Savate is also called French boxing , French kickboxing or French foot fighting. It is a French martial art that uses the 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 allowed. Savate is probably the only style of kickboxing that involves wearing shoes (savate is a French word for “old shoe”). A male practitioner of savate is called savateur and a female savateuse.
History of Savate
The current style of Savate originated at the beginning of the 19th century. It was a form of street fighting popular in Paris and the north of France at the time. In the south, especially in the port of Marseille, sailors had developed a fighting style that focused on high kicks and striking with an open hand. Hitting with a fist was considered a deadly weapon. It was known as jeu marseillais (Marseille game) and later called chausson. This martial art also became popular 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 changed the sport from street fighting to a real sport. Casseux opened a school in 1825 where a regulated version of savate was trained. Later, savate was recognized as a sport by the Committee National de Boxe Francaise. This was partly due to great efforts by Count Pierre Baruzy. Today he is seen 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 Paris Olympics. In 2008, Savate was recognized by FISU, allowing the first official university world championship to be held in Nantes in 2010.
Savate ano now
Today, savate is practiced all over the world, from Australia to America. Many countries have national associations to promote the sport. There are three levels of fighting: assassin, pre-combat and combat. In Assaut, participants must focus on their technique. One can get penalty points if fighting too hard. In pre-combat fighting is allowed with full force and participants wear protection, Comat is the toughest level and full-contact fighting takes place but without protection. Only a mouthguard and a toque are required.
Ranks at Savate
In many martial arts, the degree of the practitioner is indicated by a colored band. Savate uses colored gloves to indicate that a practitioner has a certain degree. Beginners start with uncolored gloves. One can then obtain blue, green, red, white and yellow gloves by passing tests. Matches may only be fought by yellow or higher gloves. Silver gloves are the highest degree in savate. Golden Gloves are a degree of honor and are given to people who have done a lot for the sport.
Techniques at Savate
In the Savate match, only 4 types of kicks and 4 types of punches are allowed.
To kick
- fouetté – roundhouse kick
- chassé – front kick
- lapel – hook kick
- coup de pied bas – low kick
Bumps
- direct bras avant – jab
- direct bras arrière – cross
- crochet – corner
- uppercut – uppercut
Savate did not originate as a sport but as a form of self-defense and was practiced on the streets of Paris and Marseille. This type of savate became known as Savate de Rue. In addition to the kicks and punches, Savate de Rue also includes knees, elbow strikes, throws, sweeps and headbutts. The concept is that the entire body is a weapon.
