Historically, Capoeira is another style that it is difficult to determine the true origin of. It is highly likely that they stories of it being developed by black slaves in Brazil are apocryphal at best. More likely is the explanation that the originators of the art took pieces of tribal African martial styles and mingled them with Portuguese savate (kickboxing) to generate a fighting format. This was then altered to compensate for the fact that the hands were shackled and then hidden in the form of a dance so that the slave masters wouldn't recognize its significance.

Capoeira translates loosely as "chicken fight", the name given it by Portuguese slave owners who observed that it resembled two chickens fighting in a pen. Traditionally, the capoeira roda (circle) is performed by two people, surrounded by observers who leave a small area (typically between ten and fifteen feet) for the two to operate. There is no contact in traditional rodas, though the capoeiristas often do enter a range at which they can easily strike each other.

Hallmarks of the style include unorthodox maneuvers that utilize the feet, knees, and forehead as the primary striking areas. The style was originally disguised as a dance, and is still taught as such. The strange fighting stance known as the ginga resembles a wide two-step, the hands kept up to protect the face during the movement. It is designed to be unpredictable, with maneuvers capable of happening at any angle during the stance. Capoeira utilizes a philosophy of power generated at the hips to throw powerful kicks without requiring significant muscular power. Flexibility is important, and a certain measure of upper body strength can be necessary to execute some of the more spectacular, acrobatic maneuvers. The art also emphasizes defensive motion, and dodging. Blocking exists, but is typically avoided in favor of ducking movements called esquiva, or "escapes."

The primary goal of a capoeirista is to get around their opponent to strike from the side or the back. To that end, the style has developed a very specific format of moving from position to position, one that complements the dance-like nature of the style. Most often, this involves a role (a rotating, ducking movement that involves looking between one's own legs to keep an eye on the opponent) or an au (a heavily modified, defensive cartwheel).

There are three primary styles of capoeira now practiced in the world, with many sub-branches and offshoots. Capoeira Angola is the traditional style as created by African slaves, and is rarely taught these days as more and more people gravitate to the more flashy, newer styles. Capoeira Angola is distinctly less elaborate as a style, and does not incorporate many of the more acrobatic motions that are the hallmark of the newer styles.

Capoeira Regional was developed in response to a desire for a contemporary sport style of the art, and incorporates some newer techniques and training methods that Angola lacks. Angola and Regional are somewhat antagonistic toward each other, as the older style believes in tradition and the newer believes in a flashier, more watered down style.

Capoeira Contemporanea is the newest version of the style, and acts as something of a bridge between the two older styles. Contemporanea encourages the incorporation of new techniques and styles from other arts and even occasionally steals dance maneuvers to add to its movement regimen. Experimentation is considered paramount to the style. Contemporanea is notable as the only style that is regularly modified for usage in the Mixed Martial Arts arena, with its practitioners sacrificing the Ginga for a more stable stance that allows for far more powerful kicks than MMA's traditional kickboxing and Muy Thai styles.

Finding a teacher outside of Brazil can be quite difficult. As a result, many practitioners of capoeira find themselves simply learning the basics as best they can before developing off into their own paths by experimentation and trial/error. As a consequence, no capoeirista fights quite like any other. They are all bound together, however, by a universal sense of camaraderie and good sportsmanship, and it is rare indeed to see two capoeiristas genuinely fighting each other. There are competitions, but these are generally demonstrations of technique and innovation, which no formally judged sparring beyond demonstrations of the roda for the crowd.