-
Step 1
Know that Sambo originated in the former Soviet Union in the early twentieth century as a form of hand-to-hand combat. The founders took parts of various styles of fighting from many different areas of the world such as Japan, India, Africa and North America and blended them into what is now known as Sambo.
-
Step 2
Find that Sambo has evolved as a fighting style since its inception, and has principles similar to other martial arts sports. Some of the elements of Sambo are throws, chokes and ground fighting.
-
Step 3
Discover that Sambo is based on the student's ability to recognize and flow with his own natural body movements. Identifying how the student responds to movement naturally is the first step in Sambo training. Using those instinctual reactions to movement, techniques are selected that will complement the student's natural flow of movement.
-
Step 4
Learn the history of Sambo's organizational structure. The International Amateur Wresting Federation first recognized Sambo in 1968. It was identified as the third wrestling discipline, alongside freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling. The first European Sambo championship was held in Russia in 1972, followed in 1973 by the first World Sambo championship in Iran.
-
Step 5
Realize that the structure and organization of the sport has changed since first being recognized. Also known as Sombo, it separated from the International Amateur Wresting Federation and formed it's own organization called the International Amateur Sombo Federation in 1984. Since then, many countries have split from that organization but continue to hold their own national and international Sambo competitions.
