Sambo is an acronym (in Russian) for “Self-Defense without Weapons” (Samo borona bez oruzhija or Samozashchitija bez oruzhija).
Sambo is a Russian martial art that was created by Anatolij A. Khar-lampiev, Viktor A. Spiridonov, and Vasilij S. Oshchepkov in the 1930s in the former Soviet Union. It is a fighting style that relies primarily on throws, grappling techniques, and arm and leg locks. In many respects, it is similar to judo, freestyle wrestling, and Greco-Roman wrestling. Sambo is a synthesis of traditional wrestling styles and fighting systems practiced by the peoples of the former Soviet Union, as well as Kodokan Judo. Today, sambo exists as military sambo, sport sambo, and self-defense techniques. It is practiced worldwide as a sport and combat system and is used extensively by Russian police units and armed forces.
Sambo was developed to create both an unarmed combat system for the Soviet military and police units and a sport system for Soviet citizens. Following the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, the newly formed Communist government of the Soviet Union attempted to consolidate various cultural elements of the peoples of the USSR into a monolithic cultural entity. The Communist dogma of the period focused on different classes of peoples, rather than nationalities, and one of the stated purposes of the Bolsheviks was the elimination of classes. This was emphasized in the Soviet government’s objective of creating a new “Soviet Man” from the more than 300 diverse nationalities living in the vast country. This led to efforts to create “Soviet” music, literature, art, architecture, theater, and sport.
The creation of sambo was an attempt to create a true “Soviet” fighting art consistent with the government’s objectives of creating one “Soviet” culture from the disparate native cultures of the USSR. To promote this objective, the fighting styles of various cultures were studied, observed, and categorized, sometimes in a scientific manner, sometimes in a haphazard way. Anatolij Kharlampiev, who was recognized during Soviet times as the “father of sambo,” spearheaded some of these efforts. There is controversy today over which of the three individuals, Kharlampiev, Spiridonov, or Oshchepkov, was most responsible for the actual formation of the art. Given the bloody nature of the Soviet regime during the 1930s, it is unlikely that there is a simple or direct answer to this question.
In part because of the chaotic situation in the post-Revolutionary Soviet Union, combined with the horrific human toll of World War II, the actual history of sambo is a contentious issue in the newly democratized Russian Federation. There are supporters of Kharlampiev, Oshchepkov, and Spiridonov, each advocating their own “founder’s” position. Further, there exist different branches of the art, each often contending with the others as to sambo’s actual foundations. As with many martial arts, even recent ones, the actual development and history may always be a cause for speculation.
Sambo is recognized as a syncretic martial art that borrowed techniques from several styles. The founders of the art were versed in different fighting systems, and attempts were made to integrate them together. From the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia, which had extensive ties to Western Europe, Greco-Roman wrestling and freestyle wrestling were observed and studied. From Greco-Roman wrestling, several powerful throws were incorporated into sambo, most notably those using the hips. Leg techniques were added from freestyle wrestling. In the Caucasus Republic of Georgia, traditional jacket wrestling was studied. Jacket wrestling involves the competitors wearing a tight-fitting jacket, which can be grasped to throw a person. The jacket is supposed to represent clothing and thus help develop a person’s ability to defend oneself in a street situation. This practice may have influenced the sambo uniform and taught sambo practitioners how to use the clothing of an opponent for techniques. Osse-tian grappling arts were also studied. Ossetia is another region of the Caucasus where wrestling is intensely practiced for both sport and self-defense.
Other arts that may have been incorporated into sambo included the Turkish wrestling practiced in Azerbaijan. Azeri/Turkish wrestling resembles the Icelandic sport of Glima in many respects, most notably the pants that are worn by the competitors, which can be grasped for throws (in Glima, the pants are represented by a belt). This practice may have led to the idea of grasping the belt in sambo for use in throwing the opponent. Khokh, the national Armenian wrestling system, was probably also studied. In addition, native Russian techniques were also incorporated into this system, including arm and leg locks.
Armlocks are attempts to hyperextend the elbow joint beyond its capacity. If this is done, the opponent’s arm is broken. Leg locks are similar in that they attempt to hyperextend the knee joint or twist the opponent’s ankle into a break. This can break the leg. These combat techniques may have developed as a result of the harsh winter environment of Russia, where people dress in several layers of clothes. Often, arms and legs are the only areas that can be attacked because of this heavy clothing; chokes are impractical because of the protection around the neck. Many Russians also claim that arm and leg locks are easier to apply and more effective than chokes.
A crowd intently watches a wrestling match in Tatarstan, Russia.
In addition to these European and Central Asian arts, Russia has a significant East Asian population. This population practices various Chinese and Mongolian wrestling systems, including shuaijiao (shuai-chiao), and it is likely that techniques from these systems were also included. Kodokan Judo, as taught by Vasilij Oshchepkov, was also blended into the system. It is likely that the choke holds taught to military sambo practitioners came from this system.
In addition to these grappling arts, striking arts were added to the military sambo curriculum. Both Spiridonov and Oshchepkov were familiar with the basics of Japanese atemi-waza (vital point technique), in which practitioners are taught to strike at the weak points of the human body. In addition, boxing techniques from English boxing were added. French sa-vate was practiced in the Russian Empire before the Revolution of 1917, and it is likely that some of the kicks from this art were incorporated into sambo as well. Although striking is not permitted in sport sambo, it is used in military sambo and self-defense techniques.
The development of sambo was an attempt to create a native fighting system for the new nation. Although it did not supplant the native styles from which it emerged, sambo did provide a unified system of grappling that enabled all citizens of the USSR to have a common ground on which to compete. In addition, military sambo and self-defense techniques gave the military and police forces a tool that they could use in their respective professions.
The creators of sambo were successful in creating an effective martial art that was able to cut across the ethnic barriers that affected all levels of Soviet life. Today, with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and emergence of the Russian Federation, sambo is recognized as a Russian art that was developed during Soviet times.
Russians have a long and distinguished wrestling tradition, and sambo is an outgrowth of this dedication. Its development was a way for Soviet authorities to have both a true “native” sport as well as an effective means of self-defense. Sambo was promoted during the Soviet period as the “official” self-defense art of the USSR, and for a time was the only martial art that could be practiced legally, with the exception of judo. This suppression was due to the paranoid fears of the Soviet government that Asian martial arts would expose Soviet citizens to Asian religions and philosophies in an officially atheist state. In addition, there was concern that the youth of the nation would study unsupervised unarmed combat and become a menace to the society. Although judo was considered a non-Soviet martial art, its practice was allowed because judo was an Olympic event and the Soviet government was hungry for medals. With the fall of the USSR, martial arts of all styles were once again allowed into the Russian Federation. At the present time, martial arts of all styles are freely practiced in the Federation and the now independent former republics, but sambo still is very popular and continues to be practiced in all areas of these nations. Although judo was considered a non-Soviet martial art, its practice was allowed because judo was an Olympic event and the Soviet government was hungry for medals. With the fall of the USSR, martial arts of all styles were once again allowed into the Russian Federation. At the present time, martial arts of all styles are freely practiced in the Federation and the now-independent former republics, but sambo still is very popular and continues to be practiced in all areas of these nations in three forms: military sambo, self-defense sambo, and sport sambo.
Military sambo is the branch of the art that was taught to select army units and agents of the former KGB and GRU. The notorious KGB (Komi-titet Gosudarstvenoj Bezopasnosti; Committee for State Security) was the Soviet secret police responsible for both foreign espionage and internal repression of Soviet citizens. The GRU (Gosudarstvenije Razvedivatelnije Upravlenije; State Intelligence Agency) was the military secret police responsible for military espionage and intelligence operations. Today military sambo is still the self-defense system taught to select army units and to agents of various intelligence services of the Russian Federation. It is a martial art designed for combat situations.
Military sambo includes choke holds, strikes with the hands and feet, disarming techniques, and elbow strikes, in addition to sport sambo techniques, described later in this entry. Choke holds are attempts to cut off the air supply, blood supply, or both from the torso to the head. This is usually achieved through blocking the windpipe or squeezing the carotid arteries. Although not legal in sport sambo, these devastating techniques can be very effective in combat situations.
Although striking is secondary in sambo, military sambo practitioners are taught strikes and how to use them to their advantage, especially when setting up for a throw or a hold. A strike by the elbow into the face or a stomp with the edge of the foot along the shin can often disrupt an opponent enough to allow a finishing hold. In addition, practitioners are taught unarmed combat techniques against knives, clubs, and firearms. Learning how to disarm an opponent is critical in combat situations, and military sambo practitioners are expected to be proficient in this skill.
Self-defense sambo is taught to the city police (“militia”) and civilians interested in protecting themselves. It is not as involved or complex as sport or military sambo, and consists primarily of techniques to handle certain types of physical attacks. An analogy would be that of a person taking a basic self-defense course or rape-prevention course.
The rules of sport sambo were codified during the 1930s, and the art was formally recognized as an official sport of the Soviet Union in 1938. In 1939, the first sambo championships in the USSR were held in Leningrad (St. Petersburg). In 1968, the art was recognized by the International Amateur Wrestling Federation (FILA) as a discipline of wrestling, and in 1973 the first world championships were held in Teheran, Iran. Sambo was also a demonstration sport entry in the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games. Sport sambo continues to grow as an international sport and is practiced worldwide. Although it is most popular in Russia, Eastern and Western Europe, and nations of the former Soviet Union, the number of sambists in the Americas, Japan, and the Middle East is growing. Sport sambo can be seen in the United States in Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) competitions and is also an event in the Pan-American games. There are also All-European sambo championships as well as All-Russian and World Cup championships. The growth of sport sambo has provided impetus for discussions of its inclusion in the Olympic Games as a medal event.
Sport sambo is similar to judo in many respects. Sambo practitioners wear shorts or a wresting singlet, wrestling shoes, and a tight-fitting jacket known as a kurtka. The kurtka is tighter fitting than the traditional judogi. In addition, the kurtka has epaulets or shoulder cuffs for grasping. Sambo practitioners also wear a belt that can be grasped by competitors and used for throws. The kurtka has rings to hold the belt in place, which is intended to simulate actual street clothing.
A sambo match is two periods of three minutes each with a one-minute rest interval between the two periods. The goal of the competitors is a total victory. This occurs in one of three ways: after a throw when the thrown lands on his back and the thrower remains standing, when the opponent taps the mat twice after being locked into a submission hold, and when one competitor has twelve points over the opponent’s total. Failing total victory, the competitor with the most points wins. It is important to note that sambo matches are won by the awarding of points; there are no pins or throws that can directly end a match, as in most other wrestling systems.
Sambists have four methods to gain points in a match. The first is by throwing the opponent. Points are awarded by examining the final positions of both the thrower and the thrown after the throw is completed. The second is by a takedown. The attacking sambist must unbalance the opponent and take him to the mat, similar to Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling. The third method is by a hold. The attacking sambist must hold the opponent’s back toward the mat in a danger position of less than ninety degrees, with both chests in contact, to score. The fourth method is by a submission hold. Submission, or torture, holds are pressure holds exerted against the arms or legs. Examples include arm bars, leg locks, joint locks, and ankle locks. Note that there are no choke holds in sport sambo. A women’s division was added in 1987 to Soviet sambo competition.
Sambo has a belt ranking system that is similar to some Asian martial arts, but its legitimacy is a subject of controversy. Some organizations recognize this system, while others do not. Belts begin with first degree, a white belt, and go up to eleventh degree, which is gold with an FILA emblem and honor band. Practitioners are awarded rankings exclusively based on competition. The first three belts are awarded at the regional level. Fourth and fifth degrees are awarded by regional coaches with approval from a country’s national sambo federation. Sixth and seventh degrees are awarded to national champions. Eighth degree belts are awarded to champions who place third in an international event. Ninth degree rankings are for those who place second in an international event, and tenth degree is for those who place first. The eleventh degree is reserved for sam-bists with formidable competitive records or for those judged as “international masters” of sambo. Sambo coaches can be awarded belts based on the records of their students.
In addition to this ranking system, the USSR Sports Federation had its own internal system of sambo ranking. Sambists who were actively competing in the USSR were considered to be “sport candidates.” Those sam-bists who won a national title in their class were awarded the title “master of sport” and were licensed to teach the art. There were different classes of sport sambo competition, including armed forces sambo competitions, KGB competitions, amateur competitions, and youth competitions.
Today, sambo is regulated by the International Amateur Sambo Federation (FIAS), which is further developing an international system of rankings and rules. This may lead to changes in sambo grading and proficiency examinations. It is likely, however, that the rules for competition and the method for awarding points in tournaments will remain the same.
Soviet films sometimes showcased sambo. There are three films that may be familiar to Western filmgoers. The first, The Undefeated, is a film about the life and travels of Anatolij Kharlampiev in his development of sambo. The second, Moscow Does Not Believe in Tears, was the 1980 Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film and features a whimsical display of the art, as a sambist engages the Soviet version of juvenile delinquents. The final entry, The Individual Swimmer, features Soviet commandos and spies incorporating sambo techniques as they attempt to avert a war.
Sambo champions and trainers are well known and respected in the former Soviet Union and Russia. Anatolij Kharlampiev is a hero of the former Soviet Union for his work. Russian figures such as David Rudman and Laishev Renat are as well known in their home country as football and baseball players in the United States. With the advent of events such as the Ultimate Fighting Championship and international no-holds-barred events, sambists such as Oleg Taktarov and Igor Zinoviev have become recognizable figures worldwide.
Sambo was, for fifty years, the exclusive martial art for more than 300 million people. With the dissolution of the Soviet Union and free flow of information now occurring from the Russian Federation, the popularity of sambo continues to grow. As martial arts of all styles continue to grow in popularity worldwide, sambo can rightfully take its place as one of the most influential and effective fighting styles of the twentieth century.
