| Developed in the former Soviet Union and | | | | Self-defense Sambo is much like jujitsu or Aikido |
| recognized as an official sport by the USSR | | | | and works on the basis of defense against |
| All-Union Sports Committee in 1938, Sambo is a | | | | attacks armed and unarmed. Boyevoye Sambo |
| modern martial art. It is most definitely a combat | | | | or Combat Sambo was developed for the military |
| sport and also a self defense system. Sometimes | | | | and included the use of weapons and uses |
| referred to in the USA as Sombo, Sambo literally | | | | disarming techniques. Competition in these styles |
| means "self-defense without a weapon" and has | | | | is like the older Judo combined with mixed martial |
| its roots in folk styles of wrestling like Mongolian | | | | arts with grappling and striking used extensively. |
| Khapsagay, Armenian Koch and Georgian | | | | The last style is Special Sambo, which was |
| Chidaoba. Although there is no real recognized | | | | developed for the Special Forces of the Army |
| founder of Sambo, Anatoly Kharlampiev is often | | | | and the Rapid Reaction Police and different |
| officially stated as being the founder. Vasili | | | | branches of the service use different techniques. |
| Oshchepkov, who was shot during the political | | | | Those who participate in Sambo competitions |
| purges of 1933, and Viktor Spiridonov, due to a | | | | normally wear either a red or blue jacket called a |
| shoulder injury during the Russo-Japanese war, | | | | kurtka, a belt and shorts of the same color and |
| used Sambo as a soft, aikido-like system. Sambo | | | | Sambo shoes called sambovki. Russian martial arts |
| is one of the four styles of amateur wrestling | | | | differ from those of the east in that they are not |
| practiced today, the other three are | | | | so much based on techniques but are based on |
| Greco-Roman wrestling, Freestyle wrestling and | | | | training concepts. In Eastern martial arts, the |
| Judo. FILA accepted Sambo as the 3rd style of | | | | instruction is through rehearsing moves and |
| international wrestling in 1968. In 1985, the | | | | techniques where as in Sambo and other Russian |
| Federation International Amateur Sambo (FIAS) | | | | forms, they are taught to use improvisation but |
| was formed. Sambo was a demonstration sport | | | | within a certain structure. Students of this style |
| at the 1980 Moscow Olympics but due to the | | | | are taught that pain is a penalty for an incorrect |
| large number of boycotts that affected the | | | | move and when you stop getting hurt, you are |
| games, numbers were insufficient for Sambo to | | | | doing it right. Today there are Sambo schools and |
| be included in further games. Originally a single | | | | teachers worldwide and the sports popularity has |
| system, there are now four recognized styles of | | | | grown immensely in recent years. |
| Sambo. Borba Sambo or Sport Sambo is very | | | | Yoshi I Kundagawa is a freelance journalist. He |
| similar to Judo or wrestling, but unlike Judo, allows | | | | covers the mixed martial arts industry. For a free |
| leg locks but choke holds are forbidden. | | | | report on Sambo visit his blog. |