Style, stamina and mobile masculinities: the reinvention of Savate in the Anglosphere

ABSTRACT

The roots of Savate in France stretch back at least 200 years, and there is extensive interdisciplinary research in French showing changing interpretations of its meaning and purpose. Savate is now a globalised combat sports with potential to enter the Olympic Games. To help remedy the lacuna of English-language research, this paper considers: (1) Documentaries and rare instructional literature; (2) online videos and discussions of archival Savate footage; (3) contemporary documentation from the Great Britain Savate Federation; and, (4) ongoing fieldwork in one UK Savate school. Through our multimodal study of printed, televised, digital and physical action, we add to the discussions to the constant reinvention of Savate to a modern, seemingly inclusive combat sport. Using John Urry’s framework of mobilities, we introduce the notion of ‘mobile masculinities’ underpinned by a European sense of relatively elite individualistic cosmopolitanism. Savate provides a rich case study of gender inclusivity in sport – how a previously male-dominated activity incorporates women in positions of power and responsibility and teaches men to acquire elegance in style and elite levels of stamina.

KEYWORDS:

• Martial arts
• mobilities
• gender equality
• elitism
• governing body

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Jean-François Loudcher, Historie de la savate, du chausson et de la boxe française, 1797–1978: d’une pratique populaire à un sport de competition (L’Harmattan, 2000).

2 André Touboul, Marie-France Carnus and André Terrisse, ‘Les effets de l’experience et de l’expertise dans les pratiques d’enseignement en education physique et sportive: analyse de deux profils asymétriques en savate boxe française’, Recherches en Didactiques 2, no. 12 (2011).

3 André Touboul, Les effets de l’experience et de l’expertise dans les practiques enseignants en EPS: étude didactique Clinique en Savate Boxe Française. Unpublished doctoral thesis, Université Toulouse le Mirail.

4 Yves Kerlirzm, Michel Gilbert, Mark Williams, Stéphane Vieilledent and Jean-François Stein, ‘Stratégies visuelles, jugement et prise de decision en Savate boxe française’, Report to INSEP (Institut National du Sport, 2001).

5 Louis Allain Duvallet, Emile Duvallet, François Lhussier and Michele Beaudry, ‘Physiological profiles of French savate athletes’, The FASEB Journal 32, no. 1 (2018).

6 Ibid.

7 Omar Zunna, ‘Restaurer l’empathie par la practique de la savate boxe française’, in Arts martiaux, sport de combat et interventions psychosocials, ed. Jacques Hebert (Québec: Press de l’Universitié du Québec, 2011), 287–313.

8 Céline Saint-Martin, Alexis Baubil and Nicolas Gazeau, ‘La Savate: “A nos corps defendants”: Création d’un atelier á visée thérapeutique au sein d’un itep’, Empan 2, no. III (2018).

9 Anthony Elliot, Reinvention (London, 2016).

10 Chris Crudelli, The Way of the Warrior (London, 2008).

11 Thomas Green and Joseph Svinth, eds, Martial Arts of the World (Santa Barbara, 2010).

12 Jean-François Loudcher, ‘Savate, Chausson and French Boxing’, in Martial arts of the world, eds. Thomas Green and Joseph Svinth (Santa Barbara, 2010), 265–51.

13 Jean-François Loudcher, ‘A history of Savate, Chausson and ‘French boxing’ (1828–1978)’, Sport in History 27, no. 3 (2007).

14 Phillip Reed and Richard Muggeridge, Savate: Martial Art of France (Boulder, 1984).

15 Bruce Tegner, Savate French Foot and Fist Fighting (Ventura, CA, 1963).

16 Loudcher‘Savate, Chausson and French Boxing.’

17 George Jennings and Beatriz Cabrera Velázquez, ‘Gender inequality in Olympic boxing: Exploring structuration through the online resistance to weight category restrictions,' in Women warriors around the world, eds. Alex Channon and Christopher Matthews (Basingstoke, 2015), 433–448.

18 Martyn Hammersley and Paul Atkinson, Ethnography: Principles in Practice (London, 2019).

19 Sara Delamont, Fieldwork in Educational Settings: Methods, Pitfalls and Perspectives (London, 2016).

20 James Southwood and Sara Delamont, ‘Tales of a tireur: Being a Savate teacher in contemporary Britain', Martial Arts Studies, 5 (2018).

21 James Southwood and Sara Delamont, ‘A very unstatic sport: An ethnographic study of British Savate classes', Societies 8, no. 4 (2018).

22 Craig Owen and Nicola de Martini Uglotti, ‘‘Pra homen, menino e mulher’? Problematizing the inclusivity discourse in Capoeira’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport online early (2017).

23 Kath Woodward, Boxing, Masculinity and Identity: The ‘I’ of the Tiger (Abingdon, 2007).

24 Einat Baron-Cohen, ‘Globalisation of the war on violence: Israeli close-combat, Krav Maga and sudden alterations in intensity’, Social Anthropology 18, no. 3 (2010).

25 Alejandra Martinez, ‘No longer a girl: My female experience in the masculine field of martial arts’, International Review of Qualitative Research 7, no. 4 (2014).

26 Bella Dicks, Bruce Mason, Amanda Coffey and Paul Atkinson, Qualitative Research and Hypermedia: Ethnography for the Digital Age (London, 2005).

27 Great Britain Savate Federation Official Website: https://savate.org.uk (accessed November 25, 2019)

28 Ibid.

29 Great Britain Savate Federation Official Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/gbsavate/ (accessed February 2, 2020)

30 Great Britain Savate Federation Twitter Page https://twitter.com/gbsavate?lang=en

31 London Savate Official Website: http://londonsavate.co.uk (accessed October 13, 2018)

32 Josette Normandeau, ‘The Deadly Arts Savate.’

33 Human Weapon, ‘Episode 4: Savate.’

34 Fight Quest, ‘Episode 6: France (Savate).’

35 Barney Glaser and Anselm Strauss, The Discovery of Grounded Theory (Chicago, 1967).

36 Alex Channon and Christopher Matthews, eds., Global Perspectives on Women in Combat Sports: Women Warriors around the World (Basingstoke, 2015).

37 Ally Sinyard, My workout: ‘An elegant kickboxing from France’? I was intrigued. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/jun/17/my-workout-savate-elegant-kickboxing-sport-france (accessed November 23, 2019)

38 Raewyn Connell, Masculinities (Berkeley, 1995).

39 John Urry, Mobilities (Cambridge, 2007).

40 Mimi Sheller and John Urry, ‘The new mobilities paradigm’, Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space 38, no. 2 (2006).

41 Eric Anderson, Inclusive Masculinity: The Changing Nature of Masculinities (London, 2010).

42 Eric Anderson and Mark McCormack, ‘Inclusive Masculinities Theory: Overview, Reflection and Refinement’, Journal of Gender Studies 27, no. 5 (2018)

43 Craig Calhoun, Cosmopolitanism and belonging: From European integration to global hopes and fears (London, 2007).

44 Victoria Robinson and Jenny Hockey, Masculinities in Transition (Basingstoke, 2011).

45 Anderson and McCormack, ‘Inclusive Masculinities Theory.’

46 Connell, Masculinities.

47 Kavita Datta and others, Mobile masculinities: Men, migration and low paid work in London. (ESRC Report, 2018), ISBN 0 902238 57 4.

48 McGrath in Tegner, ‘Savate French Foot and Fist Fighting’

49 Ibid., 21.

50 Reed and Muggeridge, Savate: Martial Art of France, 4–5.

51 Jennifer Hargreaves, ‘Women’s boxing and related activities: Introducing images and meanings’, Body & Society 3, no. 4 (1997).

52 Patricia Vertinsky, ‘Exercise, physical capability, and the eternally wounded woman in the late nineteenth century North America’, Journal of Sport History 14, no. 1 (1987).

53 Reed and Muggeridge, Savate: Martial Art of France, 5.

54 Schlager7. 1891 Savate and Canne. Available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Z55GB6yhQ (accessed November 25, 2019)

55 ELIO DELACRUZ Demonstration de Savate boxe française par le professeur Charlemont (1839–1914). Available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxnqGaFI5F8 (accessed November 25, 2019)

56 La Boxe Franciase (Savate) – Charles Charlemont Available on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ6AN8xOWv0 (accessed November 25, 2019)

57 Max Morris and Eric Anderson, ‘‘Charlie is so cool like’: Authenticity, popularity and inclusive masculinity on YouTube’, Sociology 49, no. 6 (2015).

58 Sami Assili, Mastering Savate: The Art of French Foot Fighting: Advanced Offensive Kicking and Fighting Techniques (Panther Productions, 1987). Available at: Boxe Francaise Savate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0jJv6BrBD4 (accessed March 2, 2019)

59 Buitron Academy (2013) USA Savate: Documentary on the History of Boxe Francaise https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbdS5uHJ1Go (accessed March 2, 2019)

60 History of Savate Part 1 of 3 by Nicholas Saignac. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_Yzrlor_5g (accessed March 2, 2019)

61 The Deadly Arts Savate, DVD, directed by (2006 London, National Geographic; Stax DVD, 2006).

62 Human Weapon. Episode 4: Savate. (The History Channel, 2007). First aired 10th August 2007.

63 Fight Quest. Episode 6: France (Savate). (Discovery Channel, 2007). First aired 1st February 2008.

64 Josette Normandeau, ‘The Deadly Arts Savate.’

65 Ibid.

66 Ibid.

67 Ibid.

68 Ibid.

69 Fight Quest, ‘Episode 6: France (Savate).’

70 Human Weapon, ‘Episode 4: Savate.’

71 Ibid.

72 Ibid.

73 Ibid.

74 Ibid.

75 Ibid.

76 Josette Normandeau, ‘The Deadly Arts Savate.’

77 Human Weapon, ‘Episode 4: Savate.’

78 Ibid.

79 Ibid.

80 Fight Quest (2008). ‘Episode 6: France (Savate).’

81 Ibid.

82 Ibid.

83 Ibid.

84 Ibid.

85 Ibid.

86 Janelle Joseph, ‘‘Going to Brazil’: Transnational and corporeal movements of a Canadian-Brazilian martial arts community’, Global Networks 8, no. 2 (2008).

87 Ben Clayton and Barbara Humberstone, ‘Men’s talk: A pro-feminist analysis of male university football players’ discourse’, International Review for the Sociology of Sport 41, no. 3–4 (2006).

88 Great Britain Savate Federation Code of Conduct, https://savate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GBSF-Code-of-Conduct.pdf

89 Jennifer Hargreaves, Sporting Females: Critical issues in the History and Sociology of Women’s Sports (London, 1994);

90 Jennifer Hargreaves. Heroines of Sport: The Politics of Difference and Identity. London, 2000).

91 Barbara Kotschwar and Tyler Moran, ‘Pitching a level playing field: Women and leadership in sports’, Peterson Institute for International Economics, December 2015 Number PB15-22 (2015): 1–15.

92 Great Britain Savate Federation Code of Conduct, https://savate.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/GBSF-Code-of-Conduct.pdf

93 Ibid.

94 Ibid.

95 Ibid.

96 Ibid.

97 Ibid.

98 Ibid.

99 Lawrence de Garis, ‘Be a buddy to your buddy’: Male identity, aggression and intimacy in a boxing gym’, in Masculinities, gender relations and sport, eds. M. Michael Messner, D. Don Sabo, and Jim McKay (Thousand Oaks, 2000), 87–107.

100 Eric Anderson, ‘Generational masculinities’, Journal of Gender Studies 27, no. 3 (2018).

101 Patricia Vertinsky, ‘Sporting women in the public gaze: Shattering the master narrative’, Canadian Women’s Studies 21, no. 3 (2002).

102 Petition: Make Savate an Olympic sport in 2024 https://www.change.org/p/international-olympic-committee-make-savate-an-olympic-sport-in-2024 (accessed February 2, 2020).

103 Jennifer Hargreaves and Patricia Vertinsky, eds., Physical culture, power and the body. (London, 2007).