Savate is also known as French boxing, French Kickboxing, or French foot fighting. It is a French martial art that uses hands and feet 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 permitted.
Savate is probably the only style of kickboxing where shoes are worn (savate is a French word for “old shoe”). A male practitioner of savate is called a savateur and a female practitioner a savateuse.
History of Savate
The current style of Savate originated at the beginning of the 19th century. At that time, it was a form of street fighting popular in Paris and northern France.
In the south, especially in the port of Marseille, sailors developed a fighting style centered around high kicks and open-hand strikes. Punching with a fist was considered a deadly weapon.
It was known as jeu marseillais (game from Marseille) and later called chausson. This martial art also emerged 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.
Casseux opened a school in 1825 where a regulated version of savate was taught. Later, savate was recognized as a sport by the Committee National de Boxe Francaise, partly thanks to the great efforts of Count Pierre Baruzy.
He is today regarded as the father of modern savate and was an 11-time champion of France. 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
Nowadays, 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 competition: assaut, pre-combat, and combat. In assaut, participants must focus on their technique. Penalty points can be given for fighting too hard.
In pre-combat, full power fighting is allowed and participants wear protection. Combat is the highest level, where full-contact fighting takes place without protection. Only a mouthguard and a toque are mandatory.
Ranks in Savate
In many martial arts, the practitioner's rank is indicated by a colored belt. In savate, colored gloves are used to show that a practitioner holds a certain rank.
Beginners start with uncolored gloves. Then, they can earn blue, green, red, white, and yellow gloves by passing tests. Only those with yellow gloves or higher may compete in matches.
Silver gloves are the highest rank within savate. Golden gloves are an honorary rank given to people who have contributed significantly to the sport.
Techniques in Savate
In competitive Savate, only 4 types of kicks and 4 types of punches are allowed.
Kicks
- fouetté – roundhouse kick
- chassé – forward kick
- revers – hook kick
- coup de pied bas – low kick
Punches
- direct bras avant – jab
- direct bras arrière – cross
- crochet – hook
- uppercut – uppercut
Savate did not originate as a sport but as a form of self-defense 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 knees, elbow strikes, throws, sweeps, and headbutts. The concept is that the whole body is a weapon.
