1980’s The Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs, Grenoble, France – Article 1

[1980s – not exact date] In our last issue we published a short letter and two photographs sent us by Monsieur Emile Chabut, Director of a sports club in Grenoble.  This includes a section for young girls, about twenty aged between 12 (and under) and 16, who want to wrestle and box.  We have since had further photographs from M.  Chabut, and now  a selection of these with an account of the club based on his letters.

Editor.

The Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs in Grenoble is some twenty years old, and originally had a boxing section restricted solely to boys of 10 to 16 years of age.  And then, about five years ago, some young girls of the same age as the boys came to help with their training. I agreed and so our feminine section had its start.   Since, for the girls, we have added wrestling.  In the boxing, at first, there were separate training sessions for the girls and the boys, but finally we put them in together- and i very quickly saw that the girls would not cut a poor figure against the boys.  They have less physical strength but they compensate for this with much greater agility, much greater flexibility.  The mixed training bouts are quite even.

I think that boxing can be very well practised with great profit by young girls.  It is an excellent combative sport.  During training, our girls practise physical culture (suppleness and muscle development with dumb-bells), then skipping with a skipping rope, exercises with the punch-bag, a lesson with the trainer and finally five or six rounds with another boxer (girl or boy).

Every month we organise a tournament.  For the boys it is very easy to find adversaries in another club, but on the contrary, alas, for the girls it is practically impossible and they are obliged constantly to fight each other,  which is not very interesting for them!

Depending on the amount of training, the rounds are of one minute, one minute thirty seconds, or two minutes.  The rules are the same as for the boys.  The matches are judged on points or occasionally are stopped by the referee because of too great a superiority of one girl.  They very rarely produce a K.O. Many of our girls have excellent technique and are impatient to fight.  The youngest are 10 and the oldest are aged 16.  The majority are between 13 and 14.

The bouts in the tournament are of three rounds, the length of the rounds determined as mentioned above.  The boxing matches between the girls are often very spectacular because they have excellent technique and great combative spirit.

It is to be eagerly hoped that more and more of this sport can be developed for girls.  It is the same with wrestling where the girls can give proof of a number of qualities, particularly suppleness and aggression. I am sure that an excellent magazine like AGGRESSIVE WOMEN can contribute greatly to the development of combat sports (boxing and wrestling) amongst young girls.

As mentioned, M. Chabut is very anxious to find female opponents for his girl boxers, either on the Continent or in the U.K. Letters sent direct to him (at the Foyer Club Sports et Loisirs, 24 Rue Marcel PL-rotto, 38100 Grenoble, France)

MUST be written in French, as he does not speak or read English.  However, should any reader know of possible opposition, but finds writing French difficult, he or she is urged to write to the editor of this magazine, who will be pleased to pass on such letters suitably translated.