Savate

by Bruce Tegner

Savate is one of the best known European martial arts. It was developed from kicking techniques used at the end of the nineteenth century by French street fighters, combined with English and Thai... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0874070422
• ISBN13: 9780874070422
• Release Date: March 1983
• Publisher: Thor Publishing Company
• Length: 109 Pages
• Weight: 0.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.5" x 8.5"

Customer Reviews

A good basic guide to French Foot fighting techniques(Savate).

The first edition of this book covered the basic kicks and punches of Savate. The new revised edition provides a more detailed look at this French martial art. One of the things I have always liked about Bruce Tegner's approach to the martial arts is his explanation in a non-mystical way, the essence of a particular martial art system. This book covers the basic exercises, foot movements, stance, punches and kicks of Savate. Like any book involving physical skills, without combining the information with actual hands-on training with an instructor, it will not be easy to learn the intricate details of Savate. In conclusion, this is a book for anyone interested in the martial arts. Rating: 4 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Shotokan Karate for Self-Defense: Combat Karate for the street, Monadnock Defensive tactics System, Use of the Monadnock Straight baton, PR-24 Police Baton advanced Techniques, Martial Art Myths, Season of the Warrior, Never Trust a Politician).

If this book is like the one from the 60s

I had the original Savate Book from Tegner. In that book he taught a very simple method of kicking along with general boxing. One of the ideas I got from this book was his T method. The back leg was a support leg only. The front leg did the kicking. Now most martial artists today would go HUH. But when I tried his method in my Wing Chun class it confused alot of the students. More advanced students I was doing very well against. The one weakness in Tegner's style is if your opponent attacks that back leg you might get in trouble. My Wing Chun Teacher figured it out. But if you are going to fight some thug who does not know what he is doing. The techniques in this book are very easy to learn and can be effective!

Savate Kickboxing +++

This book seems to be more than just an update of the first edition of "Savate" by Tegner. The spectrum from the first 1960 edition, thru following editions, to this later edition seems to show Savate from earlier bare-knuckled kickboxing self-defense to later full-contact kickboxing sparring. Like most Western Arts, Savate, by whatever name, has evolved thru phases from its roots. There seems to be three over-all phases -- [1] pre-boxing open-handed kicking-based self-defense -- [2] fencing, kicking and boxing-based self-defense [as in early editions of "Savate" by Tegner] -- [3] full-contact kickboxing sparring [as in later editions of Tegner "Savate", such as the one under review, as well as formal sports federation Savate Boxing]. One Savate mentor stated to me that a wise Savate student can learn from all phases of Savate [and Boxing]. From self-defense combat to full-contact sparring, there is a continuing reality of streamlined rational techniques. So, as is typical of many Western Arts, one can be inspired by various versions, while developing personal style. So, this book can be a valuable resource for Savate -- especially when combined with other Savate resources.

First book in U.S. on the art

When this book first came out in the 60's, it was the first book on Savate published in the U.S. There are still only a few that have ever been published on the subject, and although I'm aware that there are now better books on it, I credit Tegner for coming out with the first useful book on the art.As a karate and TKD man, the most important thing I got from this book was how different the "chambering" or delivery methods are for the basic kicks vs. karate. I am pretty big and tall, and I find that several of my kicks are actually delivered more like the Savate version rather than the classical karate version, which is sort of interesting. The high back stabbing kick from a quasi-layout position is also a kick I have worked to perfect as there is nothing quite like it in either karate or tae kwon do, and it's something I have occasionally used to good effect in sparring, since they're not accustomed to seeing this sort of oddly delivered kick.If you are interested in more reading on Savate, there is a good section in Donald Gilbey's Secret Fighting Arts of the World, where he meets the great Savate master, Baron Fegnier. Fegnier was a ferocious kicker and incredibly fast, who had been in numerous street fights and never lost. One of the interesting things I came away with from this interview was Fegnier's emphasis on precise interval, rather than focus, in a kick. This is interesting since he is correct that even being slightly off in your interval or distancing will nullify most of your focus. Although Gilbey is probably Robert W. Smith, and many of these stories are no doubt apocryphal, the "Baron's" advice is still cogent and relevant.Anyway, Tegner's book is still a useful introduction to this fascinating and obscure martial art, which almost completely died out after World War I, as many of the Savate masters were killed in the Great War, although I understand the art is now making a long-delayed but much deserved comeback.