Systema Class Notes – Tuesday, 22 Jan 2013

Theme for this cycle: Moving and Striking with a Weapon
Area of Focus: Integration

Class Objective(s):

1. Tonight we’re going to work with mass attack.  We’re going to use everything we’ve done so far to respond to multiple attackers
   1. Striking while dealing with a mass attack
   2. Drawing a weapon while responding to a mass attack
   3. At the end of the class, you should have a practical knowledge of dealing with a group of people coming for you at the same time.  You will have used the core principles (breathing, moving, relaxing, posture) to avoid/evade, counter, deploy a weapon, etc.
   4. You will understand that with multiple attackers you MUST move

Breathing Exercises:

1. Push-ups on each other – front and back
2. Squats on each other – front and back
3. Leg-lifts – head to head – kicking each other in the chest

Joint Mobility Exercises:

1. duck walking – loosen the hips
2. forward and backward rolling

Work Specific Strengthening Exercises:

1. N/A today since the Breathing exercises are pulling double duty

Drills:

1. Split the class in half – start with one in the middle and everyone else punching him
2. Split into smaller groups (if possible, 3 or 4 to 1 would be ideal)
   1. One person in the middle everyone else walking up and pushing them
      1. person in the middle is simply moving from contact
   2. One person in the middle – everyone one else walking up and striking them
      1. person in the middle is still moving from or avoiding contact
3. Stay in the smaller groups
   1. The person in the middle gets to start “retaliating”
      1. first with pushes
      2. then with strikes
      3. Some things to consider
         1. you don’t have to push/strike the person who just hit you
         2. you should never stop moving while you’re doing this
         3. getting in a “revenge mindset” will increase frustration
4. Still in the smaller groups
   1. person in the middle needs to start drawing their knife and stabbing/slashing with it – all from movement and in concert with pushes/strikes
5. Back into one large group
   1. Everyone against one
      1. Pushing/striking
      2. responding/moving/drawing/stabbing/slashing
6. One large group – nobody in the “middle” – everyone pushing/striking to get to the center

Self Defense Applications:

Review:

1. Same work as the last two weeks, only with multiple attackers
2. Moving is a key because when you root, you get overrun
3. Don’t think you need to hit/strike/stab the last person to touch you – the next person(s) is/are the ones to receive that gift