rasteira during the defense from an armada applied by the other one.

-         Rasteira on meia-lua de frente: The training of the rasteira during the esquiva in defense from a meia-lua de frente is part of the advanced training of the capoeiristas of my time. It is a very good maneuver in self-defense, above all because the applier of the meia-lua is caught by surprise and loses morale. It can be practiced on a partner who is well-trained in falling without hurting himself, or who is held up by one or two companions to avoid the fall.

-         Rasteira on quiexada: The previous notes apply to this topic.

-         Rasteira on martelo: All the comments regarding the rasteira on the meia-lua de frente are appropriate to its training in defense from the martelo, above all because the attacker with martelo will certainly fall very badly, given the nature of this hit. Its application in practice requires much speed, and therefore a prolonged training. The descending esquiva must be done very quickly in the direction of the attacking kick, aiming to get close to the attacker while under the protection of one’s arm (as in the descent into cocorinha) to avoid the danger of the martelo hitting the head of the defender.

-         Rasteira on galopante, asfixiante, jabs and direct punches: From the reading of the previous topics, the application of the methods described to the attacks with the upper limbs can easily be concluded.

-         The initial iterative repetition is important, followed by a more advanced training in which one of the partners plays the role of aggressor while the other only defends and counter-attacks, to reach the final stage in which attack and defense are spontaneous and improvised.