Move Background: Galopante is one of the most widely used hand strikes in Capoeira. This strike is delivered with an open palm to the face and uses the base of the palm. This differs from other striking arts, such as boxing, which places a large emphasis on a closed fist to deliver a blow. It is not clear specifically why an open palm is used as opposed to a closed fist. One reason might have to do with the high probability of wrists breaking when punching someone in the face. There are many cases of examples of punches to the head leading to cracked or broken bones in the hand.
Step by step guide: The galopante is more of a slap than a punch. The capoeirista strikes the side of the opponents face or ear with his open hand in a swinging motion. In most cases the galopante is not meant to cause much damage to the opponent. It is instead used as a distraction or to tell the opponent that his guard is too open. However, it is a handslap that follows the same trajectory and principles of a hook punch using the body's core making it just as damaging in the right "hands".
