Malicia is a concept in Capoeira that is both simple and complex. Its Latin root, mal, meaning 'bad,' or 'ill,' would imply a concept of evilness. However, contextually speaking, malicia translates best as 'trickery/deceit.' Malicia, at its heart in Capoeira, is the art of deceiving your opponent and tricking them into a compromising position. Philosophy Malicia has several philosophical areas. One of which is lies in the idea that the roda is a microcosm of life. As such, malicia becomes important, as it allows a capoeirista to see into a person and understand how a person thinks and approaches life. As malicia would allow the capoeirista to see an attack as a fake to set up a takedown, also malicia would allow the capoeirista to see a person's real motive behind a facade (Nestor Capoeira, Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game). Another philosophical are