Sunday, June 20, 2010

History of savate by Athletic Scholarships (NCAA and NAIA sports)

Source: http://www.athleticscholarships.net/martial-arts-savate.htm

Savate as a martial art was devised in the last century, and its origins and relationship to other Martial Arts is unclear. There are stories about French sailors learning techniques in Eastern ports, bringing them back to France and integrating them with local foot fighting and fencing techniques.

The modern history of Savate is very well documented. Pictures dating from the time of Louis 14th depict a man defending himself against an armed assailant with a kick. It is also documented that in the 1790’s, sailors in the south of France practiced a form of foot fighting known as “chausson”. This fighting system involved using the feet in a wide variety of kicks while one hand remained on the ground for balance.
Over the years, proponents of the art refined different styles of chausson and added open-handed strikes and defenses, and by 1820 “Savate” had became the martial art we know today.
"French Boxing-Savate” was founded in 1970 in France. It consists mainly of precise striking with the hands, low foot striking, and appropriate defense techniques. The hand techniques are much the same as boxing. Special attention is paid to development of soft and elegant movements.
Savate primarily encompasses kicking techniques somewhat similar to Tae Kwon Do or Karate. the art includes punching techniques from Western Boxing and stick fighting techniques based on French rapier fighting. It is very stylized and more extended than most Eastern kicking arts.

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