One of my fondest Systema memories is the first day of the first training trip I took to Russia. There was a small group of us with a scholarly translator who never dealt with the military or martial arts. I didn’t speak Russian and none of the Russians spoke English very well either. Yet we Read More …
All too many times I have been on the floor with a high-level Systema instructor (Mikhail, Vladimir, Martin Wheeler), watched them demonstrate beautiful movement and then stood there scratching my head as I observed students not only using far too much tension, but deliberately doing so. Were they seeing the same thing I was? Where Read More …
by Vladimir Vasiliev When an untrained person perceives danger, his heart rate and blood pressure go up, while the breathing gets disrupted – he usually holds his breath for a short time. As a result of stress, there is tension and restriction of movement so full breathing becomes impossible. Thus, the heart is working harder, Read More …
On Systema by SSgt. Nate Morrison (reprinted from Dragon Door Forum) “Comrades, I do study Systema as well as the old Samurai arts. I come from a background in Ninjutsu. (I have also done a good bit of grappling and MMA with various SEAL and SF teams who really liked it.) All three are very Read More …
Yes You Can Watch, But Get on the Mat! Before I became a Systema Instructor I was like most people new to the art. I had years of both previous training and previous notions of what martial arts are supposed to look like. Luckily for me, the particular training-history I had along with my own Read More …
Thursday was my “triumphant”(?) return to teaching Systema after the birth of my daughter Petra. Time away always make me think long and hard about both Systema and how I can best help my students improve their Systema. I get a good laugh at what has become the standard Systema talk, e.g. “breathe”, “relax” or Read More …
Considering the response I got from the last article, people have some, shall we say “strong views” on kettlebell training, both for and against. The Controversy Continues…Should You Use Kettlebells as part of your Systema Training? You know I hate the word “should” (and its corollary “should NOT”). So my short answer to everyone here Read More …
7 Reasons “Normal” Women Avoid Systema Like The Plague 1) There are fewer women than men in ANY martial arts program to begin with. So if you look at it this way, every martial art and martial art school is competing for a much smaller pool of possible female participants. (This begs the question, why Read More …
What, just one guy? Vern Bevan commented after class that he’d never been in or seen a fight that was against just one guy. Many of us concurred that altercations we’ve been in or been witness to have been with multiple belligerents. The point? Well, we’ve been doing a good deal of innovative multiple/mass attack Read More …
Chicago Seminar Recap Whew! I just returned from teaching a whirlwind weekend martial arts seminar in Chicago with long-time friends, mentors and fellow instructors Martin Wheeler and Al McLuckie. We taught a large group of Cops, Joliet Prison Guards, MMA Fighters as well as the Civilian Self-Defense Students. The venue was Too Cool. The workshops Read More …
