The precise origin of the art is unknown, and puzzled even its earliest practitioners. According to Michel Delahaye, in his book La Boxe Française (Ergo Press, April 1989), the French style of fighting with the hands and feet, known as Boxe Francaise (French Boxing), was codified by Charles Lecour (1808-94), the son of a French baker, in 1832. Prior to that time, a method of fighting existed in old Paris where the combatants kicked one another with their everyday shoes on. The common name for a street shoe at that time was 'savate' (pronounced sa-vat), which simply meant 'old shoe'. The name savate, therefore, became associated with this particular method of street-fighting.
Those early street brawls did not stop at kicking, eye gouging, wrestling and head butting are also said to have taken place. The first person to make an attempt to systematize savate was Michel Casseux (aka) Pisseux (1794-1869), who opened the first 'official' Salle (training establishment) in 1825.
Unfortunately, savate was still recognized by many as a style of street-fighting, and therefore, initially only attracted those of dubious means and character.
At the same time, another foot-fighting system existed in and around the old southern dockyards of France and Europe, on board sailing ships. Some historians speculate that these European sailors from seafaring nations were influenced by contact with Asian martial arts during there occasional visits to Burma, Thailand, Japan & China. These, sailors and dock-workers, style of fighting was known as jeu marseillais (sport Marseille).
A comparison of the two kick-fighting methods shows that the kicks used in jeu marseillais were often aimed and delivered much higher than in savate, and the hands were commonly used for support and balance. This included placing the hand, or hands, on the floor, or grabbing hold of any convenient handrail or object, whilst lashing out with the feet. This would not be such a strange thing to do for two people who might be fighting on wet and slippery dock sides, or the swamped and rolling decks of sailing ships.
Other items merged from this mixer of activity were weapons. Weapons such as the La Baton, a seven foot staff rod approximately one inch diameter were commonly practice by Savate practitioners. It was particular famous among hillside and farming communities of France and Spain. There is no particularly evidence on where the La Baton came from but it has been suggested that this weapon came into existence by farmers and sheep herder’s tools such as walking staffs and garden tools. The more famous and popular weapon incorporated by Savate is the La Canne. A 1/2 inch diameter flexible stick approximately 36 inches in length.
Savate combines traditional fencing motions along with kicking techniques when wielding this dowel shape stick at the opponent. This weapon is fast and flexible making it a fierce companion. La Canne is a mimic relic of the fencing foil which has been famously used by French masters for centuries. The La Canne was frequently used in the late 1800's as a walking stick and fashion statement by gentleman of the times.
The public may have seen men walking with a cane and properly dressed as an important figure of the public, but hoodlums and robbers saw them as victims. The defense techniques of La Canne & Savate proved worthy against criminals that had planned to take one’s valuables or life. As with many empty hand techniques that are founded, it provides a rich resource for self protection purposes.
Towards
the end of the 1820's, and perhaps in an
attempt to change the general public's
perception of these fighting arts, the name
chausson (a sailor's deck shoe) began to be
used.
A critical
turning point for the French kicking styles
was reached in 1830 (although some records
suggest a later date), after Charles Lecour,
a one time pupil of Michel Casseux, was said
to have suffered defeat at the hands of an
English bare-knuckle pugilist named Owen
Swift. The traditional 'good old English
method of deciding a quarrel' had always
been to punch one another with bare
knuckles, and the English despised the
French method of using the feet for kicking,
considering it to be unmanly, foreign and
cowardly. As French fighters had, until that
time, really only used their hands for
blocking, parrying and slapping, it became
immediately obvious that they were at a
distinct disadvantage when fighting at close
range against skilled fist-fighters. Lecour
recognized these limitations and undertook
English boxing lessons from another English
pugilist named Jack Adams. Across the
Channel English boxing, or pugilism, had of
course already been in existence for well
over two centuries. After a period of two
years, Lecour assimilated the French kicking
methods and combined them with English
boxing to create la boxe francaise.
Interesting
to note is that as well as punching with
their bare knuckles, early English fighters
frequently threw their opponent with the
trusted 'cross-buttock' throw. This method
of downing one's opponent, although entirely
legal, was particularly punishing if an
unscrupulous fighter then fell, with all his
weight, onto the other's stomach and ribs.
Although considered to be a foul, this
action could easily be passed off as
'unintentional'. Some fighters were also
quick to gouge an adversary's eye, should
the referee's attention be diverted for a
moment. In the early days many pugilists
preferred to wear their hair long, however,
since 1795, when the referee adjudged it
fair for Jackson to hold Mendoza by the hair
with one hand whilst hitting him with the
other, most pugilists adopted the habit of
keeping their hair cropped short. There were
rules, both written and unwritten, that were
considered unmanly, and were therefore never
breached, such as 'kicking', 'hitting below
the belt', and, 'hitting an opponent who was
down'.
Welsh-born,
John Graham Chambers (1843-83), founded the
'Amateur Athletic Club', in 1866, and drew
up a new set of rules, known as the
'Queensberry Rules', which were first
published in 1867.
At a time
when old English boxing (pugilism) was going
into decline, boxe francaise was becoming
more and more established. Due to the
efforts of one man in particular, Joseph
Charlemont (1839 - 1914), the French
kick-boxing art reached it's pinnacle of
recognition, respectability and social
acceptance towards the end of the 1800's,
drawing interest from all members of French
society, including the nobility.
By then,
the French were claiming their system to be
superior to, la boxe anglaise, and they made
several attempts over the years to prove
their case by organizing a number of
contests. The English, on the other hand,
viewed such contests as a bit of a novelty
(like boxing versus wrestling bouts or
karate vs. kung fu) and did not really give
them any degree of credibility. Towards the
end of the 19th century, the French arranged
a contest to supposedly decide 'once and for
all' which system was superior. They chose
their very top man, Charles Charlemont (1862
- 1942), son of Joseph Charlemont. His
opponent was Jerry Driscoll, an ex-champion
boxer in the English Navy. The fight took
place on 28th October 1899 and became a
shambles from the start. In round one
Driscoll protested loudly that Charlemont
had bit him. There was an immediate uproar
and the match failed to restart for several
minutes.
When it
did, both fighters clinched several times
and for some reason the match was
interrupted again. The French referee,
Monsieur Clercrampal, said that he didn't
want to go on! The fight eventually ended in
round eight, with Driscoll clutching his
groin. According to the well known English
referee, Bernard John Angle of the National
Sporting Club, in his book 'My Sporting
Memories' London, 1925, "Driscoll did
not know what he was taking on" when he
agreed "to meet the Frenchman at his
own game..." Angle also said that,
"The contest ended in Jerry being
counted out to a blow in the groin from the
Frenchman's knee." He further alleged
that "the timekeeper saved Charlemont
several times." After the fight
Driscoll bore no grudges, considering the
blow to have been "an accident."
the French, of course, claimed victory to
their man by stoppage, following a
round-kick (fouette median) to Driscoll's
stomach.
Although
now claiming the superiority of
their system, Charlemont later
refused "utterly and
categorically" the challenge
laid down by the very much younger
Al McCoy (1894 - 1966), the
American middleweight champion,
stating that he (Charlemont) was
then a "teacher, not a
fighter". McCoy later became
World middleweight Boxing
Champion, on 6th April, 1914, and
he held the World title until 14th
November, 1917.
La
boxe francaise later had the
distinction of going on to be the
demonstration sport in the 1924
Paris-based Olympic Games. Sadly,
the first and second World Wars
accounted for many of the top
professors and practitioners. As a
result, la boxe francaise verged
on extinction for a number of
years. Fortunately, the art has
made a slow but steady recovery in
recent years.
In
addition to France, there are currently
groups in various European countries, and
around the world, who are attempting to
promote this effective and fascinating
fighting art. Nowadays the system is known
as boxe francaise - savate or, more simply,
as Savate.
Today’s
“sport” Savate incorporates all of the
innovations of the 20th century boxing ring,
from Jack Dempsey to Muhammad Ali. Kicking
techniques have been designed that are
compatible with a boxer's hand techniques.
