''Meia lua'' (crescent) or ''Meia lua de frente'' (front crescent) is one of the few principal kicks in

capoeira Capoeira () is an Afro-Brazilian martial art and game that includes elements of dance, acrobatics, capoeira music, music, and spirituality. It likely originated from enslaved Mbundu people, of the Kingdom of Ndongo, in present-day Angola. The ...

. The kicking leg moves in the form of an arc before returning to its original position. ''Meia lua'' is considered one of the first capoeira kicks to learn. It is the foundation for others crescent kicks in capoeira, such as ''armada'' or ''meia-lua de costas'' (back crescent) or ''queixada'', which is like the inverse of a ''meia lua de frente''. Front crescent (or outside crescent) kick is seen in various

martial arts Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defence; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; ...

. ''Meia lua'' is widely used in African martial art

engolo N'golo (anglicized as Engolo) is a traditional Bantu martial art and game from Angola, that combines elements of combat and dance, performed in a circle accompanied by music and singing. It is known as the forerunner of capoeira. Engolo has be ...

, the forerunner of capoeira.

Name

The ''meia lua'' (

crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

) gets its name from the semicircle motion the leg performs when the player executes it.

Origin

Front crescent kick (''okupayeka'') is one of the basic kicks in

, an Angolan martial art considered the ancestor of capoeira. There are numerous variations of the crescent kick in engolo: Matthias Röhrig Assunção, Engolo and Capoeira. From Ethnic to Diasporic Combat Games in the Southern Atlantic
/ref> * front crescent kick (''meia lua de frente'') ** high front crescent ** medium front crescent ** jumping front crescent * reversed front crescent (''queixada'') * back crescent kick (''armada'') In engolo, the kicking leg can be extended fully or partially bent (which is considered incorrect in capoeira). According to Desch-Obi, some engolo kicks was likely developed by

Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...

shamans Shamanism is a spiritual practice that involves a practitioner (shaman) interacting with the Spirit (supernatural entity), spirit world through Altered state of consciousness, altered states of consciousness, such as trance. The goal of th ...

in Angola. Among the Pende

, the most important movement was the front crescent kick, the same as in engolo. During the ritual, masked shaman kicked over sacred medicine to activate it and over the kneeling people to heal them.

Technique

When doing crescent kick in capoeira, the kicking leg is straight and the hips are pushed forward. This kick uses the

hip In vertebrate anatomy, the hip, or coxaLatin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) (: ''coxae'') in medical terminology, refers to either an anatomical region or a joint on t ...

s to generate force and to propel the leg forward. The technique is similar to extending the leg over a chair. ''Meia lua'' usually aims to bring the foot of the kicking leg across the opponent's face. Depending on the opponent's position, this kick can be delivered to various regions of the body, often to the opponent's face height. The kick should be finished when it reaches a point directly in front of the kicker. While it can be used as an attack itself, it is also used as a poke or trap for another attack. ''Meia lua'' is a good kick to feel out the opponent’s style. Because it is usually low and frontal it doesn’t open the player to sweeps or counterattacks. Other uses for ''meia lua'' can be as a combination with cartwheels and other acrobatic moves, working as an escape.

Defenses

Defense can be applied in various ways, usually by moving away and quickly lowering the body. From that position it is possible to deliver a '' rabo de arraia'' to the attacker by swiftly rotating the body, or even use '' chapa de costas''. The defender could also move away and, quickly descending, tried to take down the attacker with a sweep (''

rasteira ''Rasteira'' is a foot sweep technique in capoeira, which usually counters high kicks. It is one of the fundamental techniques in traditional capoeira. ''Rasteiras'' are quick, unexpected moves that can disrupt the opponent's balance. Instead o ...

'').

Literature

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References