Savate vs. Muay Thai: Pros and Cons

**Ronin** · Posted On: 1/15/2004 12:15pm

Savate = Tight form fitting tights on skinny frenchmen
Muay Thai = Baggy shorts on skinny Thai's
Conclusion = I prefer to watch nude female jell-o wrestling.

**drunkenj** · Posted On: 1/15/2004 12:23pm

ever been kicked with a savate boot---- it hurts like ****

you cant compare the two, they have different rules and ranges, savate has no elbows, and no standing grappling.

kod an bri ---- what the hell are you talking about, you ran away from some little guys in black pyjamas

**Ronin** · Posted On: 1/15/2004 1:19pm

What is wrong with French bashing ??? don'y you like the sound the french make when you pound them into the ground ?

I got your croissant right here frenchie !!

**Jagg** · Posted On: 1/15/2004 1:53pm

Something new would be fun, wouldn't it?

How about the Danish?

**Scrotumlock** · Posted On: 1/15/2004 2:19pm

For anyone who doesn't know, the savate guy's name from the Early UFC's is Gerard Gordeau, and it says he's from Holland; you may have seen him in Royce's and one of Rickson's highlight videos (though mistakenly in Rickson's). He fought in UFC 1 and the '95 Japan Vale Tudo.

From What I've seen and read he's a dirty but tough fighter. He fought 2/3 UFC fights with a broken hand - winning one while injured (though that opponent was terrible to begin with). He aparently bit Royce's ear (part of why he held that choke so long?), and is responsible for blinding one of Yuki Nakai's eyes with a gouge - retiring him.

**LLL** · Posted On: 1/16/2004 11:45am

Originally posted by Scrotumlock
For anyone who doesn't know, the savate guy's name from the Early UFC's is Gerard Gordeau, and it says he's from Holland; you may have seen him in Royce's and one of Rickson's highlight videos (though mistakenly in Rickson's). He fought in UFC 1 and the '95 Japan Vale Tudo.

From What I've seen and read he's a dirty but tough fighter. He fought 2/3 UFC fights with a broken hand - winning one while injured (though that opponent was terrible to begin with). He aparently bit Royce's ear (part of why he held that choke so long?), and is responsible for blinding one of Yuki Nakai's eyes
with a gouge - retiring him.

His leg was fucked too, but Gordeau also had Kyokushinkai tattoos on his arm, so I don't know which he actually was representing... Him biting Royce is true as far as I know, but no idea about that other guy...

I'd really like to train Savate myself, esp for the reason it trains fighting with shoes.... but Finland 's only club isn't anywhere near here...

**Orion** · Posted On: 1/16/2004 2:56pm

Savete is a no nonsense art. It deals with realistic kicking (i.e.: with shoes on), and it works a lot on very low kicks and kicks with the tip of the boot.
It incorporated english boxing, and when traditionally taught, it features "La canne", a stickfighting style, and the "Luitte Parisienne", a style of wrestling. It was used for duels as well as for self defense, so it had to be complete.
A traditional Savate fighter is a NHB fighter ante literam.

**Ronin** · Posted On: 1/16/2004 3:01pm

Most Savate instructors will tell you Savate is about beating your opponet with finesse, by out pointing them. This was echoed in that History Channel series "the deadly arts" by the savate instructors, on television. It is a sport.
Now I am sure there are a few Savate instructors that can teach the "combat savate", but those are far and few between.
To call savate "complete" is NOT realistic, unless your definition of complete is, well, different then most.

**Orion** · Posted On: 1/16/2004 3:09pm

*shrugs*
I only call complete traditional savate. Sport Savate is just like Sport Muay Thai... a form of kickboxing, hence, mostly a sport.
A sport that trains you to crack skulls ^_^

If one has to evaluate the kickboxing styles separately, Savate is inferior to Muay Thai. No clinching, no elbows. Savate has better kicks IMHO, but they aren't enough to deal with Muay Thai's structure.

**Gezere** · Posted On: 1/17/2004 4:28am

There is a difference between SAVATE and La Boxe Francises (sp?)

First is a TMA and was used by sailors and hoodlums to beat up pple at the docks. The second was what it morphed into. Which is a sport kickboxing match. Pple still tend to call both Savate. But some die hard are anal bout the distinction.