Systema Osaka’s Mikhail & Daniil Ryabko Online seminar 24/7/20

In Friday’s Mikhail and Daniil Ryabko online seminar organized by Systema Osaka to celebrate it’s 15 year anniversary we did very simple but deep and challenging work.

Mikhail led us through a series of progressively slower and slower core exercises, composing of push ups, squats and leg raises. He led us to places we couldn’t believe anyone would try, at least me anyway😂

By doing these simple exercises you learned to know yourself. You learned how much pride you have, your weaknesses and the limits you impose on yourself. 

We also learned that we have more potential in us than we really know. With breathing, as much relaxation as you can muster and a strong will you can do more than you think or have experienced before. 

I don’t know about anybody else that did this class but I collapsed many times due to too much tension and exhaustion. However, what Systema teaches us is to recover quickly, start again and carry on the best way you can. I feel Mikhail showed us in this class the essence of Systema - to know yourself. 

Mikhail gave us a lot of wisdom about the purpose and benefits of these exercises but I think it’s best to join Mikhail and Daniil’s online classes to get the information directly.

Thanks so much once again to Mikhail and Daniil for the amazing class. Also thank you to Ryo Onishi and Systema Osaka for organizing the event. Happy 15 year Anniversary!

Vladimir Vasiliev Instructors’ Workshop 27/6

Thank you so much to Vladimir for the great Instructors’ Online class this morning. We covered a diverse range topics, such as teaching in actual classes during these corona times, disappearing subtlety and ridding yourself of negative emotions quickly using interesting exercises. These were all based on questions asked by the participants. 

As usual Vladimir’s answers were profound, concise and humorous. The advice was very practical and able to be used immediately. 

What always astounds me about Vladimir is his ability to live outside the box. The answers he gives are always different from what you expect and his creativity in creating new exercises or ways of training continue to be new and fresh. Great for the brain and keeping a younger mindset!

I think the advice he gave to us all in response to the question of how we can maintain our interest and enthusiasm in Systema after many years of training was especially insightful and useful, especially for these times.

“Let the waves of life continue to push you and not cover you.”

Great advice for Systema and life. Thanks to Vladimir and Valerie for these online classes. Every one I’m able to attend is a privilege. 

Vladimir Vasiliev Systema The Highlights Of Systema Online Class 1 13/6

Thank you so much to Vladimir for this morning’s online class. We went deep into breathing while working with tension and relaxation in a variety of ways. It was like a Master Class. 

Even through the medium of zoom, Vladimir can lead us to a state of relaxation that we can’t usually reach or experience by ourselves. 

Through Vladimir’s clear, concise and simple instructions he’s able to create the conditions where the participants can experience a subtle and deeper level of relaxation for themselves that they possibly didn’t know existed. Truly amazing!

Big thanks to Taka of Systema Tokyo for organizing this class, which is the first of a series of six classes. If today’s anything to go by, the rest of the classes are going to be something special.

Thank you again Vladimir and, of course, Happy Birthday Valerie!

Handgun Part 2 Online Class 28/5/20

What a great Handgun Part 2 online class with Vladimir Vasiliev! Calm, smooth and quiet work with a gun. Pure Systema!! The end of the class when we were hiding behind a chair to escape from a gunshot was just simply too much fun. Like being a kid again! Thanks to Vladimir and Valerie for continuing to put on these amazing classes.

Online with the Masters Online Class 23/5/20

Wonderful online class last night with Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev! The content of the class was based on questions asked by the participants. The main practice of the class was how to overcome your fear. We practised this by learning how to fall without fear. With the help of demonstrations from Daniil Ryabko and Eric Peres, Mikhail and Vladimir joyfully guided us all how to do this.

The reason for practising this exercise was really not to practise the skill of falling, but to reduce the tension in our head and in our thoughts. Mikhail said that you have to feel the moment when fear comes in, relax and fall. It’s as if you’re jumping off a plane with a parachute. 

Mikhail also gave us an example of falling without fear by dropping a piece of paper. We should fall like that. Mikhail demonstrated this and he just fell without any plan in mind, but he landed so softly. Amazing to see!

The whole class was just so positive, fun and full of inspirational and profound teachings about many topics. It was a real pleasure to be part of such a class. Thanks once again to Mikhail, Vladimir, and, of course, Valerie for the great class!

22nd May Handgun Solo Training Class

Yesterday’s Handgun Solo Training class with Vladimir Vasiliev was excellent. From a Systema perspective, Vladimir introduced to us in a very clear and progressive way the fundamentals of handling a gun. He shared with us many interesting drills, such as splitting your attention between yourself and the outside environment while holding a gun and checking what we can actually perceive from different positions. He also showed how we can smoothly draw a gun in a variety of ways and situations. The tennis ball drills were especially fun. Of course, we did so much more as well!

For me personally, it was such a fun class and I learned a lot. Honestly, I have no experience with guns really, so it was a pleasure to learn something new. This topic is something that I haven’t really had the chance to practice in Systema. 

However, what was more important was applying the Systema principles we use everyday in our training to the gun. Same principles, different tool. Of course, there are some new skills to learn but what is most important, as always, is applying Systema to whatever you may use, for example a gun, knife or stick etc. Systema truly can be used in every aspect of life.

Lastly, it was amazing to see Vladimir using a gun in such a precise, relaxed and creative manner. He is so free in his thinking and movement. Truly inspiring. Thank you so much to Vladimir and Valerie for continuing to organize these classes. I can’t wait for Saturday’s “Online with the Masters” class this Saturday!

Striking Power Online Class 18/5:20

Thank you so much to Adam and Brendon Zettler for another excellent online class this morning. We learned how to use breathing to turn tension, pain or an injury into relaxation and power. However, this time there was an emphasis on transferring this relaxation and power to the fists. This helped us to develop more Striking Power.

With the progression of exercises Adam and Brendon shared, you were gradually able to build more and more fullness in the fists, while keeping the body light and open. It was great to feel and even more amazing that you were able to feel this by solo-training. Truly outstanding class and I look forward to the next one!