Sport Sambo
South Mountain Martial Arts
91 Main Street, Madison New Jersey 07940-1849
(973) 822-1977
Sambo
What is Sambo (Sombo)?
Sambo, or sombo (an acronym for Samosaschita Bes Orusiya, meaning "self defense without weapons") is a synthetic martial art/sport, formally adopted as a national sport of the Soviet Union, in 1938, A method of self defense, sambo draws on the techniques of both of the world's most famous and some of its least known fighting arts. It is as comprehensive a study and practice of martial arts/combat sport as any in the world. It is both a very athletic and an analytically reasoned activity, providing for the exciting, but safe, practice of a very diverse range of skills.
Sambo Wrestling is similar to Judo, Free Style Wrestling, and well may be the father of modern Submission Wrestling. While similar in style, Sambo contains a few unique characteristics; while throws and takedowns score points (1, 2, and 4 points, depending upon the nature and relative success of the attack) hold-downs are scored (4 points for a 20 second hold - but only once a match!) but there is no such thing as a pin! A Sambo match is won by either outscoring the opponent, within a 6 minute, single time period (i.e., no periods or rounds), or by a " Total Victory ". Total Victory can be accomplished in two ways:
1. By throwing the opponent, with amplitude, cleanly onto his or her shoulders (the contestant must start the move on his or her feet and stay on their feet throughout the move).
2. By executing a lock or pain hold on the opponents limbs, which forces them to submit.
Chokes, as in Judo, are not allowed. Leg locks (not allowed in Judo) are a Sambo specialty. Throwing the opponent forwards onto the front of the body and face are also allowed.
While this is a very physical game, care is taken to exclude from Sport Sambo techniques that would directly injure the contestants. The referees are expected to actually talk to the contestants during the match, and to manually break or slap away holds that could become dangerous and illegal. It is both an exciting, fascinating activity, and the proving ground for Sambo self-defense techniques.
Sambo is an international sport. Opportunities for competition range from the regional level, in the US, through the World Championships, if a Sambist qualifies.
