Savate vs Kenpo

[Lance C]

I went to a Savate seminar hosted by Salem Assli recently. I noticed when he was teaching, they favour left foot forward. I tried to perform the required techniques and realized that the way I practice Kenpo, I am always right foot forward and really use my left leg for anchoring (anti-wrestling et.c.) pretty much both my legs had be trained for completly different purposes!

I also noticed my strong desire to close the gap and grab the other person to get control. Savate people always try and keep just out of punch range.

Things you don't notice until you get physical with other styles.

-Lance C

[sgpaul1973]

I went to a Savate seminar hosted by Salem Assli recently. I noticed when he was teaching, they favour left foot forward. I tried to perform the required techniques and realized that the way I practice Kenpo, I am always right foot forward and really use my left leg for anchoring (anti-wrestling et.c.) pretty much both my legs had be trained for completly different purposes!

I also noticed my strong desire to close the gap and grab the other person to get control. Savate people always try and keep just out of punch range.

Things you don't notice until you get physical with other styles.

-Lance C

One thing I always had problems with was the one sided aspect of Kenpo training. I think it is because I have trained in so many styles that practice both sides all the way through the art. So, I always applied that same principal to kenpo. I'd learn to try to be as equally fast and accurate on either side in sparing and with the techniques. I realize that all my instructors as I was comming up advised to practice both sides, but it bothered me that it wasn't done in class. I have my students practice both sides. I do teach it one sided to teach the techniques steps, but then drill both sides.

[warrior-scholar]

Lance,
Is this your first exposure to Savate? I have seen references to "old-school" versus modern Savate. Since I am too lazy to consult the almighty WIKIPEDIA or do a simple Google search, do you know anything about that? Were you impressed with their footwork, power, overall technique?

It seems that the concept of category completion in Kenpo compensates somewhat for not working all techniques exactly on both sides. That said, I was also told from day one from both of my Kenpo instructors to work everything power/weak (not just the ones in the forms). Yet, you are so right about this sort of practice not happening in class enough.
One way we combat that....if someone grabs or punches you with the "wrong" hand, the student is expected to complete the technique (or what they know of it) on that side BEFORE going back to the "power" side.

[Lance C]

Perhaps I could be corrected here, but I think the way Kenpo puts everything together, it makes one leg a better anchor and the other leg a better tool. For example if you took Kenpo, for a limited amount of time, it would give you two effective constructions to use.

I believe something a martial arts guy said once to me about kicks, you can train for two different kinds of power, but not both. Linear Kicks require rigidity, and Circular Kicks require the elasticity (friction free) muscles. That is you are either a rubber band, or a battering ram. You cannot develope both to a high level. People with high flexability in their legs have huge losses impacting with straight kicks, as their legs will buckle (even to the point of damaging them) and we all know people who are not flexible enough who injure their legs trying to do a kick that requires great flexibility.
(Note guy coached a world champion wrestler)

From what I can tell with American Kenpo it makes an attempt at creating usefulness of one rigid leg and one flexible leg within the system. (I broke down the kicks on a chart one time, and was suprised to see a distinct pattern of right leg precision, left leg rigid destroying kick. Its just a thought on the theory of how the system can let me read things into it.

Savate has a more modern version and an old version, and it actually is comprised of several martial arts from France's history. Salem Assli is an expert at everything related to it. Some generalizations:

They use left leg forward ALOT.
The wear leather shoes to fight.
They kick with their toes into the target.
The use lateral steps when using combinations to constantly change angles.
They aim for precision targets that will end fights quickly (toes into the liver)
Kicks to the legs are common, so is getting knocked down by leg shots.
They fight just outside of punch range and keep the pressure on.
They use crossing steps like in Kenpo.
They are extremely high mobility fighters. (everything out of motion)
They are as useful with their legs as their fists.
They have a tendency to hop out of danger, by changing an angle.
They almost never retreat.

I was very impressed as martial arts goes, it was full of principles and concepts that I recognized, and some that are still making me think and reapproach things.

They have one concept of hitting high and low, but it was explained that hitting high causes a person to move their head, making the legs stay still just long enough to hit the legs. If you take a shot at the legs, they move and the head acting much like a gyroscopic stablizer is relatively at a stand still and then you can hit it. Most of the combinations were extremely clever.

When punching, they lift their heel of the hitting hand, such that a same-side kick may be launched. Normally I step into a hook for example and strike across the target, they will turn the rear leg on the same side to make the hook and usually follow it with a same side kick. Every bit was power and accuracy oriented into the next move. Almost every kick was a pull drag / push drag.

Anyways hope that explains the weekend I had in Toronto taking a look at Savate. (Also learned some kicks from Silat, like doing spin kicks from a kneeling position et.c. The groundwork they do is pretty amazing, very Kenpo-esque.)

-Lance C