Savate, also known as boxe française, French boxing, French kickboxing or French footfighting, is a French martial art which uses the hands and feet as weapons combining elements of western boxing with graceful kicking techniques. Savate is a French word for "old shoe" (heavy footwear, especially the boots used by French military and sailors).
Description
Only foot kicks are allowed unlike some systems such as Muay Thai, Silat and Yaw-Yan which allow the use of the knees or shins. Savate is one of the few styles of kickboxing in which the fighters habitually wear shoes (another example is Ukrainian Combat Hopak). A male practitioner of savate is called a "tireur" while a female is called a "tireuse".