There are two kinds of self-defence:1) First teaches you to be more aggressive & violent – it feeds your dark side,2) The other makes you calm & teaches you to control your anger, ability to harmonise – they support your humanity. Which one is more effective?Somebody says: anger & ‘seeing red’ gives you unbelievable power, tenses up your body & … Read More

The body knows what to do to survive.The mind is much slower than the body’s instincts and the mind makes a lot of mistakes.It’s not good if the mind overrides the instinct.However, you need the mind to defend, because instincts know just to survive.Therefore, the instinct* is leading the movement, use the mind to modify the instinct, according to the … Read More

In the Russian language, a word система (systema) means ‘the system’. As an open-minded mover, I have to work with every aspect of movements which working systematically. Therefore I’ve already added to my Systema aspects with which is working Chinese Wing Chun Kung fu and Filipino Escrima. I’ve added the flow and elegance of Dance… And now (after the retreat with Sifu Sam Chin, … Read More

We should be relaxed, but not soft. The soft body is attracted just by the earth, however, we are made up also from fire; and fire flows to the sky. So, a vital are pulled by gravitational force down & by fire upwards. The fire also automatically brings you to a balanced position, so if somebody pushes you, you flow immediately back like a fire. … Read More

I still remember how my grandma uses to push me in the swing. She used to swing me for hours… She was tireless, now I understand why: because she had a feeling for when to push me at the right moment – in harmony with kinetic energy – efficiently – with a tiny amount of energy… Her touch was so soft.. … Read More

Vitalizing activity as Chi Kung, Tai Chi or Systema should be trained outdoors. Trying to increase vital energy (often called chi, ki prana, or živa) indoors is like having a shower under an umbrella, or installing solar panels in the house instead of on the roof. ? A roof protects us not just from rain and wind, but also from vital energy. … Read More

Exploration of our movements brought me a few years ago to a Tom Myers book: Anatomy Trains. This book massively changed my perception of our movements. It helped me to see the whole human body much more holistically. Instead of separated muscles, I see the united body, with a myofascial networkacross the whole of it. The new perception of the body helped me to better understand … Read More

The Flow of Balance in a Fight In the previous blog titled: ‘Flow of Balance’ I explained how we flow against gravity and how we can synchronise with others.Now the question is: how can this be used in a real fight? The answer: two waves can combine to create either constructive (in phase) or destructive force (out of phase). If … Read More