Classical SAMBO

History of sambo and pictures of its founders can be found at the articles "Russian martial arts" and "Creation of sambo". According to A.A.Kharlampiev, all techniques of sambo wrestling can be divided to standupfighting techniques, ground-fighting techniques, shifting from standup-fighting to ground-fighting, and shifting from ground-fighting to standup-fighting.

Standup-fighting methods
Standup-fighting methods include:

Stances, distances, preparing to catch, catches, moving, false movements. Preparing the throws, initial positions for throws, beginnig of throws. Breaking through the defend catches. Standing-by and selfstanding-by. Throws. Combinations of throws. Defence against throws. Reply throws.

Distances
SAMBO has five kinds of distance: 1. Non-catching distance - sambists don't touch each other and are moving and making false movements without catching the opponent. 2. Long distance - wrestlers catch the sleeves by one or both hands. 3. Middle distance - sambists cathch each other's cloth on the front of the body, or cathch the sleeve by one hand and the cloth by another. 4. Close distance - wrestlers catch by one hand the sleeve or the front of the cloth, and the leg, the collar or the back of the cloth by another one. 5. Quarter distance - sambists catch each other with pressing body to body, or with the winding around the leg by own leg.

Catches
Catches are divided on main, reply, preparatory and defend.

Main catches during standup-wrestling are catches needed for throws. Sambist makes such a catch before opponent's catch. Reply catches during standup-wrestling are catches executed in reply to opponent's catch, with using the situations. Reply catches also can be used for throws. Defend catches during standup-wrestling are catches needed to destroy opponent's possibility for throw. Sometimes defend catch can be used by sambist for his own throw. Preparatory catches - catches, which make comfortable situations for main catches and throws.

Throws
Throws are methods to fall opponent from standup-fighting to ground-fighting. Throws, made by legs During such a throw sambist's legs are used against opponent's legs or body, and play the main role in a throw. If the throw is preceded by the catching of the opponent's leg - it ia also the throw, made by legs. Throws, made by legs, are divided onto backheels, zatseps, podsechkas, podsads and podbivs.

Backheels ("podnozhka" in russian) are throws, where sambist places his leg in front of, behind or from one side of the opponent's leg or legs, and by hand's jerk shifts him over the leg. During the throw both legs of sambist are placed on the ground. Backheels are divided on front, back and side.

Zatseps are throws, where sambist use his own leg for "catching" the opponent's leg, and then throw the opponent by removing his leg from under the centre of gravity and disbalancing his body by hands. Zatsep can be executed by the shin, heel (Achilles tendon), back of the foot. Simultaniously zatsep by the shin and foot of the same leg against one opponent's leg is called winding around ("obviv" in russian). Simultanious zatsep of the popliteal flexion by the foot of one leg, and the Achilles tendon of another leg by another foot is called double zatsep. Zatseps and windings can be executed as in standing position as with the falling.

Podbivs are throws, where sambist use his shin or hip for kicking opponent's leg, and simultaniously use hands for pulling in opposite direction. Podhvat is a throw, where opponent's leg are kicked by the hip or shin from the front, outer or inner side. If the back of the shin is used for kicking opponent's popliteal flexion, is throw is called othvat. Podbiv is a throw, where front part of the shin is used for kicking opponent's popliteal flexion. Dvoinoi podbiv (double podbiv) is executed by two legs simulteniously in opposite directions. Due to tradition this throw is called "scissors".

Podsechkas are throws, where main move is sweeping opponent's foot, shin or knee by the fingers' part of the foot. They are divided on front, back, side and from inside. They can be executed as in standing position as with the falling.

Podsads are trhows, where sambists uses his leg to lift up opponent's legs or body, and then uses hands to rotate opponent to the necessary direction. Podsads are divided on the podsads by thigh, shin, back of the foot and bottom of the foot. Podsads to the body by the shin or bottom of the foot, when opponent flys over the head of sambist, are called throws over the head. Podsads by the thigh and by the shin can be executed as in standing position as with the falling. Trows over the head, podsad of the body with the catching both heels and podsad from inside by the back of foot are executed with falling only.

Throws, made by body During such a throw sambist uses a part of his own body to toss up opponent's legs or body and throws opponent over own body. Throws made by body are divided on throws over the pelvis, throws over the shoulders, throws over the back, throws over the chest. Throws over the pelvis are usually called throws over the thigh, throws over the shoulders - "windmill".

Throws over the thigh are throws where sambist uses his pelvis to toss up opponent's upper legs and jerk by hands to the opposite direction. Throws over the thigh can be executed as in standing position as with the falling.

"Windmill"s are throws where sambist rolls opponent's body over the own body, with using different catches. "Windmill" throws can be executed as in standing position as with the falling.

Throws over the back are throws where sambist rolls opponent's body over the own back. Throw over the back, throw with catching the arm under the pit and rolling throw are executed with falling only. Throw with catching the arm on the shoulder, reverse throw over the back and pulling throw are executed as in standing position as in the falling.

Throws over the chest are throws where sambist tosses up opponent's abdomen by own abdomen, or tosses up by both hands opponent's chest and abdoment and throw the opponent to the left or to the right over the chest. Throws over the chest are executed with the falling only.

Throws, made by hands During such a throw sambist's legs don't touch opponent's legs or body, opponent's body don't roll over the sambist's body, but sometimes it can be used as an additional fulcrum for the overturning the opponent. Opponent is lifted, overturned and failed mainly by sambist's hands.

Throws by jerking the sleeves are throws, where sambist disbalances opponent from the long distance and take him down by jerking his leeves. Traditional name - "disbalancing". Throws by jerking the leg are throws, where one hand catch the leg, and another hand sleeve, belt, forearm under the armpit, or press the catched leg. Neither legs nor body of the sambist operates against opponent's legs or body. Throws by jerking the leg are divided on throws by jerking the heel, throws by jerking the shin and throws by jerking the thigh.

Throws by jerking both legs are throws, where sambist catches both legs of the opponent simultaniously, or one by one. They are executed without operating by legs against legs. The are divided on throws by catching both legs, throws by non-simultanious catching both legs, and throws by reverse catching of both legs.

Somersault throws are throws, executed by jerking both hands with the pressing the head or back of the opponent. Sambist's legs don't touch opponent's legs or body. They are divided on forward somersault throws and side somersault throws.

Overturnings are throws, where sambist lifts the opponent up and rotate him to throw down on the back. During overturning sambist's legs don't touch neither opponent's legs nor his body. Sometimes sambist uses the body as an additional fulcrum for easy overturning. Overturnings are divided on front, back and side.

Ground-fighting methods
Groundfighting methods include:

Beginning positions and additional moves. Breaking through defend catches. Takedowns. Overturnings. Holdings. Joint locks. Combinations of groundfighting methods. Defence against groundfighting methods. Reply methods during groundfighting.

Breaking through the defend catches are methods of disconnecting the opponent's hands, catching sambist or each other. They make possible the holdings or joint locks in situations, where sambist cannot use any method without breaking the defend catching. Takedowns are methods to take kneeled opponent down to the ground (to "laying on the back" position). They are auxilliary methods, used to prepare the opponent for holding and joint locks.

Overturnings are methods, where sambist overturn his opponent to the back. They are auxilliary methods, used to prepare the opponent for holding and joint locks.

Holdings are methods, where sambist uses his own body to press opponent's body to the ground and hold him in this position without using joint locks during necessary time.

Joint locks
Joint locks are catches, used by sambist against opponent's joints to force him to surrend. Arm joint locks

Armbar. Traditional sambo title - elbow's lever.

Outer arm unscrewing. Due to typical position of arms, such methods are usually called knots.

Inner arm unscrewing. Such methods are called reverse knots.

Biceps's pinching. Shoulder's lever. Hand joint locks - are allowed in combat sambo only.

Leg joint locks

Pinching is pressing opponent's tendons between his shin-bone and sambist's radius bone or shin-bone. Pinchings are divided on Achilles tendon's pinchings and calves muscle's pinchings.

Legbar. Traditional title - knee's lever.

Hip joint locks.

Shifting from standup-fighting to ground-fighting

Mixed combinations of throws and ground-fighting methods.

Joint locks, prepared from stanfing position.

Transference to the ground-fighting and reply methods of ground-fighting against opponent's throws and coverings.

Shifting from ground-fighting to standup-fighting

Rising-ups. Mixed combinations of rising-ups and throws. Throws, prepared from the laying position.

Combat SAMBO

Combat methods are methods from classical sambo with additional detailes. They include dangerous catches, throws, strikes, point pressing, using additional things and surroundings for defence etc.

Hand strikes. Defence against hand strikes.

Leg strikes. Defence against leg strikes.

Chockings. Defence against chocking.

Defence from catches and grasps.

Knife strikes. Defence against knife strikes.

Club strikes. Defence against club strikes.

Strikes by digging tools. Defence against strikes by digging tools.

Pistol strikes. Defence against an attacker with pistol.

Bayonet fighting: defence and offence.

Defence against strikes by heavy thing.

Using the additional things.

Using the surroundings.

Mutual aid and mutual assistance.

Defence from the ground position.

Defence against several attackers. Tactics of groupe fighting. Arresting and convoy.

Searching of the arrested man.

Tying. Special methods of combat sambo (catching the sentry; pressing and pinching; dangerous throws; displacing and disconnecting of the backbone).

INTERNET-sources

Sambo page Sambo Canada "SAMBO-70" club, founded by famous D.Rudman Sambo The Martial Art Site of SAMBO Igor Kurinnoi's page TsSKA sambo team Sambo in Moscow - page, dedicated to the memory of E.M.Chumakov