Savate

[Rene "Zendokan" Gysenbergs]

The real problem with Savate is that their are two forms
The first is : La Boxe Française Savate
The second is : Savate Défense.

La Boxe Française Savate is the competition form and looks like better TKD with shoes, Savate Défense is like the name says self-Defense and looks more like Muay Thai/Muay Boran with the only difference that the kicks are "chambered". Do a search for "Savate Défense" on youtube and you will find some really nice and effective techniques.

The problem why Savate doesn't pick up with people is that their are only few Savate schools around and that before you can train Savate Défense you have to go first thru the La Boxe Française syllibus ( rangs are yellow, blue,red, white and silver glove) and only when you got the silver gloves rank in LBFS you can start with SDé. While if you start training Muay Thai you go direct to level of SDé.

Oh yeah, by the way Savateurs whear shoes, but Savate is not limited to the shoes, when a Savateur fights bare-foots he kicks with the bal of his foot, the instep and the hiel just like karatekas do and do not forget the shin , they hurt as much as MT shins.

[Brandon]

Goju nailed it.

The only thing that separates Savate from other sport-oriented kickboxing styles is the focus on kicking with shoes. The punching techniques are no different from Muay Thai or Boxing. If you take away the shoes you take away the techniques that make Savate unique (fouette, coup pied bas, etc) check out this quick montage of Savate techniques. Note the "shoeness" of the techniques.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le8AOxtskp8

Take away the shoes and you kinda have what looks like really good TKD. I suppose it could work in MMA. But since the training isn't geared toward it (shoes, no clinching) I don't see it taking off anytime soon.

I didn'n notice the kicks, because I was distracted by how amazingly French that was.

[DdlR]

Wasn't one of the early UFC champs a Savate guy?

From what I have seen it is a perfectly competent striking style with bad uniforms. Savate was a bit shakey in the past- compare the videos of old savate fights:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[yt]OZaNtm-5mCo

To old tyme boxing:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=[yt]to363U0L6os


It has improved a lot (as have all arts to a degree). I think the lack of access to savate gyms keeps people from knowing about it.

Bear in mind that the '30s savate footage is of an assaut (light contact, exhibition-style match) and that the 1899 boxing footage was a staged reconstruction, again, not a real match.

[nightowl]

Bear in mind that the '30s savate footage is of an assaut (light contact, exhibition-style match) and that the 1899 boxing footage was a staged reconstruction, again, not a real match.

Hey, I reads what da' youtube sez. :XXsmoker:

(thanks for the clarification)