Main Rules of Sambo: Everything You Should Know About This Kind of Sport

Sambo literary means self-defense without any arms or weapons. This martial art is a so-called wrestling variation that is featured with a vast number of effective holds, kicks, and hits. In addition to that, sambo is the most international kind of sport because it embraces elements of the most effective holds and tactics of various combat sports, martial arts, and similar activities from various parts of the world. Thus, the given article is going to present the most important information on the given martial art.

General Rules

In sambo, as in many other combat sports, the main goal is to beat an opponent. Sambo wrestlers can achieve this goal either directly (perfect throw, painful hold, evident advantage, disqualification, or refusal to continue a fight) or by points earned. By the way, winners of bouts that last 3-5 minutes, are determined by a judging panel consisting of six officials. During the bout, these officials award appropriate points for submission and painful holds, as well as for throws. When it comes to sporting sambo, all the athletes are subdivided into corresponding groups in accordance with their weight, age, and gender.

Schools and Styles

Back in the Soviet Union, sambo was divided into two main variations:

1. Sporting sambo.
2. Combat sambo.

There are particular differences between the two. Thus, sporting sambo was available for everyone; that is why there were many schools of this combat sport throughout the country. At the same time, combat sambo was open for a few, including intelligence officers and law enforcement officials. They had to master those holds that were banned in the world of sport. In short, it refers to dangerous holds and throws, hits aimed at vulnerable points, as well as the use of creative resources to beat an opponent.

During the times of the USSR, combat sambo was in secret while both combat and sporting sambo was under the danger of extinction after the collapse of the Soviet Union. However, the common sense has won, and this martial art is quite popular nowadays.

Equipment

According to the official rules, it is stipulated that a bout between two sambo wrestlers should take place on a special surface that is known as the carpet. Its dimensions can vary from 10×10 to 13×13 meters. This carpet, actually, consists of a few separate mats that are attached to one another. When they are fixed, these mats are covered with a special material to make it look like a single unit.

There are no doubts that sambo athletes should have a set of particular equipment. In accordance with the working rules, the equipment consists of the following items:

• short pants;
• a belt;
• a special jacket;
• wrestling shoes.

This equipment can be of either red or blue colors. At the same time, the equipment of red color is given to the athlete who was the first to appear on the carpet following the referee’s command.

Technique

Considering the fact that sporting sambo embraces a great number of painful and submission holds as well as throws that are performed in a standing position and during groundwork, there is a specific technique that is preserved by sambo athletes. According to the leading coaches and specialists, the given technique can be represented by the following specialization groups:

1. Standing wrestling technique.
2. Groundwork.
3. Transition from standing wrestling to groundwork (this technique includes a series of throws and elements of groundwork).

It is believed that this kind of wrestling is useful in developing self-discipline, self-confidence, moderation, and will to victory. However, the most important thing is that the given kind of sport teaches how to deal with both armed and unarmed opponents.

History

This kind of wrestling roots back in the 1920s even though November 16, 1938, is considered to be the sambo day. The fact is that sambo obtained the official status of a kind of sport in the USSR in 1938. However, there had been a few tries before that date. According to one of them, there was an attempt to optimize ju-jitsu holds to the needs of Soviet policemen. The second attempt was represented by the combination of English and French boxing, American wrestling, and technique to oppose a stick and a Finnish knife. Another variant included elements of Japanese judo with additional elements of national combat sports. As a result, sambo united all the three variants mentioned above.

What is more interesting, the given sport was popular not only in the Soviet Union, but also across the whole world. It happened in the 1950s-1960s when sambo became an international kind of sport which results in many fans and athletes from Europe and America. Thus, sambo World Championships started organizing to determine the best athletes in the world at a particular moment. The first world championships among women took place in 1979. However, even despite all these achievements and advantages, the given kind of wrestling has not become an Olympic kind of sport.