Corpo a corpo: um estudo fenomenológico no karate, na capoeira e no MMA

Abstract

This work consists of a phenomenological study in karate, capoeira and MMA, in which the fight is anchored in the philosophical perspective of M. Merleau-Ponty. In the field of psychology, one historically perceives a privilege to the mental processes, putting the discussions on the body in a secondary place. More specifically, in sports psychology, the most traditional writings and practices are based in an objective and technicalistic look at the body. In this sense, phenomenology is considered as a strong ally for a perspective that emphasizes the body as the main topic of the combative processes. It is proposed here the analysis of three distinct fights -karate, capoeira and MMA. These ones were chosen as an attempt to consider subjectively and culturally distinct understandings of a fight, as identified in the literature. In this sense, this study aims to understand the body to body process in combat, from the experience of karate, capoeira and MMA practitioners, paying attention to the psychological and cultural processes concerning the lived constitution in the practice of each of these modalities. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with karate, capoeira and MMA practitioners, with at least 5 years of practice and who had already taught or competed in the modality. These data were analyzed from a phenomenological perspective, searching for a structure for the fight in each of these modalities. Karate fight was unfolded in an attentive wait of the best way to strike the other with a decisive hit; as well as in the notion of distance, which is fundamental since its origins. In the case of capoeira, its strong relation with the music and with the Afro-Brazilian culture and history is emphasized, in which the fight appears through movements that resemble a dance. In the case of MMA, the combat brings strong individualistic appeal, seeming to correspond to Western and contemporary ideals, as each athlete makes his/her own game, the way he/she feels more at ease and in accordance with what is required to win each opponent. These results highlight distinctions in the three modalities in question, but also point to similarities, indicating a structure which can be understood as the body to body in combat. We consider its fundamental aspects, mainly through the lens of Merleau-Pontyan phenomenology, if we turn to the notions of body, movement, perception, action and habit. As a dialogue with sports psychology, gender issues are discussed in the field of martial arts & combat sports, as well as the processes of prohibition and sportization concerning karate, capoeira and MMA. It concludes with the proposition of an attentive regard to the body and its movements, through a look and listening which not ends in theoretical assumptions and interpretative frameworks. This is fundamentally about the insistence on a process of constant elucidation, especially in relation to the body to body in combat.

Framing Spirituality in Martial Arts: an Embodied Comprehension Through Phenomenology

“…It can be usually lived as an 'I do it and can't describe it' or a 'it's so strong I can't describe' experience, which is related to something intangible, but strong enough to enable further and meaningful actions. These latter expressions were found throughout existing research especially in capoeira and karate [Telles 2018].…”

“…Approaching perception-action, otherness and habit phenomenologically, fighting practices can be understood as both reflexive and pre-reflexive. The latter stresses that, while fighting, the body constantly moves and there is not often time for the practitioner to reflect before choosing and doing each technique [Telles 2018;Telles, Vaittinen & Barreira 2018]. Once we propose spirituality as phenomenologically involving a dimension of openness to a specific situation, it can be regarded as intentionally lived during a martial art encounter.…”

“…Within the martial arts there can be no fight without an opponent, even if they appear only in our imaginations, e.g. in karate kata or taijiquan forms, among others [Barreira 2017a & b;Telles 2018]. Along with perceptionaction process, the role of the other is crucial in fighting practices, enabling the fighter to deal with unexpected situations.…”

“…Spirituality can be regarded as one of the dominant themes of modern karate-do 'philosophy'. 1 This is amply illustrated, for instance, in the widespread idea that fighters must 'empty' themselves in order to be able to fight properly [Telles, Vaittinen & Barreira 2018;Telles 2018]. This concept of emptiness not only relates to the calm management of emotions, but also to the experiencing of otherness as a presence that is felt and turned within one's own possibilities of action.…”

“…This concept of emptiness not only relates to the calm management of emotions, but also to the experiencing of otherness as a presence that is felt and turned within one's own possibilities of action. Similarly, the atmosphere of capoeira performance, which includes dancing and singing, can be understood as a way to feel both the rhythms and some sort of 'magic' through the body [Telles 2018;Valério & Barreira, 2016a & b]. Such descriptions have been made of the experience of playing in the roda, the organization of people in a circle format that enables practitioners to fight and dance in its center.…”