CAPOEIRA
Famous Practitioners: Anderson Silva, Ricky Martin, Marc Dacascos (The Chairman on Iron Chef America)
Don’t be fooled by the flamboyant techniques, upbeat music, and rep of “dance fighting” that define this 16th century Brazilian fighting style. Capoeiristas are experts in powerful kicking, sweeping, punching, elbow, and headbutt techniques. Combine that with acrobatics and fluid motions designed to keep opponents off balance and you’ve got yourself a recipe for destruction. The majority of capoeira training is based on the tempo of traditional Brazilian music, which means that a capoeira master can cartwheel your face off, summersault into a roundhouse kick, and then go school dudes in DDR without breaking a sweat.