Russian Martial Arts

There are a number of martial arts styles and schools of Russian origin.

Traditional Russian fist fighting has existed since the 1st millennium A.D. It was outlawed in the Russian Empire in 1832, however it has seen a resurgence after the break-up of the Soviet Union. During the Soviet era the government wanted to create both military hand-to-hand combat systems and combat sports. The new styles included Systema, and Sambo.

During the 1980s and after the fall of Communism the interest to the folk martial arts re-awoke. Through ethnographic study, many new styles based on the folk styles appeared. The two most famous new styles of that era are the Russian All-Round Fighting, which is based both on the old folk styles, old Cossack saber fencing and on the Soviet era styles, and Buza, which is based on the old local village fights and dances.

Another modern Russian martial art is the Retuinskih's System ROSS.

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