Savate
Also known as: "French Kickboxing"
Country of Origin: France
Created: circa 18th Century

Savate or "French Kickboxing" can be traced back to the 18th century when sailors from the port of Marseilles practised a sport known as "Chausson". This was purely a kicking sport, it is presumed that the styles of kicks were taken from fighting systems seen whilst visiting the eastern oriental countries. By 1820 the sport had grown in popularity throughout France and some "open" hand strikes had been added. In 1830 Mon. Charles Lecour, after loosing a bout to an English pugilist or "boxer" Owen Swift, introduced the punching techniques seen in traditional English boxing. This was the birth of modern Savate, truly an East meets West fighting sport. In the years leading up to the First World War the sport was at the height of its popularity and it appeared as a demonstration sport in the 1924 Olympics held in Paris. Many great champions were lost during the two World War's. Savate suffered a serious decline in practitioners and was almost lost forever. It was Count Pierre Baruzy, Winner of the French Championships an amazing eleven times, who along with a small group of committed supporters fought to keep the sport alive. One of this small group was Baron J. Shortt the "Patron" of the Great Britain Savate Federation. In 1992 there were only six national federations regognised by the International Federation (FIS), there are now fifteen. The sport of Savate is re-emerging as a popular fighting art and is now practised in forty-two countries and four continents.In 2003 the French Federation issued 300,000 Savate licences.The benefits of training in Savate are it improves general fitness, flexibility, control, confidence and balance, whilst being a fast, dynamic, fun & social activity. A fantastic way to release the stresses of a busy day, a complete mind and body workout.