Q: ” I have a question about the relevance of Sambo in helping improve a fighter’s leglocks. Does it really help that much to practice Sambo if you want to become very skilled at leglocks?”

A: I have learned a lot about leglocks from Sambo practitioners (Oleg Taktarov, for example). Sambo has a lot of leglocks in its submission arsenal, most of which are directly relevant to submission grappling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

It is important to note, however, that not all Sambo players use leglocks, and that there are very good Sambo competitors who have very bad leglock technique. Some Sambo players look a lot like Judo players when they compete, and they never touch a leg in anger. Other Sambo practitioners are leglock fanatics, and are known for their lower body submissions. Just like any other grappling sport, different clubs and different competitors specialize in certain areas, and not everyone is good at everything.

So to answer your question: YES it helps to study Sambo if you want to become skilled at leglocks, IF the Sambo instructor in question has a high level of understanding about leglocks.