Since Tuesday and after having received within its walls, representatives of the France kickboxing team, the CSJCtraditionally a place of excellence in the island sporting field, enthusiastically welcomed members of the French savate French boxing teamfor a training and exchange course.
Shooter or boxer, it depends…
This is also a first and a real curiosity for a discipline, it must be admitted, still little known in Corsica.
“French boxing is a profound science that requires a lot of composure, calculation, agility and strength.”
This is summarized in one sentence, emanating from the famous poet Théophile Gautier and inventor of the term “French boxing”, the qualities required to be a good shooter. And yes, unlike its cousin, English boxing, the discipline formerly called Savatte (spelling of the time) born in the Parisian slums in the 19th century, where street fights of “bad boys” were daily, uses a another term to designate the practitioner, in reference to certain postures and attitudes common with… fencing. However, it is also very common to use the term boxer to describe the athlete. A necessary prerequisite and useful details that should be underlined, to better understand the issues and objectives of these “mavericks” who often operate in the shadow of other combat sports, more media-focused and “bankable”. “It is clear that we lack visibility,” recognizes Richard Aguenihnai, performance director within the DTN of the French federation. He is part of the technical staff who supervises, along with the coaches Wendy Faure, Mathilde Mignier, Fathi Mira and doctor Marie-Pierre Mazières this golden generation of boxers, led into the ring by the multiple European and world champion, Damien Fabregas.
France, country of Savate
“Here we have, the elite of the discipline in full preparation for the next French championships”he specifies. In total, 22 boxers from the ranks of the French team, the French pole based in Toulouse and the remote individual support system, are present at this course, “Half of the athletes are women and they too have a regular harvest of titles at international events”. French boxing, which today has 60,000 members, is indeed popular with women, an avenue to explore in this quest for recognition. Breaking this old-fashioned image of the “Tiger Brigades” that sticks to it is also one of the stated goals of a discipline that does not let its guard down. “We have our identity, we convey our own values and our presence here in Ajaccio really makes sense,” assure Richard Aguenihnai. This ardent defender of the “SBF”, of which France is still the first nation in the world, also relies heavily on twinning with other disciplines, through the Savate Promotionnelle. “It is a competition formula that has existed for several years now and which allows us to confront opponents from other combat sports, but with the rules of the ‘SBF’“, supports the French leader. Also to knock out prejudices, definitively KO.
