Savate

[Freeform]

Any savate practioners out their? I'm interested in the comparison between the french style kicking and the Karate style kicking.

A few years aago I read a book entitled 'The Fighting Arts, Choosing the Way' by Mick Papas and various other authors, and it draws reference to another book (the name of which I forget) written in the 1920's which compared the two schools of kicking and determined that the French style was much more 'sophisticated'.

Any thoughts?

Thanx

[Freeform]

No takers out there?

I now that a couple of years ago a Savate School opened in central London, and is alledgedly the only one in Britain. Anyone seen or visited it?

Thanx

[waya]

I've heard of it lol (tons of help today aren't I? :) ) LOL

I'd like to see some Savate practitioners also and learn something about it.

Rob

[Jim]

I visited a club that called itself Tae Kwon Do a few years ago but it turned out to be Savate. The instructor (a frenchman) thought that if he called it Savate then no one would know what he was doing and wouldn't come.

I don't know much about it though, but he did have a few books on the subject and one was probably the one you were looking for. I lost contact with him though, sorry.

[YODA]

A good friend of mine - Ollie Batts - teaches Savate in Cambridge.

http://www.cambridgemartialarts.freeserve.co.uk/savate.htm

[Freeform]

Cheers Yoda, quiet informative.

Colin

[morphus]

LOVE THE SAVATE SITE, HEARD ABOUT THE ART, BUT DIDN'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE HISTORY.

REALLY GOOD!
:D

[YODA]

Another "net buddy", Armando Basulto, has a site you may like too......

http://www.wayofnoway.com/savate.html

He has a yahoo group dedicated to Savate - some very good stuff there.

Tell him Yoda sent ya :-)

[Cain]

Hey FF check out this book it has good coverage on savate - Secret fighting arts of the world

I don't remember the author thogh :(

|Cain|

[SeekingTheWay]

I've been training in Savate in Glasgow for the best part of a year now.

Just recently gained my Blue Glove grading via Salem Assli who came over from the California Association of Boxe Francaise-Savate to assess us.

I also train in JKD and Muay Thai but particularly enjoy Savate.

R

[Freeform]

Care to give us a little insight to Savate, techniques, grading anything like that.

And welcome to the forum as well.

Colin

[Cain]

Hmm...if I m rite savate focuses heavily on low kicks n they r more like swings rather than snaps......that is all I know about the style.....hmm......I m waiting for seekingtheway's answer.....

|Cain|

[YODA]

Originally posted by cain_charlie
Hmm...if I m rite savate focuses heavily on low kicks n they r more like swings rather than snaps......that is all I know about the style.....hmm......I m waiting for seekingtheway's answer.....

|Cain|


I think you'll find that you couldn't be further from the truth.

[Cain]

Ahh!!!! Enlightment from the master :D

|Darth Vader| :D :D

[SeekingTheWay]

Since I've only been doing the art a short while i'll try my best to explain what I know.

The art dates back approx 400 years to French sailors on their voyages to far East. More known in the USA in the 1800's from French and Basque settlers. It is in the 1870s that coloured gradings were introduced and probably round about then that it was more widely known.

It can be described as foot fencing, punches are used- mainly jabs and crosses although uppercuts, hooks do come into effect.

Kicks are at all levels low, medium and high using mainly the toe in a "whipping" fashion and the instep.

Kicks include - fouette (to whip) a kick to outside of the knee, rib area or head, chasse lattrel-rear side kick, coupe de bas - kick to shin similar to JKD duntek, chasse bas- front lead kick, spinning heel hook kick at all heights.

A lot of flexibility comes into play, when seen the arts kicks can look somewhat "ballet"like only with speed.

Some grappling can be used to counter kicks. as well as usual parrying with gloves and shin blocks or evasion.

Grades start from blue glove to green, red, yellow, black and onto silver.

As I learn more Ill keep posted, there are sites I have from Paris and California which Ill look out and post up.

Any questions i'll try to answer if not I'll find them for yous.

R

[Freeform]

Cheers mate :D

I wonder why Savate, from what I've seen a very effective art, has become a 'mainstream' art with all these sailors travelling over the world. Did they guard the 'secrets' of their training?

Colin

[YODA]

You mean hasn't become a mainstream art?

[simonlarcombe]

The only additional stuff I know about Savate (I went to one lesson! :-).

Savate was practiced my sailors and originally was almost all kicking. If I remember correctly you have (or had) your hand on the floor for a lot of the kicks (because of the problems with balance on the boats).

When the French sailors came to England they faught with the English Pugilists (early Boxers) and got beaten very regularly so they adapted some of the Pugilist style into Savate, thus Savate now has a more similar style to kick boxing. But VERY different from Muay Thai.

Simon

[Freeform]

Yeah, I meant hasn't.

[Sonshu]

I would love to do the styles and know that world class Savate fighters are effective in the ring.

There is little grappling in it and I find the Kicking from the one Savate person I trained with at a seminar he was awsome, accurate, fast and kicked like a strong thai fighter.

It is a good art with sweeps and all. Its more like kickboxing I guess but its very good. Gerard Gordeau was an excellent example - if anyone has UFC 1 (this first one) they will know what I mean.

He kicked some serious butt and only lost in the final to Gracie - I have to say if he was not so cautious and belted Royce I think he would have been in trouble!

SONSHU

[boxefrancaise]

Hello people,

New on here (i think i've spoken to yoda many moons ago). Don't know if any of you are still following this thread, but just in case i thought i'd say hello.

I am a red glove in Savate, originally trained with Ollie in cambridge (the guy who wrote the webpage someone linked you to earlier) but now train in Guildford with my mad next door neighbour Rossy. I'm a moniteur level instructor but don't teach at the minute as rossy does such a good job and i've had a baby not all that long ago, but may be moving to Kent sometime soon and will probably open one then with my husband who has just started instructor training.

Anyway, there are other newby instructors on his course who will hopefully opening more clubs soon, including in London. So there should be somewhere not too far for you all to pop along to and give Savate a try and see what you think, new people are always welcome at the Spectrum (Guildford)

Anything else you want to know, drop me a line and i'll ask someone who knows!

Keri

[boxefrancaise]

Ooh Simon i've just seen you live in Godalming. We live in Farncombe!

OK i'll go now!

Keri

[Sonshu]

He is good!

:D

[AsSaSiN]

A litlle info on savate, but a wealth of information on most MA's, sorted by country: http://users.rcn.com/sroberts.enteract/

[Louie]

The earliest reference to Savate itself comes from literature: a poem written in the 1600s describes a savateur as either an angel or a devil. In Basque folklore, a hero named Bassojuan uses zipota (Basque savate) against villains.

The Basque art is similar to [the French fighting style] Savate it's called called Zipota (shoe) which also survives and contains some stick-fencing. It is a very rough sport, involving a lot of leaping kicks and throws even in competition. The use of the Basque walking stick, a light five foot shepherd's staff, is taught in an aligned discipline called Malika. Several practitioners have competed very successfully in Savate-Boxe Francaise and la canne de combat.

Louie (Ancient Scottish & European Martial Arts)

[Fergie Boy]

Marquis of Queensbury boxing rules are used in Savate, so where as you cannot get punched in the back of the head you can get kicked in the back of the head.

The hook kick is very whippy and usually kicks with the toe
The shase frontal is simillar to the push kick in Thai but hits with impact from the heel.
side kicks spinning kicks and jumping kicks are also used.

Savate players tend to stand very tall with their weight dispersed slightly more to their rear foot, I think this is to allow the lead foot to shoot out quickly and be used like a jab, and fast combinations of kicks and punches are used. One of the things I like about Savate is their respect of range, they will not kick when inn punching range but will quickly change range with the use of a side step which also changes the angle the attack comes in from.