Savate is a French martial art in which both the hands and feet are used as weapons. It combines elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Unlike some Muay Thai (Thai boxing) and Chinese boxing, which allow the use of the knees or shins, in Savate only foot kicks are allowed.
Savate is perhaps the only style of kickboxing in which the fighters habitually wear shoes (savate being a French word for "old shoe"). A practitioner of savate is called a savateur (male) or savateuse (female).
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The term "Savate" is rarely used in France to refer to the sport. People mostly use the term Boxe Française, B.F or B.F.S. The term savate remains in use mostly outside France or when referring to this French martial art in a language other than French.
