Sambo stands for "samooborona bez oruzhiya," Russian for "self-defense without weapons." It was developed between the World Wars as a combatives style for Soviet soldiers. During the 2000s, says martial arts historian Dave Coffman, the martial arts saw a rise in the popularity of military combatives. It also saw a growing acceptance of fighting styles that didn't come from east Asia. These two factors combined to make sambo a commonly available choice for combat training.
Emphasis
Sambo was developed by a judo black belt in Eastern Europe, a region renowned for its love of -- and skill at -- wrestling. It's not surprising, then, that sambo techniques emphasize grappling techniques. These techniques tend toward larger movements such as arm bars and takedowns, rather than the small-joint manipulations of some other judo derivatives. Despite this emphasis on wrestling techniques, sambo also includes a respectable selection of punches and low kicks.
SEAT
Core sambo techniques follow the SEAT doctrine. According to sambo theory, a useful training technique must be sustainable, foster evolution, work in live training and be fully transferable. A sustainable technique must be something you can practice without injuring your partner. Although you can use it to injure an attacker, techniques that are impossible to practice at full speed are considered useless. This concept is also the key point in the requirement that techniques work in live training. Fostering evolution means that a technique helps a practitioner grow by improving skills, understanding or conditioning. The principle of transferability means that a mechanical concept can be used in multiple contexts. This means that you learn one technique that works against dozens of attacks, rather than specialized techniques for every possible situation.
Sport Fighting
Unlike many other military combatives styles, sambo is also practiced as a sport. This is because it was designed from the ground up to be practiced at full speed without crippling your opponent. As of 2010, sambo competitions are common in Russia and Europe, and there is a dedicated attempt to make it an Olympic sport. Because of its heavy grappling and combative elements, it's also common to see sambo-trained fighters in American mixed martial arts competition such as the UFC.
Weapons
Weapons are less of a factor in sambo training than in many other combatives styles. Sambo was developed from the beginning for use by an unarmed fighter against another unarmed fighter. Dealing with weapons is limited to disarms, which a fighter then follows up using an unarmed attack. However, modern sambo schools often incorporate armed techniques from different styles, such as systema and escrima.
References
- Dave Coffman; Martial Arts Historian; Hillsboro, OR
- No Gi Grappling: Sambo
- American Sambo Association
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