Victor Afanasievich Spiridonov

b. 1883 – d. 7 September 1944

Beginning of a Prominent Life Road

Victor Spiridonov, an outstanding personality, talented sportsman and a sage theorist, was born in the Vyatka province. At the age of 17 he started to serve in the Tsarist Army as a private. He was completely devoted to his service and soon he achieved noticeable success. Due to his diligence, honesty and nobleness he was sent to Kazan infantry school.

Hе went to the Russian-Japanese War already being a regular officer of the Tsarist Army. And there, in fighting the enemy, he defended the interests of his Motherland with all his might and dignity. For his Distinguished Service to the Motherland, Victor Spiridonov was bestowed upon the crosses of St. Anna and St. Stanislav.

There began the First World War, dark and dismal times. Victor Spiridonov was again at the front. After getting a concussion he resigned.

Years of Maturity and a Major Contribution to Development of SAMBO

It is practically impossible now to enumerate everything Victor Spiridonov did for the sake of SAMBO. He was engaged in training sports coaches, teaching a course on hand-to-hand defence and assault and in opening groups of self-defence everywhere in the country, prioritizing on the development of the rules of fighting. He sought improve the technique, worked on the names and classification of holds. Being a scientist and an explorer, Victor Spiridonov got absorbed in the investigation he was particularly interested in.

He understood the importance of a theoretical base. At the end of the 20s he got several books on SAMBO published. In the famous Dynamo sports society created in 1923, Victor Spiridonov supervised all kinds of work related to hand-to-hand self-defence. It was at that time that the above sambo-oriented society started to enjoy popularity and authority.

The Great Remain Alive as Long as They are Kept in Our Memories

Victor Spiridonov was to have a severe destiny: his life was caught in a whirl of two world wars. He worked with soldiers to improve their physical training in order for them to successfully fight fascists. For Victor Spiridonov himself the situation was aggravated by his personal tragedy: he was suffering terribly from a serious illness (lungs). He was gone in 1943. Having created a strong base for SAMBO, he gained a profound respect of the whole community of SAMBO fighters and fans.