THE GAME
Capoeira does not focus on injuring the opponent. Rather, it emphasizes skill. Capoeiristas often prefer to show the movement without completing it, enforcing their superiority in the roda. If an opponent cannot dodge a slow attack, there is no reason to use a faster one. Each attack that comes in gives players a chance to practice an evasive technique.
Malandragem
As students master the basic moves, their game naturally acquires a more cunning slant as they begin to perfect the art of trickery, or malandragem. This involves a lot of improvisation and modifications of basic moves into a flurry of feints and fakes to trick the opponent into responding wrongly. These attempts can be blatant or subtle at discretion of the players. Effective malandragem lies in the development of sharp observation skills and a keen innate ability to anticipate the moves of the opponent and prepare an appropriate response. Some capoeiristas take this aspect of the art to heights akin to the guile of theatrics and drama. Games displaying elaborate performances and even staging skits reenacting historic cultural aspects of capoeira are commonly demonstrated amongst the most learned of the arts.
Malicia
Malicia is a concept in Capoeira that is both simple and complex. Its Latin root, mal, meaning 'bad,' or 'ill,' would imply a concept of evilness. However, contextually speaking, malicia translates best as 'trickery/deceit.' Malicia, at its heart in Capoeira, is the art of deceiving your opponent and tricking them into a compromising position.
Malicia has several philosophical areas. One of which is lies in the idea that the roda is a microcosm of life. As such, malicia becomes important, as it allows a capoeirista to see into a person and understand how a person thinks
