I would like to know more about this fighting style. I come from a French background and always was curious about it. I guess I just have more in common with it than the Eastern aspects of MA's ( not that there is anything wrong with them.) I currently train in kickboxing and was wondering how similar the two styles are. And of course, where in the US I could study the art? Google searches haven't given me the results I was hoping for
There was a Savate club during my college days and I can say that its definitely not for the faint-hearted. They wear tight pants. Really tight. And with filmsy material. Suffice to say that its not for those who have issues with skin tight pants and filmsy singlets.
I dont know a alot about it. I was told two different things about its origin.. one is sailors from Marseilles, whom had a form of ship deck-fighting.. two is from street thugs who had their own unique unarmed fighting, and cane/stickfighting art.. I think its a little from column a, and a little from column b.. I believe there are more than one type of Savate, one being the "older"style that still contains the canefighting/ and maybe sword fighting as well as unarmed. It looks interesting, and I love the fact that its a European fighting style that is still around..
It may be more useful to share where, in the US, you are. Rather than post every training opportunity for savate in the country. You may also look for JKD Concepts instructors on Guro Dan Inosanto's website. I think a fair number of people in that camp have at least some exposure to savate via Guro Dan's association with Salem Assli. Stuart
Let's get Pugil (Ollie Batts) in here. I remember meeting him a few years ago and he had plenty of info on Savate, cane combat etc.
Fight Quest had a really good episode on Savate. If you have an iTunes account, you should download the $1.99 episode (the episode name is "France," as they're named after the country and not the art). Sorry, I couldn't find it online for free. Here's an excerpt: http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/fight-quest-secret-of-savate.html Human Weapon also had a Savate episode, but Human Weapon is a silly show. I think there's newer savate, which is purely a form of kickboxing (distinctive for its singlets and also for its use of toe-kick roundhouses with shoes on instead of striking with the shin with bare feet), and older savate, which is a street-oriented art with a lot of stickfighting involved. Nowadays, Canne de Combat is a separate French combat sport that focuses on the stickfighting. The modern combat sport of Savate: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BC6ko7eVQzE"]YouTube- Gerard Gordeau 1991 savate fights[/ame] The modern combat sport of Canne de Combat: [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgwX2C5IrIg"]YouTube- Canne de Combat[/ame]
The canne d'arme part of Savate is particularly nasty. Looks like fun! [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lqYeDCAO2Hg"]YouTube- La canne Vigny[/ame] Best regards, -Mark
Thanks for the vote of confidence PA. Please go to my little website: http://www.savate.net/ and click on the link entitled: 'History of Savate'. As for Julien's comment about Savateurs wearing 'really tight pants', that's not true of all Savateurs. They do, however, tend to compete in fairly close-fitting Integrales (all-in-one unitards), as they are functional and light. If your clothing is too loose, the boots tend to get hung up in the material. And yes, they don't wear foam 'pillows' on their feet, they wear boots!
Here's a fun selection (turn sound down if kids around): [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49rp-xyMFak&feature=related"]YouTube- Is it a bird ? Is it a plane ? It is Savate ![/ame]
There are some quite nice demo's of Savate on this site: http://www.bvbfs.fr/videos.php In particular, Fornes v Sarr.
