Systema ROSS
Система РОССA Russian self-defence system by Alexander Retuinskih, registered in 1995. It builds on wrestling, sambo and jujutsu and is taught in eight directions.
Quick Facts
RussiaCharacter & Origin
Organisation & Competition
What the style is built from
Editorial rating on a 0–3 scale, based on how much room each area gets in ordinary training.
Catalogs & Databases for Systema ROSS
About Systema ROSS
ROSS is an abbreviation of the Russian name meaning the Russian National System of Self-Defence. It was founded by Alexander Retuinskih, who had it registered as know-how in 1995 — that is also the only date documented for this system. Its foundation is sporting: Retuinskih built it on wrestling, on sambo and on jujutsu. To that he added an element that sets the system apart from military training systems — it points to Russian folk games, dances and Slavic folklore as a source of natural movement habits, not just to combat technique. The methodology was tested in academic settings, among them the Kuban Academy of Physical Culture and the Lesgaft Military Institute of Physical Culture in St Petersburg. Training is divided into eight directions and reaches far beyond combat: from self-defence and weapon work to a health and recovery component. A named list of those directions is not found in the available sources. This range is typical of ROSS and is also why it is taught in Russia even outside combat centres. From 1996 ROSS federations arose outside Russia, among them in Belarus and in the United States. The system thus belongs among the Russian schools that reached beyond their borders before anyone in the West began writing about them.
Similar styles
Selected by overlap in the style profile, not by historical lineage.