Savate takes its name from the French for "old boot" (heavy footwear that used to be worn during fights).
The modern formalized form is mainly an amalgam of French street fighting techniques from the beginning of the 19th century. There are quite a few historical hints of kick fighting going back to Frankish and even Gaulish roots[citation needed] with the modern footwear changes and boxing amalgamation being just the most recent adjuncts in a long honorable line.

There are also many types of savate rules. Savate was then a type of street fighting common in Paris and northern France. In the south, especially in the port of Marseille, sailors developed a fighting style involving high kicks and open-handed slaps. It is conjectured that this kicking style was developed in this way to allow the fighter to use a hand to hold onto something for balance on a rocking ship's deck, and that the kicks and slaps were used on land to avoid the legal penalties for using a closed fist, which was considered a deadly weapon under the law. It was known as jeu marseillais ("game from Marseille"), and was later renamed chausson ("slipper", after the type of shoes the sailors wore). In contrast, at this time in England (the home of boxing and the Queensberry rules), kicking was seen as unsportsmanlike. Traditional savate or chausson was at this time also developed in the ports of North-West Italy and North-Eastern Spain.
The two key historical figures in the history of the shift from street-fighting to the modern sport of savate are Michel Casseux (also known as le Pisseux[1](1794–1869), a French pharmacist, and Charles Lecour (1808–1894). Casseux opened the first establishment in 1825 for practicing and promoting a regulated version of chausson and savate (disallowing head butting, eye gouging, grappling, etc). However the sport had not shaken its reputation as a street-fighting technique. Casseux's pupil Charles Lecour was exposed to the English art of boxing when he witnessed an English Boxing match in France between English pugilist Owen Swift and Jack Adams in 1838[2]. He also took part in a friendly sparring match with Swift later in that same year. Lecour felt that he was at a disadvantage, only using his hands to bat his opponent's fists away, rather than to punch. He then trained in boxing for a time before combining boxing with chausson and savate to create the sport of savate (or boxe française', as we know it today). At some point la canne and le baton stick fighting were added, and some form of stick-fencing, such as la canne, is commonly part of savate training. Those who train purely for competition may omit this. Savate was developed professionally by LeCour's student Joseph Charlemont and then his son Charles Charlemont.
Savate was later codified under a Committee National de Boxe Francaise under Charles Charlemont's student Count Pierre Baruzy (dit Barrozzi). The Count is seen as the father of modern savate and was 11-time Champion of France and its colonies, his first ring combat and title prior to World War One. Savate de Defense, Defense Savate, Savate de Rue ("de rue" means: "of the street") is the name given to those methods of fighting excluded from savate competition.
Perhaps the ultimate recognition of the respectability of savate came in 1924 when it was included as a demonstration sport in the Olympic Games in Paris. In 2008, Savate was recognised by the International University Sports Federation (FISU) - this recognition allows Savate to hold official University World Championships, the first will be held in Nantes, France in 2010.
Modern history
Despite its roots, savate is a relatively safe sport to learn. According to USA Savate [1], "savate ranks lower in number of injuries when compared to American football, hockey, football, gymnastics, basketball, baseball and inline skating".
Today, savate is practiced all over the world by amateurs: from Australia to the USA and from Finland to Britain and Iran. Many countries) have national federations devoted to promoting savate.
Modern codified savate provides for three levels of competition: assaut, pre-combat and combat. Assaut requires the competitors to focus on their technique while still making contact; referees assign penalties for the use of excessive force.
Pre-combat allows for full-strength fighting so long as the fighters wear protective gear such as helmets and shinguards.
Combat, the most intense level, is the same as pre-combat, but protective gear other than groin protection and mouthguards is prohibited.
Many martial arts provide ranking systems, such as belt colors. Savate uses glove colors to indicate a fighter's level of proficiency (unlike arts such as karate, which assign new belts at each promotion, moving to a higher color rank in savate does not necessarily entail a change in the color of one's actual gloves, and a given fighter may continue using the same pair of gloves through multiple promotions).
The ranking of Savate: Boxe Francaise is divided into three roads that a savateur can choose to take. The Technical road is Blue Glove, Green Glove, Red Glove, White Glove, Yellow Glove, Silver Glove I, Silver Glove II and Silver Glove III (Violet Glove for less than 17 years of Age) Competition Road: Bronze Glove, Silver Glove I, Silver Glove II, Silver Glove III, Silver Glove IV and Silver Glove V Teaching Ranks: Initiateur, Aide-Moniteur, Moniteur and Professeur
The ranking of Danse De Rue Savate is divided into two roads that a savateur can choose to take. The Technical road is Blue Glove, Green Glove, Red Glove, White Glove, Yellow Glove, Silver Glove I, Silver Glove II and Silver Glove III (Violet Glove for less than 17 years of Age) Teaching Ranks: Coach, Initiateur, Aide-Moniteur, Moniteur, Professeur and Maitre
Certain Federations there is no rank of Aide-Moniteur, while other Associations there is no rank of Initiateur. Yet a common time frame for a student to reach Professeur is between 8 to 12 years, while now in the French Federation it takes about 6 years while in the Italian Federation is takes 8, and in some federation it takes 2 years. The International Federation of Savate does not govern the ranking as many are lead to believe. Instead they govern the Competition Levels of the International arena.

Savate is now just a term meaning Boxe-Française Savate. In 1970s the term "Savate" was rarely used in France, people mostly used the term Boxe-Française Savate, B.F, B.F.S. or simply Boxe-Française. The term savate remains in use mostly outside France or when speaking a language other than French.
•    Historical Savate/Boxe Française: Some Savate has been re-constructed from old textbooks, such as those written in the late 19th or early 20th century. As such, this form of Savate would be considered a Historical European Martial Art. Re-construction of these older systems may or may not be performed by practitioners familiar with the modern sport and is not at present likely to be particularly widespread.
•    Chauss'Fight (2007): It is the new sport of savate to compete with the ever losing of boxers (savateurs) of the French Federation of Savate. It will consist of kicks with the tibia to draw boxers from the others Pugilistic Federations of Full-Contact, Kickboxing and Tai Boxing to transfer over to the French Federation of Savate. The new uniform will be patalons/pants similar to kick boxing no top and shoes. Many do not understand that the majority of the world champions of full-contact kickboxing and tai boxing were either European or French champions of savate.
Techniques
In competitive or competition savate which includes Assault, Pre-Combat, and Combat types, there are only four kinds of kicks allowed along with four kinds of punches allowed: [2].
•    Kicks:

1. fouetté (literally "whip", roundhouse kick making contact with the instep), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
2. chassé (side or front piston-action kick), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
3. revers (frontal or lateral "reverse" or hooking kick making contact with the sole of the shoe), high (figure), medium (median), or low (bas)
4. coup de pied bas ("low kick", a front or sweep kick to the shin making contact with the inner edge of the shoe, performed with a characteristic backwards lean) low only

•    Punches:
1.    direct bras avant (jab, lead hand)
2.    direct bras arrière (cross, rear hand)
3.    crochet (hook, bent arm with either hand)
4.    uppercut (either hand)
Savate did not begin as a sport, but as a form of self-defence and fought on the streets of Paris and Marseille. This type of Savate was known as Savate de Rue. In addition to kicks and punches, training in Savate de Rue (Savate Defense) includes knee and elbow strikes along with locks, sweeps, throws, headbutts, and takedowns.
There are six basic kinds of kicks, and four kinds of punches for Savate de Rue:
•    Kicks:
1.    fouetté (literally "whip", roundhouse kick making contact with the toe), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
2.    chassé (side or front piston-action kick), high (figure), medium (median) or low (bas)
3.    chassé italien (aimed at the opponent's inner thigh, with the toe pointed at the opponent's groin. Contrast the chassé bas lateral, which targets the front of the thigh.)
4.    revers (frontal or lateral "reverse" or hooking kick making contact with the sole of the shoe), high (figure), medium (median), or low (bas)
5.    coup de pied bas ("low kick", a front or sweep kick to the shin making contact with the inner edge of the shoe, performed with a characteristic backwards lean) low only, designed to break the shin bone.
6.    coup de pied bas de frappe (coup de pied bas which is used to strike the opponent's lead leg)[3].
•    Punches:

1. direct bras avant (jab, lead hand)
2. direct bras arrière (cross, rear hand)
3. crochet (hook, bent arm with either hand)
4. uppercut (either hand)[4].

In popular culture
Savate was also featured in the first Ultimate Fighting Championship tournament, where Dutch savate champion Gerard Gordeau beat a sumo wrestler and an American kickboxer. Savate was employed by the Captain America foe Batroc the Leaper as well as by Professor Calculus in the Tintin comic strip. Savate is used by the main character in the 2004 feature film Arsène Lupin. In the anime series Cowboy Bebop the main character Spike Spiegel encorporates Savate into his fighting style, as seen in the cafe fight scene in the episode Asteroid Blues. In Ben 10: Alien Force, Ben mentioned about as well as performed a Savate move when he and Gwen were practicing on the punchi