Rules

Savate is a martial art that was originally developed in France. In the 17 th century French sailors to the Orient observed fighters that used kicks along with punches. The sailors adopted many of the techniques to their native “street kicking,” and Savate was born.

The Spirit of Sport Savate:

Sport Savate is a light contact sport that is both safe and fun, and is suitable for children and adults, whether male or female. This sport absolutely prohibits full contact. The spirit of this sport is to have fun sparring, but to avoid injury wherever possible. Sport Savate honors sportsmanship above all else.

Sport Savate features 2 one-minute rounds of continuous sparring, with a 30 second rest period.

Permitted Strikes and Contact:

Light Head Contact. Competitors may kick and punch to the head, but only with light contact. Competitors may only strike the following areas of the head:

Side of the helmet.
Front bar of the helmet.
Face, but only if extremely controlled, and the punch is pulled before contact.

Sport Savate awards the pulling of punches and kicks to the head. The judges may award full points for kicks and punches that are pulled before contact with any of the legal head targets, if the judges feel that the blow could have struck the target unimpeded.

Head-Strike Infractions. The following head-strikes are absolutely prohibited:

Blows that rock the head (warning or point deduction).
Blows that draw blood (automatic disqualification).
Blows that result in injury to the head or loss of consciousness (automatic disqualification).
Blows intended to cause injury, as determined in the referee’s discretion (warning, point deduction, or disqualification).
No Contact to the Neck. Strikes to the neck are prohibited.

Light to Medium Body Contact. Light to medium body contact is permitted, and will be scored, for the following areas:

Front of the body, from the waist up to (but not including) the neck.
Sides of the body from under the armpit down to the waist.

Body Contact I nfractions. The following body contact is prohibited:

Blows that result in injury (warning, point deduction, or disqualification).
Blows to the back, including spine and kidneys (warning, point deduction, or disqualification).
Blows intended to cause injury, as determined in the referee’s discretion (warning, point deduction, or disqualification).

Leg Strikes. Only light leg strikes are permitted. Leg strikes are scored to the following areas:

Outside of leg, from above the knee to below the hip.
Inside of leg, from above the knee to below the groin.

Leg Strike Infractions. The following leg strikes are prohibited. The referee will have discretion to issue a warning, point deduction, or disqualification for any such strike :

Strikes to the knee.
Strikes to the groin.
Strikes below the knee.
Strikes intended to cause injury, as determined in the referee’s discretion.

Prohibited Strikes.

No Elbow or Knee Strikes. The elbows and knees may only be used for blocking, and not for striking.
No Finger Strikes.
No Knife Edge of the Hand Strikes.
No Hammer-Fist Strikes.
No Ridge Hand Strikes.
No Forearm Strikes.
No striking a downed opponent.

The referees may give warnings and point deductions for unintentional prohibited strikes. The referees will automatically disqualify all competitors who intentionally deliver any prohibited strike.

No Intentional Falling.

A competitor who intentionally falls down to avoid being struck by an opponent may at the referee’s discretion be issued a warning or deduction (disqualification for repeated infractions).

Scoring:

The following strikes will be awarded the following points:

1 point - Any controlled punch (or pulled punch) delivered to a legal scoring area above the waist.
1 point - Any controlled kick delivered to any legal scoring area of the leg or body.
2 points - Any controlled kick (or pulled kick) delivered to a legal scoring area of the head.
3 points - Any controlled jump spin kick (or pulled kick) delivered to a legal scoring area of the head.

The three judges will keep track of each competitor’s score with a clicker. Each judge will inform the scorekeeper of the competitor who received the most points. The winner will need two of the three judges to declare in his or her favor. In the event of a tie, the center referee will cast the deciding vote, in favor of the competitor who controlled the match and was more aggressive.

Sportsmanship, Match Duration; Competitor Identification:

Sportsmanship. Sport Savate honors sportsmanship above all else. All competitors will conduct themselves at the highest levels of sportsmanship, without exception. All competitors, coaches, officials and fans are responsible at all times for ensuring that Sport Savate remains a safe and fun experience for all participants.

Follow referee’s instructions

No taunting
No intentional attempts to cause injury to an opponent
Obey the rules
Have fun
Rounds / Match Duration; Breaks in the Action.

Elimination matches will have a duration of 2 one-minute rounds of continuous action, with a 30 second rest period.

Final matches will have a duration of 2 two-minute rounds of continuous action, with a 60 second rest period.

The referee will only break the action to ensure competitor safety (for example, to give directions and warnings, or to check equipment), and to reset the competitors when necessary. Competitor Identification. One competitor will have a blue sash tied to the upper arm and the other will have a red sash.

Equipment and Uniforms:

Equipment. The following equipment is required for all competitors:

Helmet – either a foam dip karate style helmet, or a leather boxing style helmet.
Groin protector – for both male and female competitors.
Mouth guard – double guard is preferred (covering top and bottom teeth) but a single (covering the top teeth) is acceptable.
Gloves – foam dipped or vinyl, that cover the primary and secondary knuckles.
Shoes – savate or wrestling shoes with foam dipped booties or shin and instep guard over them.

The following equipment is optional:

Shin Guards – foam dipped or vinyl.
Chest Guards – foam dipped or vinyl.

All equipment must be in good condition.

Uniforms. Competitors may choose any of the following types of uniform:

Traditional savate unitard.
Gi pants with a sleeveless shirt (no bad language or images on the shirt).
Custom tournament uniforms (use good taste).

Officials:

The following officials will work each match:

Three judges, who award points using clickers. The winner of the match needs two of the three judges declaring for them.
One referee, who controls all ring action, and who is solely responsible for warnings, point deductions and disqualifications. The Referee also has the decideing vote in the event of a tie (based on who they felt was in control and or more aggressive).
One timekeeper, who keeps time over the one minute rounds and the 30 second rest period.
One score keeper, who tallies the judges’ scores (if a score keeper is unavailable, the referee will tally the judges’ scores).
Arbitrator, who handles disputes and who makes final interpretations of rules.

All officials will have passed a written examination pertaining to their particular position.

Rings and Ring Equipment:

Ring Size. The rings will be 15’ x 15’ up to 20’ x 20’; preferably matted.

Ring Equipment. Each ring will be equipped as follows:

A stop watch.
A scale (for weighing competitors).
A red sash.
A blue sash.
Three clickers (one for each judge keeping score).
A bean bag to throw at the end of each round.
A tally sheet for each match.
A bye chart.
Three chairs for judges.
A table and chairs for the score keeper and time keeper.
Pencils and pens.
Shirts for the officials (polo style shirts with official Sport Savate logo).

Coaching:

No coaching during a round. Each coach must remain quiet during a round. Coaching between rounds and during rest period is permitted. Each coach must exhibit good sportsmanship at all times. Each coach may give a competitor water or sports drink between rounds.

Divisions and Levels:

Skill Levels: Divisions will classify competitors based on skill levels, as follows:

Beginner – 0 to 6 months.
Intermediate – 6 months to 2 years.
Advanced – 2 to 3 years.
Expert – Over 4 years.

Age Levels. Divisions will classify competitors based on age, as follows. Administration may adjust the general weight levels below from time to time in the future as appropriate.

5 to 6 year olds

Male Female

Light under 52 pounds Light under 50 pounds
Middle 53 to 63 pounds Middle 51 to 60 pounds
Heavy 64 to 74 pounds Heavy 61 to 71 pounds
Super heavy 75 pounds and over Super heavy 72 pounds and over

7 to 8 year olds

Male Female

Light under 55 Pounds Light under 53 pounds
Middle 56 to 66 pounds Middle 54 to 64 pounds
Light heavy 67 to 77 pounds Light heavy 65 to 75 pounds
Heavy 78 to 88 pounds Heavy 76 to 86 pounds
Super heavy 89 pounds and above Super Heavy 87 pounds and above

9 to 10 year olds

Male Female

Light under 60 pounds Light under 58 pounds
Middle 61 to 71 pounds Middle 59 to 69 pounds
Light heavy 72 to 82 pounds Light heavy 70 to 80 pounds
Heavy 83 to 93 pounds Heavy 81 to 91 pounds
Super heavy 94 pounds and above Super heavy 92 pounds and above

11 to 12 year olds

Male Female

Fly under 65 pounds Fly under 63 pounds
Light 66 to 76 pounds Light 64 to 74 pounds
Middle 77 to 87 pounds Middle 75 to 85 pounds
Light heavy 88 to 98 pounds Light heavy 86 to 96 pounds
Heavy 99 to 115 pounds Heavy 97 to 110
Super heavy 116 pounds and above Super heavy 111 pounds and above

13 to 14 year olds

Male female

Fly under 70 pounds Fly under 68 pounds
Light 71 to 81 pounds Light 69 to 79 pounds
Middle 82 to 97 pounds Middle 80 to 95 pounds
Light heavy 98 to 120 pounds Light heavy 96 to 115 pounds
Cruiser 121 to 140 pounds Cruiser 116 to 135 pounds
Heavy 141 to 160 pounds Heavy 136 to 155 pounds
Super heavy 161 pounds and above Super heavy 156 pounds and above

15 to 17 year olds

Male Female

Fly under 80 pounds Fly under 78 pounds
Light 81 to 93 pounds Light 79 to 91 pounds
Middle 94 to 110 pounds middle 92 to 108 pounds
Light heavy 111 to 125 pounds Light heavy 109 to 123 pounds
Cruiser 126 to 145 pounds Cruiser 124 to 143 pounds
Heavy 146 to 170 pounds Heavy 144 to 168 pounds
Super heavy 171 pounds and above Super heavy 169 pounds and above

18 to 34 year olds

Male Female

Fly 90 pounds and under Fly 88 pounds and under
Light 91 to 125 pounds Light 89 to 110 pounds
Middle 126 to 140 pounds Middle 111 to 123 pounds
Light heavy 141 to 155 pounds Light heavy 124 to 135 pounds
Cruiser 156 to 170 pounds Cruiser 136 to 146 pounds
Heavy 171 to 190 pounds Heavy 147 to 157 pounds
Super heavy 191 pounds and above `Super heavy 158 pounds and above

35 to 44 year olds

Male Female

Fly 90 pounds and under Fly 88 pounds and under
Light 91 to 125 pounds Light 89 to 110 pounds
Middle 126 to 140 pounds Middle 111 to 123 pounds
Light heavy 141 to 155 pounds Light heavy 124 to 135 pounds
Cruiser 156 to 170 pounds Cruiser 136 to 146 pounds
Heavy 171 to 190 pounds Heavy 147 to 157 pounds
Super heavy 191 pounds and above

45 and over

Fly 90 pounds and under Fly 88 pounds and under
Light 91 to 125 pounds Light 89 to 110 pounds
Middle 126 to 140 pounds Middle 111 to 123 pounds
Light heavy 141 to 155 pounds Light heavy 124 to 135 pounds
Cruiser 156 to 170 pounds Cruiser 136 to 146 pounds
Heavy 171 to 190 pounds Heavy 147 to 157 pounds
Super heavy 191 pounds and above