The protection from active defense takes an important role in SAMBO. These ploys are often not enough in themselves to bring victory, but they do permit the time to stop the SAMBist from being overwhelmed by his opponent until he can initiate his own offense. Nevertheless, it is advisable for the SAMBist to attempt to wear down the strong opponent to conserve, amass, and then mobilize his strength for the attack.
Good defense must examine each ploy and develop to meet each circumstance to transition to the first stage of the attack. The defense allows for the SAMBist to direct the necessary resources into the subsequent attack. The grips are calculated to develop the attack in the time required by the match to score and win.
To conform to the principles of active defense, the SAMBist must pay attention to the match time remaining and work to the advantage of the situation of that moment to drive home his attack.
To defend from standing, the SAMBist must be able to defend against the throw while guarding against dangerous transitions to par terre wrestling. The bulk of this defense is to block or counter the throw or take down. The idea is that from standing, the throw or take down attempt is more likely to occur than the transition to par terre wrestling.
It is evident that the goal of active defense is to subvert the opponent's basic throwing attempt. This group of ploys is delivered through:
To defend against the throw by redirecting strong attacks, the SAMBist may defend by stopping the motion of the opponent's hips, by breaking his concentration for offense, by keeping his legs away from the opponent's attacks, or by disrupting the opponent's balance. All of this is part of active defense and is a characteristic to fast wrestling. This defensive mode thus requires quick reactions.
Active defense protects by not allowing the opponent's throw to develop. The SAMBist defends against the opponent's grips and cannot merely rely on quick reactions. Instead, he must be oriented and alert to the developing situations that he encounters on the mat.
Next, come the defensive combinations. The parts of the combinations unite from two or three modes of defense to counter one of several of the opponent's throws. Defensive combinations are crucial in par terre wrestling. These combinations demand well coordinated movement and distinguished preparation. Therefore, these techniques are best observed in experienced SAMBists.