Sambo is a Russian (Soviet) martial art and combat sport, as well as a comprehensive self-defense system. The traditions of Sambo are rooted in the cultures of the peoples of Russia and their traditional wrestling styles. Sambo incorporates the best techniques from various national martial arts and wrestling traditions, including fist fighting, Russian, Georgian, Tatar, Armenian, Kazakh, and Uzbek wrestling, as well as Finnish-French wrestling, catch wrestling, English and Swiss wrestling, Japanese judo and sumo, and many other combat disciplines. Sport Sambo is a wrestling style in which effective defense is of primary importance. In fact, the full name of Sambo is an abbreviation of the Russian phrase meaning "self-defense without weapons." In Sport Sambo, a competitor may achieve an early victory through a submission hold or an effective throw. Unlike Sport Sambo, Combat Sambo remained for many years the exclusive domain of military and special forces personnel. This martial art combines techniques from more than fifty different combat disciplines. In addition to throws, holds, and submission techniques, Combat Sambo includes a wide variety of strikes. As a result, Combat Sambo matches may end in a knockout or knockdown. Such bouts are generally fast-paced, and the primary objective is to defeat the opponent by any legal means available.