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OVERVIEW
OF SYSTEMA AND ITS RELEVANCE TO AIKIDO |
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Seeing Systema for
the first time My first exposure to Systema, the Russian Martial Art popularized
by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev, came in April 2001. I was in
attendance at the formal presentation of a Shindo Yoshin-ryu Menkyo Kaiden
to Sensei Toby Threadgill in Dallas, Texas. At the party following the
ceremony, a group gathered in the living room to watch martial arts
videos. At least 20 of us--mostly seasoned martial artists with decades of
training experience--watched parts of videotapes of several styles and
eventually got to one on a Russian martial art that most were seeing for
the first time. The tape featured a certain Mikhail Ryabko conducting a seminar in
Russia for a group of visiting foreign martial artists. Mikhail. a
recently-retired colonel in the Russian Army, is a short, stout man with
incredible sensitivity whose movements seemed more "aiki"-like than what
goes on in most aikido dojos. The husky foreign students on the video were
obviously strong, experienced people and Mikhail easily dispatched them in
a way that might look faked to the untrained eye. We all were captivated
by Mikhail's skills and some very nice compliments were offered by those
present. I made a mental note to check out this Systema more in detail at
some later date. A few months later I received an enthusiastic call from James
Williams of Bugei Trading Company who had visited Toronto to attend a
Systema seminar taught by Mikhail Ryabko and hosted by Vladimir Vasiliev.
James, as is well-known to many Aikido Journal readers, has an extensive
background in both empty-handed and weapons-based arts and is not easily
impressed. He was effusive in his praise of Mikhail and Vladimir and went
on to say that he had never seen a teaching methodology that could develop
skilled students so quickly. Shortly thereafter, I purchased several Systema tapes featuring
Mikhail and Vladimir to take a closer look for myself. What I saw was
truly impressive! The scope of the curriculum and sophistication of the
techniques were remarkable. Not only did I want to try Systema myself, but
I got to thinking that cross-training in this art might be of great
benefit to aikidoka so compatible were the two systems. It was a natural
jump from there to proposing to James that Systema might fit very nicely
with the theme of Aiki Expo 2003. James liked the idea and, on my urging,
extended an invitation to Vladimir Vasiliev to join our group of seminar
instructors at this year's Aiki Expo. Vladimir seemed pleased at this
invitation coming from outside of the Systema circle and accepted.
Since I still had no first hand knowledge of Systema, I talked with
James about going to Toronto to meet with Vladimir in person. James, whose
enthusiasm for Systema had redoubled after traveling to Moscow to again
train with Mikhail, seemed to be looking for a good excuse to go a second
time to Toronto. To Toronto with James to meet Vladimir
On October 10, 2002, James and I boarded a plane for Toronto to
spend the weekend training with Vladimir and his students. We scheduled a
time to meet with Vladimir privately to conduct an interview and to
explain in greater detail the concept behind Aiki Expo 2003. I had high
expectations about Vladimir based on what James had told me and my viewing
of the Systema videotapes. Vladimir didn't disappoint. He is one of the
finest human beings I've ever met and a credit to the kind of person that
Systema develops. His skills are astounding and in perfect consonnance
with the philosophy of aikido. He never opposes an attack, but blends and
leads the attacker into a fall or submission. Vladimir is humble but with
complete confidence born of his many years of training and exposure to
life-and-death situations. Out on the mat I found the training in Systema to be very rigorous.
It includes lots of pushups, situps, varied breathing exercises, and body
strengthening exercises. Since it is so demanding, anyone who seriously
trains will become very fit quickly. The techniques themselves are applied
with wave and spiral-type motions which can transform into a cascade of
follow-up movements depending on the reaction of the attacker. An
important part of training time is devoted to light, sparring exercises
that are quite enjoyable and constantly challenge you to resist the
temptation to use power. Systema techniques performed at the highest level
use only the minimum amount of energy and operate largely on a
mental/psychic plane. Also, the variety of training scenarios is vast
ranging from empty-handed attacks, to the use of various street and
military weapons, multiple attacks, car-jackings, bodyguarding work, etc.
You name it, Systema has a body of techniques to deal with it.
Vladimir has produced a series of more than 10 videotapes featuring
Mikhail Ryabko and himself that are highly recommended.
James and I and two other visiting Americans were invited to
Vladimir's house for lunch on Saturday afternoon. His gracious wife
Valerie and their three girls comprise the other members of the close-knit
Vasiliev family. We had a chance to talk at length and I found Vladimir to
be a deep thinker and, by nature, very spiritual. He also has a terrific
sense of humor. Although not at liberty to discuss most aspects of his
military career, he did relate a few episodes that underscored the
life-and-death nature of some of his assignments.
Like Mikhail Ryabko, Vladimir is also a religious person. From
visiting his home it was apparent by the prominent placement of Russian
Orthodox icons that religious observances are a daily part of his family's
life. Having an intimate relationship with the Creator is an essential
tenet of the Systema philosophy. Here are some quotes from a booklet he
published a few years ago that touch on this theme:
Religion
is [also] important. Realizing that, despite your skills and experience,
you are still below God is essential. Humility must be served. Staying in
contact with your "good" side and regular prayer are essential to a true
master of the Russian Martial Art... Certainly, not everyone who practiced these arts became good and
respectful of God and nature, but the best masters did. When you reach a
very high level of training, you come to understand that there is
something beyond you. This understanding brings you to new levels of
ability. From
The Russian System Guidebook, by Vladimir
Vasiliev Quoting Mikhail on religion during our conversation, Vladimir also
related this semi-humorous and very perceptive remark: "[Mikhail] says,
'There are no atheists in the trenches. Soldiers think of God 'just in
case.' About Systema
The Systema that is being taught today to the general public has
been refined by Mikhail Ryabko and disseminated by several of his students
in Europe and North America. Mikhail Ryabko currently resides in Moscow
and is an advisor to the Minister of Justice in Russia. In addition to his
military duties and teaching assignments, Mikhail also hosts groups of
foreign students who come to him for intensive training in Moscow.
Vladimir Vasiliev is one of Mikhail's top students and relocated to
Canada in 1993. He spent some 10 years with a Special Operations Unit of
the Russian Army Special Forces. Vladimir operates a successful school in
Toronto and teaches mainly in Canada and the USA.
The antecedents of Systema go far back in Russian history and much
of the credit for the preservation of these traditions is due to Russian
Orthodox monasteries. Following the Russian Revolution the military
coopted these fighting skills and taught them to elite troops. Mikhail
states that he received his training from one of Stalin's bodyguards
starting from boyhood. He further refined the knowledge transmitted to him
eventually developing Systema into its modern form.
The technical curriculum taught to the Spetsnaz forces is extremely
rigorous and designed to eliminate the fear of death in the trainees. Many
of the drills inflict tremendous pain and suffering among the men in an
effort to harden them for the battlefield and dangerous special missions.
The training develops the trainees' intuition to a high degree and teaches
them to act spontaneously when in harm's way.
In reading a description of some of the training exercises these
men are put through, one is both shocked and fascinated at the same time
that human beings can endure such treatment and maintain a state of mental
equanimity. It's hard to imagine anyone more prepared than these men for
the kind of dangerous operations they carry out.
Vladimir Vasiliev's training philosophy
Here are a few quotes from the above-mentioned booklet that will
give some insight in Vladimir's personal training approach which has been
adapted for teaching to the general public: ... [I]
try to keep the training sessions fun and urge you to do so, too. You
should be serious on the inside, but on the outside look so as to relax
your opponent. Again, I must make this point: If you're serious when there
is no threat, when a threat really does arrive you'll be left with nothing
in reserve. You've used yourself up and left no more room to make the
transition from civilian to warrior. ... to
master this system you must also be able to move so that your appendages
and the rest of your body can move in different ways simultaneously. It's
a kind of 3-dimensional movement of the body.
All
movements should be dynamic and multi-functional. You should never move
just for the sake of moving. And at any moment, the whole body should be
perceived and used as a complete system. Though one part of the body may
be moved while others relax, they should never be cut off or physically or
psychologically separated from the actions of the other parts.
... it
is also essential to learn what your natural response is so that you can
guard against it when in situations where it may be harmful.... awareness
of your own body and identity along with what's going on around you is
essential to mastery of the Russian system. Russian Health Method
Vladimir also practices a Russian health system that was developed
by a philosopher named Porfiri Ivanov. This method was also a part of his
training while serving in the Special Operations Unit in the Russian Army.
The premise of this approach is to anticipate physical problems before
they occur and stimulate the body's immune system to ward off disease.
Great care is taken to prevent the body and mind from reaching a state of
exhaustion. Special breathing exercises and daily cold-water dowsing are
used to energize the body and are important parts of this health method.
Systema and Aikido
Soon after getting my first serious glimpse of Systema, I began
thinking that many of the principles and training methods employed by
Mikhail and Vladimir might be highly relevant to aikido practice. As you
know, the theme of Aiki Expo 2003 is "Realizing Aikido's Potential."
Basically with Aiki Expo 2003, our hope is to bring to the forefront the
martial aspect of aikido that has become rather neglected in the modern
forms of the art. I believe Systema can play a significant role in this
regard. We hope to have serious aikidoka reevaluate their training
approaches and consider bringing their current practice more in line with
the techniques and philosophy of Founder Morihei Ueshiba.
Ueshiba O-Sensei was heavily influenced by the Omoto religion
during a turbulent time of Japanese hisotry. He emphasized both the
martial and spiritual aspects of aikido and considered the two
inseparable. Systema was born out of centuries of technical refinement on
the battlefield as Russians repelled a multitude of enemies under vastly
different combative conditions. It has had strong ties to the Russian
Orthodox Church historically, a tradition that continues with Mikhail
Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. With its dual emphasis on the martial and
the spiritual, Systema shares much common ground with aikido. Aikidoka
looking to revitalize their training will find in the techniques of
Systema a powerful, energizing example. Systema will find in the aikido
world a large community of serious-minded and ethical people desirous of
impacting society in a positive, moral way. I am certain that Systema will impact Aiki Expo 2003 in a major way that special weekend of September 19-21. I am equally sure that the interaction between Vladimir Vasiliev and the other Expo instructors and participants will result in the blossoming of lasting friendships and important interactions that will reshape our thinking and practice of aikido. |