| Sambo is an acronym for SAMozashchita Bez | | | | The communists made many mistakes as they |
| Oruzhiya or Self-defense without weapons | | | | worked to forge a new state and military, but |
| martial art developed in the Soviet Union | | | | even they understood if they were to win the |
| during the early half of the twentieth | | | | civil war they needed good close combat |
| century. | | | | training. The problem was there was no common |
| | | | martial art throughout Russia unlike in |
| This martial arts form is practiced as a | | | | Japan, where Judo was practiced throughout |
| sport and also as training for combat. Sambo | | | | the country. |
| was born out of the need for one standard | | | | |
| sport combative for the military rather then | | | | Russia had literally dozens of native martial |
| the many diverse regional styles. Rather then | | | | arts and wrestling styles and had been |
| being invented, Sambo is really a collection | | | | exposed to many more from invaders like the |
| of techniques from many different styles | | | | Vikings, Tatars and Genghis Khan's warriors |
| making practitioners of Sambo the original | | | | over the centuries. The new army needed one |
| mixed martial artists. | | | | standard close combat system that could be |
| | | | taught to its many new recruits. |
| In 1918 Russia was going through social and | | | | |
| political change. The government was in | | | | Working independently Vasili Oschepkov and |
| turmoil as the communists seized power from | | | | Victor Spiridonov developed a new martial |
| the Czar, and pulled out of World War I. | | | | arts system that would become Sambo. During |
| Civil war soon broke out as the many factions | | | | the war Oschepkov taught Judo and Karate to |
| opposed to the new communist regime took up | | | | the Red Army. He had trained under Judo's |
| arms. | | | | founder Kano and had earned his second degree |
| | | | black belt. Spiridonov was a veteran of both |
| Among those resisting this new threat was a | | | | the Russo-Japanese war and WWI, and shared |
| small but hard fighting contingent of | | | | what he learned about real world self defense |
| American soldiers who were the first to be in | | | | training. He saw first hand how the Japanese |
| combat against communist forces. Sadly | | | | applied the martial arts principals of |
| history has forgotten these brave men who | | | | constant attack and always taking ground |
| fought to keep a nation free from repression. | | | | applied to actual warfare. Both men also |
| | | | studied boxing, Greco-Roman wrestling, and |
| The communist leader Lenin quickly assembled | | | | many other fighting styles. Unfortunately, |
| the Red Army to oppose the force of the White | | | | Vasili Oschepkov was killed by his Soviet |
| Army which included every faction opposed to | | | | masters because he refused to say that the |
| the communists in Russia. The Russian Army | | | | martial art was entirely created in Russia. |
| had done poorly in WWI and other conflicts | | | | |
| and was outdated in all areas when compared | | | | Very similar to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) in |
| with its enemies. Under Leon Trotsky the new | | | | that Sambo is a combination of local style |
| army took shape as weapons systems were | | | | wrestling and Japanese Judo, the military's |
| updated, new troops drafted, and veterans | | | | version of Sambo is only combat effective |
| brought back into service. | | | | because it borrows heavily from proven combat |
| | | | techniques of the Samurai. |