The crucial difference between Judo and Sambo is that Judo was designed to be practiced for self-defense, mental and physical benefits, and as a sport for everyone. Conversely, Sambo was designed exclusively for the Russian military to prepare for brutal hand-to-hand combat situations.
GRAPPLING ARTS
The key difference is that freestyle wrestling involves all parts of the body while Greco-Roman does not allow contact below the waist.
Even though it is not viewed as traditional martial art like Karate, wrestling fits into the definition of a martial art as a fighting system with codes, traditions, and a set of prescribed movements to best an opponent in combat. By this definition, wrestling is certainly a martial art!
Wrestling at an early age cannot stunt growth. Studies have shown that restricting calories for cutting into a lower weight class can stunt growth, however. If a healthy, nutritious diet is followed, wrestling, like any other sport, can have many physical, mental, and emotional health benefits.
According to famous MMA color commentator Joe Rogan, wrestlers dominate MMA because the wrestling style allows fighters to “dictate where the fight takes place”. Wrestlers tend to have an easier time putting their opponent into a disadvantageous position and are also equipped with the tools needed to keep them there.
Even though Sambo has been around since the 1920s, it wasn’t receiving much attention from the public until Sambo trained fighters started winning major fights in MMA. Sambo, in some way, resembles modern MMA fighting. It stands for a unique mixture of the best techniques from different martial arts like judo, jujutsu, and various styles of wrestling.