Sambo is a martial art with Soviet origins, an internationally practised combat sport, and a recognized style of amateur wrestling included by UWW in the World Wrestling Championships along with Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling.
Etymology It originated in the Russian SFSR of the Soviet Union during the 1920s. The word sambo is an acronym of samozashchita bez oruzhiya (Russian: самозащита без оружия), which literally translates to 'self-defence without weapons'. Sambo is a martial art and combat sport developed and used by the Soviet Red Army in the early 1920s to improve their hand-to-hand combat abilities. The sport incorporates various styles of wrestling and other self-defence systems such as kick-boxing and fencing. Soviet martial arts expert Vasili Oshchepkov is credited as one of the founding fathers. Viktor Spiridonov, a military officer with background in several different styles of wrestling spanning across the Soviet Union, is also considered an important founding member of sambo. Spiridonov and Oshchepkov independently developed two different styles, which eventually cross-pollinated and became what is known as sambo.
Origins Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Red Army and other forces to improve hand-to-hand combat abilities of their servicemen. It was intended to merge the most effective techniques of other martial arts. The pioneers of sambo were Viktor Spiridonov and Vasili Oshchepkov. Both were trained military men with access to frequent state-sponsored travel opportunities where they were able to experience various local wrestling styles and add new techniques to their arsenal. Oshchepkov even spent several years living in Japan and training in judo under its founder Kano Jigoro. Oshchepkov died in prison as a result of the Great Purge after being accused of being a Japanese spy, and judo was banned in the USSR for decades until the 1964 Olympics, where sambists won four bronze medals. Both men were trained military officers with backgrounds in several styles of combat wrestling that were prevalent in different regions of the Russian Empire (later the Soviet Union) and abroad. Combining these styles together with the popular international style of catch-as-catch can wrestling (known as "free wrestling" in Russian at the time) and Japanese judo wrestling, their respective styles gradually morphed into a new style of wrestling that was more suitable for the Soviet military's hand-to-hand combat needs. Compared to Oshchepkov's system of "free wrestling" in Russia, Spiridonov's style was softer, less brutal, and less strength-dependent, which was in large part was due to the injuries Spiridonov sustained during World War I. Anatoly Kharlampiev, a student of Vasili Oshchepkov, is also considered a founder of sambo. On 16 November 1938, it was recognized as an official sport when the USSR All-Union Sports Committee issued resolution no. 633.
Styles There are multiple competitive sport variations of sambo (though sambo techniques and principles can be applied to many other combat sports). Below are the main formats that are recognized by FIAS.
Sport sambo
Sport sambo or Sambo wrestling (Russian: Борьбa Самбо, romanized: Bor Ba Sambo, lit. 'Sambo Wrestling') is stylistically similar to pre-World War I catch wrestling and judo; and in a lot of ways influenced by them in rules and protocols. The competition uniforms (called "kurtka") mimic clothing used in wrestling tournaments popular amongst the peasantry of the Caucasus region in the Soviet Union, with a few added elements from judo wrestling outfits prevalent at the time. The competition colors (red and blue), shoes, and circular ring have direct lineages from the internationally popular style of catch wrestling. Sambo also allows various types of leg locks while not allowing chokeholds, akin to rulesets that were widely used in pre-World War I catch wrestling tournaments. Similarly to its parent styles, it also places emphasis on throwing, ground control, riding, pinning, and escapes as well as submissions, with very few restrictions on gripping and holds. Sambo is an international style of amateur wrestling recognized by the FILA (now UWW) Congress in 1966.
Combat sambo
Combat sambo (Russian: боевое самбо, romanized: boyevoye sambo) is used and was developed for the military, including forms of striking and wrestling. Combat sambo allows regular punches, kicks, elbows, and knees, as well as soccer kicks, headbutts, and groin strikes, in addition to throws, holds, chokes, and joint locks (leg locks such as knee bars, heel hooks, and toe holds), except for a standing or flying wristbar. The chief distinction from sambo wrestling is that striking techniques are fully allowed. In terms of aliveness, combat sambo surpasses ARB by design, though both were designed for combat situations only. Competitors wear jackets as in sport sambo, but also hand protection and sometimes shin protection and headgear. The first FIAS World Combat Sambo Championships were held in 2001. The World Combat Sambo Federation, based in Russia, also sanctions international combat sambo events. Combat sambo is designed to tackle certain tasks. The effectiveness of this martial art is determined by its structure, namely by three components: boxing, sambo, and adapters. Adapters of combat sambo were developed by the academician G. S. Popov. The task of adapters is to ensure the safe transition from middle distance to close one, as well as the consistent usage of sambo and boxing techniques. The given configuration provides the fusion of two martial arts into a single system.
Women participated in combat sambo for the first time in an official tournament in the Paris Grand Prix 2015. The first recognized instance of women competing in an international combat Sambo tournament was in the 2022 Asian and Oceania Sambo Championships. In 2022, Australia and New Zealand competed for the first time in the Asian sambo championship.
Self-defense sambo This kind of sambo is about defending oneself. In it, practitioners are taught to guard against weapons. Most of the moves that are taught include using the attacker's aggression against them, which is similar to what is done in both jiu-jitsu and aikido. Spiridonov's influence is strong in this style of sambo.
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