Anatoly Arkadyevich Kharlampiyev (russian: Анато́лий Арка́дьевич Харла́мпиев; 29 October 1906 – 16 April 1979), was a Russian researcher of various kinds of national wrestling and
martial arts
Martial arts are codified systems and traditions of combat practiced for a number of reasons such as self-defense; military and law enforcement applications; combat sport, competition; physical, mental, and spiritual development; entertainment; a ...
,
Merited Master of Sports of the USSR, and Honored Coach of Sports of the USSR. He was one of the founders of
Sambo
, aka = Sombo (in English-speaking countries)
, focus = Hybrid
, country = Soviet Union
, pioneers = Viktor Spiridonov, Vasili Oshchepkov, Anatoly Kharlampiev
, famous_pract = List of Practitioners
, oly ...
, a martial art technique developed in the Soviet Union (his predecessors in the creation of Sambo were
Viktor Afanasyevich Spiridonov and
Vasily Sergeyevich Oshchepkov).
Kharlampiyev worked as a physical education trainer at the
Communist University of the Toilers of the East
The Communist University of the Toilers of the East (KUTV) (russian: link=no, Коммунистический университет трудящихся Востока; also known as the Far East University) was a revolutionary training scho ...
, and also was a student of
boxing
Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermined ...
,
fencing
Fencing is a group of three related combat sports. The three disciplines in modern fencing are the foil, the épée, and the sabre (also ''saber''); winning points are made through the weapon's contact with an opponent. A fourth discipline, s ...
,
acrobatics
Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro ...
, and
mountaineering
Mountaineering or alpinism, is a set of outdoor activities that involves ascending tall mountains. Mountaineering-related activities include traditional outdoor climbing, skiing, and traversing via ferratas. Indoor climbing, sport climbing, a ...
. In 1938, Kharlampiyev presented Sambo to the USSR All-Union Sports Committee, which recognized the martial art as an official sport.
Biography
Kharlampiyev's grandfather, Georgy Yakovlevich Kharlampiyev, was a gymnast and boxer. For many years, he collected, studied, and classified various techniques of hand-to-hand combat and self-defense.
Kharlampiyev's father, Arkady Georgievich Kharlampiyev (1888-1936), graduated with honors from the
Imperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by the founder of the Imperial Moscow University Ivan Shuvalov under the name ''Academy of the Thre ...
and was sent to Paris at the state's expense to continue his studies. After a while, due to lack of funds to continue his studies, he began to fight in a professional European boxing ring. He soon became the champion of France, and then Europe (in the absolute category). After that he returned to Russia to begin making boxing popular. He was considered one of the founders of the Russian boxing school.
From his early childhood, Kharlampiyev was trained by his grandfather and father. At the age of six, he acted in a group of aerial acrobats in a circus. By 16, he had already become a versatile athlete and a well-trained wrestler and boxer.
Sambo
Kharlampiyev dedicated his life to the creation and development of a new application martial arts – Sambo. At the beginning of 1920, he began to collect and systemize national games containing methods of struggle, and in 1934 to describe and classify sports and fighting techniques. In 1936, he graduated from the
(Department of
Judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
directed by
Vasili Oshchepkov
Vasiliy Sergeyevich Oshchepkov (russian: Васи́лий Серге́евич Още́пков); (January 7, 1893 - October 10, 1938) was a Russian researcher of different types of national wrestling and martial arts. He was ranked as a Merit ...
).
Starting in 1935, Kharlampiyev led
judo
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponi ...
training at the Moscow Palace of Sports, known as the "Wings of the Soviets". From 1945 to 1952, he worked as the senior manager of the Central "Dynamo" Council. From 1953 on, he was Associate Professor of the Department of Physical Education (in Moscow Power Engineering Institute).
Kharlampiyev created the Sambo system including a sports subsystem (which is the foundation). Sambo is commonly practiced by the Soviet, and later Russian, militaries (which was seen as the target application).
The sport subsystem eventually became known as Sambo Wrestling (or simply Sambo), and the combat form as Combat Sambo.
By creating the system of Sambo, Anatoly Kharlampiyev carefully studied judo and mastered it in practice (under the direction of Vasili Oshchepkov). In the Sambo system, he saw a new kind of martial arts, enriched with the most effective techniques of other kinds of struggle.
During his years as physical training instructor at the
Communist University of the Toilers of the East
The Communist University of the Toilers of the East (KUTV) (russian: link=no, Коммунистический университет трудящихся Востока; also known as the Far East University) was a revolutionary training scho ...
(TAS) and the International Society of red stadium builders (OSMKS), Kharlampiyev continued to study different kinds of martial arts.
Comprehension of the essence of the struggle (both science and art) assisted learning techniques and tactics of fights from outstanding fighters (
Ivan Poddubny
Ivan Maximovich Poddubny or Ivan Maksymovych Piddubnyy (russian: Ива́н Максимович Подду́бный, uk, Іва́н Максимович Підду́бний; – 8 August 1949) was a professional wrestler from the Russian Emp ...
, Klimenty Buhl et al.).
For a number of years Kharlampiyev traveled to the Central Asian and Caucasus republics for the study of national kinds of struggle. He studied and systematized techniques and training methods. He took part in the competitions. With a body weight of 72 kg, he sometimes beat heavyweights. The 1983 film ''Invincible'' was based on these journeys, and the character "Andrei Khromov" was based on Kharlampiyev. His role was played by
Andrei Rostotsky.
World War II
The development of a new kind of wrestling was halted by
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
when Anatoly Kharlampiyev volunteered and was sent to the front in the Red Army on July 7, 1941. Since September 1941 he was with the 18th Infantry Division of the Leningradsky district of Moscow.
After the war
After the war, Anatoly Kharlampiyev stepped up his activities on the development and spreading of a new kind of wrestling. Since 1947, the holding of the USSR championships continued.
In 1947, the Second All-Union gathering of trainers was held on the initiative of Kharlampiyev. During this conference it was decided that the new kind of combat wrestling, cultivated in the Soviet Union would be called Sambo (abbr. from the "self-defense without weapons"). At the same assembly, it was decided to create a Federation of Sambo.
Sambo competitions became a regular occurrence in the cities, regions and republics of the Soviet Union. Anatoly Kharlampiyev began publication of educational materials for Sambo. Sports and educational work with young people and security forces in the sections Sambo, which was held by Anatoly Arkadyevich (head coach of the "Krylia Sovetov" Sports Society; senior coach of the "Dynamo" Sports Society (1945-1952, Moscow) and his companions, rapidly increased the number of Sambo wrestlers in the USSR.
In those years, Anatoly Kharlampiyev may have been one of the most prolific Sambo coaches.
In 1953, Kharlampiyev became Associate Professor of
Moscow Power Engineering Institute
National Research University "Moscow Power Engineering Institute" (MPEI) is a public university based in Moscow, Russia. It offers training in the fields of Power Engineering, Electric Engineering, Radio Engineering, Electronics, Information Tec ...
(MPEI). Since that time, Sambo began to spread to universities in Moscow and other cities of the USSR.
Death
Kharlampiyev died on April 16, 1979.
Memory
The first All-Union tournament in Sambo in memory of Anatoly Kharlampiyev was held in Moscow's universal gym "Friendship" on 10–11 October 1980. Since 1982, these events have become international.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kharlampiyev, Anatoly
1906 births
1979 deaths
Martial arts school founders
Sportspeople from Smolensk
Russian sambo practitioners
Soviet martial artists
20th-century philanthropists
Soviet inventors