Savate Boxe Francaise

H eadquartered at the Team Trident Academy of Martial Arts, NC Savate serves as North Carolina’s Federation of the French kickboxing art of Savate. Under the instruction of Moniteur Aramando Basulto and Initiateur Tim Bailey, Savate students are taught this authentic style of kickboxing well-known for its mobility, fluidity and rapid-fire kicking and punching combinations.

Savate (derived from the French term for “Old shoe”), or boxe francaise (French Boxing), dates back to the early 1800’s from Paris to Marseille, France. Originally designed for street-fighting, a French Pharmacist by the name of Michel Casseux (also known as “le Pisseux”) opened the first Savate establishment in 1825 with the intentions of recognizing Savate as a sport. Around the 1830’s, English boxing was introduced and the art of La Canne, a form of stickfighting using a cane, was included into the art within the early 1900’s.

The first noted event to bring Savate into recognition outside of France was its demonstration at the 1924 Olympic Games held in Paris. The second event would be during the first Ultimate Fighting Championship in 1995, during which Saboteur Gerard Gordeau defeated a Sumo wrestler and an American kickboxer before arriving at the final round with Royce Gracie.