Boot to the Head

Ebay: Black Belt with Savate Cover

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:48:57 -0700

Get your bids in on this January 1989 issue of Black Belt featuring a cover story from noted Savate proponent Salem Assli. I like the juxtaposition of the Savate uniform and the question “Are you tough enough?”. I love this art but the unitard has never really helped the cause. Link

Manchester Savate International Challenge

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:45:26 -0700

And now a message from the President of the United States Savate Federation:

Hello fellow savateurs,

I am pleased to announce the second annual Manchester Savate International Challenge. On October 17th, there will be an international Savate event consisting of a competition and seminars in Manchester, NH. There will be competition and exhibition fights in savate assault, and possibly Light Kickboxing. The USSF is also scheduling a series of seminars and exams for the following day October 18th.

This competition is open to everyone, USSF members and not.

Sincerely,

Eugenio Traballano

More info about the Manchester Savate International Challenge can be found on the USSF’s site.

Photo above is from the 2008 Manchester Challenge. Copyright USSF.

Back for More

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 23:32:22 -0700

Hi Savate fans! Sorry for the long delay between posts but some pretty dramatic events in my life delivered a few unexpected body blows and had me taking time off from this blog. Anyway, I’ll try to post more regularly about our favorite martial art. You can help out by sending me suggested links and articles. Credit will always be accorded to contributors and you’ll be giving back to the Savate community. Reach me at calsavate at me dot com. Salut!

Your Vice President

Fri, 3 Jul 2009 12:46:02 -0700

Ran in to Jeff Conley, Vice President of the United States Savate Federation, at Abbott’s Pizza in Venice. He was accompanied by his lovely wife Amy and they consented to this impromptu iPhone photo.

Jeff recounted the USSF’s role in the recent election of Gilles Le Duigou as President of the International Savate Federation and it’s activities in encouraging European savateurs to visit the U.S. for tournaments and seminars.

You can train with Jeff and other LA based savateurs on Saturdays at 1pm in Santa Monica. Francis Echinard conducts Savate lessons outdoors at 4th Street and Hollister.

You’ll Believe A Man Can Fly

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 23:46:25 -0700

We loves us some parkour around here and have featured quite a few clips. This one is really, really good. Meet Damien Walters, but good luck catching him. Link

Savateurs in Muay Thai Bouts

Sun, 10 May 2009 11:38:11 -0700

Happy Mother’s Day!

Here’s a quick compilation reel of various savate trained fighters competing in K1 and Muay Thai events. Notice how fast the savateurs kick and how much more they move around the ring (the jumping spinning revers kick happen at :35 in). I wish we could see more of the fights (and the results), but this is a nice intro to get mom interested in savate. Link