Savate is also called French boxing, French kickboxing or French foot fighting. It is a French martial art in which the hands and feet are used as weapons. It combines elements of Western boxing with graceful kicking techniques.
Only kicks with the foot are allowed, unlike Muay Thai where kicks with the shin and knee are also allowed.
Savate is probably the only style of kickboxing in which shoes are worn (savate is a French word for “old shoe”). A male practitioner of savate is called a savateur and a female a savateuse.
History of Savate
The current style of Savate originated in the early 19th century. At that time, it was a form of street fighting that was popular in Paris and northern France.
In the south, especially in the port of Marseille, sailors had developed a fighting style that focused on high kicks and open-hand strikes. Striking with a fist was considered a deadly weapon.
It was known as jeu marseillais (game from Marseille) and was later called chausson. This martial art also gained popularity in the ports of Northern Italy and Eastern Spain.
The two key figures in the history of Savate are Michel Casseux (1794-1869) and Charles Lecour (1808-1894). They transformed the sport from street fighting into a true sport.
In 1825, Casseux opened a school where a regulated version of savate was taught. Later, savate was recognized as a sport by the Comité National de Boxe Française, partly due to the great efforts of Count Pierre Baruzy.
He is today considered the father of modern savate and was an 11-time French champion. The ultimate recognition of savate came in 1924 when it became a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games in Paris. In 2008, savate was recognized by FISU, allowing the first official university world championship to be held in Nantes in 2010.
Savate today
Today, savate is practiced all over the world, from Australia to America. Many countries have national federations to promote the sport.
There are three levels of fighting: assault, pre-combat, and combat. In assault, participants must focus on their technique. They can receive penalty points if they fight too hard.
In pre-combat, participants can fight with full force and wear protective gear. Combat is the toughest level, where full-contact fighting takes place without protective gear. Only a mouthguard and a toque (a type of cap) are mandatory.
Ranks in Savate
In many martial arts, the rank of the practitioner is indicated by a colored belt. In savate, colored gloves are used to indicate that a practitioner has reached a certain rank.
Beginners start with uncolored gloves. Then, by passing tests, one can obtain blue, green, red, white, and yellow gloves. Matches may only be fought using yellow gloves or higher.
Silver gloves are the highest rank in savate. Golden gloves are an honorary rank and are awarded to people who have done a lot for the sport.
Techniques in Savate
In the sport of Savate, only 4 types of kicks and 4 types of punches are allowed.
Stairs
- fouetté – roundhouse trap
- chassé – forward step
- reverse – hook step
- coup de pied bas – low kick
Bump
- direct front jab – jab
- direct rear brace – cross
- crochet – corner
- uppercut – push-up
Savate did not originate as a sport, but as a form of self-defense, and was practiced in the streets of Paris and Marseille. This type of savate became known as Savate de Rue.
In addition to kicks and punches, Savate de Rue also includes knee strikes, elbow strikes, throws, sweeps, and headbutts. The concept is that the whole body is a weapon.
