Savate vs Thai

[phillyman]

Ok for those who have done both or either or sparred anyone training in these arts which do you like better. Ps i dont want to turn this into a Savate guy arguing with a thai guy i just want some info on what you think would be more suitable for a person of small stature. Thanks

[mushinmaster]

I don't know that much about savate, but I always see pictures of big head kicks. That def isn't desireable. Is that just the ads or is that true?

[Rob B]

I really don't know much about Savate either, but really now; how good could a style be that was developed by the French

[Mad Dog]

Thai beats all other stand-up arts, hands down!!!

[Rob B]

Well, it's lost to San Shou twice recently in China. If you are talking about just striking, I'd have to hesitantly agree with you (boxing being my other choice). But the term "standup" includes standup grappling as well.

[soho]

The conceptual difference to me between Savant and Thai is that with savant kicks your landing with the toe or heel Vs Thai where you are hitting with your shins. If your wearing shoe's or boots kicking with you toe/heal can be vicious. However without shoes obviously you can't do it. Landing with the shin can be good too, but of course it can hurt like a son of a bitch if you land on the knee or elbow or go shin to shin.

Personally I'd prefer to keep both my feet on the ground and box, and or tie up.

[mushinmaster]

Heel Toe vs. Shin??

I use both. Primarily the low thai baseball style kick and a powerful front/thrusting-snapping kick - can be heel or ball of foot.

Side kicks - sparsely

[Lithp]

I find that savate is more precision and speed, while MT is more raw power and force. Savate would be gentler on your body (less taxing) since there's none of the constant shin to shin contact. I think that you could use both on the street (since you'll probably be wearing shoes). I don't know enough about savate's effectiveness with the hands to comment on the closer range. IMHO, MT is better (I'm also small) b/c of the knees and elbows (I don't think savate utilizes those tools as effectively).

[mushinmaster]

I'd def go with raw power on the street - its not really a skill thing out there - no boxing match.

Knees and elbows are a lot better than punches and kicks.

[aseepish]

Originally posted by Lithp
I find that savate is more precision and speed, while MT is more raw power and force. Savate would be gentler on your body (less taxing) since there's none of the constant shin to shin contact. I think that you could use both on the street (since you'll probably be wearing shoes). I don't know enough about savate's effectiveness with the hands to comment on the closer range.

Agreed! Savate is more about finesse and pin-point accuracy. Fouette kicks ("whip"-like hook kicks) may look really wimpy when compared to those Muay Thai round kicks we all love so much, but they penetrate like no other kick. A good Savateur can hit small targets such as the groin, solar plexus, kidneys, and throat, even when these targets seem to be covered. In the sport version, punches must be followed up with kicks in the same combination and unlike "full-contact" kickboxing, neatness counts.

Muay Thai is about bringing maximum force to bear. That isn't to say that there isn't any strategy involved, but from the Thai matches I've seen, the sport of Muay Thai is mostly about pain tolerance and endurance.

MT is probably more suited to direct street application because of the simplicity of its tools and the emphasis on conditioning, but that's not to say that with SMART TRAINING Savate can't make for a street-effective style. In a lot of JKD-type gyms you'll see people thwacking away on the heavy bags and Thai pads with teeps and Thai hook kicks, but you'll also see a lot of fouettes, chasses, and coup-de-peids bas from Savate!

Blend the two together and you've really got something - like teaming a howitzer with a sniper.

-Tony

[Underdog]

Definitely I agree with the previous post.

My opinion is that on the streets; Savate beat Thai hands down. It was conceived from the start with self defence and streetfight in mind, BUT only if you wear the proper shoes. The old french term fro Savate was "chausson" that mean "BOOT".....a Thai low kick can definitely hurt your opp BUT there is the real danger that if he has a high pain tolerance he will charge at you anyway.

A fouette aimed at the knee is way more a "stopper" if delivered properly.

I kicked a guy something like five times on a row just after christmas, but given the nature of the terrain in wich we were fighting, they were clumsy and I realized they left me wide open.

A smart kikck to the kneecap would have solved things bettere, but I was wearing running shoes.....

(P.S.: I'M BACK.........)

[phillyman]

Thanks

Thanks for the info guys hey underdog do you study Savate and if so what is a typical workout like

[crazyjoe380]

thai boxing hands down..mixed martial artist would use savate kicks and other then MT..if that was the case
mma use the mt KICKS ELBOW AND KNEES..why change a good thing?

MT hands down

[Underdog]

Yeah; crazyjoe, U are right; but my post was referred primarily to street fighting. However, I have noted that the way Savate is praticed in USA seems way more softer than here. In Italy Savate is Muay Thai with shoes on and without elbow and knees. However a good number of praticioner train them anyway. Here in europe many martial artist from Savate compete also in MT.

[aseepish]

Savate

I guess part of the problem with North American Savate is that guys over here just aren't that comfortable with the outfit - unitards just seem so... so... icky!

Seriously, given the fact that MT (and MT-style thigh-kicks) is becoming more and more popular, there are more and more people out there who can take a shot to the leg. But as Underdog said not too many people can take a shot to the knee.

-Tony