The word sambo is an acronym of samozashchita bez oruzhiya (Russian: самозащита без оружия), which literally translates to 'self-defence without weapons'.
Viktor Spiridonov, a military officer with background in several different styles of wrestling spanning across Soviet Union, is also considered an important founding member of SAMBO.
Sambo is relatively modern since its development began in the early 1920s by the Red Army and other forces to improve hand-to-hand combat abilities of their servicemen.
Both were trained military men with access to frequent state sponsored travels opportunities where they were able to experience various local wrestling styles and add new techniques to their arsenal.
[7] Oshchepkov died in prison as a result of the Great Purge after being accused of being a Japanese spy,[8] and judo was banned in the USSR for decades until the 1964 Olympics, where Sambists won four bronze medals.
Both men were trained military officers with backgrounds in several styles of combat wrestling that were prevalent in different regions of Russian Empire (later Soviet Union) and abroad.
The competition colors (red and blue), shoes and circular ring have direct lineages from internationally popular style of Catch wrestling.
Similarly to its parent styles, it also places emphasis on throwing, ground control, riding, pinning and escapes as well as submissions, with very few restrictions on gripping and holds.
Used and developed for the military, combat sambo resembles modern mixed martial arts, including forms of striking and wrestling.
The task of adapters is to ensure the safe transition from middle distance to close one, as well as the consistent usage of sambo and boxing techniques.
Spiridonov's background involved indigenous martial arts from various Soviet regions as well as an interest in Japanese jujutsu (though he never formally trained it).
His reliance on movement over strength was in part because during World War I, he received a bayonet wound which would leave his left arm lame.
[18] Thus, many techniques from jujutsu, judo, and other martial systems joined with the indigenous fighting styles to form the sambo repertoire.
In 1923, Oschepkov and Spiridinov collaborated (independently) with a team of other experts on a grant from the Soviet government to improve the Red Army's hand-to-hand combat system.
Spiridonov had envisioned integrating the most practical aspects of the world's fighting systems into one comprehensive style that could adapt to any threat.
Their developments were supplemented by Anatoly Kharlampiyev and I. V. Vasiliev who also travelled the globe to study the native fighting arts of the world.
Ten years in the making, their catalogue of techniques was instrumental in formulating the early framework of the art to be eventually referred to as sambo.
He eventually developed a softer style called Samoz that could be used by smaller, weaker practitioners or even wounded soldiers and secret agents.
Spiridonov's inspiration to develop 'Samoz' stemmed from his World War I bayonet injury, which greatly restricted his left arm and thus his ability to practise wrestling.
[26] By the 1980s it has been included to Pan American Games, National Sports Festival and AAU Junior Olympics programme.
This split mirrored the last days of Cold War politics of the time as well as the recent break-up of the Soviet Union.
[34] While this does not place sambo back on UWW's recognized list, it does move towards unity and prevents future 'turf wars' regarding the sport's promotion.
[38] as well as shoulder straps, wrestling-style shorts, and special protective shoes called Bortsovki and match the uniform's colour.
Sport rules require an athlete to have both red and blue sets to visually distinguish competitors on the mat.
Various sport organizations distribute these ranks for high levels of competition achievement or in some cases coaching merits.
Other nations have governing bodies that award 'Masters of Sport' as well, including the American Sambo Association in the United States.
American enthusiasts of martial arts took up Sambo shortly before it was contested at the 1973 World Wrestling Championships and was rapidly making its way to become an Olympic sport in 1980.
The 1999 AAU Grand National Wrestling Championships also offered Sambo to competitors on June 30 at Metra in Billings, Montana.
[49] The 2002 AAU Grand National Wrestling Championships saw Sambo competition on June 19 at Hirsch Coliseum in Shreveport, Louisiana.
[51] Although sambo is a Russian acronym, exponents of the sport in the English-speaking world have faced problems concerning the linguistically unrelated racist term.