Russian martial arts

Ancient Russia

There are no any written materials about fighting methods of Ancient Russia. The only sign we can find - resolutuions of church meetings with blaming the fisticuffs.

We can say something only on the base of Novgorod's stories (this cycle was completed at the XV century). Even in medieval time Novgorod kept many features of Ancient Russia. In the thing, named in the stories as "fisticuffs" there were used throws, clubs, knucklebrackets, flails, even knives. The distinguished feature of Novgorod's fisticuffs was using of special clubs - straight poles more then 1 meter long. After addition Novgorod's republic to Moscow, Russia Patriarch (head of Russia Ortodoxal Church) Nikon for consolidating a success at 1652 year ordered to burn down novgorod fisticuffs clubs. It was a political gesture for finally crushing novgorod's political freedoms.

Medieval time

Sources are very poor, even on last period. We have to use notes of foreign travellers. The largest and most true description of Russia in the first part of XVI century was made by Sigizmund (Zygmunt) Herberstein, ambassador of emperor Maximilian. Austrian ambassador was skilled in martial arts of that time and could competently judge by this subject. What does he wrote?

"As youth as teenagers, usually gather at holidays in the town on well-known place, many people can see and listen them. They are invited to come by the whistle, it is conventional signal. When they hear a whistle, they immediatly run to this place and begin fisticuffs: firstly they use fists only, but later begin to hit by hands and legs with great fury to any place - face, throat, abdomen and groin. They try to win by any methods, very often they are transported without signs of life. Every man, who can beat more people, remains on the battlefield more time and is able to bear more strikes, is considered as bravo man. Such competitions are used for teaching youths to bear the pain."

Kicks to the chest, and even to the face, are not high. We can understand that such kicks were used against failed opponent: there are no any rules. There are no any mention about "wall": it is "crowd fighting", not "wall fighting" (one-line formation in fisticuff in Russia was known as "wall"). Probably, at XVI century wall-fighters easy mixed the lines. Such fight, obviously, requires force, bravery, bearing. But does it require the real art of fighting? Doubtly... The best fighter is the bearest, not the adroitest.

Herberstein also described different "duels" in the frames of "God's judge". Many of them weren't fencing fights, they were life-and-death fights without any rules. The tone of notes is the same. He estimates force and big russian professional fighters - at that times only professional mercenaries were used for "God's judge" fights. But after this, ambassador signs: could this force be supported by good school... He advises to european fighters don't try to use "force against force" and wait the receding the wave, after this it is possible to use lack of defence techniques of russian martial arts...

The same conclusion we can obtain from the records of tsar's secretaries of 1630-1640s. At this time tsar was carried away of seeing denonstrations of fighting. Foreign "military specialists" from Nemetskaya sloboda participated in those fights together with russian fighters. Foreign fencers were awarded by more valuable prizes, hence their fights were more impressive for tsar. We cannot say that tsar Aleksei Mikhailovich admired foreigners.

XVIII century

At this century we can find description of fights, made by russians. As before, it wasn't something interersting, rules - brutal. At police order of 1726 there were words, which became an idiom: "don't allow to beat the lain man". Most fighters considered this order as infringement of their rights, and only many years later this rule began to observe ... from time to time.

"Wall fighters" very often used knife, flail or short club. Of course, it was infringement of fisticuffs ethics, but - usual infringement. Opponent had chance only if he had similar weapon. There was no possibility for barehand resisting. Even "insets" - hidden inside mitten or fist weight like copper coins, lead bullets or iron pivots - were enough for big advantage. Dal' in his "Explanatory dictionary" described examples of using flails in "wall vs wall" fights, and wrote that "it is impossible to resist such a man in fisticuffs".

Two conclusions are possible. At Dal's time (or not long time before) "wall vs wall" fights used not only fists. Flail is good weapon, but there exist many countermethods against flail - more than against knife. And if "it is impossible to resist" - hence there weren't methods of counter-weapon defence.

There exist sole fightings besides "wall formation", but they are more typical for wrestling, not for fist-fighting. Representatives of all estates participate in such fights, low estates usually don't give in more noble ones. Sole fights in fisticuffs are an addition to the "wall", more experienced fighters compare their force before common battle. Besides forefist, bottom of the fist and inner side of the fist also were used in strikes. Kicks to the legs and leg's hooks were used as in wrestling as in fist-fighting. There are not many such methods, but this skill is considered as top-level skill, not accessible to usual fighter. High accuracy of a strike also is considered as high skill. As before, main factors are muscle force and endurance.

New time

What can we say about more late forms of russian fisticuffs? Besides usual "wall vs. wall" fights there are less organized fights in small groups without well-formed structure (each fights against all others). It is "heap fight". Also there exist pure one-vs-one fights - "self on self".

At XIX-XX centuries all fighting arts of Russia Empire began to mix with each other and international kinds of fighting - fencing, wrestling, english boxing, french boxing and even jujutsu. Sometimes international kind of fighting could keep itself without changing during long time: for instance, greco-romanian wrestling. This kind of wrestling was very popular in Russia, but - in circus variant, known as "french wrestling". Very often we underestimate that it was a show. It is known that when famous wrestler I.Poddubnyi, "champion of champions", at 1923 year participated in first USSR national championship, he was shocked that all throws are real!

"Pure" boxing (not as a part of hand-to-hand combat system) became known in Russia at 1890s. It is interesting that famous boxers of that time didn't participate "wall fights". The only exception - tatarian Nur Alimov (boxer's pseudonim - "Kara-Malai").

XX century: beginning

Before the revolution of 1917 year there wasn't teaching of hand-to-hand combat methods in army, even in special forces. At soviet time mass preparing of fighters at most times was in reports only, but some things were changed.

Besides different schools of early sambo, Red Army also had applied hand-to-hand combat, sometimes combined with fighting vs. armed opponent. Compulsory curriculum of training for that-time "commandos" included so-called "free-style fighting" (another name - "fighting of unarmed"), fighting with short weapon (with knives and unarmed vs. armed with knife), bayonet fencing and unarmed vs. bayonet fighter. There were no counter-methods against opponent armed with more long weapon (sabre, "shashka" (special cavalry sabre)) or revolver: it was clear that teaching "for all" cannot prepare such a fighter.

1920s were marked by new interest for complex fighting systems. But they weren't non-controlled: coaches usually worked in NKVD ("Narodnyi Komissariat Vnutrennih Del" - People's Commissariat of Inner Affairs; police of that time), and common citizen couldn't study those systems. At that time law became prosecute for "exceeding of self-defence limit". Combat methods could be studied "for special using" only. The most-known coaches of that time were Nil Nikolaevich Oznobishin and Ivan Lavrentievich Solonevich.

Oznobishin was born in noble family, but became a circus actor. Together with his circus Oznobishin visited many countries. He knew many languages and liked boxing very much. At 1915 year he participated First Moscow boxing championship. During 1918-26 he served in Red Army, coached boxing for soldiers. At 1930 he published a book "Art of hand-to-hand combat". After false accusation, he was arrested in 1941 and exiled to Kazakhstan on five years.

There are also very few information about Solonevich. He was born in 1880s. First and only printed work with description of his school was made at 1928 year. It was illustrated book "Self-defence and attacking without weapon". Most methods of catching and throwing were from "free-style american wrestling". Unlike Oznobishin, who estimate fist strikes from english boxing adn included them in his system, but underestimated really power strikes, Solonevich advise to use "power" strikes, and boxing's evades. But unlike Oznobishin, Solonevich wasn't familiar with french boxing. But in any case he created a good school, useful in application. According to indirect information, at 1930s I.L.Solonevich was succesful in emigration from USSR.

Creation of sambo

One of the first men who was succesful in studing "combat wrestling" was V.A.Spiridonov, officer of old Russia Army. He came to army as volunteer, became officer, fought during Russia-Japan war 1904-05. After the war he began to study europian version of japanese jujutsu. During WWI he was injured and retired. Since 1919 he worked in the field of physical development of soldier and began to develop new system of self-defence. Up to the end of 1930s he never denied that his system was based on japanese art of close-range combat.

Since 1920s, Spiridonov's system "Sam" became to spread among USSR policemen and borderguards. At 1928 year his students won a match against german's judo wrestlers (2:1).

Another famous person of that time - Vasilii Sergeevich Oshchepkov. He was born on Sakhalin island, at that time - japanese land. He studied judo in Kodokan-judo, up to 2nd dan. At 1920s he worked in Vladivostok and in China. Later, after a short period of working in Novosibirsk, Oshchepkov came to capital, and was successful in partial pushing of Spiridonov's school. On the base of judo he developed new system of hand-to-hand combat for army. He called this system "free-style wrestling".

Ochscepkov's system was for fighter, Spiridonov's system - for saboteur. Oshchepkov didn't agreed to keep silence about oriental origin of his system. As a result, he was arrested as "japanese spy" and immediately killed in prison. His school kept existence and became a base of modern sambo (SAMBO is "SAMozashchita Bez Oruzhiya" - "Self-defence without weapon"). New heads of school (Kharlampiev, quickly named as "creator of sambo", and others) made great efforts for deleting all similarities between sambo and oriental martial arts. Gradually the best martial art of soviet time became not the best sport competition art...

Spiridonov's system had another fate. This system didn't exist officially, but kept in real life: this school was popular among NKVD officers. Many methods became a part of sambo. But army's sambo and police's sambo had different purposes: soldier usually has to kill his opponent in situation when he lost his weapon, policeman prefer to keep his opponent alive (but immobilised).

1938, october, 16: data of signing the order about "borning" sambo. This order said, that this system "was created on the base of elements from national kinds of wrestling - georgian, tadjik, kazakh, uzbek, kirghiz - and best elements from other kinds of wrestling". Obviously, that at 1928, at Stalin's time, georgian wrestling was the first, and there was no place for europian and japanese kinds of wrestling. But what can we say about wrestling of different USSR nations?

Asian national kinds of wrestling

 Most asians (and, partially, caucausian) kinds of wrestling are "belt wrestling" (i.e. wrestling with catching the belt) in moslem variant. Static catching by two hands or by one only (in this case another hand is free for catching above the belt), lifting and throwing... There are no ground fighting. Competitions took place on special yard - "maidan".

Names for most Middle-Asia kinds of wrestling originate from turk's word "kurash". Uzbek kurash, tatarian kuresh, kazakh kures... Even azerbaidjan gurassu - from the same family. Techniques and rules are very similar to each other. Fight is finished when opponent has to touch the ground "in the third point". There are exist throws over the legs, but there are no throws made by legs. Catching the legs is rare too. No strikes, no kicks. Up to 1940s, for instance, uzbeks called fist-fighting as "russian fighting".

Caucausian kinds of wrestling have little difference. No rigid fixing of hands. In Azerbaidjan "belt" is a zone below the waist (short bridges), in Georgia and Armenia - zone above the waist (leather jacket).

For hiding japanese origin, sambo enriched national kinds of wrestling. It is very interesting to compare textbooks on such kinds of wrestling, published at 1930s and at 1950s. Latests books usually have much more techniques, adopted from sambo.

Buryats have its own kind of wrestling - buhe barildaan ("wrestling of strong men"). Several clans have special kinds of martial arts. Most known is hara moriton ("black horsemen"), which include horseback riding, unarmed combat, using different tools (whip, lasso, belt etc). According to legends, this system was founded by legendary heroes - Azhirai Buhe and his assistant Haramtsagai-mergen. They were heads of military group, came to Baical lake from Mongolia on the black horses and protect local habitants from evil tribes. Similar methods are known from other siberian national minorities - for example, Tuvinians have kyuresh, karakyuresh, lamakyuresh etc.

Our time

After the WWII sambo became a popular kind of sport. It has sport part, based on Oshchepkov's methods, and its continue - combat part (so-called "combat sambo"), which has in addition many jointlocks and strikes (originated from Spiridonov's system), forbidden in sport sambo. Now there are several centers of sambo in Russia, main point is small town Kstovo in Nizhnii Novgorod's region.

Another verison of Spiridonov's system is so-called "Kadochnikov's system". A.A.Kadochnikov works as teacher of theoretical mechanicks in Krasnodar military colledge of rocketry and artillery. On the base of Spiridonov's work and his own knoledges about mechanics of movement he developed his own system of hand-to-hand combat. This is science-based investigations of our time, useful in real fighting. He tried to establish his system as basic system for army's hand-to hand combat, but without success. But later, at 1980s, several students of Kadochnikov began to claim, that their system is old russian martial art, that they able to prepare a good fighter during four months and instructor - during two years. At the same time they outraged all other martial arts, claimed that oriental martial arts are "unnatural" for western people; but they didn't accept challenges from representatives of oriental martial arts. Several years later their popularity in USSR became very low, but some of them were successful in opening schools in other countries. Usually they claims that this is an old russian martial art, or that this is a system of russian special forces ("spetsnaz"). In real life, russian special forces use simplified hand-to-hand combat systems, based on shotokan karate, taekwondo and sambo.

In recent years one of Kadochnikov's students - Retyunskih - developed his own system - ROSS ("Russian Own System of Self-defence").

In the years of separating the USSR several men claimed themselves as "heirs" of styles, which as if existed among ancient russian (ukrainan, belorussian etc) people. As examples it is possible to name "slaviano-goritskaya bor'ba" (slavic-hill wrestling), created by A.Belov from Moscow, "cossack's style", popularized on Ukraina, "buza" and its main "master" - G.Bazlov from Tver', "skobar'" from Sankt-Peterburg and its main "master" A.Gruntovskii, "asilki" ("belorussian ninja") etc etc etc.

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