10
Common Misconceptions About Russian Systema
10
Common Misconceptions About Russian Systema
The Russian martial art of Systema is a relatively new art in Western
consciousness. Having been previously classified during the Soviet era,
it was only first revealed beyond the country's borders in 1993. Even
then, early promoters needed to work to establish its credibility as
even many government and military officials refuted its existence.
Today, it is widely established and has grown exponentially beyond its
borders but still in the youth of its expansion, it suffers from many
misconceptions and misinterpretations.
10-The art is a hybrid of Asian styles: Not true. Systema was formally
created following a detailed experimentation and exploration of the
Asian arts by the government. Naturally, it does therefore contain
influences and responses to Asiatic systems. It's chief foundation
however comes from the synthesis of uniquely Slavic cultural folk
systems, including ancient Cossack traditions which trace their origins
to the 10th century.
9- Systema is purely a military art: Systema was certainly designed
initially for the military and is still employed by Special units
within Russia as well as individually practiced by professionals around
the world, however there is much greater depth than simply hand-to-hand
fighting. Many people see the senational highlights of training in
forests and lakes, in camoflauge with weaponry and assume there is no
place for civiians. In reality, the greatest advantages of Systema
comes from its unique teaching approach, its emphasis on breathwork,
biomechanical efficiency, relaxation and healthy function. Through
this, it provides a total health and personal protection system that is
at once simple to learn and sophisticated in its profound depth.
8-Systema is exclusionary: Many myths have been propagated about
Systema being less than inviting towards non-Russian or specifically
non-Orthodox practitioners. This is simply a feeble attempt at
counter-marketing. A quick survey of Systema's instructors worldwide
and the location of its affilitate schools will show that Systema is
enjoyed by practioners around the world, regardless of their cultural
origins or religious denominations. While every instructor may bring
their own life experiences to bear in training, there is nothing
inherent in Systema that requires the adoption of specific relgious or
cultural beliefs.
7-Systema is all about no-touch knockouts and chi blasts: All Systema
training addresses the relationship between the psychological and the
physical. This includes a very small portion that addresses the role of
reflexes and fear responses. Some drills do employ deception and
influence quite similar to hypnosis to show students how easily the
mind and body can be tricked. Others use stimuli and responses in a
playful game of exaggerated movement to help students learn to free
their responses from fear. All of these games are simply training
devices and can only be helpful within the context of a training
environment with partners that one trusts. While these can translate
indirectly into strategies for combat, they have little direct
translation to combat technique--not unlike fakes in boxing can play a
role but cannot be relied upon as a trusted tactic. Sadly, some
instructors from other styles have chosen to exaggerate the importance
of these drills and to sensationalize them, claiming or implying that
they are somehow combat relevant. Adding to this is the unfortunate
translation of "psyche" to "psychic". Ultimately, these drills are of
little consequence in the more practical side of things and once
experienced can be quickly understood and integrated to their proper
role and importance.
6-Systema advocates body hardening: Systema believes that contact
should begin early in training, with slow but incremental increases in
the amount received. This includes a use of exercises that teach
practitoners how to absorb punches, largely to the body. Many viewers
wrongly assume that this means Systema advocates some Russian version
of Iron Body Chi Kung. Again, nothing could be further from the truth.
Punch absorption in Systema is more of a psychological drill than a
physical one. It is designed to show students the role that fear plays
in responding to pain, particularly through the use of stances and
flinch response. Punch absorption reveals to the student their invidual
responses to fear and pain and teaches them how to safely and
effectively deal with them. The end goal is not to make the body
"tougher"--in fact, all Systema combat techniques adovate yielding to
force rather than stopping or absorbing it. Furthermore, by striking
the human body rather than an inanimate bag, students learn to adapt to
an ever-changing surface. In actual application, students would rarely
employ so much punching or target the body so heavily. Strikes to vital
areas are emphasizes far more. To some extent, punch absorption has
become a parlor trick that is over-valued by some instructors. In
reality, strikes to the eyes, throat and groin can never be "absorbed"
or conditioned against. These drills simply appear to be more
sensational on film and so have been promoted to saturation.
5-Systema is based on "natural movement" so anything goes: In Systema,
natural movement does not refer to simply any action we do
automatically. Rather natural movement refers to movement that is
optimally efficient in its freedom from fear. When a human is relaxed
and healthy and balanced, he or she will move to the greatest degree of
their inherent capacity--this is what is the ideal every practitoner
seeks. Initial reflexes are often tense and stiff and quite the
opposite of natural or effective movement and so training seeks to chip
away at the inessential tension. As instructor Martin Wheeler has said,
Systema is not the art you learn, it's the art you remember.
4-Systema has no technique: This is not entirely correct. Yes, Systema
does advocate principles over pattern, but some degree of technical
training is still required. There is a better way to kick, a more
efficient way to punch, etc. It would be more correct to say that
Systema does not employ choreographed drills or fixed patterns of
movement. Students are taught the biomechanical reasons why a specific
technique works and then led to their own individual interpretation of
that principle.
3-Systema training is always slow: Systema does make a strong use of
"slow" training. As the old military expression touts, slow is smooth
and smooth is fast. Every training experience in training has the
potential to either erode fear or else to add to it. Training quickly,
while helpful for testing, does nothing to improve responses in the
immediate context. When you train quickly, you reinforce your existant
responses. Like learning to walk, swim, ride a bike or drive a car,
Systema advocates slow work where practitioners provide unchoreographed
stimuli and explore various responses. Contact is introduced first to
understand the effect this has on the psyche, distance and timing and
speed is added second. While much of Systema training is done at slowly
speeds, faster training is certainly essential in the formula.
2-Systema does not advocate sparring: This misconception stems from the
previous point about slow training. At faster speeds, all movement
becomes closer in type and more familiar. Simply promoting the end
result does little to highlight the distinctions in Systema. In the
end, there are only so many ways the body can inflict harm. The true
greatness in Systema is the manner in which it approaches learning and
training. The slow training approach is a huge benefit, but equally
important are theoretical education and pressure testing phases.
Sparring is definitely essential, against weapons, empty handed attacks
and multiple attackers.
1-All Systema is created equally: There are numerous major lineages of
Systema now known outside of Russia. The Ryabko Vasiliev lineage from
which I hail is renown for a more intuitive approach to training and
the heavy use of contact in application. This stems from the detailed
and intensive military experiences of our founders. Other lineages are
far more scientific and theoretical than practical and still others are
promoted by practitioners with little to no actual ability or
experience. These realities can be seen easily in their work. In the
end, there are as many Systema as there are practitoners. Each student
and teacher combines their own unique life experiences with the art, as
with any style. The distinction with Systema perhaps is that there is
simply more room for this interpretation and application than in many
other arts.
Training is truth