Asian Geographic - 08.2018

ILLUSTRATIONS ADAPTED FROM SHUTTERSTOCK

Mat EtiquEttE

At most martial arts competitions and sometimes even during sparring practice,

competitors bow to one another or shake hands as a formal show of respect. In

sports like jujitsu, competitors bow before and after the match to each other and

the referee, and in kurash, there’s the tazim, or the courtesy bow, before sparring

commences. Sanda fighters use the customary wushu salute, clasping their open left

palm over a closed right fist, while sambo fighters may sometimes bow and other

times choose to shake hands after the match is over. Researchers say the act helps

fighters express the bond they develop during the (sometimes brutal) matches.

Can be fought in groups. Points

are awarded for how synchronised

a team is

Strikes only allowed on the head,

torso and thighs; not the neck

and crotch

Points given for smoothness of

movement and balance, deducted

for errors in moves

Players try to end the match as

quickly as possible with submission

holds or takedowns

Strangling, kicking, and scratching

are forbidden; leg locks are common

Competitors either wear blue or red

so judges can tell them apart on

the mat

saMbo

With roots in jujitsu, kurash and wushu (among other sports),

Russian sambo is a combat technique developed by the

Soviet military in the early 20th century. Sambo emerged

when Russian fighters, exposed to a multitude of Eastern and

Western fighting styles, attempted to combine them all into

one superior technique designed to stop adversaries – armed

or not – in the shortest time possible. There are three types

of sambo: sport, freestyle and combat. The sport version,

which resembles judo, will be played at the Games.

sanda

A type of Chinese martial art, sanda was derived from

traditional wushu techniques, including hand-to-hand

combat, punching and grappling. Also known as sanshou,

sanda originated from free sparring matches by Chinese

soldiers in the early 19th century, subsequently developed

into a method of self-cultivation, then eventually became a

type of military training to keep soldiers on their feet during

ground combat. Competitive matches often resulted in death,

so rules were added prohibiting attacks with elbows or knees.