Sambo is unique because it is such an eclectic style of grappling. But, as with any form of wrestling or grappling, there are fundamental skills that have to be learned and drilled on often and correctly so they are instinctive.

Position, the art of being in the right place and the right time and putting your opponent in the wrong place for him, is extremely important. No matter what style of mat combat you practice, if you don’t get into a good position and control your opponent’s body and movement, you won’t beat him. Before you make him tap out, you have to set him up.

A major goal in groundfighting is to establish a position of control and dominate your opponent. A rule of thumb is to try to get behind your opponent. Another way of saying this is to “get your opponent’s back.” If you get behind your opponent and establish a strong ride position, he won’t be able to see what you are doing. By the same token, never allow your opponent to get behind you.

Also, the body has a lot of handles. Every part of an opponent’s body, jacket or belt is a handle for you to use to control him. It doesn’t matter what body part you use to control him, whether it be a shoulder, arm, foot or hip. Use whatever handle you need to control and break your opponent down. The jacket and belt are great handles and many sambo techniques use the opponent’s jacket or belt.

It’s important to be methodical and aggressive in groundfighting. Patience is a virtue in wrestling on the mat. Methodically go from one point of control to the next. Take your time, but do it in a hurry!

Another good point about position is that sometimes, when you are in a bad position, the best thing you can do is to get out of that bad position and into a neutral one. I call these “get out of trouble moves” and they are important to know. If your opponent is in the top position and dominating you, you have to know how to get out of trouble.

Always remember that if you control the position, you control your opponent.

Another core skill in sambo groundfighting is breaking your opponent down from a stable to an unstable position and effectively apply a hold or submission. I call these skills breakdowns. No opponent will willingly let you slap an armlock or leglock on him. You have to break him down and secure the technique.

Some people refer to these skills as turnovers, but I prefer to call them breakdowns as it better describes the wide range of skills used to set an opponent up for a hold or submission technique. You don’t always turn him over. You may want him flat on his face. The goal is to take him from a stable position to an unstable (for him) position. The term breakdown also implies a more aggressive approach to groundfighting.

A piece of advice I like to tell my athletes is that if you’re fighting your opponent on even terms, then you haven’t planned out your fight well enough. Do everything you can to control all aspects of the match or fight. An important part of controlling the match is to be in the best position possible as often as possible and do your best to put your opponent in the worst position possible for him.