This video shows the power of the Capoeira kick and compares it to kicks from other styles. I would say it depends more on the person than the style but nevertheless I must say the power produced is quite amazing.

I love watching capoeira. I'd love to be able to do it. But given the extraordinary strength and flexibility shown, sadly I think it's out of reach of most folks, unless they either start very young or are blessed already with naturally agility.

I watched that video a while ago, and felt that the science was rather poor:

*The kicks were very dissimilar to one another. Taking different kicks from different different styles makes no sense. Either take different kicks from the same style, or similar kicks from different styles.

*The tilting platform made no sense... To me, it just adds to the "TV-Science" silliness.

I watched that video a while ago, and felt that the science was rather poor:

*The kicks were very dissimilar to one another.

Yes I noticed that too. Comparing a roundhouse from muay thai, one of its most devastating kicks, with a front snap kick from karate, a kick more geared for speed than power, seems a bit silly.

Reaching to the ground can strengthen the wheel kick... However building a variety of options from a stable position like that takes time. I've seen some strong misc kicks used as 'pokes' from 3-points. Usually, they aren't very commanding.

The thing about Capoeira's martelo do chao (and mea lua de compasso, which also gets the exact same commentary) is that the style uses snapshot positions within that movement for other techniques and footwork. You see a large telegraphic kick with a long setup, I see a common stance change in an art that makes very frequent stance changes, a bit of footwork, then one of the several kicks or movements that comes out of that position.