systema?

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[udoka1]

hello all just wondering if anyone here has ever trained in systema? I have been training in aikido now for almost 2 years and have been fortunate enough to train in what some might call a small dojo. anyway my sensei is friends with a systema instructor and had him come in one night just to get a little taste of it cuz the guys from up north and not in the south to often. i found it to be alot like aikido, some of the exercises/drills they do are really very helpful in moving with your center. anybody else had the chance to study this art? i would do more of it but no systema instructors around here i dont think...oh, and they have amazing ukemi ability as well... thanx for reading..

[Bronson]

Hey Geoff,

Check out this thread (http://www.aikiweb.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3207&highlight=systema). Someone posted links to some systema video clips.

Bronson

[Paul Klembeck]

1. There are several threads on systema on the Aikido Journal web site, which you may want to check out.

2. I have never trained in systema, but in about 10 hours I'm off to Toronto for three days with Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko. I'll let you know what I think on Tuesday.

Paul

[George S. Ledyard]

1. There are several threads on systema on the Aikido Journal web site, which you may want to check out.

2. I have never trained in systema, but in about 10 hours I'm off to Toronto for three days with Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko. I'll let you know what I think on Tuesday.

PaulLook for Brian King while you are there. He is one of my Defensive Tactics students and runs a Systema Study group at our school. He's up there for a week or two training.

[ian]

I think they have some interesting training methods - I like the idea of the slow work. I noticed they are much more able to integrate strikes into the techniques and be more fluid in interchangeability between techniques due to this practise.

Discussion posts on systema:

http://russianmartialart.org/forum/phpBB2/

[ian]

P.S. geoff - can you describe any of the drills you found particularly useful?

[udoka1]

i can try...... one of the drills we did involved uke pushing on any part of your body and blending with it. example; uke pushes through your right shoulder you move back and to the left/ uke pushes left hip you move to the right in a tenkan like fashion and you just keep repeating. it takes you all over the mat you also have to be aware of the other people moving around you as not to directly collide with them. we also did a really neat breathing exercise that makes you aware of every part of you body. example; lay down on your back hands out to your sides/inhale ki breathing style and tense up only the left side of your body as you exhale release tension and gradually increse tension on only the right side of your body like a wave the completely release and do it again. we repeated this for about 3-5 minutes or so. another exercise was basically just a freestyle but done fairly slowly, uke reaches out to grab/punch or whatever to any part of the body he chooses and you basically just figure out ways to return his energy but your not actually doing a technique just returning the energy like a half technique i guess? any way that one is a little hard to explain, but there were a few others but they are a little difficult to explain, you would just have to experience them. oh, another thing i thought was very cool is they have an entire catologue of techniques to protect someone else from harm like a bodygaurd i guess we did one of em, pretty simple really, the instructor did mention that those do get alot more brutal but you know...it was just our first time. hope that explains things a little.

[udoka1]

oh and in all of the standing exercises the instructor stressed over and over to move with your center so that just adds to the aikiness of it all. very cool stuff i thought..

[E.J. Nella]

If you happen to be in the San Francisco Bay Area on July 12th, and are interested in taking a seminar:

www.fightingsystems.us (http://www.fightingsystems.us/)

I have been to this clinic before and great care is taken for authenticity and safety. I find that any Martial Art or Self Defense system has something to offer. Be it techniques to use or to be careful of if used against me.

I notice that the instructor isn't mentioned on the page. His name is John Castro and although he is not a "certified" instructor in SAMBO or Systema, he has been authorized to instruct this class by one of their main organizations. I would recommend contacting him for any questions.

Pleasant Hill is around 25 miles east of San Francisco.