Board of Directors of the Guild
Words form the National Director
How to learn Danse De Rue Savate
Certified Academies of Danse De Rue Savate(sm)
COMMITMENT TO LEARNING
In years past in Zipota, a student had to show dedication over a period of time
before a Master
instructor would accept a new practitioner. Persistence, eagerness, toughness
were but a few
qualities needed to be displayed. Similar to other arts around the globe, a
significant ritual would
occur that the student underwent to pay homage to the instructor and the art.
The student presented a rooster that would
be sacrificed, a bag of rice, saffron and garlic. Each item represented an
important
aspect that was discussed and understood. The presence needed to prepare, then
proceed with the event solidified the bond that was being made between student
and teacher.
In Savate in France, you may train 2-3
years before a Professeur would accept you, assuming you had attained a level
around Yellow glove or had performed well in competition. Only then would you be
trained in the higher levels of the art. Maitre Roger LaFond, the
Professeur to Professeurs will teach after you have gained a Professeur level in
both Savate/Boxe-Francaise , Lutte Parissienne and Canne/Baton.
Today most students have a mentality of
entitlement when showing up at an Academy to learn martial arts. Pay the money,
learn the art. In the IGDDRS, tradition, plus experience has combined to slow
the selection process of chosen instructors. The Guild has
two distinct lineages, Zipota and Savate. These lineages are respected and
honored. They are not forgotten and are taught to the future generations.
How the arts developed, past instructors,
and why they developed from the various circumstances from the past
to the present. The Coaches sets take the Zipotero of Danse De Rue Savate to a
different level of understanding the art.
If a Zipotero makes the commitment and is
accepted as an apprentice instructor then new doors are opened to
learning. The secular pattern in its balance points, angles, and
combinations of strikes all take on new meaning. The How's and why's become a
little more clear. You start to think and see a little differently. Appreciation
for what has been taught and what is to be learned becomes greater.
In the Guild you have to earn your rank.
Money will not be enough. Nor will time spent training. You have to produce
Zipoteros to earn the higher ranks in the instructors curriculum. The road to
Professeur status in the IGDDRS is difficult. As wisdom teaches us,
anything of value is earned through dedication, hard work, trials and
tribulations.
Coach Stephen "Agujas" Wall