Canne de combat is a French combat sport or martial art, fought with wooden sticks. It is a bit like fencing (we use fencing helmets, and the goal is not to hurt, but to score), a bit like french-boxing (fast-paced, playful), a bit like a dance (nimble and graceful), a bit like capoeira (jumps, vaults, and acrobatic elements are encouraged), and a bit like nothing else.
A video is worth a thousand words:
On this video you can see a demonstration fight between two French fighters.
Canne is an entertaining, and joyful sport which requires and develops your stamina, body-skills, and concentration. It is your sport if you like fighting but don't want to be punched in the full-contact way, or if you are seeking a good cardio-training where you can sweat without realizing that you work hard. It's a great sport for men and women, for young and for old.
Canne has many variations, besides classic canne de combat there exists double canne (with two sticks), baton (with one long stick), canne defense (self-defense techniques with a stick), canne chausson (canne de combat mixed with savate kicks), or jedi-canne (well that might not be yet existing).
The reason of all these variations is that canne is a young sport, still in development, and has a great place for innovation and creativity.
The rules of canne de combat (see the rules section) might seem a bit complicated for the first sight, but in fact they can be learned fast. You can certainly learn enough in a few trainings to be able to make fun fights. And if you fall in love with it, you can also continue to learn things during your whole life.
If you found all this interesting click on the Connect us menu, and come, give it a try! The canne de combat club in Budapest now has english-speaking trainings. Don’t miss it!