© Lion’s Way Martial Arts
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 of
SAMBO'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.