Savate

This is one of Europe’s most famous unarmed martial arts. It developed on the streets of French cities but rose to fame and prominence in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries when members of the upper classes adopted it as a method of training the body and mind in preparation for a fight. Ironically, this patronage came about due to the Japanese policy of sending representatives abroad to both learn from foreign cultures and transmit their own teachings. Ju jutsu was the first Japanese martial system seen in the West and its techniques and the skills of those early cultural ambassadors generated interest both in that art itself, but also in the traditional indigenous fighting styles of Europe which could now be contrasted with something new and fresh.

Continual analysis and development, most particularly in relation to East Asian punching and kicking arts from the mid-twentieth century onward and cross training in boxing, have led to changes in the original Savate techniques. Modern day Savate bears close resemblance to kick boxing though the inclusion of certain movements such as eye gouges, the targeting of the groin and the use of the toe tips to deliver pin point pain to weak areas of the body betray the art’s street fighting origins. Originally Savate, like many methods that have a basis in reality, was geared towards close-quarters combat, and was less than graceful in how it achieved victory. As such, though the legs were used to effect devastating kicks, they were also, being the bodies most powerful natural weapon, used to block incoming kicks and trip opponents. The feet were also used strategically at weak points of the body to lock and dislocate bones, collapse stances and even choke a fallen opponent. All of these techniques were supported by the use of the hands to control and grab, rather than using these limbs strictly to deliver boxing style attacks (such as a hook or uppercut).

Training in the original form of Savate includes the repetitive practice of basic techniques, moving on into a form of free sparring. One notable difference is that unlike other martial arts, the practitioner is taught to look at the feet of his opponent.

In combat, the master strives to stay on his feet, forcing his opponent to the ground where a coup de grace can be delivered, usually using the foot as the primary weapon.

An offshoot that has developed recently is the sport Le Boxe Francaise. This is based on the Savate that developed under the influence of Asian striking arts rather than the original street fighting style, and is geared towards sport and competition, and is essentially a form of kick boxing.