Russian All-Round Fighting

Russian All-Round Fighting (RAF) (ru: Ð ÑƒÑ?Ñ?ÐºÐ¾Ðµ Ð±Ð¾ÐµÐ²Ð¾Ðµ Ð¼Ð½Ð¾Ð³Ð¾Ð±Ð¾Ñ€ÑŒÐµ - Russkoye boyevoye mnogoboriye) is a hybrid martial art consisting of various Russian and Soviet fighting systems.

RAF Federation headquarters is based in Saratov, Russia. The Federation holds annual 'Russian Championships', Instructors Seminars and provides for various kinds of martial arts training.

In 2004 the Russian All-Round Fighting federation became officaly registered.

Maxim Shatunov became the first president of the Russian All-Round Fighting Federation, Eduard Srgeev the first Vice President, and Denis Rojkov as first leading Specialist in Sport and Combat Fencing.

In 2005 the Federation has organised the major All-Russian Championship on its second year of work. All-round athletes from many regions of Russia have taken part in the Championship.
*European martial arts - Fighting, combat, wrestling, martial and sport systems and styles; from ancient and medieval times to more recent eras.
*Sambo - Including the combat and sport variations.
*Storm Fighting - A type of NHB, 10 seconds per round at 10 rounds fighting competition.
*Street fighting
*Folk styles - Influenced by folk games, events and competition such as fisticuffs and mass fighting.

Structure
RAF has three main levels:

Sport Level
There are eight competition disciplines in RAF. The athletes have to master all eight disciplines. First comes fighting with the cold steel of the longest range, the Bayonet. Then the Stick Fight. Then the Knife Fight (the main civil self-defense weapon).

These are first three disciplines where three ranges of cold steel actions are being practiced: long, average and short range.

Then the kicks (Kick Fighting) and hand strikes (Fisticuffs) are being as two different disciplines. Another discipline combines hand strikes and kicks (Hand-to-hand Fighting).

The last is the Wrestling, corresponding to the closest range to the adversary.

The final discipline studied is Storm Fighting, combining the hand-to-hand and unarmed wrestling skills.

The competition sequence is as follows:

* Bayonet Fighting
* Stick Fighting
* Knife Fighting
* Wrestling
* Kick Fighting
* Fisticuffs
* Hand-to-hand Fighting
* Storm Fighting.

The competitions are being organized in two days, four disciplines per day. Each person taking part in the competition must compete in all eight disciplines.

The typical tactics of the Russian fisticuffs is to first attack the arms of the adversary, neutralising them with hard blows (or just striking them down), and then striking the head. Grappling is an indivisible part of fisticuffs. Clinching arms and holding the neck, grappling clothes or even pulling hair are widely used for strengthening the blows.

Russian fisticuffs uses punches with the fist, hammer fist, open palm, forearm and elbow.

In RAF Fisticuffs blows are allowed to any part, except under the belt.

Kick Fighting
Kicks do not require preliminary stances. They are mostly physiological and do not require over stretching. They are safe for the joints and ligaments of a kicker. They allow for kicking in a series and are as high as required. They are most eddective in hard shoes.

Thought some would consider it racist or the types of ideas spouted by white nationalists and white supremacists, other's just consider it not being Polit-Correct and clame that those statements were just ment to say that they use the Russian tradition.

It could be argued that such statements are made out of ignorance rather than for ideological reasons.

RAF uses a "Swarga wheel" as its symbol. The same symbol is also used by the ultranationalist and anti-immigrant movement in Russia.

However, the RAF website states:

::The emblem of the RAF Federation is the variant of the Slavic symbol called "Swarga" or "Swarog Wheel". It is an ancient solar symbol, being represented by the eight elements cross rotating clockwise. It is depicted in gold or bright yellow colour.
::It is used to depict the emblem on the red background. In Slavic tradition the red colour is a symbol of beauty and vitality, while the gold colour is the symbol of the Sun. The combination of these colours is the most powerful among all colour combinations.
::Any other interpretations of the symbols of the organisation are considered incorrect and deliberately provocative.

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