sambo against bjj?

[Teh El Macho]

Not to derail, but since the topic is on SAMBO...

Whether BJJ wins over SAMBO (or viceversa) in a particular set of techniques, as interesting as it may be, can tend to be a moot point, given the constant cross-training whoring that the grappling community constantly lives by. A better route should be to understand what makes SAMBO SAMBO (just as what makes BJJ BJJ, Judo Judo or Wrestling Wrestling... ****, what a horrible sentence.)

Anyways, following a recommendation by Omega, I recently bought "Russian Judo" from the Judo Masterclass Series - it does help in understanding (somewhat) what makes SAMBO unique. Some of their rulesets involve:

- A takedown/throw where the thrower manages to remain standing counts as a point.
- Pinning your opponent by 20 secs (or is it 30) gives you a point.
- When you get a point, if both players are in shape to continue, they are restarted to a standing position.
- If the thrower goes down, ground game follows.
- You win a match by getting 3 points, by submission or if your opponent cannot continues.

Other things to consider:

- Unlike Judo, they have no limitations in gripping and they can borrow whatever works for throwing/taking somebody down.
- No chokes, unlike BJJ.
- Leg locks as in BJJ, but unlike Judo.
- They work leg and arm locks ad nauseum.
- They tend to use a tighter fit in their jackets, like in BJJ, but unlike in Judo.

Those are the things that I've gotten clarified on what makes SAMBO the art that it is. Too bad there aren't any SAMBO schools in my vicinity, as it should be interesting to experience it first hand, so for now, a book will do. At the very least, it is giving me a point of reference when comparing SAMBO with BJJ or Judo, not just in techniques, but approach, ruleset, history and evolution.

I bought that book since I was interested in finding a good reading on SAMBO, and in particular about the "russian grips". The value of it, from a historical point of view, is even better. It was a good investment.

[roly]

el macho wins the thread

said what i was going to, but better

[innisfilcombat]

its not the which is better bjj or sambo, its all about the person using it.