Each capoeira student is given a Brazilian nickname and Ken Lin (林晉仕) is called Relampago or “lightning” because he’s so quick.
The 28-year-old caterer from Tainan previously studied wushu and taekwondo but likes capoeira because of the music and energy.
“During the sessions you get a high that you just don’t get from fighting and taekwondo. Its effects are very good and the moves can be used for fighting,” Lin said.
His friend Allen Hsueh (薛駿翔), who has studied for a year-and-a-half, said he had been inspired by martial arts movies to do kung fu and Thai boxing.
“For Westerners who just box they see fighting with kicks and go, ‘Wow!’ I guess with capoeira it’s the same for us. We are not used to fights that start high and then go lower on the floor. There’s a lot of changes, so it’s exciting for us,” Hsueh said.
“In the future more Taiwanese will like capoeira. It’s kind of similar to hip hop with the dancing and it’s high energy with a lot of fighting moves.”
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