The Documentary Film "Through the Dark" Tells about SAMBO for the Blind

On November 24-25, the II Russian SAMBO Championships for the Blind and Visually Impaired took place in Sochi. Some fragments of the tournament footage will be included in the documentary film “Through the Dark” directed by Vadim Arapov. Interestingly, in addition to the competitions, a demonstration performance of SAMBO for the Blind technique took place at the championships.

[VIDEO] SAMBO for the Blind demonstration

SAMBO for the Blind demonstration team: Andrei Demidov (Rostov Oblast), in a red helmet, has a slight residual vision, Dmitry Samokhvalov (St. Petersburg), in a blue helmet, is totally blind.

‘Specialized helmets that completely block residual vision of the visually impaired athletes, equalize their physical abilities, without worsening the position of the visually impaired in relation to a totally blind wrestler,’ explains Roman Novikov, member of the FIAS Commission for Promotion of SAMBO among the Disabled. ‘The use of a helmet does not disorientate a visually impaired athlete, since this is only a residual vision that is blindfolded, and, moreover, it improves the balance function, since a sambist maintains balance chiefly due to proprioception, with no reliance on defective vision.’

[VIDEO] Teaser trailer for the documentary film “Through the Dark”