Yes, in Rio things can have several names. That's what happens with a “game” that developed in the city in the 1950s and reveals the improvisational skill of Rio locals: altinha. But is it altinha or altinho, after all? The “old-school” crowd insists it's “altinho”, while younger folks prefer to call it “altinha”.
Image description: This is a photograph of a woman playing soccer on the beach. She is in motion, with her arms outstretched and a smile on her face. Behind her, there is a mountain, and the sky is cloudy. The soccer ball is flying near her, and the ground is sandy.Foto: Natasha Eyer por Pedro Perestrello (2020)
Altinha is a game that blossomed alongside football, but prioritizing skill over its famous sibling's rigid rules. It was born on street corners, at factory doors, and on the small fields scattered across the city. Democratic, it could be played with any kind of ball: rag ball, leather ball, rubber ball...
The new format kept pace with street pickup games, played anywhere alongside — or in place of — bate-bola, bobinho, and keep-away. As a warm-up for the football match, it served to point out the more and less skilled players, who would then be picked in odds-or-evens to form the teams.
Late afternoon in Ipanema - video @maracada.alta (2019)
In the 1980s, a variation of the game began to include the ‘corte’ (cut) and started spreading across Praia de Ipanema, more precisely between posts 9 and 10, earning the name altinho. From then on, the ball never stopped switching feet and rising to the skies, taking over the Rio sands. It became a craze in Rio and spread throughout Brazil.
Just two players are needed to start the game, whose main objective is to keep the ball from falling without using your hands, doing it in the most beautiful way possible. Altinha involves three basic moves, inspired by futevôlei: the lift, the cut, and the defense. It's fine to use your shoulders, head, chest, and feet, of course! One of the most interesting features of the sport is that there's no competition between players, but rather a cooperative spirit. For everyone to win, no one can lose.
The sport started being played next to the futevôlei courts, on the soft, hot sand, and moved down to the water's edge, where the breeze blows and the sand doesn't burn your feet. In January 2020, what started as a pastime became Intangible Cultural Heritage of the city of Rio de Janeiro, but, just like frescobol, playing altinha by the seaside is only allowed after 5 p.m.
This text was written with the collaboration of Victor Martins, responsible for @em.alta and www.emaltabrasil.com.br
