Europe

Savate (France)

Savate (France)

  • Name of sport (game): Savate
  • Name in native language: Savate
  • Place of practice (continent, state, nation):

    France

  • History:

    The word savate comes from an old French word for boot, a bastardization of the Spanish word zapato. Savate as it is known today is a mixture of southern kicking styles out of Marseilles, ostensibly used by sailors to fight on boats, and street fighting techniques in Paris and northern France developed by or for the more martial members of the upper class, who wanted to protect themselves when venturing into the Parisian red light districts to gamble and party.
    The southern kicking art was known as chausson, or slipper, while the northern was called savate. A series of masters in the late 1800s and early 1900s codified and organized the two loose fighting styles into a martial art and, eventually, a sport: la boxe française. The original two progenitors of the sport were Michel Casseux and his student Charles Lecour. Casseux is widely credit for creating the art of Savate out of the proto-jelly of French street fighter skills, while Lecour took his master's art and added elements of English boxing to round out the striking skills.

    Savate France

  • Description:

    Savate competitions are held under two sets of rules: “assault" and “total combat." In an assault match, participants may wear protective pads — headgear and shin guards, for example. Thus, the risk of injury is reduced. In a total-combat match, they enjoy a full-contact ring experience similar to what is found in Western boxing. Knockouts are often seen.
    The fist savate techniques are similar to those of boxing. The main ones are the jab, cross, hook and uppercut. The foot techniques of savate fall into four categories: low shin, side, roundhouse and reverse. Variations include kicks executed with the lead leg and the rear leg, as well as spinning, jumping and cross-stepping methods. An experienced savateur can combine those four punches and four types of kicks to form thousands of combinations.
    Kicks can target an opponent's legs, body or head. One of the savateur's favorite methods of attack is to deliver a low kick followed by a roundhouse to the body with the tip of the shoe. Kicking with the tip of the shoe can be devastating. Over the years, it has knocked down more than a few experienced kickboxers. An opponent's back is a legal target for kicking.
    Punching an opponent in the back is forbidden. That odd restriction stems from the olden days when savate did not have any rules. When Charles Lecour adopted the techniques of boxing, he also adopted the rules of the Marquis of Queensbury, which disallowed punches to the back. Because kicking was not covered by the Queensbury rules, the old ways of foot fighting remained in place.
    Feints are a staple of savate. As such, kicks are seldom presented in a direct manner. Instead, they fly in from all angles and are almost never what they seem. An example is provided by the following combination: A savateur will often fake a fast low kick toward his opponent's leg, but it will quickly morph into a roundhouse to the stomach. Or vice versa.

    Boxe francaise
    Source: https://londonsavate.co.uk/savate/#development-of-savate

    Savate kicks
    Fouetté - Literally ‘Whip’ kick. The kicking action is made around the knee joint. Striking with: toes or top of the shoe, foot extended. The final trajectory must be lateral. (Never swung forwards).

    Chassé - Literally to ‘drive away’. Stamping using a piston action and hitting at full extension, using the heel to keep an opponent at distance.
    Lateral: hips sideways on.
    Frontal: hips front facing.

    Revers - Reverse kick. The reverse arc of the fouetté from outside-in, striking with sole or blade of the shoe.
    Lateral: hips sideways on.
    Frontal: hips front facing.

    Coup de pied bas (balayage) - Literally low strike (sweep). Either striking forwards or outside-to-inside. Can be used to upend an opponent’s. Striking with: inside blade of the shoe, below the knee of the adversary.

    Punches
    direct bras avant (jab, lead hand)
    direct bras arrière (cross, rear hand)
    crochet (hook, bent arm with either hand)
    uppercut (either hand)

    savate
    Source: https://www.vice.com/en/article/78npng/savate-frances-dangerous-ballet

    In sporting savate, fighters hit only with their fists and different surfaces of the feet, while hits with the knees, elbows, and shins are banned. The competitions are held in three disciplines:
    Assaut — light contact — is similar to non-contact karate. In such bouts, the main thing is the correctly executed blow. Light contact is allowed, but strong, tight contact results in penalty points and sometimes even disqualification.
    Pre-combat is similar to full contact in karate. Participants wear protective gear: helmets and shinguards. Usually, these are the qualifiers for the finals.
    Combat is the same as pre-combat, but without shinguards and helmets. This is always a final bout.

    Canne is another direction in savate. It is fighting with a cane 95-100 cm in length and 125-140 g in weight. This tradition dates back to the 19th century when dueling and carrying swords were prohibited. The technique is almost the same as in sword fighting. It was Charles Lecour who began to teach this kind of combat to all comers. The legend says he could hit a target up to 200 times in a minute. Canne has been preserved and is taught as part of French boxing. There are also separate canne competitions.

    savate stick
    Source: https://blackbeltmag.com/la-canne-savates-walking-stick-weapon-art

  • Current status:

    Practiced

    plakat

  • Contacts:

    Confédération Européenne de Savate
    Web: http://www.savate-europe.com/
    Tel. +33 (0)1 53 24 60 60
    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Logo European Confederation Savate

     

    Fédération Internationale de Savate
    Web: http://www.savate.sport
    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Fb: https://www.facebook.com/FISavate/
    logo Federation Internationale Savate

     

    Fédération Française de SAVATE boxe française & D.A.
    Address: 49 rue du Faubourg Poissonnière, Paris, France
    Tel. +33 1 53 24 60 60
    Web: https://www.ffsavate.com
    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
    Fb: https://www.facebook.com/FFSbfDA
    logo Federation Francaise Savate

     

    London Savate
    +44(0)7950 456307
    logo london savate

  • Sources of information :

    Books:
    Kenneth Pua, Andy Kunz, SAVATE Assaut & Combat Made Easy, Independently published 2017
    Philip Reed, Richard Muggeridge, Boxe Francaise-savate: Martial Art of France, Paul H. Crompton Ltd 1985
    Lucien Alliot, Savate Fully Illustrated Book for Advance Pupil, eBook 2023
    Andy Kunz, Kenneth Pua, French foot fencing Historical & Technical Journal Fully Illustrated Historical European Martial Arts, Kindle Edition, 2020
    Andy Kunz, Kenneth Pua, Savate The Deadly Old Boots Kicking Art from France, Lulu.com, eBook, 2022
    Bruce Tegner, Savate: French Foot Fighting, Thor Pub Co 1970
    Bruce Tegner, Savate, Thor Publishing Co ,U.S.; 3rd Revised ed. edition 1983
    Matthew Lynch, BOXING & SAVATE, 2018
    Michel Delahaye, Savate et chausson, boxe francaise d'hier et d'aujourd'hui, TREDANIEL, 1995
    Bernard Plasait, Défense et illustration de la boxe française. Savate, canne, chausson, Paris 1972, Sedirep
    Joseph Charlemont, Théorique et pratique de la boxe française, 1878.
    Joseph Charlemont, La Boxe Française, historique et biographique, souvenirs, notes, impressions, anecdotes, 1899.

    Articles:
    https://blackbeltmag.com/savate-from-the-back-alleys-of-france-to-the-martial-arts-world
    https://www.superprof.com/blog/learn-french-boxing-style/
    https://mmachannel.com/what-is-savate-how-savate-evolved-from-street-fighting/
    https://sweetscienceoffighting.com/savate-vs-muay-thai/
    https://theselfdefenceexpert.com/savate/
    https://www.telecomasia.net/blog/what-is-french-boxing-or-savate-history-technique-directions-disciplines-and-efficiency/
    https://legendsmma.net/savate-kickboxing-you-need-to-know/
    https://www.superprof.co.in/blog/french-boxing-for-dummies/
    https://blackbeltmag.com/la-canne-savates-walking-stick-weapon-art
    https://www.telecomasia.net/blog/what-is-french-boxing-or-savate-history-technique-directions-disciplines-and-efficiency/

    Video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ykx8F5LklNw
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRX8iR_mdwA
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMH4j6ruTIY
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2iUwn61LAo
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_wVlJ6m48o

     

    The information contained in the article comes from the following sources:
    https://www.vice.com/en/article/78npng/savate-frances-dangerous-ballet
    https://londonsavate.co.uk/savate/#development-of-savate
    https://blackbeltmag.com/savate-from-the-back-alleys-of-france-to-the-martial-arts-world
    https://www.telecomasia.net/blog/what-is-french-boxing-or-savate-history-technique-directions-disciplines-and-efficiency/
    https://www.martialyou.com/index.php/styles/list/56-savate

    Source of photos used in this article and gallery:
    https://www.vice.com/en/article/78npng/savate-frances-dangerous-ballet
    https://londonsavate.co.uk/savate/#development-of-savate
    https://savatekickboxing.ca/
    http://playfighting.ca/fight-like-a-gentleman/bartitsu-blog/savate-in-bartitsu/
    https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1111393/ukraine-dominate-at-world-savate-champs
    https://www.superprof.co.in/blog/french-boxing-for-dummies/
    https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/344877283938786102/
    https://www.martialyou.com/index.php/styles/list/56-savate
    https://pl.pinterest.com/pin/26036504088269600/
    https://blackbeltmag.com/la-canne-savates-walking-stick-weapon-art

  • Gallery:

  • Documents:

    pdf2018_official_rules_kick-boxing_multi-style-_EN.pdf

    pdfBruno_Hilton_Course_Savate.pdf

Contact

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