Savate

For the Olivier Gruner film, see Savate (film).

Savate
Also known asFrench boxing,
French footfighting[1]
FocusKick
HardnessFull contact
Country of originFrance[2]
CreatorMichel Casseux, Charles Lecour
Famous practitioners(see notable practitioners)
ParenthoodBoxing, Ancient footfighting
Descendant artsKickboxing, Jeet Kune Do,[3][page needed] Mixed Martial Arts
Olympic sportonly the 1924 Summer Olympics[4]

Savate (French pronunciation: [savat]), also known as French Boxing (French: Boxe Française) or French Foot Fighting, is a French hybrid martial art and full-contact combat sport that combines principles of western boxing with a wide variety of kicking techniques.[5][6][7][8] Unlike kickboxing styles such as Muay Thai, which allow knee and/or shin strikes in competitive bouts, savate involves striking exclusively with one's feet, but participants can nonetheless target any part of the body. The sport is also notable for requiring footwear to be worn by the competitors, as would be expected from individuals fighting in the streets. A male practitioner of savate is called a "tireur" while a female one is a "tireuse".[9]

Savate de rue (lit. 'street savate'), the term used to differentiate the original martial art meant for self-defense from the subsequent combat sport, is an overarching hand-to-hand combat discipline that incorporates knee and elbow strikes as well as joint locks, sweeps, throws, headbutts and takedowns, in addition to punches and kicks.

  1. ^ "French Boxers in England.; Attempt to Popularise Self-Defense by a New Style of Kicking". New York Times. 31 October 1898. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  2. ^ "The Nobel Art."; Self-Defense by Kicking Exemplified by French Artists in London". New York Times. 10 November 1898. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  3. ^ Title: Bruce Lee - Between Wing Chun and Jeet Kune Do, Author: Jesse Glover, Publisher: Glover Publications (January 1, 1976) ISBN 0-9602328-0-X ISBN 978-0-9602328-0-2.
  4. ^ Mallon, Bill; Heijmans, Jeroen (11 August 2011). Historical Dictionary of the Olympic Movement. Scarecrow Press. p. 97. ISBN 9780810875227. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  5. ^ Martin, Adam (30 October 1988). "Getting Your Kicks With French Boxing Lomita Fighting, Fitness Academy Teaches the Sweet Science of Savate". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 November 2010.
  6. ^ "Savate: The French Manly Art of Self-Defense (Part 2)". Blackbeltmag.com. 20 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Savate: The French Manly Art of Self-Defense". Blackbeltmag.com. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 21 November 2015. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  8. ^ Crudelli, Chris (October 2008). The Way of the Warrior. Dorling Kindersley Limited. ISBN 9781405330954. Retrieved 10 January 2015.
  9. ^ Hontz, Jenny (18 December 2006). "FITNESS BOUND; Holiday pounds? Give 'em a swift kick". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 25 November 2010.