About SAMBO / CAMBO

An acronym for “SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya” or “Self defense without weapons”, SAMBO (sometimes also seen as CAMBO) is a form of sport, self-defense, and combat established in the former Soviet Union during the early twentieth century. Under the leadership ofSAMBO’s forefathers V.S. Oshchepkov, V.A. Spiridinov, and A. A. Kharlampiev, indigenous fighting styles from regions including Japan, China, Mongolia, India, Africa, Europe, North America, Caucasus, and Russia were studied and blended into what is now known as SAMBO. After generations of civilian and military refinement, SAMBO has evolved into an extremely formidable fighting art with principles applicable to martial artists of any style.Like all fighting systems, SAMBO continues to grow and evolve in both its sport and combat variants.