|
SYSTEMA
– An
Interview with Aaron Ellis
©
Marc Wickert Previously at Knucklepit.com, Ken
Twaddell road-tested the Russian art of Systema (http://www.knucklepit.com/mixed-martial-arts-ken_twaddell.htm)
during his review of a number of combat-style martial arts. In
this article we catch up with Systema instructor, Aaron Ellis. Aaron has been involved
in kickboxing and Thai boxing for the past 15 years
– both as a competitor and an
instructor. But Aaron says he always wanted to learn a
martial art that emphasised real combat rather than competition
fighting. “Throughout the years I have explored many oriental styles,
such as Tong Long Southern Praying Mantis, Wing Chun, Tai Chi and Xingyi,
to name a few. Although all these arts are excellent, I found that
the times taken to be proficient in these arts are approximately 5 to 10
years. That’s a long time in my book, so I stuck with what I
knew: Thai boxing,” says Ellis. While studying sport
and exercise science, Aaron became interested in Russian strength
training and the use of kettlebells, which led him to the art of
Systema. “I had read some articles and seen clips on the
internet. There were good and bad comments regarding this style,
but something inside told me to find out for myself. After many
workshops and training with Systema instructors from the U.S., Dave
Quaile from Bundaberg, and my good friend Andrew
Seyderhelm, I’m hooked. I now run my own Systema group.” Aaron
was particularly attracted to the way Systema was specifically
designed to be learned quickly and is easily employed in even the most
dangerous of situations. “Systema leaves no stone unturned and
is ideal for those in immediate need of a truly viable form of self-defense,
including defending against weapons and multiple attackers. “The movements are
based on instinctive and natural human reaction. Systema reawakens
and takes advantage of your natural reflexes. When compared with
other martial arts, Systema makes for a significantly decreased
proficiency time, and provides a correlated increase in the time of
retention. “Systema also appealed to me as it conforms to the individual: The student learns movements that suit his body type rather than asking the individual to conform to a set technique. This allows people with differing abilities, and what some would call disabilities, to excel. The individual develops movements and techniques which are not only suited to his apparent deficiencies, but make him stronger by catering for his uniqueness.”
Aaron,
can you give a brief history of Systema, please? “It is said
that Russian styles of martial arts date back to the 10th century.
There is no historical ‘real name’ for these arts. In many
cases, it's common to simply see ‘Russian martial arts’ used,
although that can lead to some confusion. In a sense, the name
‘Systema’ (the system) can be thought of as a generic title
comparable to ‘Kung Fu’ (‘one who is highly skilled’ or
‘time’ and ‘effort’). “Russia is comprised
of many ethnic groups, most of which had their own traditional fighting
methods. Many of these fighting traditions –
incorporating martial methods, health practices, folk traditions and
more – were
handed down within families or communities in much the same way as in
the Oriental arts. “When communists came
to power in 1917, they suppressed all national traditions and those
practicing the old styles of martial art were severely punished.
However, the authorities quickly realized the viability and potency of
the Russian martial art and thus reserved it for the elite military
units. At around the same time the art of Sambo was formulated.
Since the collapse of the Soviet system, many Russian fighting styles
have re-emerged through training, competition, and media publicity.
These styles include: Slaviano-Goretskaya Borba (Storm Warrior Style),
the military style of A.A. Kadochnikov, plus a variety of folk styles
(e.g. Busa, Skobar, Forest Warrior, Kozachiy Sploch, and fist fighting
by Gruntovsky).” Is
Systema linked to Sambo? “There have been, and
still are, a number of different fighting styles common throughout
Russia. As a result, several other styles have nicknames that are
commonly mistaken for Systema. For example, some troops and
Special Forces personnel train in ‘boevoe sambo’ (combat sambo);
also, troops would refer to what was taught as ‘rukopashka’ (Russian
slang for ‘hand to hand’). “The name ‘Combat
Sambo Spetsnaz’ was coined by the Soviet government to misdirect
Systema's relationship to Sambo; however there is little relation
between the two styles. Combat Sambo was taught to regular
military units - and still is today. It has become the basis for
the popular method of sports fighting.” Was
Vladimir Vasiliev the main person to introduce Systema to the outside
world? “Yes.
Vladimir moved to Toronto,
Canada and stumbled into his current occupation by chance: While
exercising at a local community center, he demonstrated a little Systema
to a friend, attracting an audience and eventually a few students.
He founded the first school of Russian
Martial Arts outside Russia – Systema
Headquarters in 1993. “Vladimir received intense training from the top Special Operations Unit’s instructors and is the top student of Mikhail Ryabko. Vladimir's work spans 10 years of extensive service with the Special Operations Unit. He also served as trainer for elite units, SWAT teams, and bodyguards.”
Can
you give a brief background of Mikhail Ryabko, please, Aaron? “Mikhail
‘Michael’ Ryabko (born May 6,
1961) is a Colonel in the Russian military, serves as a Special Advisor
to the Minister of Justice of the Russian Federation, and is the founder
of Ryabko's Systema. In the Russian military, ranking and
security access are directly tied. Mikhail is officially a
Colonel, but because he is a government special advisor, he has been
awarded the rank of General for security clearance purposes. “He
was trained since the age of five by one of Stalin's personal
bodyguards, and was
enlisted to the ranks of Spetsnaz at the age of 15. Currently, his
role is that of a tactical
commander of hostage-rescue teams, counter-terrorist operations, and
armed criminal neutralization. Mikhail resides
in Moscow where he teaches and works.
He is
also the author of a textbook on Tactics of Special Operations. “Mikhail is an outstanding Master of this art, one of a few keepers of Old Russian knowledge, and for us he is ‘The Master of Systema’.” Is
that Oleg Taktarov shown training at the start of the Systema
‘Strikes’ DVD? “Yes, that footage
was from a joint project between Vladimir and Oleg on Russian Martial
Arts. The video is called The International Warrior Series.
One tape featured Vladimir showing Systema, and another was Oleg
teaching Sambo techniques, including a bonus teamwork section.” How
do the punching styles of Systema vary from those of boxing or Thai
boxing? “In Thai boxing, the
power of the punch comes from the shoulder, hips and feet. The
whole body tenses on impact resulting in a powerful strike with the
whole body behind it. In Systema the power in a punch comes from
relaxation, body position and wrist/forearm alignment. This allows
you to deliver deep, powerful strikes from any position.” How
is pushing the foundation of Systema strikes? “Slow standing
pushing drills with the fist are the most useful way to find correct
alignment for striking, as you get instant feedback from your partner.
Learning how to push with the fist is the key to correct strike
placement. You will also understand how much power is necessary to
strike on the surface or hit deeply.” Why
do you do push-ups on your partner’s body whilst training? “As with the standing
push drills this helps find correct alignment for striking and the best
places to hit –
the meaty soft areas of the body, so you don’t damage your fist by
hitting bone. These pushing drills with resistance also build up
strength in technique and the tendons. The partner lying down gets
the benefit of a massage, they learn how to breathe, relax and only
place tension where the fist makes contact. It’s also a great
way to get rid of excess tension and is part of the Systema health
practices.” In
the street, most punches are head-hunter shots. How does Systema
deal with those strikes? “If the Systema practitioner is aware of the possibility of an attack, he would already be preparing his psyche and body by focusing on his breathing and adjusting the body’s form. This allows him to move or yield to the shot. It means that at the moment he becomes aware of the threat he moves his body as a whole, at the same time instinctively raising his arms to make contact with the attacker’s punch, yielding in the same direction whilst maintaining contact. This creates an advantageous position to strike or to perform a takedown.”
Some
fighting styles employ the ‘iron shirt’ method for hardening the
body against blows. Do you prefer the Systema way of keeping the
body relaxed like a ‘rubber man’ approach where the combatant goes
with the strike, rather than tensing and resisting it? “As Systema is built
on relaxation we don’t tense against incoming strikes, but that
doesn’t mean that we just take the blow either. By performing
drills such as push-ups and pushing drills on a person we actually help
build up the internal layers of muscle fascia in the stomach area and
softer areas of the body. Over time one learns how to place only a
small amount of tension at the site of the blow: at the moment the
strike is felt on the body. There are some Russians such as Sergei
‘The Cossack’ who can damage or break an opponent’s hand by using
an advanced form of this work.” Do
you feel it’s also important to relax when delivering strikes, as
practiced in Systema, so as to free up the body rather than tensing and
working against yourself? “If you are relaxed
you can deliver strikes in many directions; also relaxation allows you
to strike deeply. The most important thing is that relaxation
conserves energy, so you can fight longer and improve your chance of
survival. This is extremely important when dealing with multiple
attackers.” I
found it interesting that in Systema you diminish pain by exhaling
shallowly from the upper body, rather than with deep breaths from the
stomach, in much the same way a mother breathes when in labour – using
short, shallow breaths. What are your thoughts on this practice? “As well as the
technique described above, when the strike makes contact and starts to
penetrate your body, you exhale with the same force as the strike.
This removes a significant amount of force from the body that otherwise
would have caused the blood pressure to rise and create tension
throughout the body, allowing the punch to ‘go in’. Breathing
drills in Systema go far beyond just helping you stay relaxed.
With the breathing you can learn to remove pain even if the strike did
penetrate. The type of breathing varies depending on the effect of
the strike and the psyche of the person. Often quick inhale and
exhale breaths are used to help restore the mind and prevent fear
entering the body.” How
is Ken Twaddell going at training? “Ken’s going well.
Ken’s knowledge of many martial arts styles has help him progress
quickly. Systema blends very well with knowledge and technique
from other martial arts. Sometimes it can be referred to as a
martial arts operating system. With Systema principles, it is easy
to use technique previously learned from other styles. Systema is
so versatile that every person develops their very own style of the
system according to their strengths and weaknesses. I enjoy
sharing my knowledge with Ken: We both have fun and enjoy the freedom of
movement and relaxed style of training that Systema offers.” Are
there elements of Dim Mak in Systema? “No. There may be
some elements of ‘the death touch’ in Systema; however we explain it
plain and simple: no need for Qi or internal power. The effect of
strikes in Systema is based on common physics and the body’s
physiology. A well placed relaxed strike will deliver the force
through the body like a pool cue hitting a ball. If the strike is
deep, it may cause internal bruising or damage an organ. This can
delay the full effect of the strike for some days. To do this it
takes time, patience, relaxation and correct strike placement.” Mikhail
is an advocate for deep punches. Do you believe a lot of strikers
miss this point and have a tendency to deliver shallow punches? “Yes; definitely.
This is why Mikhail emphasises the fist push drills. He says that
it teaches us the amount of power necessary to affect an opponent’s
form with a strike. If you only push the surface, your partner
won’t move. Learning to push deeper is the foundation for deeper
striking.” Aaron,
is there anything you’d like to add? “I would like to
thank you for your time and leave readers with a small quote from
Mikhail: ‘A person working
towards mastery of ‘SYSTEMA’ gradually acquires a great deal of
extremely valuable universal knowledge and skills, which he or she
extensively uses in everyday life: private life, professional
activities, relations with other people, solving problems arising from
stressful tight situations, etc. No matter which objectives a
person had in mind, when he or she starts doing SYSTEMA, the skills he
acquires lead to the same result –
growth of his/her personality, physical, psychological and spiritual
development and improved health.’ “
For more on Aaron
Ellis: COMPLETE STRENGTH From Ordinary to
Extraordinary there are no Excuses.... www.completestrength.110mb.com
|
