Batuque (meaning ''hammering'' from the Portuguese verb ''batucar'', ''to hammer'') was a Brazilian game played in

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest ...

in the early part of the twentieth century by African slaves which were brought to Brazil but now extinct.Gerard Taylor, ''Capoeira: The Jogo de Angola from Luanda to Cyberspace, Volumen 2'' A similar game, ''pernada'', was popular in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...

about the same time. Players stand in a circle; one player stands in the center in a defensive position, and another moves around him, suddenly attacking. The attacking player tries to throw the defending player to the ground with blows from his legs.

Mestre Bimba Manuel dos Reis Machado, commonly called Mestre Bimba (; November 23, 1899 – February 5, 1974), was a Brazilian capoeira ''mestre'' (a master practitioner). He founded the '' capoeira regional'' school, one of the art's two main branches. E ...

's father was a champion of batuque, and research seems to indicate that Mestre Bimba incorporated some techniques into his

Capoeira regional Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that combines elements of dance, acrobatics, music and spirituality. Born of the melting pot of enslaved Africans, Indigenous Brazilians and Portuguese influences at the beginning of the 16th century, ...

courses.

Batuque in present

There are efforts to resurrect Batuque (and leg wrestling in general) as a modern sport.

Batuque in present

References

Further reading