The World Martial Arts Video

Two fighters face-to-face in a ring is common sight in combat sports. But what’s less usual is seeing two seven-year-olds settling scores in a mixed martial arts tournament. Dmitry Zarshchikov, vice-president, Russian Pankration Federation, speaking Russian: “When it comes to youngsters, safety is vital. In this tournament, in particular they use special outfits. Plus we have strict rules, so opponents can't cause each other any serious injury. However, these are full contact bouts. Besides, the coach's role in this respect just cannot be overrated. The better he prepares his charge, I mean, as an ultimate fighter with both wrestling and hand-to-hand fighting skills, the more he succeeds in the sport. Kids are first taught basic skills and techniques, along with general fitness training. All this is a must before starting a potentially professional career in later life.” Danila, pankration martial artist speaking Russian: “Once I saw some guys train in my school basemen...

The European Sambo Championships attract a record 32 participating nations. Aleksandr Konakov, sambo coach (speaking Russian): “To win in sambo you have to throw your opponent to the ground and, depending on how clinical the attempt is, you get points awarded to you. In the case of combat sambo, there you can also get points for hitting your opponent, for knock-outs and knock-downs.” Tatyana Zenchenko, 2012 European Champion (speaking Russian): “Every year, the popularity of both sport sambo and combat sambo is growing and with it there are more and more people and countries getting involved.” Sergey Eliseev, Russian Sambo Federation Vice President (speaking Russian): “Sambo is so popular nowadays that it's surpassed many Olympic events by the number of participants already. We have over 80 federations around the world, more than a lot of the Olympic disciplines. So it's only a matter of time before it is seriously considered as an Olympic event.” Story Organizer...