Is Sambo an effective martial art?

So, what is Sambo? Sambo is a martial art from Russia that was spawned during the Soviet Union era. In short, it was a way of fighting developed that the Russian military could use in combat without weapons. This meant that its users would excel in hand to hand combat, allowing them to use the takedowns of Judo, with a combination of freestyle wrestling and submissions thrown in.

These days, Sambo has spread throughout the world but is still most popular in Russia and its neighboring countries. It has also developed a competitive sports culture, as well as Combat Sambo which is cross between regular, sports Sambo and MMA as it allows for striking and hits on the ground. However, due to its relatively new image, Sambo is still less known compared to traditional arts. Here we shall be looking at how effective it is when it comes to fighting and self defense.

Is Sambo a good martial art?

Sambo is certainly a good martial art and is also considered one of the hardest. It involves the hard throws seen in Judo with the submissions seen in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. With this said, it can be seen as a comprehensive grappling system that works on both the ground and whilst standing. Arguably, Judo is too standing-based, whilst BJJ is based too much on the floor. Thus, Sambo finds a happy medium.

Not only this, but Sambo is also a mixture of gi and nogi. The jacket is similar to the gi used in Judo, whilst Sambo practitioners will also wear tight shorts and wrestling shoes. This means you’ll learn how to grip properly, without being overly reliant on grips as well. Some have gone as far to describe Sambo as Judo before the interfering laws and rules. For instance, in Sambo you can use a double leg takedown, which is illegal in Judo. It also allows for leglocks that are banned under certain BJJ rules.

This means that Sambo has a lot of freedom when it comes to practicing. Further, you can also combine your training with Combat Sambo, which is fairly similar to MMA. The result is that Sambo is a very effective and a great martial art to learn. Make no mistake about it though, Sambo is not for the weak either. Like freestyle wrestling and Judo, you’ll have to be mentally and physically tough to stick Sambo out and reap its benefits.

Is Sambo harder than BJJ?

To cut a long story short, it’s fair to say that Sambo is much harder than Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. Basically, BJJ has a fairly slow pace and gentler style when compared to other grappling martial arts. Sambo is closer to wrestling and Judo in terms of intensity, which mean it’s incredibly explosive and fast paced when compared to BJJ.

As a result, its sparring sessions may be considered harder because of this. Often in BJJ, people will at some point be happy to play guard and slow things down. In Sambo due to its takedowns, there’s a higher chance you’ll get thrown around which means you may get injured more and it can be harder on your body.

Not only this but some of the submissions in Sambo are harder too with less control and more intensity. This is often dictated by the rules. For instance, in BJJ, you may have 2 minutes to work a leg lock whilst on the floor. This means you can take your time and slowly work your position. In Sambo, you may literally have 5 seconds to get the submission before being reset in a standing position. Therefore, submissions may be put on quicker too. This means that it’s important to tap early in Sambo or you may end up getting hurt.

That’s not to say that BJJ is soft or watered down either, because it’s not. Instead, the point is that Sambo is very tough and not for the faint hearted. Ideally, if starting Sambo you should be in your early 20s, when your body can take big hits easier.

What does Sambo stand for?

Sambo is a Russian acronym that roughly translates to ‘self defense without weapons’. As previously mentioned, the main goal of Sambo was that the Russian military wanted to develop a fighting style that could be used without weapons. Therefore, the point of Sambo is that it gives you the best chance of victory whilst facing an opponent when standing. Arguably, it is one of the best military forms of martial arts ever made.

What’s better, Sambo or BJJ?

Ultimately, both martial arts are equally effective but have different styles. For example, the point of Sambo is to try and takedown your opponent as quickly as possible. Here, the match can end with victory if done so correctly. However, in BJJ, this is often where the match begins and a good BJJ player is very handy off their back. This means that they can sweep and submit from the floor which makes them a dangerous proposition.

Whilst Sambo practitioners will still be good with submissions, this isn’t their expertise in comparison to BJJ. Therefore, a good way of putting it is that Sambo is superior in takedowns, whilst BJJ is superior in grappling on the floor. The good news for both martial arts is that you can learn both of these methods within each domain. For instance, as a Sambo fighter, you can also devote more time to playing off your back and chasing sweeps, escapes, and submissions.

Alternatively, as a BJJ practitioner, you can focus much more on stand up – by learning Judo and wrestling whilst on your feet. As a result, it’s not really fair to nit pick and pit either martial art against each other and they actually have a lot of similarities. Really, it’s up to the individual perspective and what is best for them. Regardless, it’s fair to say that both martial arts are highly effective.

Does Sambo work in MMA? Yes. Ask Khabib and Fedor

Any lingering doubts that Sambo is ineffective can be banished by looking at two of its most famous MMA stars. Enter Khabib Nurmagomedov and Fedor Emelianenko. Khabib famously went undefeated during his MMA career and became the UFC Lightweight Champion, defeating the likes of Conor McGregor, Dustin Poirier, and Justin Gaethje during his reign.

He did this by using Sambo, and was previously a World Champion in Combat Sambo in both Russia and the world. Khabib also famously wore a t-shirt once that said “If Sambo was easy, it would be called BJJ”. He mostly won his fights using the same strategy – using a combination of Sambo and wrestling to take his opponents down. From there he would beat them with fists or submit them.

Another MMA great is Fedor Emelianenko. Fedor is a Grandmaster in Sambo and like Khabib, this was his main martial art when fighting in MMA. Similarly, he was also the Combat Sambo World Champion in his younger days. During his reign, Fedor became the PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, at one point had a record of 31-1, and even fought into his 40s. Like Khabib, he would often throw his opponents to the floor to gain top position, and also work his submissions as he was known for his deadly armbar.

If you want proof that Sambo works in MMA, then these are two of the best ever to do it. In fact, based on these facts you could argue that Sambo is one of the most effective and dominant martial arts to ever exist.

Conclusion

Sambo is a highly effective martial art that has been used by the general public, Russian military and even by MMA Champions. With this in mind, there’s not much evidence needed to show just how good Sambo is. Whether it’s for fitness or self defense, Sambo offers a very effective fighting style that will turn ordinary people into very solid martial artists.

In conclusion, it’s fair to say that this tough, practical martial art is a very good method to learn and is great if you’re looking at learning good grappling. If you’d like to start learning more about Sambo, then feel free to check out The Sambo Encyclopedia which has a wealth of knowledge and techniques to look through.