A French martial art also know as French Footfighting which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Savate takes its name from the French for "old boot" (heavy footwear that used to be worn during fights.Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay Thai and Silat which allow the use of the knees or shins. "Savate" is a French word for "old shoe". Savate is perhaps the only style of kickboxing in which the fighters habitually wear shoes. A male practitioner of Savate is called a Savateur while a female is called a Savateuse.

Techniques

In competitive or competition savate which includes Assault, Pre-Combat, and Combat types, there are only four kinds of kicks allowed along with four kinds of punches allowed:

Kicks:
fouetté (literally "whip", roundhouse kick making contact with the instep), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
chassé (side or front piston-action kick), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
revers (frontal or lateral "reverse" or hooking kick making contact with the sole of the shoe), high (figure), medium (median), or low (bas)
coup de pied bas ("low kick", a front or sweep kick to the shin making contact with the inner edge of the shoe, performed with a characteristic backwards lean) low only

Punches:
direct bras avant (jab, lead hand)
direct bras arrière (cross, rear hand)
crochet (hook, bent arm with either hand)
uppercut (either hand)

Savate did not begin as a sport, but as a form of self-defence and fought on the streets of Paris and Marseille. This type of Savate was known as Savate de Rue. In addition to kicks and punches, training in Savate de Rue (Savate Defense) includes knee, shin and elbow strikes along with locks, sweeps, throws, headbutts, and takedowns.

For Savate de Rue there are 2 additional kicks:

chassé italien (aimed at the opponent's inner thigh, with the toe pointed at the opponent's groin. Contrast the chassé bas lateral, which targets the front of the thigh.)
revers (frontal or lateral "reverse" or hooking kick making contact with the sole of the shoe), high (figure), medium (median), or low (bas)
coup de pied bas de frappe (coup de pied bas which is used to strike the opponent's lead leg)

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