Zipota

Zipota or "zipote" is a martial art taught primarily in Texas in the United States and is closely related to the French martial art of savate. Both place an emphasis on kicks, though zipota has more throws and jump kicks, knee/shin and elbow strikes, joint manipulation and it includes aspects of stick fighting and knife fighting. Practitioners of the zipota are known as "zipoteros" ("one who does zipote") or "zipotones" in Spanish. In zipota, the usual stick weapon is called the makila. The knife is called the "saca tripa". It also uses the pelotas as a throwing weapon. Stones thrown with the basket fly at high speed and can be lethal within 50 feet (as depicted, possibly inaccurately, in the film Thunder in the Sun).

Although it is claimed to be a Basque variant of Savate, it is unclear whether the sport truly originates in the Basque Country. Its practitioners may have borrowed, used and coined a number of Basque terms such as "zipotedun" (one who has zipote), "zipotelari" (a zipotero), "lamiak" and "sugaar" (names for kicks), "makila" (a Basque walking stick used in some Basque dances and sports), and others.

The name "zipote" is described by practitioners as being from the Basque, meaning "shoe". The word "zapata" in Basque is a loanword from Spanish. The Spanish word itself, and the French word "savate", are loans from Arabic "sabbat", via Italian "ciabatta" or old Occitan "sabata". [Dubois, J. "Larousse Dictionnaire d' Étymologie", Larousse 2001] There is no evidence that the word "zipote" or "zipota" has a meaning of "shoe" or a martial art in Basque. [Azkue, RM "Diccionario Vasco-Español-Frances" 1905] [Lhande, P. "Dictionnaire Basque-Français", Paris 1926] ["Elhuyar hiztegia euskara-gaztelania/castellano-vasco", Elhuyar 1996] .

References

* [http://www.savatedansederue.com/ Danse de Rue Savate] , a savate style that includes zipota moves

External links

* [http://airwolf.lmtonline.com/news/archive/112898/pagea15.pdf Obituary] from the Laredo Morning Times on zipota expert Isidro "Chilo" Chapa
* [http://www.buber.net/Basque/Sports/zipota.html Basque culture web site] and discussion
* [http://www.esgrimaantigua.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=4328 Discussion] of zipota and savate (in Spanish)
* [http://martialarts.superinfotech9.com/23865.php Zipota] as an influence on savate