Warriors in Russia
Members of the Warriors Grappling Academy based at Swale
Martial Arts Club East Street Sittingbourne have just returned from a weeks
training in St Petersburg Russia. George Loscombe, Colin Carrott and Keith
Costa are all Judo/Sombo Coaches at the club, George is also a fully qualified
MMA and Combat Sambo Coach. The three were part of a 7-man delegation selected
by the British Sombo Federation to attend the course, which were an all
expenses paid trip paid for by the International Amateur Sambo Federation (FIAS)
The course consisted of training in Sombo, Judo, and Combat
Sambo and also took in Rules of the Sport, all came back with certification
from the Russian Federation, and the only Russian Federation certificated
Coaches in the UK. While in Russia FIAS President Shestakov, who is a member of
the Russian Duma and personal friend of President Putin, came along to see the
progress of the British Coaches and commented this furthered the unique bond of
Somboist in GB and Russia, he also commented on how the Club in Sittingbourne
had been the mainstay of Sombo in GB since the 1970’s.
This course was designed so Coaches can train high standard
British Sombo Players for the UK biggest ever Sombo event in the City of London
next year the “Presidents Cup” in respect of President Putin. The event will be
organised by the Positive Russia Foundation and The British Sombo Federation
and many people from the Warriors will be involved in this event
St. Petersburg 2013
What a week that was! Seven
training sessions in four days, I never knew my legs could bend into so many
different positions!
Thanks to FIAS, I had the
honour of travelling to St. Petersburg with six of my fellow coaches from
around The United Kingdom, for this coaching opportunity. Calling my first impressions
of the gym an eye opener doesn’t do the place justice. There are three halls,
containing two and a half full size judo mats, three SAMBO and two freestyle
wrestling mats, which are in constant use from ten o’clock in the morning,
through to ten in the evening, six days a week. To take part in a training
session with over fifty students on the mat, including various World Champions
was overawing.
I spoke to one
eighteen-year-old champion, who trains five days a week and twice a day if
leading up to a competition. This, he said, was the norm rather than the
exception! No wonder they are so good.
Training methods did not seem
to vary from what we do in the UK, although the focus and dedication of all
those who were training was 100%, from the youngest to the oldest. (On the
subject of the oldest, there was not many over thirty something’s training, it
would seem most retire before they get to this age!) The coaches were more
“hands on” then our British counterparts, something we would not get away with
here in the UK.
As a referee, I was extremely
interested in a 45-minute seminar that was put together for us, going through
some of the rules of both sport and combat Sambo. All who attended have now
been brought up to speed, and I for one, will go into the next competition even
more confident than before.
The friendship of the Russian
Samboist, on the mat, was a far cry from that of the population on the streets
of St. Petersburg or of those in our hotel. It seems to me that once they get
to know you, they can be warm and friendly, but until this point, they come
across as un-smiling and serious individuals. (Mind you, it rained heavily
every day we were there, so perhaps they haven’t a lot to smile about!)
In conclusion, I thoroughly
enjoyed every minute I spent there, learnt more than I thought possible, and
would urge any-one who gets an opportunity to do this same sort of thing in the
future, to grab it with both hands.
Colin Carrott.
Report from Saint Petersburg By
Keith Costa
On the 26th October a
team of coaches from Great Britain Robin Hyslop, John Sharpe, Barry Gibson,
Russell Dodds, Colin Carrott, George Loscombe and myself Keith Costa travelled
to Saint Petersburg Russia to train, to take part and observe coaches
techniques at one of the premier Sambo clubs in Russia. The trip was funded by
FIAS and was quite an honour for myself to go as I had never done anything like
this before and I am quite sure all the others felt the same.
Having been involved with Sambo for
quite a number of years and travelled with Mr. Martin Clarke to the congress
meeting a few weeks earlier, once we arrived I began to realise how important a
trip this was. Not just for the training but for the honour of the British
Sombo federation. On visiting the venue on the Sunday morning we were shown all
around it and I must say I was very impressed with it, three halls seven mats
in all. Two judo areas, two wrestling areas and a rather impressive main hall
containing three full size Sambo areas. The whole venue looked quite impressive
from the outside with statues of former champions from judo and wrestling, they
even had a small museum containing pictures mementoes going back many years.
The afternoon on the Sunday was
taken up by a tour of the summer palace of Peterhof, which was badly destroyed
during the Second World War and has been restored by the Russian federation.
The tour continued into Saint Petersburg itself but at this time of the year it
gets dark quite early. Luckily on the Thursday we were able to continue the
tour of foot on a very nice day visiting some impressive buildings, and a trip
on their metro system, which was an amazing site with huge chandeliers hanging
down from the ceiling.
The training days consisted of 2
sessions a day one at 10 am and the other at 5pm.as we had asked to be shown
lots of legs locks they did this very well indeed. On the Wednesday we had a
top referee from Saint Petersburg turn up to go over some of the rules and
regulations as part of the coaching course. Their training sessions seemed very
relaxed a structure that was quite a surprising to me but they all seemed to
just get on with it. Right from an early age it’s seemed to be installed into
them this is what you do and by the time they are adults it’s just a
progression. Discipline fitness, technique and a very big understanding of what
is expected. Sessions for the club started at 9am going right through the day
till 10 pm with Sambo, Judo, Olympic Free Style wrestling, Greco Roman, Jiu
Jitsu, Karate and Tae kwon Do. We were told many people come from all over to
train there as it produces many champions and I can quite see why with huge
numbers through the day personnel training given when and where needed.
The
whole experience was very much an eye opener and a pleasure to be involved in,
to train with 23-year-old world champion who we found out was retired from top
flight competitions. To be taught by the coaches Sergey Zverev, Alexey Savelev,
Alexander Igorevich and referee Alexander Mitelkov and to welcomed by them and
all the other players that were there and the assistance that Rasul Shirinov
our interpreter. Also a big thanks to the British Sombo Federation, for
selecting me .
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