Basque Boot

20 May 2023 Training Journal

Sword Class A small group of us meet early on Saturday, in remembrance of our late teacher, Bancroft, to work on the swordplay he taught us. This week we held a sword class where we covered knife and how it relates to our sword training and blade vs empty hands-training. We wanted to check ifContinue reading “20 May 2023 Training Journal”

2022 KORA Research Group Review

2022 was supposed to be the year we got out, and about a little more, visiting friends in Ireland, Amsterdam and Spain, but not all our plans came together. Sword I progressed with my Ilustrisimo sword training over the year but still struggled to get it right 100% of the time; I dropped my stickContinue reading “2022 KORA Research Group Review”

KORA Class Update

I have had many inquiries about training post-pandemic, so I thought it would be easiest to post my current class. I currently teach two separate arts; the first is Sera, a Pukulan Silat system. Our branch comes to us via Earnest (Ventje) De Vries and is currently more of a closed door, friends and familyContinue reading “KORA Class Update”

What’s the real history of Savate?

I spent quite a bit of time researching this from the 1980s, and it soon became apparent that nobody, including the French, knows for sure; most facts are at best an educated guesswork or from the spoken word of mouth. It’s clear there are regional variations and that people may choose to call their artContinue reading “What’s the real history of Savate?”

2021 KORA Research Group Review

2021 Started with the group in lockdown in the UK, with several training trips to Amsterdam and Spain cancelled in early January. The only saving grace is some regular zoom classes with our teacher covering aspects of the Sera curriculum. Slowly as the year progressed, we restarted training on a one-to-one basis and then finallyContinue reading “2021 KORA Research Group Review”

Salem Assli

R.I.P Salem Assli, a great ambassador for Savate and other arts. Taking note of what he had to say is one nice way of remembering him and his contribution to Savate and other arts.

Basque Strength

Paulino Uzcudun, 1920s and 30s heavyweight known as “The Basque Woodchopper” as he used to enter traditional wood-chopping competitions in his native Regil, Spain. I learnt a little bit of Savate from that region, totally different outlook from the Paris crowd.

Scuffing

Scuffing within our KORA system means working on bare-knuckle striking. Experience has taught our group that there has to be a balance between contact and repartition to avoid long term damage to the hands, wrists, elbows, shoulders and neck. Over the years, I have seen people, even pros, overdo it, and the results have alwaysContinue reading “Scuffing”

Tips for boot kickers

Savate offers many advantages and options to the martial artist, including control of range, timing, and unusual angles, contributing to its deceptive approach to combat. A key difference from other arts is how the boot or shoe is used in combat to supercharge techniques. I was a Muay Thai player from the early eighties, whichContinue reading “Tips for boot kickers”

In the mid-eighties, I had a French training partner, and in between Muay Thai classes, we worked out privately in a local French restaurant. We would clear away some tables and mostly worked on our Boxing and Muay Thai fight preparation. Fred was a great training partner, powerful and an excellent boxer and fighter. DuringContinue reading “Basque Boot”