He began his life in Capoeira as a student of Mestre Gilvenson (C. Daniel Dawson's book "Capoeira Angola and Mestre João Grande" cites Mestre Barbosa as João Pequeno's first teacher, see Mestre João Grande) and later became a disciple of Mestre Pastinha - the father of contemporary Capoeira Angola.
Together with Mestre João Grande he is later to share the honour of being one of the late Mestre Pastinha's two most learned students - the ones to whom he entrusted his legacy.