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Monday, June 9, 2014
At Rio’s Beaches, Kicks Go Over Net
As World Cup Arrives, Some Brazilians Play an Acrobatic Variation of the Game
RIO DE JANEIRO — The most impressive move in Brazilian sports has nothing to do with soccer, takes place on sand and is known, delightfully, as the Shark Attack.
While most of the attention in this city will be on the World Cup over the next month, the fans walking the beaches here will also find themselves transfixed by a game in which players routinely throw themselves into the air, twist their bodies in all directions and raise their feet more than six feet off the ground. The sport is known as futevolei (pronounced foo-chee-volley), and its signature move is mesmerizing.
The game, which was born on the famed beaches of Copacabana in the 1960s, features a pair of competitors on each side of a net playing beach volleyball without the use of their hands. Creativity is king: Players use their feet, shoulders, chests, heads and anything else that would be legal on a soccer field to get the ball back over the net. A soft touch, powerful legs and sharp reflexes are critical.
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So, too, is a certain amount of fearlessness, particularly for those who want to attempt the Shark Attack, a move created by Leo Tubarão — whose surname translates to “shark” — that is essentially futevolei’s equivalent to volleyball’s spike or tennis’s overhead smash.
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A player in Rio de Janeiro executed a “shark attack,” a spike made with the foot.CreditLalo de Almeida for The New York Times
To pull off the move, a player has to leap high enough that he can get his leg above the net before powering the ball down with the bottom of his foot. Done right, it is nearly impossible to defend; done wrong, it can result in a crippling injury.
“I’ve seen people hanging in the net by their feet,” said Leo Lindoso, a regular at games in Copacabana who also plays in top-level tournaments. “That does not feel good. You have to be careful.”
Most players know not to try a Shark Attack unless they receive a perfect pass, Lindoso said. Most of the time, teams dink a shot just over the net or try to move their opposition in one direction before reversing the ball quickly the other way.
Leonardo Souza, a doorman in Botafogo who has been playing for 12 years, said he learned quickly that the Shark Attack was not for beginners.
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A futevolei game in Rio de Janeiro. The sport is also gaining popularity in countries such as Italy, Australia and Israel.CreditLalo de Almeida for The New York Times
“I hurt my back and had to go to therapy” after trying the move, shortly after learning to play, he said. Then he winced and said, “It was an important lesson.”
Most players agreed that the most useful skill was control with one’s chest. With such a large surface area to receive the ball, compared with the knee or instep, a player’s chest is generally his most reliable tool for passing.
That can prove a bit more challenging for female players, said Aline Teixera, a doctor in Rio who tries to play in competitive matches several nights a week. Teixera said most women generally tried to receive the ball closer to their shoulders.
“You sort of bump your shoulder in when the ball comes,” said Ana Paula Oliveira, a top female player who goes by the nickname Anina. “It takes practice.”
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