I'm looking to train in Sambo with the intentions of competing in Sambo, submission grappling, and MMA. Which coach should I go to, Sonnon or Yakimov? Both are world class athletes with hundreds of titles to their name so it's hard to choose; however, Sonnon appears to have a deeper understanding of the physiology of combat so I'm steering towards him. What are your thoughts?
That's like choosing between Apple Pie and Cheery Pie. Some would say a, some would say b...
Igor definitely knows his stuff as well, and has a 'deep understanding' btw. Obviously Scott does as well.
Sam,
Igor's a colleague and friend. Train with him if at all possible.
Fraternal,
ss
Depends on where you live. Yakimov is in Canada and Scott is in Seattle, i Think. If you go with Yakimov, you can always get Sonnon's tapes, and vice versa.
Why not train with both,they both would probably be cool with it.
and those two together would spell doom to your opponents.
Find the coach that offers what you are looking for, both are excellent coaches, Scott though teaches ROSS which is a comprehensive system that extends beyond sport(correct me if I'm wrong here) and Igor teaches Sport/Combat Sambo, as well as Judo.
My own personal experience in training with Igor is that Igor is a great coach who pushes and motivated his students, he teaches no nonsense effective grappling(he placed 4th in Abu Dhabi) with a strong emphasis on leg locks, throws, and armbars.
Yakimov is the way to go if you can, he is probably th best sambo instructor out there.
i'm lucky enough to have trained with igor. he is awesome. he will make you a better fighter. guaranteed.
Igor did a seminar at our dojo two years ago and I can flat out state he is the real deal. He is probably the foremost expert on leg locks in the world and is an awesome athlete, sportsman and a gentleman.
I have not trained with Scot but I have read many of his writings and posts and he obviously is an individual laden with knowledge.
I highly recommend scott. He has brought my game to a new level. The man is incredible and a super person to boot.
I would love to train with Igor someday too when I get a chance.
JK
basically anyone who has trained with Igor is saying Igor and anyone who has trained with Scott is saying Scott =)...
I was lucky enough to train with Igor one month and he is by far the best instructor that I've ever seen! The guy can do it all and he really does motivate you in a way that you want to do it all and you'll believe that you can!
In short, I'm in Ottawa in May and Igor's new school is definitely what I'm scheduling my month around (as I suck and I want to get better, and Igor is my best bet :o).