Savate Or How The French Really Can Fight

Well, alright, so ‘La Grande Nation’ is known for fashion, wine, cheese, croissants, the Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysses etc.

We have also been led to believe that the French are masters in retreat and surrender.

So how did they then ever become a Colonial Power?

Are you telling me they acquired all those colonies and had all this influence on several continents by simply sweet talking over a glass of Beaujolais?

I beg to differ.

And whoever said the French run away from every fight?

Without the Marquis de Lafayette and his fellow Frenchmen, the thirteen colonies wouldn’t have attained independence from King George to be come the United States of America, at least not that fast!

And let’s not forget the venerable French Foreign Legion:

Whenever these guys are deployed to clean up some corrupt thug-infested Third World country you know who’s gonna be on the receiving end of a serious beating.

And yes, I am aware that the French Foreign Legion is made up of a lot of ….. foreigners, alas non-French.

Nevertheless, French make up the majority and run the show. And what a show it is.

Years ago, I met a former Legionaire who was originally from Madagascar (the actual island off the coast of East Africa, not the animated movie!).

This was one very soft-spoken dude who told me a little about of his former military service, only after I noticed his French paratrooper “diploma” on his office wall.

He talked about his deployments in the 80′s as the opportunity given to him to do some “travelling”.

The destinations always turned out to be some places that were really wild in the 80′s like Lebanon and Chad. Heck, they probably still are, right?

But I digress….

Anyway, I came across a French fighting style that is extremely effective not only in the street where it was created in Paris and Northern France.

Mon dieu, this one will keep you on your toes and bobbing and weaving.

Savate contains elements of Western boxing and a number of kicking techniques, some of which remind me of Muay Thai and Wing Chun.

Savate translates in English to old shoe or boot. So, it’s no surprise that practitioners actually wear shoes while they’re at it.

Believe me when I tell you that Savate is a very effective fighting style to be reckoned with. O la la!

Check out the video clip below and let me know what you think!

Au revoir, mon ami!