Savate Footwork | Changing lines of attack
Savate footwork is at the core of the art. Savate fighters move lightly and quickly and there is a focus on lateral movements in escaping and changing the line of attack. The Savate Red Glove syllabus asks for mastery of two types of lateral stepping – décalage and débordement.
Savate Footwork.
Stance.
A Savate stance is with feet about walking distance apart. It should feel comfortable and evenly weighted. Heels are raised off the floor. One side (usually left) will be in advance, and the other will be your rear side. This gives your stance some depth and structure from which to defend, move, and throw strikes.
Décalage.
Literally to ‘make a gap’ or ‘to shift’. To décalage is to step one foot off the line, then strike, before catching up the other foot. The French phrase ‘décalage horaire’ literally means ‘time zone’, and you can imagine a map with timezones drawn vertically as describing the sidestepping locations to each side of your opponent.
Débordement.
Literally to ‘outflank’, either in the sense of water overflowing a bath or a river, or of an army outflanking its adversary on the side. Débordement is made with two steps before striking, so one escapes the line of attack completely before replying on a different line.
Unstatic.
None of our drills is static. Every technique requires movement into and out of it. Our instructors will show you how to improve your footwork along with every other part of your Savate game. Practising your footwork every time you train will give you a great foundation – whether it is in service of your next grading, for club sparring, or competitive Savate. Footwork underpins everything else, literally and metaphorically.
Example: Décalage
demonstrated by head coach James Southwood.
Recent online footwork classes
| Title | Date | Summary | Minutes | Categories | Tags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lateral Movement Mastery | 01 Aug 2021 | Take your lateral movement understanding up a level. A month of footwork training drills, reactions, … | Courses | footwork | |
| Lateral Step Reactions | 01 Aug 2021 | Test your lateral step (déc et déb) reactions against different attacks, and box against me … | 36 | Lessons | footwork |
| Explosive Step Workout | 01 Aug 2021 | 20 minutes designed to improve the speed and balance of your fast stepping. Available on … | 24 | Workouts | footwork |
| Lateral Movement Masterclass | 01 Aug 2021 | This video will take your lateral movement understanding up a gear. Do you stay in … | 3 | Analysis | footwork |
| Evading Low Kicks | 31 May 2021 | Keep your legs away from incoming strikes with these 3 escapes plus bonus footwork fitness … | 38 | Lessons | defences, footwork |
| Décalage + Débordement Workout | 24 May 2021 | 20 minute workout to target your legs, technical form, and stepping speed. Available on London … | 29 | Workouts | footwork |
| Red Glove Focus Drills | 08 Feb 2021 | My top selection from the Savate Red Glove training syllabus – evade and counter your … | 44 | Lessons | footwork, grading |
| Step and Punch: 10 boxing footwork drills | 01 Feb 2021 | 10 drills / 20 minutes training to improve your boxing game. To box well with … | 24 | Workouts | boxing, footwork |
| 20 Minutes of Footwork (Leg Strength) Drills | 14 Dec 2020 | Get stronger legs and faster feet. A great Savate footwork leg workout comprising 20 separate … | 29 | Workouts | footwork |
| Leaving Axis with Débordement | 28 Sep 2020 | 53 minute class. Focus on Footwork. Learn how to out-flank your opponent using Savate footwork … | 53 | Lessons | footwork |
| Décalage and Débordement in Action | 24 Sep 2020 | Can you tell your décalage from your débordement and change line effectively on an opponent? … | 10 | Analysis | footwork |
| Advancing and Retreating | 21 Sep 2020 | 9 minute training clip. Make your forward and backwards movement work for you. Training advice, … | 9 | Technical Clips | footwork |
| Making Angles: Stepping with Décalage. | 14 Sep 2020 | 44 minute class. Focus on Footwork. Learn how to shift your line to beat an … | 44 | Lessons | footwork |
| Footwork in action | 10 Sep 2020 | Take your footwork further. Expert analysis of Savate fights illustrating principles of good footwork on … | 9 | Analysis | footwork, tactics |
| What to do with your feet: | 07 Sep 2020 | Bouncing. Maintaining lead. Circling. Moving from centre of gravity. Taking small steps. use footwork for … | 10 | Technical Clips | beginners, footwork |
| Focus on Footwork | 01 Sep 2020 | Want to improve your footwork? This course is for you. Savate footwork is unique and … | Courses | footwork | |
| Foot Placement | 06 Aug 2020 | Aims To investigate best foot placement for certain strikes and movements. Contents Warm-up. 1. Conventional. … | 44 | Lessons | beginners, footwork |
| Débordement + Punch | 03 Aug 2020 | Aims To move and punch better; to explore the sequence: débordement + punch, using 3 … | 43 | Lessons | boxing, footwork |
| Step and punch | 20 Jul 2020 | Aims To improve our motion forwards while punching. Contents Warm-up. Direct. Uppercut/hook. With débordement Freestyle. … | 45 | Lessons | boxing, footwork |
| Lateral Movement | 07 Jul 2020 | Aims To reinforce our lateral movement by practising it within combinations. Contents Warm-up. Part 1: … | 44 | Lessons | footwork |
| Croisé | 22 Jun 2020 | Technique 48 mins | Warm-up | Chassé croisé | Revers croisé | Fouetté croisé | … | 48 | Lessons | footwork |
| Débordement Inside-Outside | 04 Jun 2020 | Technique 47 mins | Warm-up | Poing-pied | Pied-poing | Pied-pied | Fitness and revision … | 47 | Lessons | footwork |
| Changing Angles | 26 May 2020 | Technique 39 mins | Directs + change angle | Chassé + change angle | Turning … | 39 | Lessons | footwork |
| Dec et Deb | 07 May 2020 | Décalage et Débordement Technique 42 mins | Footwork warm-up | Squat warm-up | Dec punch … | 42 | Lessons | footwork |
| Forwards/Backwards | 30 Apr 2020 | Technique 28 mins | Forward/back footwork | Striking when changing direction | Punching forward/back | … | 28 | Lessons | footwork |
| Circular Attacks | 23 Apr 2020 | Technique 36 mins | circular footwork | step punch | step kick | turn and … | 36 | Lessons | footwork |
| Débordement | 09 Apr 2020 | Débordement (out-flanking) – 9th April 2020. 40 mins | Débordement + punch | Débordement + … | 40 | Lessons | footwork |
| Answered: Pivot vs Débordement | 07 Apr 2020 | Member question: ‘What is the difference between a boxers’ pivot and débordement in Savate?’ Answer: … | 1 | Technical Clips | footwork |
| Decalage | 02 Apr 2020 | Décalage (making a gap) – 2nd April 2020. 42 mins | Décalage footwork explained | … | 42 | Lessons | footwork |
| Angles | 19 Mar 2020 | Starting an attack on one angle, finishing on another. – Filmed live Thursday 19th March … | 39 | Lessons | footwork |