JAMAICANS Richard Murray and Rodane Radcliffe are now just two belts away from mastering capoeira, the Afro-Brazilian martial art, after earning their professor belts in Germany in May and becoming the highest-ranked instructors in Jamaica.

Capoeira is a dynamic, Afro-Brazilian martial art that uniquely blends acrobatics, dance, percussion, and song. Developed in Brazil by enslaved Africans, it was originally created as a covert method to practise self-defence and fight for freedom by disguising combat movements as fluid, rhythmic dance.

In capoeira, a professor is an advanced teaching rank, generally equivalent to a black belt in other martial art formats. Professors are highly skilled practitioners capable of leading an academy, conducting classes, and teaching students all aspects of the art.