Queda de Quatro
Literally: fall on all fours
A capoeira position after falling back onto both hands and both feet, which helps restore balance and quickly withdraw.
Quick Facts
About
Queda de quatro, literally a fall onto all four, is a capoeira position into which the player falls, supported on both hands and both feet. The knees turn inward and the feet are shoulder-width apart, so the position resembles the so-called crab walk. The English Wikipedia describes it as a defensive backward fall onto all four that allows balance to be restored after a loss of stability, unlike active evasions of the esquiva type. The player uses it when falling or for a short movement along the ground, typically with the back to the opponent, and can withdraw from it quickly. Unlike cocorinha, it creates distance from the opponent, but compared with negativa it offers less power and fewer options for following up with another movement. From this position, low variants of the technique chapa de frente can be performed. A more advanced related position is queda de rins. Arrastão, a more advanced sweep, is given as a follow-up technique, and among the related positions is also queda de três, which sources place among the kicks of the Angola style.