Warriors in Russia

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

Those interested in Judo, Sombo, Combat Sambo, MMA, Karate should visit www.sittingbourne.org or email YoungjudoClub@gmail.com  or Harry Lewis SomboSambo@gmail.com

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 26^th 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 .