I'm not gonna ask which one's better because that's subjective but I would like to take a grappling art... I have a good idea of what Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is all about but i'm still not clear about it's advantages over Sambo. Does anyone do Sambo and feel like explaining it's advantages/weaknesses? Right now i'm training muay thai but plan on learning some grappling sometime soon. My community college offers Japanese Jiu Jitsu and Judo classes, would they help me if I were to take BJJ or Sambo later or would they teach me bad habits and confuse me? Any responses are appreciated.
Coming from a BJJ guy, judo is the shit. If prices are reasonable and it counts for credit I'd say check out Judo. As far as BJJ vs. Sambo, your call. Sambo has killer takedowns and leglocks but we have chokes and okay leglocks. Sorry, I know you asked for a Sambo guy but I thought I'd just give my $.02.
I heard that BJJ doesn't train leglocks until you reach a certain level, as they're more dangerous. I'd like to learn takedowns and that's what leads me more towards sambo, but it seems as if you get more rolling experience with BJJ. Also, is the guard unique to BJJ or is it used in other forms of grappling. Basically, is BJJ the only one that trains you to fight on your back?
sambo will teach you takedowns which you definitely need and they concentrate highly on leg locks but lack chokes ... bjj will make you better on the ground then sambo i think but you will need to take up something else to learn takedowns unless the bjj school teaches them enough they both teach you how to fight on your back but bjj is definitely a lot better for that
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As far as learning leg locks in your early BJJ days, it really depends on the teacher. I was learning knee bars and strait ankle locks early in my training. From what I've seen of Sambo it is an excellent option if you can find a legit instructor. Better transition from standing to ground (which includes takedowns) than BJJ (again depends on instructor) and more give and take on the ground- less Pass then pressure, or control from guard positions than BJJ.
from what i understand sambo is a russian martial art that combines judo and wrestling UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski does sambo and to me it looks great. but if your wanting to go grappaling then go BJJ but if your more interested in takedowns and somewhat decent grappeling then by all means, try the sambo i likewise know you asked for a sambo guy which i am not--i train karate, BJJ, and Judo so i am sorry for adding my useless info
If you want to be a well rounded grappler, use BJJ as your base. Train no gi at least 1/3 of the time, train wrestling takedowns and some of the basic Judo/Sambo throws and get good at leg locks. Some BJJ schools don't do too many leg locks for beginners but for the most part, that is a stereotype that is WAY overblown. I've been to dozens of BJJ schools and I see leg locks in all of them. I think the reason why they don't want white belts doing them too much is because they want you to focus on some of the more important aspects of BJJ, and also to avoid injuries. www.greenwhaleproductions.com
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I don't think beginners should be taught leglocks to tell you the truth. Although I have no authority on the topic. As a beginner I would rather have my techniques emphasize passing the guard rather then leglocking from the guard.
JUUUUUDDOOOOO. Seriously. Judo is so cool. And Judo will help you in BJJ or SAMBO. From Judo, you'll get really good at throws and takedowns, and you'll start to cover some good ground stuff. It'll also help you develop a really good base and top game (you can win by pin). Both BJJ and SAMBO would be easy to flow into after doing Judo. Here's how I feel, I guess. Either art you take after doing Judo, your submissions will get better. What you'll need to decide on is which would you rather refine: your positioning, or your takedowns? You have good positioning and takedowns from Judo. When you go into either art, you will learn leglocks (SAMBO goes more in depth with it, though). I'm not too expert on the strategy of a SAMBO player, but I know they have excellent leg locks; they blow BJJ's leg locks out of the water. So if you go with SAMBO, you'll have the best instruction in leg locks (which you didn't learn in Judo), and you'll continue to get better at throws and takedowns. SAMBO has no chokes, but Judo has plenty, so you learned quite a bit from Judo. If you go with BJJ, you'll continue to strengthen your choking, armbar, and positioning game. The entire idea behind BJJ is to gain a dominant position, then look for a submission. You'll also learn some leg locks, but not like you'd learn in SAMBO. BJJ has takedowns, but not like Judo, so you won't be refining your takedowns by doing BJJ. Basically, you go into either art, and you're going to be doing three things: 1) Learning leg locks (SAMBO > BJJ in this) 2) Improving and refining aspects of Judo that you've done before (Positioning: BJJ > SAMBO Takedowns: SAMBO > BJJ) 3) Applying what you did in Judo to an area that the art is lacking in. (Applying Judo chokes to SAMBO, applying Judo throws to BJJ) I'd say it's pretty much dead even. Although, if you ask me, it's probably a better bet to go with BJJ, and learn some SAMBO through seminars and DVDs. I could be totally wrong, but it's what I'd do. SAMBO is so rare compared to BJJ, and there is more freedom in BJJ as far as legal techniques. I love BJJ, SAMBO, and Judo all equally. Combined they are the perfect (gi)grappling system, and they all complement each other. Good luck in your training!
why don't you try them? most schools will give you a free first class that is, if you can even find a sambo school around you.
if your college has jjj and judo classes, i would definitely recommend judo. japanese jujitsu has some things that will help in brazilian jiu-jitsu or sombo down the road, but i'd rather learn a great takedown art (judo) and then compliment it with a great grappling art later (jiu-jitsu or sombo) than start out with a so-so grappling art (jjj). as far as bjj vs. sombo? you don't usually have to decide either or. lots of bjj schools have instructors with decent knowledge of sombo and leglocks, and although some of them wait till you're not so new, you can learn both. i'd say you're better off with a great bjj school with decent sombo than vice versa, but that's just my opinion based on my style. both are great arts.
I don't know why everyone thinks we dont choke people in Sombo. Its not legal in competition but then again neither are heel hooks and you'll be hard pressed to find a decent Sombo player who cant heel hook. A lot of this comes dwon to the school your going to learn at, a lot of judo schools (especially in th UK for some reason) dont do much groundwork and their students suck at it as a result. Some bjj schools will not teach much in the way of takedowns and as a result their students have poor takedowns. Some Sombo schools will not tach chokes and neck cranks and again they will be unable to use them effectively. The trick is to find a good school, if you find a good sombo teacher they will not only teach you throws and takedown while standing plus leglock and arm bars but also chokes and neck cranks. One thing to look for is if the school is offering a syllabus of Combat sombo (rather than sombo wrestling) this is closer to its origins as a military martial art and will porbably also have some striking and possibly weapons.
From what I know about Sambo it seems like a good option. It might also make you mre creative INSIDE a mans guard due to the number of leg and ankle locks available. It will also teach you takedowns. Not a bad start IMO.
Fom my limited ecperience Sambo, Judo, and BJJ all include almost ALL the same moves. Its just how you train them and with how much frequency. I would personally take Sambo over Judo though. The name is cooler and sweet leglocks.
