sociated with the kalari, and particularly Kali (the Hindu martial goddess),
before they begin training. In capoeira, the roda,the circle of play formed
by capoeiristas awaiting their opportunities to enter, is essentially created
by the berimbau(the musical instrument used to accompany the jôgo—the
martial contest of the art). The position in the roda occupied by the berim-
bau and by the mestre (teacher) constitutes a high-intensity area analogous
to those noted in the Japanese dôjô. The pe do berimbau(foot of the berim-
bau) denotes the opening (the “door,” as conceived in this tradition)
through which one must enter to play. This door should be approached in
a crouch from the outside of the ring. To enter, players kneel, perform rit-
ual gestures (perhaps making the sign of the cross familiar in Roman
Catholicism), and enter the roda with an acrobatic flourish (e.g., a cart-
wheel) before beginning the jôgo. The phenomenon of creating a sacred
space without resorting to physical structures suggests that the training ar-
eas of traditional martial arts are more properly regarded as conceptual
rather than physical.
The martial tradition of framing training and contesting areas as sa-
cred space, while not universal, is widely spread and tenacious. There is a
reminder of this custom even in specifically nontraditional combat systems
in the formalities that precede bouts.
Thomas A. Green
See alsoKoryû Bugei, Japanese; Religion and Spiritual Development:
Ancient Mediterranean and Medieval West; Religion and Spiritual
Development: China; Religion and Spiritual Development: India;
Religion and Spiritual Development: Japan
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Lewis, J. Lowell. 1992. Ring of Liberation: Deceptive Discourse in Brazilian
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Reid, Howard, and Michael Croucher. 1983. The Way of the Warrior: The
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Turner, Craig, and Tony Soper. 1990. Methods and Practice of Elizabethan
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