Systema Class Notes – Tuesday, 12 Feb 2013

Theme for this cycle: Takedowns on the Move
Area of Focus: Movement

Class Objective(s):

1. We’re going to work on the floating center of gravity
2. Tension and Relaxation
3. Rather than roll, pitch and yaw (which describe the axes) and use spin, stretch and squat (which describe how to move people around the axes – Brad suggestion)

Breathing Exercises:

1. Bear Crawls
2. Crab Walk
3. Leap Frogs
4. Spiderman Crawls
5. Walk outs

Joint Mobility Exercises:

1. Inchworm
2. Shoulder Walking
3. Side Shoulder Walking – move with the obliques and lats

Work Specific Strengthening Exercises:

1. Forward and Backward Lunges
   1. Slow lunges all the way to the floor and then back up
2. Slow Squats with Turning Motion to the floor (squat to hunter position) – Didn’t do this

Drills:

1. Tension and Relaxation drills
   1. Pull down on your partner’s shoulders – everything rigid – start from your toes, releasing tension while maintaining the downward pressure – you should feel and see the connection with the other person – then – with breathing – release the pressure on one side while maintaining it on the other.  It’s important to understand this is not pulling the person backwards
   2. Push on your partner’s head – once again, start being completely rigid, and then relax everything but what’s necessary to maintain the pressure – see how much you can move
   3. Push on your partner – feel the resistance – maintain the pressure (without the tension) and move in a different direction
2. Takedowns – sometimes your partner will be compliant (move in response to you) and sometimes they will resist
   1. need to do this with at least 3 different partners
3. Use two hands – establish a “plane of support” through your partner and then move in a different direction – Didn’t do this – more related to form – will do Thursday

Self Defense Applications:

1. Speed Pyramid – put them down and turn them over – Didn’t get to this
2. Walk up to a line of people and take them down and turn them over, one after another – Didn’t get to this

Review:

1. Moving around a person is different from moving the person
2. Part of the reason we move is because while we are moving, it’s easier to move someone else
3. When you encounter resistance, usually the first thing to do is move it in a different direction