SAVATE

Savate

Savate, also known as boxe française (French boxing) or French kickboxing is a sport French touch - a type of boxe pieds-poings - using both hands and feet as weapons and includes elements of Western boxing, grappling techniques and leg techniques (only foot). Practitioners of savate are called "savateurs" in the case of men, and savateuses in women.

Savate takes its name from the French word etymologically old boot (heavy footwear that used to wear durantes fighting) and is currently an amalgam for the French techniques of street fighting of the early nineteenth century. At that time, savate was a type of common struggle in Paris and northern France; and in the south, especially in the port of Marseille, the sailors had developed another style known as jeu marseillais (marsellés game), which was renamed to chausson (shoe, which was the footwear worn by sailors). In contrast, at this time in England (the birthplace of boxing and the Queensberry rules), kicking was seen as unsportsmanlike.

The two key characters in the history of street fighting to change modern savate are Michel Casseux (also known as "le Pisseux") (1794-1869) and Charles Lecour (1808-1894). Casseux opened the first building in 1825 for practicing and promoting a regulated version of Chausson and savate (prohibiting the blows to the head, thumbs attacks the eyes, etc). Either way, sports still did not get rid of its reputation for street fighting. A student of Casseux, Charles Lecour was exposed to the English art of boxing on 1830 and was disfavored, just using your hands to hit the opponent's feet and thus keep them away, instead of sticking punches and boxing. For this reason he trained in boxing for two years before, in 1832,

Perhaps the most prominent recognition as to the respectability of savate came in 1924 when it was included as a demonstration sport at the Olympics in Paris. Despite its roots, learn to practice this sport is relatively safe. According to USA Savate [1], "savate is in the low places of injuries when compared with football, football, hockey, gymnastics, basketball, baseball and rollerblading" 

Today, savate is practiced worldwide by fans: from Australia to America and from Finland to the United Kingdom. Many countries, such as the United States has national federations dedicated to promoting the sport.

Savate modern gives three levels of competition: assault, precombat and combat. In assault, the competitors need to focus on technique while trying to make contact; referees punish with penalties the use of excessive force. Precombat allows fight without tares in force as long as the fighters carry protection like helmets and shields. Combat, the most intense level, is similar to precombat but use protection objects is prohibited (except in the case of shells and mouthguards).

Many martial arts have systems level calculation practitioners, such as color belts in karate. Similarly, savate uses different colors in gloves to indicate the level of a wrestler; although, unlike disciplines like judo or capoeira are assigned new belts in each promotion, any fighter can use the same pair of gloves in various promotions (so that the level does not directly correspond with the color of gloves using it with what is stated in the license). Novices begin without color and different tests allow you to climb up to blue, green, red, white and yellow in this order. The competition is restricted for the red gloves and superiors; each federation has the possibility to establish what the minimum conditions to teach the sport are. In France it is necessary to have the yellow glove to obtain the degree of instructor "Moniteur" and the silver glove in its technical category to access the teachers. In other countries like Mexico, all technical degrees from green require evaluation on issues of teaching to increase the development of this art.