Hands

For the past few years I have been fascinated by observing the hands of seasoned masters while playing capoeira. At first I couldn't exactly name what is it that caught my eye,  eventually I came to realize that what captured my attention was the state of tension their hands where in. They were not rigid and stiff nor where they loose. They were in a somewhat neutral state of tension. Ready to stiffen up or loosen up at any given moment. This neutral state gave them, I think what is a special swagger, relaxed but yet vigilant. Like what is expected from one in a meditative state. This neutral state has both internal and external effects. Internally it kept these masters springy ready to attack and defend from a relaxed and alert place. Externally it had a calming effect on their openent keeping them open for the game  recieving a statement of readiness.

But why the focus on the hands? One might ask. Why not the face or the whole body for that matter?

Well, for two reasons: In capoeira we keep our hands open at all times, and that is also for two reasons. One, we need our hands open and ready to receive the ground at any moment, for a capoeirista spends about half of his time with his hands on the ground. Two, and that is also the answer to my first question, when our hands are clinched our whole body is clinched. Our hands are very much indicative of the state of tension of the whole body plus they are extremely expressive. So why not focus on the face then? It is even more expressive than the hands, no doubt. True, but the face can lie, in fact a good capoeirista is a master of using his facial expressions for malandragem - deception. on the other hand(pun intended) the hands don't lie, they are always a true indicator to the players state of tension