Andrea 
Savate Self Defence.
As you know one of the differences between the street and the ring unless you are on the beach is that you are not wearing shoes.
So a first difference between for example the UFC octagon and your road full of tamarri is that hardly you or those who attack you are barefoot.
On the streets, most people wear shoes.
The kind of shoes you wear can really change the game in surprising ways because it can almost be a self-defense weapon.
In self-defense you don’t have to train barefoot, your training has to be with your shoes because that’s how you’re likely to go out on the street.
In the same way, the attacker probably has shoes so you have to pay close attention to the type of shoe because it can be very dangerous.
See it as a brass knuckles because some shoes have thick hardened tips reinforced up to deliberately insert as criminals of Southeast Asia but also our own where they insert protruding elements or cutters to create damage such as cutters, nails, etc.
You can well imagine the damage they can create.
The athletes of the Savate are experts in kicking with shoes, you got it right with shoes because in the ring do not go barefoot.
List of some Savate techniques:
- Front kick (coup de pied frontal)
- Roundhouse kick (coup de pieds latéral)
- Sidekick (coup de pieds fouetté)
- Back kick (coup de pieds retourné)
- Hook kick (coup de pieds croche)
- Spinning heel kick (coup de pieds tournoyant)
- Axe kick (coup de pieds hache)
- Jumping front kick (coup de pieds sauté frontal)
- Jumping roundhouse kick (coup de pieds sauté latéral)
- Low kick (coup de pieds bas)
- Jumping hook kick (coup de pieds sauté croche)
- Crescent kick (coup de pieds scorpion)
- Front sweep (balayage frontal)
- Inside sweep (balayage intérieur)
- Outside sweep (balayage extérieur)
- Jabs (directs)
- Cross punches (crochets)
- Uppercuts (uppercuts)
- Spinning backfist (coup de poing-marteau)
- Elbow strikes (coudes)
These are just a few examples, as there are many variations and combinations that can be used in Savate.
Each technique has its own unique applications and can be used in different situations.
Remember to always practice under the guidance of a qualified instructor to perfect your techniques and to use appropriate safety equipment when training with partners.
Keep in mind that the effectiveness of any martial art does not derive from the techniques themselves, but from the method and quality of training, how you dedicate yourself consistently and targeted and focused on what you do, your goal and the context where the techniques must work and be effective.
If you come from a Muay Thai or MMA background and you’ve never spared with a good Savate Player, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about.
I have trained both Muay Thai and Savate practitioners and I have seen how the defensive approach to the same shots changes if you have shoes or are barefoot.
Defenses used against a Kick Shin often don’t work so well against a kick with a shoe.
It is important to train with and without shoes so you know how it feels to rotate on the foot lay and kick with shoes, because it is very different.
In the streets, boots and boots with steel toes or otherwise, are dangerous weapons.
Surely you do not want to be brought to the ground by someone and with a second aggressor friend of his who comes to kick you in the head.
Look at the shoes he’s wearing, but before I say hello, I want you to see this picture, I think you recognize someone.
Dan Inosanto also studied Savate Self Defence.
If you do not have shoes, the techniques must be readjusted, as you can also see in the octagon of the UFC direct blows are thrown to the knees.
One thing you need to consider is your conditioning because having used shoes since childhood your bone structure is not the same as those who have walked barefoot for months or years.
But to get back to the aspect of self-defense you need to know that thugs who expect to end up in “weird” situations or that going to break the boxes to people someone reacts some put blunt objects that protrude from the shoes on the tip and heel.
Or Filipinos but in general in Southeast Asia where the underworld has a habit of inserting cutters into the soles to create deep damage in the bones when they kick or cut ligaments to nip the mobility of the opponent.
The targets when wearing shoes can be different but focusing on self-defense shots you can hit in different ways but I want to show you some important ones.
Front of the top:
- The genitals(attention that you do not need a powerful but precise blow you have to take advantage of the speed).
- The knees – a precise blow can weaken the ability to move and allows you to escape or hit an aggressor who moves little. He pulls a dry blow to the kneecap.
- The shins– it is a very painful blow that allows you to have a margin of time to hit or escape.
Or heel:
- Place the heel on the shins and crush as if on the pedal to turn on a bike.
- On the neck of the foot to break.
- On your fingertips.
The choice of shots depends on the distance from the aggressor.
An important thing !!! DON’T LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO PULL BECAUSE YOU SEE.
If the attacker is behind you, heel shots to the shins and neck and toe are useful.
One assessment you need to make when you wear the shoe is that depending on the type of shoes you wear it can give you advantages and disadvantages based on features such as heel, sole, shape, etc.
So if you want a shoe suitable for self-defense you have to be careful about some features on choosing your shoe.
- The sole is not smooth and made of soft rubber,
- The coated and hard tip,
- Convenient to move and take shots,
- Solid in the foot,
- With thick laces that you could use them to tie an aggressor (I’ll explain here how to tie an aggressor waiting for the police to arrive).
But choose a nice shoe !!! Savate Self Defence.
Stay Tuned! Savate Self Defence.
Street Fight mentality & Fight Sport!
Andrea
