Viktor Spiridonov

Viktor Spiridonov was a researcher of various kinds national wrestling and martial arts, Merited Master of Sports of the USSR, Honored Coach of the USSR. He was one of the founders of Sambo, a martial art developed in the Soviet Union.

Private business, zavedёnnoe on Spiridonov as "Dynamo" employee, it was destroyed in 1941. The only source of information about its pre-revolutionary biography is his own business as an employee of Universal Military Training courses, found a historian of Russian systems of unarmed combat MN Lukashev in the Central State Military-Historical Archive of the USSR. According to the written Spiridonov own track record, he descended from the philistines Vyatka province. At seventeen, not graduating from high school, he went to the army as a private - "volunteer In his paper he was sent to the Kremlin battalion. Earned non-commissioned officer's stripes and was sent to Kazan Infantry School, where he studied in the same platoon with the future Marshal of the Soviet Union AI Egorov.

In 1905, VA Spiridonov in the rank of second lieutenant went to the Russian-Japanese War, fought in the cavalry reconnaissance. He was awarded the Order of St. Anne IV-nd and III-rd degree and the Order of Stanislaus III-th degree with a sword and a bow.

Since 1906, VA Spiridonov carried away fashionable then in Europe "jiu-jitsu", which he studied for unreleased then in Russia and in Europe, benefits and self-instruction.

At the rank VA Spiridonov met senior pupil, schoolgirl, a merchant's daughter Claudia finishing, which began to help in high-school classes. It was at this time that he received the order for a transfer to a third Siberian Reserve Infantry Regiment Nerchinsk. In order not to be separated from his future wife, he sacrificed a career: resigned, having lost the right to get the next rank. A few months later, he again entered the service, but in the military unit, which was based not far from its restriction - in the 238th Klyazminskoe reserve battalion, formed more by Peter I.

In the First World War VA Spiridonov from the first day it proved to be at the front. He was seriously wounded, he spent a year in the hospital, after which he was "dismissed from the service with the production of the next rank and awarded the uniform and pensions

The revolution has deprived the retired Stabskapitän, even that little officer's pension which he received. He odd jobs, once was briefly arrested. In 1919 he became an accountant in the main armor control of the Red Army.

With the improvement of health VA Spiridonov again began to return to sports attachments. In March 1918 in Moscow took place Vsevobuch "weightlifting" (this term is then understood lifting weights, French struggle, English boxing, tug of war, "the cast of gravity", "throwing light stone" and "pushing the stone");VA Spiridonov has to preserve the unique photos of participants and organizers of this championship, which sits on a place of honor. At the same time he was a member of the Moscow River Yacht Club, the head of the school of Jiu-Jitsu on the preparation of the police trainers at the Main Department of the workers 'and peasants' militia, teaching sports disciplines in one of the railway organizations Vsevobuch and became head of the Moscow District courses sports instructors pre-conscription training of Comrade Lenin, where then there was the subject of "protection and attack without weapons

At the beginning of 1923 in Moscow it was established Dynamo Sports Club, which was among the founders and Viktor Spiridonov, organized with the "Dynamo" section of offense and defense. His first group consisted of 14 people, so to attract their studies as much as possible to the people and to interest young people, Victor Afanasievich made in the circus before the Red Army with a lecture and demonstration performances. Speech was a great success: the circus was packed.

In just a few years VA Spiridonov managed to produce a galaxy of instructors. At the same time he published three books, sets out the basic principles of self-defense system developed by him: "Manual of self-defense without a weapon in Jiu-Jitsu System" (1927), "Self-defense without weapons. Training and competitions "(1928) and" Self-defense without weapons. Fundamentals of self-defense. Training. Methods of Study "(1933). Advocating the case of self-defense, VA Spiridonov traveled all over the Soviet Union. Section self-defense began to function not only in Moscow but also in many other organizations Dynamo.

His application purely fighting clothing VA Spiridonov cultivated as a departmental, closed to outsiders sport. So when in 1928 in Moscow at the time of the All-Union Games Spiridonov suggested that guests from Germany, who came with performances on "Jiu-Jitsu" (it was called judo in Europe) to hold a friendly match with his disciples, they quietly agreed; to the surprise of the German guests, students Spiridonov won two of three fights.

In February 1929 was held the first championship of the Moscow "Dynamo" for teach Spiridonov kind of struggle in the clothes (he Spiridonov your system referred to initially just "self-defense", then as a tribute to fashion while reductions, began to call the "system" itself "" and subsequently appeared the name is samoz.

At the turn of 1930-40 supervisor VA Spiridonov in the "Dynamo" was a principled opponent of his system, and his own. Spiridonov had to leave "voluntarily".

Since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, VA Spiridonov began teaching unarmed combat fighters separate motorized rifle brigade of special purpose NKVD on a special training base in suburban Mytischi.

VA Spiridonov was a heavy smoker, so by the end of his life he was diagnosed with cancer of the lungs. From the hospital he was discharged as a hopeless, and he died at home, in severe agony, but with courage. Died September 7, 1944, is buried at the Vagankovo Cemetery.

Tomb of Victor Spiridonov many years considered lost. In early 2012, members of the NP "Society nekropolistov" found the grave of Victor Afanasevicha in poor condition. The summer of 2012 it was decided to bring the grave in order and to erect a monument. The grand opening of the monument took place on December 20, 2012.