Review: The article considers the history and the development of Russian unarmed self-defence (sambo). The modern system of combat techniques practiced in law enforcement agencies is based on sambo. The research subject is the system of combat sports and complex self-defence designed for training law enforcement officers and servicemen of the Soviet Union in the 1930s. The research object is the history and the prospects of sambo. The author uses the comparative-historical method to detect the similarity of and the cause-effect linkage between the foreign-policy historical processes and the development of Russian self-defence system. The author uses the interdisciplinary method to explain the historic similarity of sambo combat technique and jiu jitsu. The scientific novelty of the study consists on the fact that the author finds out the peculiarity differing sambo system from other combat sports. The author proves that sambo is a unique developing system of combat sports and complex self-defence. The development of sambo is determined by the task to get Russian servicemen and law enforcement officers ready to protect citizens from crime and to repel external aggression against Russia. At the current stage, the sambo system is being modernized with account of modern tasks and realia of everyday work of law enforcement officers. These changes are basically connected with the differentiation of the combat section of sambo and its adaptation to the military and law-enforcement service. 
 

Keywords: fighting techniques, police, Seliverstov Sergey Alexadrovich, Oznobishin Neil Nikolaevich, JIU-jitsu, Sambo, martial arts, law enforcement, hand-to-hand combat, USSR