@@CuttingEdgeSystema For example the systma punches being extra devastating, if that was true boxers and MMA fighters would be using those techniques already. Same goes for many other techniques. Sure if you are already a master in some other combat sports you can try to use the techniques in a light sparring for fun. But nothing of it has really been tested in a serious competition. And it is not like those techniques are so deadly or illegal, so that excuse does not work.
I'm going to save you the trouble and tell you right now, never go to NC systema. Go straight to the HQ instead. I know this person, trained with them, they lived in my neighborhood. He is not the person he sells himself to be. I have had to file multiple complaints to the better business bureau and other organizations, and have had to deal with injuries, defamation, him searching my room and belongings. He doesn't care about students, he cares about the money.
I trained Systema for around 5 years before starting training Jiu Jitsu, and it is sooo damn frustrating trying to find GOOD videos of Systema to show MMA and BJJ friends. This is one of the best Systema videos I’ve seen on UA-cam. Good job sensei Seth!
Here is some good videos + channels for learning the context instead of just showing demonstrations without it: ua-cam.com/video/FaMtEuU3pEk/v-deo.html ua-cam.com/video/BwvKe_V-Eyo/v-deo.html For the Critics in more context... The invisible series: ua-cam.com/video/BwvKe_V-Eyo/v-deo.html And why it's not BS: Systema Uppsala: ua-cam.com/video/vl6F5TpR2Zo/v-deo.html&t
Why dont you organise a good sistema video: the one where best sistema masters fight against masters of other styles? I've seen pretty much every x vs y video on the internet but not yet systema vs xyz.
@@rauljaanson2423 The way my instructor described Systema to me, was that it’s not a martial art but a way of training and applying martial arts. He went on to describe it as an operating system in a computer: if your mind/body/spirit is the computer, all the programs and files are the martial arts forms and techniques, but what if your computer gets a virus (fear, stress, anxiety, adrenaline)? All of those programs and files are useless if your computer gets a virus and shuts down, but if you have a good operating system and virus protection (stress/fear/adrenaline management through breathing and relaxation) then you’ll be able to use and apply those programs and files effectively when you need them. So I look at Systema more as a way to augment my other martial arts than as a competing fighting system, if that makes sense.
I think it kind of changed my mind about Systema also! We also quite often get our information from people who are trying to poke fun and "expose as fake" the practitioners. So, we don't always see the art displayed by it's most capable exponents (and this can apply to all arts).
Yeah. People are posting clips of simple movement drills and calling them bs because they don't look like effective fighting.... obviously anything can be taken out of context
@@MetalheadAndNerd speaking of obese Russians with telegraphed punches, Fedor Emelianenko comes to mind and hist ground and pound of Nogueira. The way he snaps those overheads like a whip definitely reminds me of these guys' flowy style of punching.
I did Systema for 1 year twice a week. Before Systema I had boxed for 4 years and fought Muay Thai for 2 years. The way I felt about it all is that boxing and Muay Thai are like programs and Systema is like an operating system, if that makes any sense. Systema is more of a mental and physical wellness system which uses many combat techniques and combat related contexts to improve your overall wellness. Boxing and what not are straight up martial arts, not too concerned with the subject's overall wellness and more about straight combat. The biggest thing I noticed is that I could handle stress way better, not just in combat but in life in general. I also noticed that my performance in the gym improved dramatically. Lastly my boxing and kickboxing also improved dramatically when I applied Systema breathing and mobility techniques to what I already knew in those other martial arts. It was definately helpful and I hope to get back to Systema one day when I have more time
I am a BJJ purple belt now. I did system for a year before I got into BJJ, striking, and MMA. I have some reservations about Systema, but I believe there are some great things to gain from it and that it actually accelerated my learning in BJJ. Systema taught me how to stay relaxed, how to breathe through pressure, and how to move freely around tension.
@@shadowzskillmonger5904 its actually cool to see other people who do bujinkan on the internet, ive always had an interest in it as my dads a 10th degree black belt, but my love for mma took over and i started bjj because of that.
I started with Krav Maga, then Bujinkan and then Systema. I did some Muay Thai just before Covid. I'm comfortable in saying that I'd probably still not win any fight even with an amateur fighter. There is nothing wrong with that as I barely did 2 to 3 classes a week. A professional fighter probably trains everyday and knows the rules of the game. But I'm definitely more aware of my surroundings. I don't think any of it has been a waste of time. Every single one of them has taught me something useful. I honestly feel that Ninjitsu probably has the most comprehensive training of all the martial arts I've ever tried. But, one must understand that it's important to find a good teacher. Also it's important to learn how to strike and take strikes.
The grounded knife fighting was actually really interesting and isn’t something I’ve ever thought about before. That part of it seemed really grounded in reality and applicable. The rest of it doesn’t seem that interesting to me but I’d definitely be interested in training that
It was indeed intriguing. It actually reminded me of how Icy Mike put it: if you want to fight with a knife you gotta know how to wrestle. So there's that.
It makes a lot of sense, though I also had never considered it. Stand up against a knife - terrible idea. If someone pulls it on you una grappling situation, you can’t just run.
@@nickcarroll8565 there is a video called Krav Maga is a scam. I made it in my other account and legit same principle. It’s bull shit. It’s just another way to think of things. Fighting is but one thing. A way to impose your will over the other. How you get there matters. And liquid squid moves is not it.
I love how Instead of making fun of a martial art because other people say it's bad or because it looks bad you actually try it and attempt to understand it
My karate teacher who also thaught vaviliev systema, said that karate and other arts are like a box of stones. Then the Systema is like the cement to stick them all together in one principle system.
The concept of systema is great for two opposites: 1. helping absolute beginners to survive and minimize the damage in the battle (not fight but battle, because this is the army concept) and 2. helping skilled fighters to integrate and broaden their skill-set and fighting strategies. And if it is not something of these 2, the misinterpretations are fairly expected.
as someone who did a bit of systema, it realy fun to do and sadly that i know it, it can work in rl situations as intendet. just finding a good teatcher can be dificult becous at least where i come from it is not realy a big thing. train slow, try fast fight faster live long
He said you're delusional if you think that Systema is going to be useful in a real right unless you train other martial arts. That's really the martial art you are interested in training in?
I've never seen Systema with bad eyes before, I've seen some cool training videos and some pretty weird ones too, but I didn't expect to see ground fighting with knives like that THAT WAS SICK! Great video, I wasn't expecting it being this good!
@@kevionrogers2605 When was it a combative method for the USSR? It was developed in Soviet Russia, and there were schools there in the 1990s, but this "the Soviet army trained it" statement is completely unsupported by the history surrounding Russian Martial Art's. The Soviets developed Combat Sambo in the 1980s, over a decade before Systema was ever a thing, and it has been the primary form of combat training for all Soviet forces since then. It's the Systema guys saying that their style was used by the Russian military, but all signs point to the fact that this was not the case, and given that Combat Sambo is still the primary fighting style for the entirety of the Russian Military, I don't see how this could be the case. Soldiers don't have time to train multiple styles of unarmed combat, they barely have time for one, and only ever learn the extreme basics. It's like DK Yoo saying he's trained Korean special forces when he absolutely has not done so, and there is no proof of this. Giving a single seminar where some soldiers attend is also not the same thing as being a military combative method, which things like Krav Maga and Combat Sambo absolutely are. The history of Systema as a whole is honestly incredibly sparse and largely unreliable, especially when you take into the fact that most of the guys teaching it have a vested interest in selling it to people.
While all the rolling along the body and over the head stuff looks weird to an outside perspective, when you are grappling and rolling shit happens. So having that familiarity with someone rolling over your head and body and having their weight on you makes a lot of sense. When you apply that fluid methodology to using a knife it also makes a lot of sense. Glad to see you went into it with an open mind and came out with a different outlook.
Also, I imagine, gets you comfortable with relaxing entirely during grappling, learning to use one's relaxed weight as part of the attack, which is huge. I got pretty good in judo once I learned to relax and not tense up.
You don't need to do that nonsense to get familiar with elements of grappling. That will happen organically when you grapple for real, in a legitimate school.
I haven't really done martial arts. However, I've danced quite a bit and it was fun to notice that some of the stuff on this systema class resembled very much (or was directly) something out of a dance class. For example, contact improvisation and other similar dancing techniques where you are exploring the ways of movement of your own body and finding different ways to respond to the movement of others.
That's because systema isn't a martial art it's a dance. it teaches you to be malleable so that when you get into a fight you stay relaxed the entire way thru which is the way to go. Too much tenseness can affect how fast and powerful you are
@@thelastgeneration1926 "Nothing could be further from the truth. Systema isn't a 'dance,' it's a complete martial art. There's no connection to dance here."
15 years ago I learned this one. For 3 years. What could i say - it is much more painful than even muai thai (from what I learned at all), bruises and blood were common things. Floors with no mats, never using gloves and helmets, sometimes in common clothes and boots. But I didn't care because we learned how the body moves, how it works, how it breaks. We learned how to move in confined space, against several people, against people with different weapons and so on. Most important thing in my opinion - we learned body mechanics, this is greatly helps to understand yourself, even in common life. Great thing.
I respect that. I have never trained in Systema (a little too old now for anything new), the nearest I came was Jiu Jutsu and Taijutsu but I fought and trained full contact for many years. I well remember broken noses and broken bones. It's funny to look back on, learning to defend yourself; would I have less injuries if I had never taken part? Besides a broken nose, broken ribs, back pain, dodgy ankle, arthritic hands from pounding the floor and breaking bricks, on balance, was it a good thing? Absolutely! A skinny guy with a big heart found what he loved. Initially I just loved fighting but I came to love the tactical systems and also to realize that the 'style' I was soo very much into, wasn't the entire spectrum of the knowledge I could gain. There is a big problem for traditional martial arts, in my humble opinion, MMA is changing the context. I will explain; MMA is probably as close as you can come to a legal fight with weight categories, timed rounds, referees, tapping surrender and medical staff on hand. It is the sports venue to try against another guy of equal weight and for sure is successful, you can't argue the outcome, generally there is a clear winner. All respects to those guys and gals sweating your ass off and rolling on the mats, hoping for a better future, sorry to opine, it's not martial arts, it borrows from martial arts for sure, but make no mistake, you are practicing a sport. Simple question's, do you have gloves on? Why is that? A martial art is commonly a training system to impart the ability to kill or maim/render non-combatant the enemy as efficiently as possible. The only rules it has, as a system, is that you do it 'this way' for starters. For instance, eye pokes, head butts, elbows, blows to the back of the head, biting (underrated) tearing ears off, spitting into the eye (you might just have taken a drink), blows to the neck or throat, 'below the belt' for good reason and I'm not talking about hitting a guy in the balls here, I'm talking absolute damage, then there are the knee-caps and the entire knee, the instep and all those little bones in the foot. I almost forgot, rip the fingers of the hand apart or just bust a clavicle and thrust it into an artery, My point? There is nothing nice about martial arts if you embrace what they actually mean. That said, I've been privileged to train with some of the best and (with one exception) have genuinely liked and respected that man/woman. There is an honesty about giving all you've got, among warriors, when you're 'all in' there are no rules, but if he's down after a good fight, sorry mate, I'll make it quick or save you if I can (talking about war here). I'm 50/50 about systema, probably because I don't understand it better but also because I've seen 'A' video of the famous punch and also seen the guy/recipient being 'opened' for the shot first? (I can't begin to say how much I detest martial arts 'fakery', don't get me started!) I also appreciate that a blow delivered without tension (or in those rare moments when you react without thinking) can be devastating. It seems to me that Systema has common roots with Tai Chi? I have never been knocked the eff out by a Tai Chi practitioner but I have met a few that consider it a valid martial art, I don't deny it could be. I don't knock any martial art, I spent 20 years doing 'punchy kicky stuff', fine when you are young but I always thought there is more and I found it in the older traditional arts. Shame I didn't get to try systema with a knowledgeable practitioner but I have to say, a bit like Krav Maga, there is so much hype and pure 'shite' spouted, there are real proper serious people and there are definitely assholes cashing in on the name and they are not doing a good service to the art. My personal philosophy is that I was granted this knowledge (well, I 'effing dragged it out!) and it should not be forgotten, I am merely a curator, maybe, maybe (ah shucks, I still am lethal but getting old) the knowledge needs to be passed on, biggest 'burn' of my life, I have no Son or Daughter to pass it on to. Sorry, I did go on a bit there, Respect and Pax
@@conmcgrath7174 As long as you're not too banged up, don't let your age deter you from training. You'll find that the instructors are quite understanding and deferential. This ain't the 70s.
@@liecrusher3506 Thanks matey, I pre-date the '70's! and I'm kinda 'banged up' for sure including a life-long injury that I carried through all the years of training. There are three main problems preventing me from training further, the first is the obvious physical one, second is my age and third is that I live in rural Ireland (now) and have yet to find ANYBODY within reasonable distance that I would even consider worth training with. I did visit a local 'dojo' a few years ago, I bowed at the door, was ignored, sat down and watched them sparring in a competition.......oh dearie dearie me, just 'effing tragic and the sad thing is they all think they're great, I left after an hour (I kept wishing I would see something decent, but no, I didn't). Dan Inosanto struck a sparring pad 'very well indeed' (fast, sharp, crisp with no telegraphing) and he was mid to late 70's at the time and it's not that I liken myself to Dan but I have always had quick reactions and can still move fast.......shite, you have really made me think about all the knowledge I could pass on and the most convincing argument for me to push my tired old ass back into 'work' is that I love martial arts, I used to breathe it, eat it and shite it! Much to think on, it will take a year to become usefully fit but even that would be time well spent. Thank you, you've helped me make up my mind, I can't help being old but I sure as hell can go out disgracefully! Pax and respect.
@@liecrusher3506 Hsing I is a very interesting ideal (while we're on the subject, Tai Chi has a very interesting palm strike that I always loved, simply because you hide it behind your head until it is delivered? Think of spending decades absolutely not showing the kick or punch coming, than a Tai Chi guy shows a way to 'load up a strike' as you turn, it's being prepared behind your head and as you swing back it's potentially 12 inches from opponents head, full force delivered in 0.3 of a second). Yeah, like I said before, rural Ireland is not a notable 'hot-bed' of martial arts, maybe I could help to change that. You have made me think for sure, I wouldn't even charge for the classes, the price would be paid in sweat and blood? The final 'blocks' in my way being that I have come to believe the best way to teach an action is to do it for real and pain is a great tutor. Which might make me the worst instructor ever. I did a dis-service to my very own nephew, his considerably bigger brothers had hold of him (not viciously but they had him round the throat and were holding his arms) I stepped in and showed a nail-rake to make somebody let go, I should have done it for real. If it's done to you once you will never forget it, you could practice it 100 times and never remember the lesson when it counts. OK, I said blocks plural, I know some nasty shite and I would be showing and exhibiting extreme violence, just as sure as you gave someone a loaded gun, I would be responsible, maybe it keeps them alive but I have no control what they do? I have learned what I know, paid in blood and sweat and years of hard training but I am a decent man and don't wish harm on anybody, tough question to pass the 'hard stuff' on in one easy lesson which can easily be forgotten or do it 'for real' and send everybody running from the monster. I've waffled enough but still perhaps decided? Pax
I'll come out and say I studied systema under vasiliev and associates for about 10 years, its effects stick with you. for example before systema, I could not throw, my judo was lame. years after quitting systema due to skiing injury, and horribly out of shape, I joined a judo class to support my son. the judoka told me 'you can throw, and you do good judo'. Black belts would seek me out to train. a guest bjj guy called me frustrating. And mostly I just used the 4 principles. I first came across your channel where you had the skit about martial arts training each other. I thought you were hilarious! You brought something other than outrage farming, and that intrigued me. When I saw you try capoeira I decided to support you on Patreon despite systema bashing because I could see you were fair minded and it would only be a matter of time until you tried it, and once you tried it, you'd probably like it. there's a gang of diehards on the subreddit, I'm sharing this.
Had the 'honor' of attending a systema seminar by Sonny Puzikas. I think this was way before he started popping up in movies and the Deadliest warrior TV show. I was fun, it was very different, and I've never seen someone be able to do push up from the wrists. Also he punched me in the stomach and I threw up good times!!!!
woo... I was trained by one of Sonny's systema student and attended a 2 of his knife work seminars. He's got the kind of smile that tells you not to mess with him. It was great time drinking vodka with him after seminar.
I practiced Systema some years ago, and I did all the strange stuff they did in this video. I think that this martial art gives you unconventional and interesting ideas on human motion. I feel like it's something a martial artist should try
I've taken a few Systema punches and they definitely feel different. I also really liked how Systema was almost inverse of my experiences in traditional martial arts like Kung Fu or TKD. Instead of imposing structure like way early on we started from more random chaos and tried to find the structure in that, if that makes sense. More over all though what I really liked about it was that it was different from what everyone else was learning around me. I felt like that gave me an edge in sparring because it made me a bit less predictable. Anyways I recommend trying it from a reputable teacher as well, as bad of a rep as System gets on the internet.
I learned that punching technique in Kempo, but my instructor may have been cribbing from Systema. Its not too different from what you need to learn for a one-inch punch, is it applicable? Not 100% you're never going to get the full power in a sparring situation, but when you break it down like that you can certainly increase the power in every punch you do a bit more and with some training you can generate power from a lot more angles and situations then you probably would have thought without the understanding of how the power is generated.
@@jaredgilmore3102 It took me years to learn that not every punch needs to be full force? Without 'going on' about it (surely everybody has expressed their opinion by now?) I find the idea of the 'one inch' punch to be flawed, certainly as I've seen it delivered? By which I mean the finger-tips might be one inch from the body, but the knuckles are not, so it is approximately a four inch punch (well 6 if you measure in cock-inches). Being able to generate power in a small distance has to be good, but I've seen my share of violent pushes where the guys are set up to fall? All I can say is that I wasn't impressed. (I told you not to get me started!) or I should have... this thing of breaking boards or baseball bats on sonebody's back/stomach is total balls, it looks impressive but it's chicanery of the lowest level, I got so annoyed with one such 'master' that I pulled him aside and asked if he would like to fight me, no audience, just the two of us, and whoever was left standing could drag the other to the hospital. Strangely, he declined my offer. Frothing at the mouth time! All your little tricks will count for nothing after I punch you in the head, repeatedly. Ah well, I feel better now! And that's the main thing? It's totally mad when you think about it, all those techniques have been around for hundreds nay thousands of years, yet we discover them for the first time, over and over again? I would like to experience a 'Systema' punch just to 'know' but I've seen my share of 'chancers', I believe there is an excellent practitioner in Canada, Vladimir but also it would cost a lot to travel and train with him? Am I just too old for that kind of shite'?.What would be my specific need? I can already punch somebody in the head, how many times do I need to do it? I suppose, less than I thought, err on the side of caution. But make sure he's down! My best good wishes on your journey, I'd love to see that punch for real, but I wouldn't allow any 'opening' of the nerve centres before-hand'. it's a punch or it's a messing with nervous centres, these are separate things. Look at me, as though I knew what I was talking about! All I can say is that it's important to never give up in any fight, the last punch thrown will be yours, My respects.
I trained Systema for a couple of years and this is a great video that really shows what happens in a training session. Systema doesn't get the respect it deserves, so I thank you for helping people understand what a great martial art it is!
I’m not at all surprised by Seth’s experience. Done some Systema training in classes with Vladimir Vasiliev and it was seriously interesting. Like all martial arts, it’s in how you train and teacher quality.
Agree. Also trained a little with Vladimir Vasiliev. It was pretty brutal physical conditioning . Some very interesting concepts. I had problems with the no throw throwing techniques because of my prior experiences with aikido, jujitsu, judo and karate style throws.
Sensei's Seth's experience was the same as mine when I trained in Systema when I lived in Stuttgart, Germany and when I did a few seminars in Osaka, Japan.
I can 100% associate with this. I did a Systema seminar with the main Russian dude, who by the way has forearms thicker than many people’s legs and punches like a hydraulic battering ram. It was incredibly insightful and brutal all at the same time. The concept of taking the energy of a punch and allowing it to flow like a wave into your own return punch was freaky but it really works. The Systema guys were all really humble and great to train with but hard as nails. I’ve never left a seminar with so many bruises and so sore but it was a great and authentic experience.
I don't prectice systema but once during sparring I took punch while completly relaxed and swang back to my partener without using my strength: just using the elastic force of my body, I allmost broke his nose, I didn't even realize what I did untill he started bleeding
It seems like psychological, and physiological conditioning more than a martial art per se. Training the Parasympathetic Nervous System not to override the Sympathetic and Central NS's, and subsequent state of thoughts and emotions-composure. There are 5 states you can be in in any moment in relation to anything. Comfortable- Shock-Stimulation: Pain/Pleasure-Adaption-Familiarization. They are emulating that. It's how you level up at anything. Pressure testing is cool. Using stress to induce a response somewhere on the distress bandwidth to train for real world applications.
I have had some exposure to Systema training. I've trained in a fair number of arts over the last 30 years and have been in law enforcement for 10 yrs. For me, the most useful thing I took from it, and added to my to my training, are some of the "stress inoculation" exercises that help train or desensitize the SNS systems from flipping out and over activating when under duress.
Actually, some of the great teachers will tell you that we shouldn't view it as a martial art. It is a means of knowing yourself and your capabilities by finding the calm within despite any situation. Its principles are structure, motion, breathing, relaxation. There are no techniques, we just try to focus on those aspects of everything we do. I'm a girl who was literally once being carried away by 4 guys and told myself, "relax, breathe, move, move, move," and could feel their shock as I regained my structure, slipped through their jerky movements, and escaped. I feel like it evolved me!
@@ksodplsfiel1405 I did Muay Thai before, and my teacher made fun of me: he called me Robocop because my shoulders were always so tense :-D haha! After doing Systema for years, now I am doing Muay Thai again, and I know how to relax my shoulders and punch and kick 300% more powerfully. Systema teaches you how to do every other martial art, sport, and even physical action with more efficiency and relaxation, so you can fight for 2 hours instead of just 2 minutes.
I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to take a few systema classes while on travel. It was definitely completely different than any martial arts class I'd previously attended. The way of teaching, the movements, everything about it was different. At the end of the class as each person gave a reflection on the training of the night I noted that I'd been hit harder and more than any class I'd ever been to, yet I left completely energized. I really wish I had more opportunities to attend these classes, not because I believe it's somehow a superior martial art but because of the people I met and the way I felt after the classes. It seems like you had a similar experience.
The punching each other also serves to build up trust and camaraderie with your fellow students which I think is important for being able to train all out with each other. I come away from every session with at least one fresh bruise or scrape and I honestly feel GREAT after a "rough" session. My wife can judge how much fun I had by how many bruises are on my chest that night. :D
I did Systema for a long time. It still plays into how I see movement and my body. I did always feel tho that I’d be more comfortable being jumped in an alley than climbing into an MMA ring. That teacher you talked to gave some excellent insight as to why. Props for trying it. Video clips always look odd and I couldn’t ever find a good one to use to explain to people.
Yeah as someone who doesn't do any self defense stuff just watching this it looks like a nightmare of a surprise for people to ambush / overpower you. They can basically just run off if they try to fight someone who knows their body so well he/she can always regain control. And it really looks like that. Due the better body/posture/situation understanding there - at least while watching - always seems a way to turn things in your favour. A good defense might just be better than any normal offense with this.
Partially that is because the camera is there to show things, not conceal or misdirect (most of the time), so you do not see what the opponent sees, and certainly do not have the same experience that they do.
As a Systema instructor I really appreciate you going to one of the schools with a skeptical yet open mind. Glenn is a great instructor and I am happy to see you had such a good time. And walked away with a new appreciation of Systema. Next stop, Toronto to train with Vladimir Vasiliev.
@@homelessman3483 the whole message of the video was having an open mind about something you initially had reservations about. You managed to learn nothing. Congrats.
So what I'm seeing is that systema is basically a martial art that is hyper focused on training your body as a whole to fight and find your limits, which also complements any other fighting skills that you have.
This might be the best the most accurate description of systema. People don't know that, but systema is actually a combatives system that was developed for military intelligence use. Systema was built from the foundations of Krav Maga which is how to neutralize a threat as quickly as possible. The difference is Krav Maga is mostly simplistic basic human anatomical movements and that's the reason why it is so effective, however systema is focused on maximizing results through various arduous and complex body movements. Systema is the more effective and difficult version of Krav Maga. And like Krav Maga, systema is a combatives system, both were developed to end the fight as soon as possible.
It's great to see a "new and different" martial art that is not some total system of BS! Thanks, Seth, for diving in and getting a proper perspective!!!!
this is the first systema video where i'm seeing stuff i remember from training. i can't recommend practicing systema breathing and the pain management parts enough. and the anything goes sparring with light contact really keeps people honest. i only stuck with it for less than a year but it had a huge impact on how i think about fighting.
I've been training in systema for 5 yrs now having come from a mma, muay thai, bjj, boxing and greco background. It's tough to tell you what it is but my best way to describe it is this : It's a health system blended with a martial art. It's like nothing I have ever come across and has helped fix up my body from old sporting injuries. This instructor is very very good too. Great upload as well !
Systema appears to have borrowed a lot of the concepts found in Internal based Chinese combat arts, (like Tai Chi)... such as Iron Body conditioning, specialized breathing, relaxed movements, flowing with and using the OPs own energy against them. There is a lot of other developments, such as developing super-strong tendons (by long slow forms, where your limbs are extended.. so the joints are constantly strained.. for a minimum of 1hr sessions). Various Chinese arts have entire sections, dealing with healing of the body. From: Bone-setting, to "Dit Da Jow" herbal lineament (removes any swelling in less than 5min), special forms that cause the very bone marrow to replace itself "Renewed", special breathing methods to increase circulation volume and channels + increase lung capacity and cellular O2 capabilities.. (as well as merely to increase striking power output). They also practice Chi Na (Chinese standing grappling).. doing things like a grab that separates the muscles, causing extreme pain. Hitting specific points, that cause specific issues within the OPs body... and methods to attempt to reverse these effects (Dim Mak). And a lot more. Sadly... due to Ignorance, poor translations, fraudulent teachers, and the simple modern era where many of these things are simply passed by... these Ancient discovered and perfected technologies.. are being Lost.
@@batmanonholiday4477 "Seek and Yee Shall Find" For me, I started out seeking higher enlightenment. This lead me to a newage bookstore, where I picked up a "Guided Meditation" cassette, a book on Yogic Breathing exercises, a book on Meditation, and a book about the subconscious mind + spirituality "Three Magic Words" (By US Andersen). I started with the tape, which got me used to the meditation process. Not long after, I was doing my own Self-Meditation sessions. 1hr every night after work (often two sessions. 1hr right when I got home, and 1hr before going to sleep). I was also practicing the Yogic breathing methods, at various times throughout a day. Eventually, I attained the "Quiet Mind" state. This takes about 100 consecutive days, of 1hr, silent (count each breath in seconds, silently to yourself), self-meditation sessions. The brain changes permanently. You then can focus on things much easier, as there is no longer any odd distractions within your mind. This is key to increasing your happiness greatly... as well as key to being a High level combat artist. The yogic breathing exercises VASTLY increased my lung capacity, and internal muscular control of my breathing. This would later be used to great advantage, in my martial arts training and martial combat capabilities. That was from ages 16 to 19. At age 20, I started taking up Wing Chun Kung Fu. I was taking all four classes per week (on days when I could, Id take both the day and night classes). Each class was 2hrs long. One of those hrs was a full Hardcore "CORE" workout. I was also training outside of class, doing everything I could to fully master what I was learning, in the least amount of time possible... by pushing myself to my full capability, and doing these things all throughout the day and night, no matter where I was... every few minutes. Multi-Thousands of reps every day. I also did solid Block-Training, at home. Id say that each day I put in a MINIMUM of 4hrs every single day, for a solid 5 yrs time, before I started to ease up on my training. (I was often training FAR more than a mere 4 hrs) About a year in, I started sparring against other local martial artists, from various arts. Typically, every weekend. In addition, I was training some things outside of Wing Chun. For one, I was often cross training with these other artists, and learning their methods... while teaching them some things, as well. That said, a lot of it was me teaching myself... as to be honest, most of their methods were fairly easy to figure out. I also started trying to replicate things Id seen in videos, such as in Tai Chi push hands drills, Shaolin head flips, Wushu Butterfly kicks, Shaolin Hard-Falls, Nunchaku's, The 9 Section steel whip chain, and the basics of the Rope Dart. I also was doing full "Iron Body" conditioning training... so that, if I ever did eat a hit... that Id be able to take it, without crumbling into the fetal position. Eventually, I got to the point where is was rare that any of the local sport artists could even get a single hit on me, in full contact sparring sessions. At that point, I had reached Master-Class level, in my techs / output. That said, as strong and powerful as I had became... I had heard about stories of "Inch Power"... and so I then began to figure out how to develop it. There were some hints in some of Bruce Lees older books. And of course, Wing Chun teaches some of the main principles of it... but doesnt describe the full process. I would copy some of Lees methods.. but ultimately, would create my own methods and my own special equipment. Id spend 1hr every night, training nonstop on this device.. for about 3 months... until I had reached Lethal level of output, at only a mere Inch worth of Runway. From that point, I was far beyond capable of protecting myself Reliably... and I started to branch out into other hobbies. But I still would keep reading and researching things from other more obscure and deep "Internal" arts... such as from Tai Chi, QiGong, and much more. I then started to see the connections between Wing Chun, and Tai Chi... for example. The similarities in training methods, and the similar principles of operation. I also noticed the connection of proper Breathing in these arts, and how they mirrored many things from the Indian Yogic breathing methods + mediation sessions. This caused me to realize that many things I was doing in Wing Chun, were being done incorrectly. While I could get them to work, regardless... when I started applying Internal methods to my Wing Chun (as was designed and intended)... my capabilities went to a whole other level. Especially in regards to short range power. For example.. I light forearm deflection that I did.. nearly shattered an MMA fighters wristbone. The more I learned about each of these arts in depth... to more I could understand what they were trying to say and do... and how I could draw lines between ALL of these various arts... no matter what Style/Art that I was observing / Studying. I was able to fill in missing blanks, as well as find corruptions to these arts... and repair them. So, you can see, that such Knowledge does not come from any one single source... and that All of it is Hard-Fought, through constant Will, and Extreme Efforts. This includes actual classes (Ive had three different WC teachers), Seminars and Demos, Books, Videos, Articles , Word of Mouth (exchanges of knowledge from others), sparring, and teaching private students. I also forgot to mention, that I learned a lot about Chinese medicines and healing practices... by having to repair many of my own injuries. This started at Dit Da Jow (Chinese herbal Iron-Fist Lineament)... but also extended into more advanced things. Such as seeing an Old Chinese Bone-Setter in a video... and realizing a lot of it was similar to Chiropractor practices. Having had an Acupuncture session that popped my cranked neck back into place. And much more.
@@johndough8115 Interesting comment. A close friend of mine trains in Tai Chi and he tells me that a lot of the higher aspects of Tai Chi are closed off to him due to cultural differences. A lot of what you have mentioned above are effectively closed off to him and hidden behind a ‘cultural pay wall’ if you like simply because he isn’t Chinese…the stories that he’s told me border on ridiculous. I showed him what I have been learning and from what I can fathom Systema lets you get to these higher levels in a logical and more accelerated manner if you like because nothing is actually hidden from you even from when you commence your very first Systema class. i.e. There are no secret techniques or advanced classes. Everything is open to you from the moment you commence. The only thing holding you back is your own level of maturity in Systema itself. On another note, I will never tolerate “advanced classes”, “secret techniques” or expensive gradings etc ever again. Systema isn’t perfect by any means but it does your body and health a fantastic world of good and that’s what I’m after.
There have been so many videos of people judging Systema based on videos they've watched, so I'm glad you actually went to experience a class with someone like Glenn, who clearly knows his stuff! I have been training in Systema for years and can tell you it's extremely applicable throughout life. I have used it both to protect myself in physical altercations and even to save myself while I was falling down stairs with both hands filled with stuff I was carrying. It kind of creates within you a calm within any storm in which you can find the time to choose the best reaction to your situation. Thank you for this awesome representation of an art that has become a very valuable part of my life.
@@ChristopherKilian-fg6ds I first started with Jeff Sodeman (who now sometimes teaches at the place visited in this video). I have also had the honor of learning from so many including Vlad, Michael, Konstantin, Menamy in LA, Ryan in Chicago, and Nelson in Brazil. I have been working on a video that I will be sharing soon about how Systema saved me from a recent attack. It got me out of a chokehold and rape attempt, so I am more grateful for it than ever!! In that video, I plan on properly respecting all the teachers I've had :-) I hope you have as great teachers and experiences as I was lucky to have in learning it! Sorry I didn't answer sooner!
I practiced Systema for a while. A state police officer was our instructor. He was brother to a friend of mine. We trained at a local park in Taos. We used the playground equipment to train on. Then later on in the year we did a couple of weekend-long workshop sessions in Albuquerque with a US ranger. Needless to say I got my ass whooped countless times. I learned a lot about myself. I am very glad you took the leap and gave Systema a fair shot. Thank you for an awesome video!! I hope to see more content like this in the future!
When I shook Mikhail Ryabko's hand I noticed his arms were completely covered with scars from working with live blades apparently. It looks weird, but it has something to offer for sure. Worked with Ryabko, Vasiliev both are really nice guys. I think my favorite systema instructor to work with is Martin Wheeler, he really understands the practice and application.
Thank you Sensei Seth for taking the time to try Systema to form your own opinion of it; and for sharing your experience with everyone. Glad to see you enjoyed it. Greetings from Brisbane, Australia.
This can often happen when you actually try something instead of wondering if it would "work on the street," "in mma," "at full speed," "against resistance," "against a wrestler," "against boxing" etc etc. Physical and emotional skills improve all situations once they are acquired and understood sufficiently. And systema is fun, too. But you do get bruises.
Wow! I am so glad did this, Seth! I know Glen. I have trained with him a few times. He is great and grounded. As a note, that was a Systema Lite class. Glen can do older style. It's just not necessary for most people in a civilian setting. Older stuff was a bit like going through a controlled, educated bar brawl that had a teaching point. Glen is really good. I am glad you found value. Systema is supposed to be an individual expression. Glen does it differently than I do. Which is different than Lloyd or Michael or Vladimir, etc. I love that you gave it a try! I hope to train with you sometime!
Wow fantastic video! Glenn is a great Systema instructor, representing Vladimir Vasiliev's work very well. Humble, relaxed and strong! I love how he mentioned the importance of knowing why you are training. The reality is that although people like to wonder if it work against a UFC fighter, the fact of the matter is that is not really relevant. Championship sports fighters are among the best in the world at what they do, and the chances of fighting one on the street are very low. Part of Systema is recognizing when there is a danger like that anyways, and escaping calmly. What is relevant to most people's lives is their health; joint health; stress levels; ability to stay calm in emergencies; ability to relate well to fellow humans and of course having the ability to defend oneself should a situation occur. Systema in of itself is only actually about 15 percent martial arts. The rest is health, psychological development, happiness and relaxation. Cheers!
This is blowing my mind, I was watching this thinking, that guy looks familiar.... I used to train with Glenn in Aikido like 25 years ago on the other side of the world from where this was shot. Totally didn't expect to see him on this channel. He's a great guy btw, really sensible and down to earth.
I really like what he said at the end. Whatever you train, if you want it to be effective, just train it accordingly--with as much pressure to a real fight as possible.
Much respect to you for actually GOING to a class and reporting it honestly. Now stay strong if/when Systema-haters try to convince you that you were delusional
Yes, because it's definitely the Systema "hater's" who are trying to convince people into delusions. Most people are critical of Systema for very good reasons, and there isn't any real evidence out there to dissaude that critique. If there were, you wouldn't have to worry about such a thing. I mean I've never seen someone try to convince a person that they are delusional for thinking Boxing can be effective.
@@AveSicarius i have, and they have good arguments against boxing as well, mainly that without takedowns, groundwork, and kicks, your gonna be trash in any real fight (and they are correct to an extent, i stomp great boxers easily. Dudes cant even take a leg kick 😅) but again this is out of context. People critize systema because they dont understand it, and they dont understand what its for. Seems like your among them
@@angelocarantino4803 I mean what exactly is it then? Also an argument against a flaw of Boxing as a result of restrictive rules is absolutely not equivalent to an argument that no Boxer can fight whatsoever. Boxing is limited in scope, but it teaches you how to punch really well, and is an integral part of the current MMA meta. A Muay Thai fighter will likely easily beat a boxer in a Muay Thai bout, but Muay Thai fighters are by and large also nowhere near as good with their hands. Boxing is worth learning, it provides an essential skill that can be found elsewhere, but Boxing is generally the most accessible form of this. What does Systema offer? Because I've never seen any Systema instructor in any footage ever coaching people in the way a Boxing instructor will. The latter is limited to punching technique, but they will teach you how to hit and not get hit in a way that is very effective even for basic self-defence. Where is Systema on the MMA scene? Why haven't we seen any Systema practioners demonstrate how effective it is? Because we've seen so many martial arts do so, from Sanda to Capoeira, so I ask again. Where is Systema? This is the same argument people make for Wing Chun, the whole "I beat Boxer's easily, you just don't understand the style" is something I've heard before from people claiming their style is somehow more effective. Is Systema equivalent to Wing Chun in effectiveness? If criticizing a style for claiming to be effective despite having no evidence whatsoever to support this, then sure I'm a "hater". But I prefer to rely on credible evidence, not anecdotal statements that have little to no actually proof to back them up. We've seen Shotokan Karate and Taekwondo be successfully adapted for MMA, if Systema was at all practical, or even just based in reality, someone would be using it.
@@AveSicarius The reason everyone agrees boxing can be effective is because it is a competitive martial art and so it proves itself within its domain. Systema is not only a much more recent addition to Western martial arts, it also is not competitive so cannot be measured as a "full" system in the same way. Yes some elements can and have been borrowed by fighters from other styles, but it is very hard to "prove" what comes from where etc. My point was that you have to try it yourself to see if it has any value for YOU.
@@AveSicarius You are confusing "effectiveness" in a highly controlled environment of the MMA ring/cage with and effectiveness for a particular purpose for which Systema was apparently designed: no rules self defense. It is so commonplace, but absolutely wrong, for people to think of UFC or something similar as a benchmark for an art's effectiveness, without ever having defined that word in a first place.
Seth, I just wanted to say that I was truly impresses by how you will knowingly contradict yourself without self editing. The humility and wisdom of being able to speak truthfully about how you felt at the end of the video was really great! Keep up the great work, and thank you for putting some of those "silly, weird" looking movements into context!
Honestly this is a great video on the art, aspects I've never seen before are demonstrated. One thing to remember is that the exotic martial arts tend to attract alot of charlatans and often its the fakes that attract the attention. This seems like a pretty legit gym and method of training
Came across your channel by pure chance Sensei Seth. Hadn't heard of Systema before, but the title and the video clip drew me in. I had expected this to be a hatchet job, well deserved or not, but it was so much more than that. The mutual acceptance and support, the genuine bond of brotherhood, how each of you brings out the best in the others, encouraging one another to excel was a joy to watch. Thank you for uploading this video, it has brought light into what has otherwise been a very dark 24 hours.
It's interesting when he talks about body alignment. The first thing that came to my head was archery and weapon fighting (HAMA, HEMA, CMA, etc) when you need that full extension and right bone alignment to keep a sturdy and compose posture. Different cultures, but we all share the same body mechanic, eh.
One of my Sifus trains in Systema. While I don't train Systema, my Sifu that does is one of the most scary, powerful people I've ever trained with. This video seems to capture pretty well what I've seen. I've developed quite a sizable respect for Systema.
Very nice video! I've trained martial arts for most of my life, Krav Maga for over 10 years and was an instructor and served in IDF SF, and after got introduced to Jiujitsu for ground work, but when I discovered Systema about 10 years ago, and started training, I've discovered its more effective then any of these. In matter of fact when I started to practice Systema nothing I tried worked against the veteran Systema practitioners, which made me even more enthusiastic to delve deeper into it. Every instructor is different, each have their own version of it. From what I experienced - in essence Systema is all about freedom, of your body, and especially of your mind. our instinct is to tense up and block ourselves, both internally and externally. A huge part of what we do while training Systema (apart from learning techniques), is to slowly get rid of these instincts and adopt a "softer" approach. I use the quotes as its more like water, moving the energy around without blocking it with any tension. Sometimes it seems illogical, and there are things I cannot explain, but I cannot argue with results. Its more effective then anything else I've seen. What you've said at the end of the video might be the most important thing - that its the best group of people - positive atmosphere, and I'll add everyone have an actual will to help each other become better and healthier then the previous day. As there is no way to practice Systema with ego. Great video, Thanks!
I find those mobility exercisers at the start super cool. Im a 28 years old with not that much fat or muscle and I have early genetic skoliosis back problems ( Bechterew's disease to be specific.) I am trying yoga a lot, but that didn't help me much so far, but those Systema prep stuff looks actually like something that would work for me.
Totally agree and I appreciate very much you took the time to check it out for yourself and to show this perspective. There are two kind of people, those that sit on the sofa munching popcorn and commenting, "the keyboard warriors", and those who actually go out and try things for real, my suggestion to everyone interested in Systema RMA is to do what you and I did, go out in the real world and seek an official qualified Systema instructor and train with them directly or even better, participate in one of the seminars Vladimir Vasiliev holds around the world regularly.
I have been practicing martial arts rigorously for the past 22 years of my life, and this was an extremely eye opening and enlightening perspective of systema. I am really glad you made this video. Congratulations, friend. You earned a new subscriber with your honesty and no holds barred approach.
Cheers friend, I respect your take and the way you presented it. You've got a great disposition and it speaks to the humble, quiet kindness that sits behind the discipline found in martial arts. Have a good life!
I have been training / teaching systema for 13 years now, I find that systema gave me a framework and deep understanding of movement and combatives that immeasurably enhances my training and background that I have in karate, boxing, jiu-jitsu, ninjutsu, and aikido. For all of you who judge systema by sitting on a chair and watching videos, I suggest you sign up to a month of classes to a respected systema school. You will not regret it.
I had three classes across two different clubs back in 2008 in London, and I feel many similarities of experience to what you show here. Kind, relaxed atmosphere. Some tough exercises and straight to the point stuff (e.g. knife work, stepping on each other, light punches to the solar plexus, grappling, the list goes on...), building both technique and general body awareness. One thing I especially took with me from there was an emphasis on making sure to breathe freely/consciously in a tense situation. We tend to lock up. I feel as if there was a general idea of exploring the body's capabilities more than drilling very specific strikes or scenarios.
That video took a nice turn! Have been trying to decifer some of the wavey punching stuff. Seeing the application in the grappling session really brought it together. More information in your clip than in many, many of the McDojo stuff of Systema on YT.
That weird body rolling shit and standing on legs and stomachs reminds me of when I played football. We would start the season with no pads and no contact - just drills, calisthenics, stretching, and running through plays at half-speed. We'd do that for 2 weeks before throwing the pads on and continuing through another week of what we're doing before with light contact. Add in a lot more running, up-downs, and all that endurance BS. Then we were ready for full contact. The 3 weeks of practice before going full contact got our bodies ready for the beat down. You just can't start a season going full out with contact - you're just increasing the likelihood of injury. Three weeks of warmups and pain made it a bit easier to play through being hurt.
Ok, that was something! I was really sceptical of SYSTEMA because Im from Russia and I have never heard of it inside Russia. But from this video I see the roots of it. The wavy punches is probably from soviet school of boxing wich put a lot of emphasis on technic, punching with your whole body and most importantly hips while relaxing your shoulders, so you can basically throw your arm at the opponent. Every rus boxing coach will focus on that more than anything. And the beeng relaxed is tied to the technic too, because if your body is not relaxed, your technic will suffer greatly and you will not find that one opening that will send your opponent to the floor.
When my xing yi teacher touched the topic of relaxing the arm and how the fist would land harder that way, he said in Chinese it was referred to as having a rock on the end of a string.
Seth, brother, this is an absolutely enlightening look into how Systema works as a martial art. It's actually quite great not only for self-defence in dire situations. Sadly, based on the Instagram answers, I am really astonished to know just how underestimated Systema is.
I took my first systema class back in about 2014. I was shocked by how different it was from any other martial art I've ever taken. There's definitely some stuff that looks weird, and there's definitely some aspects that I might consider bullshido, but as a whole it was very impressive. I've now been studying it on and off for about 10 years with a few different instructors, and it has definitely made me more appreciative of other styles of fighting. The punches may look lazy, but they hit like a sledgehammer.
Looks like it would be an amazing supplemental martial art, taking the lessons of Systema and applying them to more typical martial arts allowing you to take blows better and power up your punches not to mention the extra mobility
Having done Systema for 3 years in my teens, I can say: Not everything is 1:1 applicable to a fight, to me it's rather a supplemental martial art than something to do for effectiveness, but: Systema improved every aspect of my motion, striking and grappling. It gave me an understanding of how to manipulate an opponents body to bring him out of balance without using any specific technique that I learned. The striking work was also immensely valuable to making my punches later when I did muay thai way harder. Systema is weird, but it has its merits.
Great comment? Could you tell me a bit more? Im trying to mix up my own bunch of techniques and systema seems like a good place to source basic principles. Any tips or insights would be great 0w0
As a guy who has done martial arts about half my life and dove deep and competed in Muay Thai… this knowledge is invaluable. One can get beat up a bunch and spend many years learning these ideas themselves (a must for high-level martial arts) or they can check out systema and learn it much faster.
@@peterwang5660 I mean, who decided the entirety of Japanese martial arts should just be small supplemental styles like a mix and match? And what incomplete style sells itself as such?
What's so great about your videos, is that you are exposing ever so slightly that most martial arts have a place in the world of mental and physical discipline / preparation. Not to be confused with the sale of fantasies some schools/teachers use to find victims. But it is important we recognize we cannot fully appreciate what we don't yet know.
glad someone was able to show you what this is really about..and that you wer ebold and brave enought o go into it yourslef. You Rock..and so does the Instructor
what i like about systema is that its practical and functional, its not focused on fancy move combos, its about what works best, and training your body to be responsive to the functionality
Thank you so much for making this video. I have trained and taught Systema in Toronto, Canada for years and it was so refreshing and enlightening to see someone with different martial arts experience make an honest attempt to investigate it before having an opinion. 🙏
Ah yes, funny how things are different in context and actual experience. Of course Systema may often have the issue shared with other martial arts where you might skip the pressure testing or other aspects that are necessary for learning to really apply it in varying situations. A lot is the training is drills that teach the body to function while challenged in various ways. And it's so much fun! I don't mind people making fun of Systema or any other style but it's a breath of fresh air to actually see it properly practised even if just scratching the surface.
Hey man just wanted to say you encouraged me to add Muay Thai to my Karate training. I've been pretty focused on competitions and I think it'll give me a leg up. These sport Karate guys can do some pretty weird stuff, but I think having the extra sparring with kickboxers will give me an edge.
My respect as a martial artist. The systems instructor said it perfectly. It depends on what you want to use it for and how you train for it 🔥. Same applies for all other forms of Fighting. I currently do grappling and we train with knives similar to what they are doing. We also like to roll with one hand tied or not using your hands etc. It makes it more fun and also changes you perspective of what the goal is at that moment.
Seeing your reaction to systema is pretty great. It's great for mobility and takedowns. Very physics based. You had a good instructor, instructor quality can be variable.
Just like the Capoeira video you did, this one left me with the impression that I could really benefit from some complementary training in this martial art to work on some of my weaknesses when practicing martial arts. After watching this video, I don't think I would switch to sistema (or capoeira), but still both focus on aspects that I should really work on. I really enjoyed this video.
Huh, seemed fun. Great video. What I’m really impressed with is that there are SO MANY different martial arts schools in your area. I thought Oahu has a lot.
Thank-you for your honest evaluation of your experience! It is very refreshing. I second the request that you consider more in-depth series of videos, as I would really appreciate the opportunity to learn more from some of your insights that there may not have been time for in a single video.
I did it for a year. It was fun. The punches start from the hip and whiplash at the fist. If you get the technique right it’s powerful. We used to just stand punching each other in the chest with increasing weight and power. The origin is special forces training and the idea is to be able to fight while exhausted and a lot of the techniques presume that you are sneaking up on someone. Those goofy mobility techniques are to enable movement in spaces or to get out of being restrained. I have done mma, wrestling and kickboxing and the techniques don’t really stand up in that kind of fight against someone who’s ready for youbut would be useful for a bouncer or someone trying to get out of being restrained by a bouncer OR if for some reason you want to catch people by surprise and really hurt them efficiently.
What you say at the end is interesting. The result of "what you see" is not really a school. What changes people is what is inside the dojo, the method of training, the teaching perspective. Those excercices of Systema are fine, it reminds me Contact Improvisation. Not every school or martial art tries to achieve awareness of your whole body.
I learned a lot of really cool and useful things doing systema. most people overlook the body mechanics. It may not be ideal for MMA, but in self defense the principles are all there. the art focuses on comfort in combat and natural body movements.
Seems incomplete, yet useful - I thought at the start of the vid. The instructor contextualized it a lot. Quite a mobility, stamina, flexibility, optimized use of strength, adaptability, calm mindset and multi-purpose exercise it looks. The funny music you put at the background made it pretty fun to watch, also. Thanks for sharing, pretty interesting, I agree
I remember reading about Systema a few years back. It's based on Russian Special Forces using their whole body as a weapon. There's not really techniques but more of training to prepare your body. I think it has some practical use but it would take a long time to master.
Yess!!! I'm a huge fan of you, wonderboy and Icy mike and I've been practicing systema for 15 years or so and I'm super happy you're getting to experience it!! If you're ever in Austin look up Gene Smithson and come on Saturday. It's kind of a special class even for systema! This is a great class you went to though.
The class was cool to see and the lessons looked super fun and awesome, but your mindset and outlook on the task at hand really shaped this video for me, truly inspiring. Now go systema punch some water bottles.
Not quite. Having done both, Systema does use similar ideas of body alignment in relation to partner. Systema uses much more obvious physical movements to achieve this. Taijiquan, at least the Southern Wu style which is my main style of taijiquan, uses minimal movements, “internalizing “ the body alignments with extremely subtle techniques.
I know this video is old but for what its worth.. while it isn’t the same thing as systema and I believe the combat strategy to be different. In my experience, systema shares some common attributes to traditional taiji. As some other comments have pointed out, systema is a way of changing the way your body functions to create more connected power and integrated movement that can be applied to any art/system to improve a skill set. I’ve certainly found this to be the case with taiji, while I personally believe taiji is a complete system in an of itself, training traditional taiji methods correctly can transform the way you move, produce power and understand force and balance. All things that are valuable to any striking or wrestling art. Just my 2cents
Relaxation between strikes is something I am tweaking with muay Thai at the moment. A state of preparedness, but not tension. Maybe I should go to a class sometime. I've had most of these thoughts, but not in an organised fashion. It's definitely better to blend the strengths of martial arts together rather than compare and contrast them all the time.
I did it for a couple of years when I was younger (karate and ju jitsu background) and really enjoyed it. Relaxing and controlling your breathing, even when you’re in pain is central. The striking is good too. I’d recommend it.
I took Systema for 2 years. I was attracted to it because it was quite different from other martial arts. Everything done in this video, I did in class at one time or another. It can be quite fun at times. I moved onto BJJ after a couple years because I'm more into grappling type activities, so BJJ was definitely more my style. But I recommend anyone try it for a week or two.
As with MOST martial arts...they are plagued by the jealous kids/adults online looking for fault without any experience at all-starting a myriad number of social media haters. I've dabbled in Systema while practicing Kajukenbo and in my experience..there was alot of Sambo mixed with a form of "Krav". Good stuff never the less. Thank you.
Thanks for this video. Been practising systema since 2006, been several times to Moscow training with Mikhail Ryabko and what i can say is that most common misconceptions are deeply tied to western ideology and approach to how human works. I would not do anything else than systema in my life. For sure. And so many time i see peoples in rejection just because they are failing are very basic exercices (not even in context of training with opponent) just like body movement in challenging situation. Systema teachs you that your worst enemy is yourself.
I don't know about the entirety of systema, but the guy that was instructing you was super honest and non-egotistical, which is very respectable
this
Of course you have to come across like a really nice guy to sell bullcrap.
@@johnsun11 which part is bullcrap?
@@CuttingEdgeSystema For example the systma punches being extra devastating, if that was true boxers and MMA fighters would be using those techniques already.
Same goes for many other techniques. Sure if you are already a master in some other combat sports you can try to use the techniques in a light sparring for fun. But nothing of it has really been tested in a serious competition. And it is not like those techniques are so deadly or illegal, so that excuse does not work.
I'm going to save you the trouble and tell you right now, never go to NC systema. Go straight to the HQ instead. I know this person, trained with them, they lived in my neighborhood. He is not the person he sells himself to be. I have had to file multiple complaints to the better business bureau and other organizations, and have had to deal with injuries, defamation, him searching my room and belongings. He doesn't care about students, he cares about the money.
"Beware of the floor, it's deceptively flat and unimpeded."
I came for silver and found gold.
I trained Systema for around 5 years before starting training Jiu Jitsu, and it is sooo damn frustrating trying to find GOOD videos of Systema to show MMA and BJJ friends. This is one of the best Systema videos I’ve seen on UA-cam. Good job sensei Seth!
Here is some good videos + channels for learning the context instead of just showing demonstrations without it:
ua-cam.com/video/FaMtEuU3pEk/v-deo.html
ua-cam.com/video/BwvKe_V-Eyo/v-deo.html
For the Critics in more context...
The invisible series:
ua-cam.com/video/BwvKe_V-Eyo/v-deo.html
And why it's not BS:
Systema Uppsala:
ua-cam.com/video/vl6F5TpR2Zo/v-deo.html&t
Why dont you organise a good sistema video: the one where best sistema masters fight against masters of other styles? I've seen pretty much every x vs y video on the internet but not yet systema vs xyz.
@@rauljaanson2423 The way my instructor described Systema to me, was that it’s not a martial art but a way of training and applying martial arts. He went on to describe it as an operating system in a computer: if your mind/body/spirit is the computer, all the programs and files are the martial arts forms and techniques, but what if your computer gets a virus (fear, stress, anxiety, adrenaline)? All of those programs and files are useless if your computer gets a virus and shuts down, but if you have a good operating system and virus protection (stress/fear/adrenaline management through breathing and relaxation) then you’ll be able to use and apply those programs and files effectively when you need them. So I look at Systema more as a way to augment my other martial arts than as a competing fighting system, if that makes sense.
You WASTED 5 YEARS!
@Ranton please...
I think it kind of changed my mind about Systema also! We also quite often get our information from people who are trying to poke fun and "expose as fake" the practitioners. So, we don't always see the art displayed by it's most capable exponents (and this can apply to all arts).
If you dig a bit you will find loads of content that breaks down systema drills and training methodology. Next step is going to a class or seminar!
Yeah. People are posting clips of simple movement drills and calling them bs because they don't look like effective fighting.... obviously anything can be taken out of context
Isn't it easy to make fun of a system that is mostly promoted by obese Russians in camo pants?
@@MetalheadAndNerdRIP Mikhail Ryabko 1961-2023. Yeah army professionals sometimes wear weird shit
Go laugh at Vladimir Vasiliev and Val Riazanov next
@@MetalheadAndNerd speaking of obese Russians with telegraphed punches, Fedor Emelianenko comes to mind and hist ground and pound of Nogueira. The way he snaps those overheads like a whip definitely reminds me of these guys' flowy style of punching.
I did Systema for 1 year twice a week. Before Systema I had boxed for 4 years and fought Muay Thai for 2 years.
The way I felt about it all is that boxing and Muay Thai are like programs and Systema is like an operating system, if that makes any sense. Systema is more of a mental and physical wellness system which uses many combat techniques and combat related contexts to improve your overall wellness. Boxing and what not are straight up martial arts, not too concerned with the subject's overall wellness and more about straight combat.
The biggest thing I noticed is that I could handle stress way better, not just in combat but in life in general. I also noticed that my performance in the gym improved dramatically. Lastly my boxing and kickboxing also improved dramatically when I applied Systema breathing and mobility techniques to what I already knew in those other martial arts. It was definately helpful and I hope to get back to Systema one day when I have more time
Huh, that's actually really interesting.
That’s a great analogy. Almost like a meta-martial art
I am a BJJ purple belt now. I did system for a year before I got into BJJ, striking, and MMA. I have some reservations about Systema, but I believe there are some great things to gain from it and that it actually accelerated my learning in BJJ. Systema taught me how to stay relaxed, how to breathe through pressure, and how to move freely around tension.
I actually can give a similar testimonial about bujinkan. I started bjj and went into bujinkan and dabbled with both
@@shadowzskillmonger5904 its actually cool to see other people who do bujinkan on the internet, ive always had an interest in it as my dads a 10th degree black belt, but my love for mma took over and i started bjj because of that.
@@MrNll004 who asked
Sounds very similar to tai chi
I started with Krav Maga, then Bujinkan and then Systema. I did some Muay Thai just before Covid. I'm comfortable in saying that I'd probably still not win any fight even with an amateur fighter. There is nothing wrong with that as I barely did 2 to 3 classes a week. A professional fighter probably trains everyday and knows the rules of the game.
But I'm definitely more aware of my surroundings. I don't think any of it has been a waste of time. Every single one of them has taught me something useful. I honestly feel that Ninjitsu probably has the most comprehensive training of all the martial arts I've ever tried. But, one must understand that it's important to find a good teacher. Also it's important to learn how to strike and take strikes.
The grounded knife fighting was actually really interesting and isn’t something I’ve ever thought about before. That part of it seemed really grounded in reality and applicable. The rest of it doesn’t seem that interesting to me but I’d definitely be interested in training that
It was indeed intriguing. It actually reminded me of how Icy Mike put it: if you want to fight with a knife you gotta know how to wrestle. So there's that.
It makes a lot of sense, though I also had never considered it. Stand up against a knife - terrible idea. If someone pulls it on you una grappling situation, you can’t just run.
been wanting to train this for awhile now.
@@nickcarroll8565 there is a video called Krav Maga is a scam. I made it in my other account and legit same principle. It’s bull shit. It’s just another way to think of things. Fighting is but one thing. A way to impose your will over the other. How you get there matters. And liquid squid moves is not it.
@@KastaRules same, the stuff he was saying at the end sounded like just like Icy Mike
I love how Instead of making fun of a martial art because other people say it's bad or because it looks bad you actually try it and attempt to understand it
A joke is a joke
That is what you meant to do
My karate teacher who also thaught vaviliev systema, said that karate and other arts are like a box of stones. Then the Systema is like the cement to stick them all together in one principle system.
The concept of systema is great for two opposites: 1. helping absolute beginners to survive and minimize the damage in the battle (not fight but battle, because this is the army concept) and 2. helping skilled fighters to integrate and broaden their skill-set and fighting strategies. And if it is not something of these 2, the misinterpretations are fairly expected.
I gotta say. The teacher is what changed my mind about this. The way he presents the art with honesty and integrity makes me wanna try a class.
as someone who did a bit of systema, it realy fun to do and sadly that i know it, it can work in rl situations as intendet. just finding a good teatcher can be dificult becous at least where i come from it is not realy a big thing.
train slow, try fast fight faster live long
He said you're delusional if you think that Systema is going to be useful in a real right unless you train other martial arts. That's really the martial art you are interested in training in?
@@evrythingis1 That's not exactly what he said. He was speaking specifically about one-on-one fighting there.
@@annoyed707 As opposed to what? Do you know what "Martial" means?
Yes. Relating to war. Those tend not to be one-on-one duels. I suggest you educate yourself lest you continue to embarrass yourself.
I've never seen Systema with bad eyes before, I've seen some cool training videos and some pretty weird ones too, but I didn't expect to see ground fighting with knives like that THAT WAS SICK! Great video, I wasn't expecting it being this good!
It was a combatives system for USSR after they already had combat Sambo training. Think of it more like the sauce in lasagna.
Yujiro dog
Yes it was intriguing. It reminded me of what Icy Mike said: if you want to fight with a knife you got to know how to wrestle.
'systema has grappling'
Pro BJJ bias kicks in
@@kevionrogers2605
When was it a combative method for the USSR? It was developed in Soviet Russia, and there were schools there in the 1990s, but this "the Soviet army trained it" statement is completely unsupported by the history surrounding Russian Martial Art's. The Soviets developed Combat Sambo in the 1980s, over a decade before Systema was ever a thing, and it has been the primary form of combat training for all Soviet forces since then.
It's the Systema guys saying that their style was used by the Russian military, but all signs point to the fact that this was not the case, and given that Combat Sambo is still the primary fighting style for the entirety of the Russian Military, I don't see how this could be the case. Soldiers don't have time to train multiple styles of unarmed combat, they barely have time for one, and only ever learn the extreme basics. It's like DK Yoo saying he's trained Korean special forces when he absolutely has not done so, and there is no proof of this. Giving a single seminar where some soldiers attend is also not the same thing as being a military combative method, which things like Krav Maga and Combat Sambo absolutely are.
The history of Systema as a whole is honestly incredibly sparse and largely unreliable, especially when you take into the fact that most of the guys teaching it have a vested interest in selling it to people.
While all the rolling along the body and over the head stuff looks weird to an outside perspective, when you are grappling and rolling shit happens. So having that familiarity with someone rolling over your head and body and having their weight on you makes a lot of sense. When you apply that fluid methodology to using a knife it also makes a lot of sense. Glad to see you went into it with an open mind and came out with a different outlook.
Also, I imagine, gets you comfortable with relaxing entirely during grappling, learning to use one's relaxed weight as part of the attack, which is huge. I got pretty good in judo once I learned to relax and not tense up.
You don't need to do that nonsense to get familiar with elements of grappling. That will happen organically when you grapple for real, in a legitimate school.
Yup, its more in touch with realism.
@@GITMachine i reckon it would help you survive in a panic pile up of people running and falling over each other.
I haven't really done martial arts. However, I've danced quite a bit and it was fun to notice that some of the stuff on this systema class resembled very much (or was directly) something out of a dance class. For example, contact improvisation and other similar dancing techniques where you are exploring the ways of movement of your own body and finding different ways to respond to the movement of others.
Dance is gay
That's because systema isn't a martial art it's a dance. it teaches you to be malleable so that when you get into a fight you stay relaxed the entire way thru which is the way to go. Too much tenseness can affect how fast and powerful you are
@@thelastgeneration1926”it isn’t a martial art it’s a dance” bro do you know how dumb you sound rn?
@@thelastgeneration1926 "Nothing could be further from the truth. Systema isn't a 'dance,' it's a complete martial art. There's no connection to dance here."
@@sandrox4440 ok I don’t disagree either what I really like it a lot
15 years ago I learned this one. For 3 years. What could i say - it is much more painful than even muai thai (from what I learned at all), bruises and blood were common things. Floors with no mats, never using gloves and helmets, sometimes in common clothes and boots. But I didn't care because we learned how the body moves, how it works, how it breaks. We learned how to move in confined space, against several people, against people with different weapons and so on.
Most important thing in my opinion - we learned body mechanics, this is greatly helps to understand yourself, even in common life.
Great thing.
I respect that. I have never trained in Systema (a little too old now for anything new), the nearest I came was Jiu Jutsu and Taijutsu but I fought and trained full contact for many years. I well remember broken noses and broken bones. It's funny to look back on, learning to defend yourself; would I have less injuries if I had never taken part? Besides a broken nose, broken ribs, back pain, dodgy ankle, arthritic hands from pounding the floor and breaking bricks, on balance, was it a good thing? Absolutely! A skinny guy with a big heart found what he loved. Initially I just loved fighting but I came to love the tactical systems and also to realize that the 'style' I was soo very much into, wasn't the entire spectrum of the knowledge I could gain.
There is a big problem for traditional martial arts, in my humble opinion, MMA is changing the context. I will explain; MMA is probably as close as you can come to a legal fight with weight categories, timed rounds, referees, tapping surrender and medical staff on hand. It is the sports venue to try against another guy of equal weight and for sure is successful, you can't argue the outcome, generally there is a clear winner.
All respects to those guys and gals sweating your ass off and rolling on the mats, hoping for a better future, sorry to opine, it's not martial arts, it borrows from martial arts for sure, but make no mistake, you are practicing a sport.
Simple question's, do you have gloves on? Why is that?
A martial art is commonly a training system to impart the ability to kill or maim/render non-combatant the enemy as efficiently as possible. The only rules it has, as a system, is that you do it 'this way' for starters.
For instance, eye pokes, head butts, elbows, blows to the back of the head, biting (underrated) tearing ears off, spitting into the eye (you might just have taken a drink), blows to the neck or throat, 'below the belt' for good reason and I'm not talking about hitting a guy in the balls here, I'm talking absolute damage, then there are the knee-caps and the entire knee, the instep and all those little bones in the foot. I almost forgot, rip the fingers of the hand apart or just bust a clavicle and thrust it into an artery, My point? There is nothing nice about martial arts if you embrace what they actually mean. That said, I've been privileged to train with some of the best and (with one exception) have genuinely liked and respected that man/woman.
There is an honesty about giving all you've got, among warriors, when you're 'all in' there are no rules, but if he's down after a good fight, sorry mate, I'll make it quick or save you if I can (talking about war here).
I'm 50/50 about systema, probably because I don't understand it better but also because I've seen 'A' video of the famous punch and also seen the guy/recipient being 'opened' for the shot first? (I can't begin to say how much I detest martial arts 'fakery', don't get me started!)
I also appreciate that a blow delivered without tension (or in those rare moments when you react without thinking) can be devastating.
It seems to me that Systema has common roots with Tai Chi?
I have never been knocked the eff out by a Tai Chi practitioner but I have met a few that consider it a valid martial art, I don't deny it could be. I don't knock any martial art, I spent 20 years doing 'punchy kicky stuff', fine when you are young but I always thought there is more and I found it in the older traditional arts. Shame I didn't get to try systema with a knowledgeable practitioner but I have to say, a bit like Krav Maga, there is so much hype and pure 'shite' spouted, there are real proper serious people and there are definitely assholes cashing in on the name and they are not doing a good service to the art.
My personal philosophy is that I was granted this knowledge (well, I 'effing dragged it out!) and it should not be forgotten, I am merely a curator, maybe, maybe (ah shucks, I still am lethal but getting old) the knowledge needs to be passed on, biggest 'burn' of my life, I have no Son or Daughter to pass it on to.
Sorry, I did go on a bit there,
Respect and Pax
@@conmcgrath7174 As long as you're not too banged up, don't let your age deter you from training. You'll find that the instructors are quite understanding and deferential.
This ain't the 70s.
@@liecrusher3506 Thanks matey, I pre-date the '70's! and I'm kinda 'banged up' for sure including a life-long injury that I carried through all the years of training.
There are three main problems preventing me from training further, the first is the obvious physical one, second is my age and third is that I live in rural Ireland (now) and have yet to find ANYBODY within reasonable distance that I would even consider worth training with.
I did visit a local 'dojo' a few years ago, I bowed at the door, was ignored, sat down and watched them sparring in a competition.......oh dearie dearie me, just 'effing tragic and the sad thing is they all think they're great, I left after an hour (I kept wishing I would see something decent, but no, I didn't).
Dan Inosanto struck a sparring pad 'very well indeed' (fast, sharp, crisp with no telegraphing) and he was mid to late 70's at the time and it's not that I liken myself to Dan but I have always had quick reactions and can still move fast.......shite, you have really made me think about all the knowledge I could pass on and the most convincing argument for me to push my tired old ass back into 'work' is that I love martial arts, I used to breathe it, eat it and shite it! Much to think on, it will take a year to become usefully fit but even that would be time well spent.
Thank you, you've helped me make up my mind, I can't help being old but I sure as hell can go out disgracefully!
Pax and respect.
@@conmcgrath7174 You might want to consider Tai Chi or Hsingi, from instructors who emphasize fighting as well as health.
@@liecrusher3506 Hsing I is a very interesting ideal (while we're on the subject, Tai Chi has a very interesting palm strike that I always loved, simply because you hide it behind your head until it is delivered? Think of spending decades absolutely not showing the kick or punch coming, than a Tai Chi guy shows a way to 'load up a strike' as you turn, it's being prepared behind your head and as you swing back it's potentially 12 inches from opponents head, full force delivered in 0.3 of a second). Yeah, like I said before, rural Ireland is not a notable 'hot-bed' of martial arts, maybe I could help to change that.
You have made me think for sure, I wouldn't even charge for the classes, the price would be paid in sweat and blood? The final 'blocks' in my way being that I have come to believe the best way to teach an action is to do it for real and pain is a great tutor. Which might make me the worst instructor ever.
I did a dis-service to my very own nephew, his considerably bigger brothers had hold of him (not viciously but they had him round the throat and were holding his arms) I stepped in and showed a nail-rake to make somebody let go, I should have done it for real. If it's done to you once you will never forget it, you could practice it 100 times and never remember the lesson when it counts.
OK, I said blocks plural, I know some nasty shite and I would be showing and exhibiting extreme violence, just as sure as you gave someone a loaded gun, I would be responsible, maybe it keeps them alive but I have no control what they do?
I have learned what I know, paid in blood and sweat and years of hard training but I am a decent man and don't wish harm on anybody, tough question to pass the 'hard stuff' on in one easy lesson which can easily be forgotten or do it 'for real' and send everybody running from the monster.
I've waffled enough but still perhaps decided?
Pax
I'll come out and say I studied systema under vasiliev and associates for about 10 years, its effects stick with you.
for example before systema, I could not throw, my judo was lame.
years after quitting systema due to skiing injury, and horribly out of shape, I joined a judo class to support my son. the judoka told me 'you can throw, and you do good judo'. Black belts would seek me out to train. a guest bjj guy called me frustrating. And mostly I just used the 4 principles.
I first came across your channel where you had the skit about martial arts training each other. I thought you were hilarious! You brought something other than outrage farming, and that intrigued me. When I saw you try capoeira I decided to support you on Patreon despite systema bashing because I could see you were fair minded and it would only be a matter of time until you tried it, and once you tried it, you'd probably like it.
there's a gang of diehards on the subreddit, I'm sharing this.
clarification - I joined via UA-cam
Had the 'honor' of attending a systema seminar by Sonny Puzikas. I think this was way before he started popping up in movies and the Deadliest warrior TV show.
I was fun, it was very different, and I've never seen someone be able to do push up from the wrists. Also he punched me in the stomach and I threw up
good times!!!!
woo... I was trained by one of Sonny's systema student and attended a 2 of his knife work seminars. He's got the kind of smile that tells you not to mess with him. It was great time drinking vodka with him after seminar.
@@keithwhatley5094 instructors like Sonny has "been there, done that" and what he learned from those senarios to present in classes are just precious.
I didn’t know sonny was on deadliest warrior.
He’s the guy who punched me to change my mind 😂
I practiced Systema some years ago, and I did all the strange stuff they did in this video. I think that this martial art gives you unconventional and interesting ideas on human motion. I feel like it's something a martial artist should try
I've taken a few Systema punches and they definitely feel different. I also really liked how Systema was almost inverse of my experiences in traditional martial arts like Kung Fu or TKD. Instead of imposing structure like way early on we started from more random chaos and tried to find the structure in that, if that makes sense. More over all though what I really liked about it was that it was different from what everyone else was learning around me. I felt like that gave me an edge in sparring because it made me a bit less predictable. Anyways I recommend trying it from a reputable teacher as well, as bad of a rep as System gets on the internet.
I learned that punching technique in Kempo, but my instructor may have been cribbing from Systema. Its not too different from what you need to learn for a one-inch punch, is it applicable? Not 100% you're never going to get the full power in a sparring situation, but when you break it down like that you can certainly increase the power in every punch you do a bit more and with some training you can generate power from a lot more angles and situations then you probably would have thought without the understanding of how the power is generated.
@@jaredgilmore3102 It took me years to learn that not every punch needs to be full force? Without 'going on' about it (surely everybody has expressed their opinion by now?) I find the idea of the 'one inch' punch to be flawed, certainly as I've seen it delivered?
By which I mean the finger-tips might be one inch from the body, but the knuckles are not, so it is approximately a four inch punch (well 6 if you measure in cock-inches). Being able to generate power in a small distance has to be good, but I've seen my share of violent pushes where the guys are set up to fall? All I can say is that I wasn't impressed.
(I told you not to get me started!) or I should have... this thing of breaking boards or baseball bats on sonebody's back/stomach is total balls, it looks impressive but it's chicanery of the lowest level, I got so annoyed with one such 'master' that I pulled him aside and asked if he would like to fight me, no audience, just the two of us, and whoever was left standing could drag the other to the hospital. Strangely, he declined my offer. Frothing at the mouth time! All your little tricks will count for nothing after I punch you in the head, repeatedly.
Ah well, I feel better now! And that's the main thing?
It's totally mad when you think about it, all those techniques have been around for hundreds nay thousands of years, yet we discover them for the first time, over and over again?
I would like to experience a 'Systema' punch just to 'know' but I've seen my share of 'chancers', I believe there is an excellent practitioner in Canada, Vladimir but also it would cost a lot to travel and train with him? Am I just too old for that kind of shite'?.What would be my specific need? I can already punch somebody in the head, how many times do I need to do it? I suppose, less than I thought, err on the side of caution.
But make sure he's down!
My best good wishes on your journey, I'd love to see that punch for real, but I wouldn't allow any 'opening' of the nerve centres before-hand'. it's a punch or it's a messing with nervous centres, these are separate things.
Look at me, as though I knew what I was talking about!
All I can say is that it's important to never give up in any fight, the last punch thrown will be yours,
My respects.
Cock-inches.. it took me a second. 😂
I have seen plenty of older men at Vladimir's school. Also Emmanuel Manolakakis has a good school off the Danforth in Greektown.
I trained Systema for a couple of years and this is a great video that really shows what happens in a training session.
Systema doesn't get the respect it deserves, so I thank you for helping people understand what a great martial art it is!
I’m not at all surprised by Seth’s experience. Done some Systema training in classes with Vladimir Vasiliev and it was seriously interesting. Like all martial arts, it’s in how you train and teacher quality.
Agree. Also trained a little with Vladimir Vasiliev. It was pretty brutal physical conditioning . Some very interesting concepts. I had problems with the no throw throwing techniques because of my prior experiences with aikido, jujitsu, judo and karate style throws.
Yes Vladimir is amazing
Sensei's Seth's experience was the same as mine when I trained in Systema when I lived in Stuttgart, Germany and when I did a few seminars in Osaka, Japan.
He need to put more distance between himself and michail Ryabco. The difference is like comparing Bruce Lee to Steven segal
@@RoninDreamer good idea you should suggest that to Vlad
I can 100% associate with this. I did a Systema seminar with the main Russian dude, who by the way has forearms thicker than many people’s legs and punches like a hydraulic battering ram. It was incredibly insightful and brutal all at the same time. The concept of taking the energy of a punch and allowing it to flow like a wave into your own return punch was freaky but it really works. The Systema guys were all really humble and great to train with but hard as nails. I’ve never left a seminar with so many bruises and so sore but it was a great and authentic experience.
I don't prectice systema but once during sparring I took punch while completly relaxed and swang back to my partener without using my strength: just using the elastic force of my body, I allmost broke his nose, I didn't even realize what I did untill he started bleeding
another great martial art, when i hear russian friend, is russian slappage. it s great art and very effective!
@@adolfhipsteryolocaust3443 i do that all day un fights.. use the elastic force of my fat belly, it works so automatically, so effective. 😂
@@dunkel-zombi_fiziert-heit I took it on the chin, I have harder time doing on my body cuz it's preatty lean
Wing Chun also has the cycling force back into the opponent.
It seems like psychological, and physiological conditioning more than a martial art per se. Training the Parasympathetic Nervous System not to override the Sympathetic and Central NS's, and subsequent state of thoughts and emotions-composure. There are 5 states you can be in in any moment in relation to anything. Comfortable- Shock-Stimulation: Pain/Pleasure-Adaption-Familiarization. They are emulating that. It's how you level up at anything.
Pressure testing is cool. Using stress to induce a response somewhere on the distress bandwidth to train for real world applications.
yeah not at all go to muay thai
I have had some exposure to Systema training. I've trained in a fair number of arts over the last 30 years and have been in law enforcement for 10 yrs. For me, the most useful thing I took from it, and added to my to my training, are some of the "stress inoculation" exercises that help train or desensitize the SNS systems from flipping out and over activating when under duress.
Actually, some of the great teachers will tell you that we shouldn't view it as a martial art. It is a means of knowing yourself and your capabilities by finding the calm within despite any situation. Its principles are structure, motion, breathing, relaxation. There are no techniques, we just try to focus on those aspects of everything we do. I'm a girl who was literally once being carried away by 4 guys and told myself, "relax, breathe, move, move, move," and could feel their shock as I regained my structure, slipped through their jerky movements, and escaped. I feel like it evolved me!
@@ksodplsfiel1405 I did Muay Thai before, and my teacher made fun of me: he called me Robocop because my shoulders were always so tense :-D haha! After doing Systema for years, now I am doing Muay Thai again, and I know how to relax my shoulders and punch and kick 300% more powerfully. Systema teaches you how to do every other martial art, sport, and even physical action with more efficiency and relaxation, so you can fight for 2 hours instead of just 2 minutes.
交感神經是負責催油門，副交感神經是踩煞車
I had the opportunity a couple of years ago to take a few systema classes while on travel. It was definitely completely different than any martial arts class I'd previously attended. The way of teaching, the movements, everything about it was different. At the end of the class as each person gave a reflection on the training of the night I noted that I'd been hit harder and more than any class I'd ever been to, yet I left completely energized. I really wish I had more opportunities to attend these classes, not because I believe it's somehow a superior martial art but because of the people I met and the way I felt after the classes. It seems like you had a similar experience.
The punching each other also serves to build up trust and camaraderie with your fellow students which I think is important for being able to train all out with each other. I come away from every session with at least one fresh bruise or scrape and I honestly feel GREAT after a "rough" session. My wife can judge how much fun I had by how many bruises are on my chest that night. :D
I did Systema for a long time. It still plays into how I see movement and my body. I did always feel tho that I’d be more comfortable being jumped in an alley than climbing into an MMA ring. That teacher you talked to gave some excellent insight as to why. Props for trying it. Video clips always look odd and I couldn’t ever find a good one to use to explain to people.
Yeah as someone who doesn't do any self defense stuff just watching this it looks like a nightmare of a surprise for people to ambush / overpower you. They can basically just run off if they try to fight someone who knows their body so well he/she can always regain control. And it really looks like that. Due the better body/posture/situation understanding there - at least while watching - always seems a way to turn things in your favour. A good defense might just be better than any normal offense with this.
Partially that is because the camera is there to show things, not conceal or misdirect (most of the time), so you do not see what the opponent sees, and certainly do not have the same experience that they do.
As a Systema instructor I really appreciate you going to one of the schools with a skeptical yet open mind.
Glenn is a great instructor and I am happy to see you had such a good time. And walked away with a new appreciation of Systema.
Next stop, Toronto to train with Vladimir Vasiliev.
Or California to Train with Martin Wheeler.
@@dragonjohnson6352 very true Martin Wheeler is awesome.
nice so you're a scammer
@@homelessman3483 the whole message of the video was having an open mind about something you initially had reservations about. You managed to learn nothing. Congrats.
@@PSNMyfoot as did you at your systema classes. Congrats.
So what I'm seeing is that systema is basically a martial art that is hyper focused on training your body as a whole to fight and find your limits, which also complements any other fighting skills that you have.
Exactly!
This might be the best the most accurate description of systema. People don't know that, but systema is actually a combatives system that was developed for military intelligence use. Systema was built from the foundations of Krav Maga which is how to neutralize a threat as quickly as possible. The difference is Krav Maga is mostly simplistic basic human anatomical movements and that's the reason why it is so effective, however systema is focused on maximizing results through various arduous and complex body movements. Systema is the more effective and difficult version of Krav Maga. And like Krav Maga, systema is a combatives system, both were developed to end the fight as soon as possible.
Seems a fair comment
The only true way to know is to try it out.
Its more than that but yes that is a element.
It's great to see a "new and different" martial art that is not some total system of BS! Thanks, Seth, for diving in and getting a proper perspective!!!!
It is total BS though. Absolute pointless compared to regular martial arts.
@@itiswhatisis8174 If you are saying "we have enough 'martial arts systems already'" you won't get an argument from me....
this is the first systema video where i'm seeing stuff i remember from training. i can't recommend practicing systema breathing and the pain management parts enough. and the anything goes sparring with light contact really keeps people honest. i only stuck with it for less than a year but it had a huge impact on how i think about fighting.
There are issues with politics on the periphery and some woo woo that has crept in, but there is much of value for some people.
I've been training in systema for 5 yrs now having come from a mma, muay thai, bjj, boxing and greco background. It's tough to tell you what it is but my best way to describe it is this : It's a health system blended with a martial art. It's like nothing I have ever come across and has helped fix up my body from old sporting injuries. This instructor is very very good too. Great upload as well !
Systema appears to have borrowed a lot of the concepts found in Internal based Chinese combat arts, (like Tai Chi)... such as Iron Body conditioning, specialized breathing, relaxed movements, flowing with and using the OPs own energy against them. There is a lot of other developments, such as developing super-strong tendons (by long slow forms, where your limbs are extended.. so the joints are constantly strained.. for a minimum of 1hr sessions).
Various Chinese arts have entire sections, dealing with healing of the body. From: Bone-setting, to "Dit Da Jow" herbal lineament (removes any swelling in less than 5min), special forms that cause the very bone marrow to replace itself "Renewed", special breathing methods to increase circulation volume and channels + increase lung capacity and cellular O2 capabilities.. (as well as merely to increase striking power output). They also practice Chi Na (Chinese standing grappling).. doing things like a grab that separates the muscles, causing extreme pain. Hitting specific points, that cause specific issues within the OPs body... and methods to attempt to reverse these effects (Dim Mak). And a lot more.
Sadly... due to Ignorance, poor translations, fraudulent teachers, and the simple modern era where many of these things are simply passed by... these Ancient discovered and perfected technologies.. are being Lost.
@@johndough8115 Tung Kong Chow Gar Tong Long Pai, he is real and speaks English, GM Ip Chee Keung: ua-cam.com/video/F3xAswZkmDE/v-deo.html
@@johndough8115 where could i pick up some of this knolwedge?
@@batmanonholiday4477 "Seek and Yee Shall Find" For me, I started out seeking higher enlightenment. This lead me to a newage bookstore, where I picked up a "Guided Meditation" cassette, a book on Yogic Breathing exercises, a book on Meditation, and a book about the subconscious mind + spirituality "Three Magic Words" (By US Andersen).
I started with the tape, which got me used to the meditation process. Not long after, I was doing my own Self-Meditation sessions. 1hr every night after work (often two sessions. 1hr right when I got home, and 1hr before going to sleep). I was also practicing the Yogic breathing methods, at various times throughout a day.
Eventually, I attained the "Quiet Mind" state. This takes about 100 consecutive days, of 1hr, silent (count each breath in seconds, silently to yourself), self-meditation sessions. The brain changes permanently. You then can focus on things much easier, as there is no longer any odd distractions within your mind. This is key to increasing your happiness greatly... as well as key to being a High level combat artist.
The yogic breathing exercises VASTLY increased my lung capacity, and internal muscular control of my breathing. This would later be used to great advantage, in my martial arts training and martial combat capabilities.
That was from ages 16 to 19.
At age 20, I started taking up Wing Chun Kung Fu. I was taking all four classes per week (on days when I could, Id take both the day and night classes). Each class was 2hrs long. One of those hrs was a full Hardcore "CORE" workout. I was also training outside of class, doing everything I could to fully master what I was learning, in the least amount of time possible... by pushing myself to my full capability, and doing these things all throughout the day and night, no matter where I was... every few minutes. Multi-Thousands of reps every day. I also did solid Block-Training, at home. Id say that each day I put in a MINIMUM of 4hrs every single day, for a solid 5 yrs time, before I started to ease up on my training. (I was often training FAR more than a mere 4 hrs)
About a year in, I started sparring against other local martial artists, from various arts. Typically, every weekend.
In addition, I was training some things outside of Wing Chun. For one, I was often cross training with these other artists, and learning their methods... while teaching them some things, as well. That said, a lot of it was me teaching myself... as to be honest, most of their methods were fairly easy to figure out. I also started trying to replicate things Id seen in videos, such as in Tai Chi push hands drills, Shaolin head flips, Wushu Butterfly kicks, Shaolin Hard-Falls, Nunchaku's, The 9 Section steel whip chain, and the basics of the Rope Dart.
I also was doing full "Iron Body" conditioning training... so that, if I ever did eat a hit... that Id be able to take it, without crumbling into the fetal position.
Eventually, I got to the point where is was rare that any of the local sport artists could even get a single hit on me, in full contact sparring sessions. At that point, I had reached Master-Class level, in my techs / output.
That said, as strong and powerful as I had became... I had heard about stories of "Inch Power"... and so I then began to figure out how to develop it. There were some hints in some of Bruce Lees older books. And of course, Wing Chun teaches some of the main principles of it... but doesnt describe the full process. I would copy some of Lees methods.. but ultimately, would create my own methods and my own special equipment. Id spend 1hr every night, training nonstop on this device.. for about 3 months... until I had reached Lethal level of output, at only a mere Inch worth of Runway.
From that point, I was far beyond capable of protecting myself Reliably... and I started to branch out into other hobbies. But I still would keep reading and researching things from other more obscure and deep "Internal" arts... such as from Tai Chi, QiGong, and much more.
I then started to see the connections between Wing Chun, and Tai Chi... for example. The similarities in training methods, and the similar principles of operation. I also noticed the connection of proper Breathing in these arts, and how they mirrored many things from the Indian Yogic breathing methods + mediation sessions.
This caused me to realize that many things I was doing in Wing Chun, were being done incorrectly. While I could get them to work, regardless... when I started applying Internal methods to my Wing Chun (as was designed and intended)... my capabilities went to a whole other level. Especially in regards to short range power. For example.. I light forearm deflection that I did.. nearly shattered an MMA fighters wristbone.
The more I learned about each of these arts in depth... to more I could understand what they were trying to say and do... and how I could draw lines between ALL of these various arts... no matter what Style/Art that I was observing / Studying. I was able to fill in missing blanks, as well as find corruptions to these arts... and repair them.
So, you can see, that such Knowledge does not come from any one single source... and that All of it is Hard-Fought, through constant Will, and Extreme Efforts.
This includes actual classes (Ive had three different WC teachers), Seminars and Demos, Books, Videos, Articles , Word of Mouth (exchanges of knowledge from others), sparring, and teaching private students.
I also forgot to mention, that I learned a lot about Chinese medicines and healing practices... by having to repair many of my own injuries. This started at Dit Da Jow (Chinese herbal Iron-Fist Lineament)... but also extended into more advanced things. Such as seeing an Old Chinese Bone-Setter in a video... and realizing a lot of it was similar to Chiropractor practices. Having had an Acupuncture session that popped my cranked neck back into place. And much more.
@@johndough8115 Interesting comment. A close friend of mine trains in Tai Chi and he tells me that a lot of the higher aspects of Tai Chi are closed off to him due to cultural differences. A lot of what you have mentioned above are effectively closed off to him and hidden behind a ‘cultural pay wall’ if you like simply because he isn’t Chinese…the stories that he’s told me border on ridiculous.
I showed him what I have been learning and from what I can fathom Systema lets you get to these higher levels in a logical and more accelerated manner if you like because nothing is actually hidden from you even from when you commence your very first Systema class. i.e. There are no secret techniques or advanced classes. Everything is open to you from the moment you commence. The only thing holding you back is your own level of maturity in Systema itself.
On another note, I will never tolerate “advanced classes”, “secret techniques” or expensive gradings etc ever again. Systema isn’t perfect by any means but it does your body and health a fantastic world of good and that’s what I’m after.
There have been so many videos of people judging Systema based on videos they've watched, so I'm glad you actually went to experience a class with someone like Glenn, who clearly knows his stuff! I have been training in Systema for years and can tell you it's extremely applicable throughout life. I have used it both to protect myself in physical altercations and even to save myself while I was falling down stairs with both hands filled with stuff I was carrying. It kind of creates within you a calm within any storm in which you can find the time to choose the best reaction to your situation. Thank you for this awesome representation of an art that has become a very valuable part of my life.
Godalm8y, where did you learn systema?
@@ChristopherKilian-fg6ds I first started with Jeff Sodeman (who now sometimes teaches at the place visited in this video). I have also had the honor of learning from so many including Vlad, Michael, Konstantin, Menamy in LA, Ryan in Chicago, and Nelson in Brazil. I have been working on a video that I will be sharing soon about how Systema saved me from a recent attack. It got me out of a chokehold and rape attempt, so I am more grateful for it than ever!! In that video, I plan on properly respecting all the teachers I've had :-) I hope you have as great teachers and experiences as I was lucky to have in learning it! Sorry I didn't answer sooner!
I practiced Systema for a while. A state police officer was our instructor. He was brother to a friend of mine. We trained at a local park in Taos. We used the playground equipment to train on. Then later on in the year we did a couple of weekend-long workshop sessions in Albuquerque with a US ranger. Needless to say I got my ass whooped countless times. I learned a lot about myself. I am very glad you took the leap and gave Systema a fair shot. Thank you for an awesome video!! I hope to see more content like this in the future!
" sessions in Albuquerque " Jessi its time to cook!!!!!!!
When I shook Mikhail Ryabko's hand I noticed his arms were completely covered with scars from working with live blades apparently. It looks weird, but it has something to offer for sure. Worked with Ryabko, Vasiliev both are really nice guys. I think my favorite systema instructor to work with is Martin Wheeler, he really understands the practice and application.
Thank you Sensei Seth for taking the time to try Systema to form your own opinion of it; and for sharing your experience with everyone. Glad to see you enjoyed it. Greetings from Brisbane, Australia.
This can often happen when you actually try something instead of wondering if it would "work on the street," "in mma," "at full speed," "against resistance," "against a wrestler," "against boxing" etc etc. Physical and emotional skills improve all situations once they are acquired and understood sufficiently. And systema is fun, too. But you do get bruises.
Awesome video I like how your going out trying different styles. Definitely make more videos like these.
Wow! I am so glad did this, Seth!
I know Glen. I have trained with him a few times.
He is great and grounded.
As a note, that was a Systema Lite class.
Glen can do older style. It's just not necessary for most people in a civilian setting.
Older stuff was a bit like going through a controlled, educated bar brawl that had a teaching point.
Glen is really good.
I am glad you found value.
Systema is supposed to be an individual expression. Glen does it differently than I do. Which is different than Lloyd or Michael or Vladimir, etc.
I love that you gave it a try!
I hope to train with you sometime!
Wow fantastic video! Glenn is a great Systema instructor, representing Vladimir Vasiliev's work very well. Humble, relaxed and strong! I love how he mentioned the importance of knowing why you are training. The reality is that although people like to wonder if it work against a UFC fighter, the fact of the matter is that is not really relevant. Championship sports fighters are among the best in the world at what they do, and the chances of fighting one on the street are very low. Part of Systema is recognizing when there is a danger like that anyways, and escaping calmly. What is relevant to most people's lives is their health; joint health; stress levels; ability to stay calm in emergencies; ability to relate well to fellow humans and of course having the ability to defend oneself should a situation occur. Systema in of itself is only actually about 15 percent martial arts. The rest is health, psychological development, happiness and relaxation. Cheers!
Top notch summary
This is blowing my mind, I was watching this thinking, that guy looks familiar.... I used to train with Glenn in Aikido like 25 years ago on the other side of the world from where this was shot. Totally didn't expect to see him on this channel. He's a great guy btw, really sensible and down to earth.
Sometimes it's crazy how small the martial arts world is!
I really like what he said at the end. Whatever you train, if you want it to be effective, just train it accordingly--with as much pressure to a real fight as possible.
Much respect to you for actually GOING to a class and reporting it honestly. Now stay strong if/when Systema-haters try to convince you that you were delusional
Yes, because it's definitely the Systema "hater's" who are trying to convince people into delusions. Most people are critical of Systema for very good reasons, and there isn't any real evidence out there to dissaude that critique. If there were, you wouldn't have to worry about such a thing. I mean I've never seen someone try to convince a person that they are delusional for thinking Boxing can be effective.
@@AveSicarius i have, and they have good arguments against boxing as well, mainly that without takedowns, groundwork, and kicks, your gonna be trash in any real fight (and they are correct to an extent, i stomp great boxers easily. Dudes cant even take a leg kick 😅) but again this is out of context. People critize systema because they dont understand it, and they dont understand what its for. Seems like your among them
@@angelocarantino4803
I mean what exactly is it then? Also an argument against a flaw of Boxing as a result of restrictive rules is absolutely not equivalent to an argument that no Boxer can fight whatsoever. Boxing is limited in scope, but it teaches you how to punch really well, and is an integral part of the current MMA meta. A Muay Thai fighter will likely easily beat a boxer in a Muay Thai bout, but Muay Thai fighters are by and large also nowhere near as good with their hands. Boxing is worth learning, it provides an essential skill that can be found elsewhere, but Boxing is generally the most accessible form of this. What does Systema offer? Because I've never seen any Systema instructor in any footage ever coaching people in the way a Boxing instructor will. The latter is limited to punching technique, but they will teach you how to hit and not get hit in a way that is very effective even for basic self-defence.
Where is Systema on the MMA scene? Why haven't we seen any Systema practioners demonstrate how effective it is? Because we've seen so many martial arts do so, from Sanda to Capoeira, so I ask again. Where is Systema? This is the same argument people make for Wing Chun, the whole "I beat Boxer's easily, you just don't understand the style" is something I've heard before from people claiming their style is somehow more effective. Is Systema equivalent to Wing Chun in effectiveness?
If criticizing a style for claiming to be effective despite having no evidence whatsoever to support this, then sure I'm a "hater". But I prefer to rely on credible evidence, not anecdotal statements that have little to no actually proof to back them up. We've seen Shotokan Karate and Taekwondo be successfully adapted for MMA, if Systema was at all practical, or even just based in reality, someone would be using it.
@@AveSicarius The reason everyone agrees boxing can be effective is because it is a competitive martial art and so it proves itself within its domain. Systema is not only a much more recent addition to Western martial arts, it also is not competitive so cannot be measured as a "full" system in the same way. Yes some elements can and have been borrowed by fighters from other styles, but it is very hard to "prove" what comes from where etc.
My point was that you have to try it yourself to see if it has any value for YOU.
@@AveSicarius You are confusing "effectiveness" in a highly controlled environment of the MMA ring/cage with and effectiveness for a particular purpose for which Systema was apparently designed: no rules self defense. It is so commonplace, but absolutely wrong, for people to think of UFC or something similar as a benchmark for an art's effectiveness, without ever having defined that word in a first place.
Seth, I just wanted to say that I was truly impresses by how you will knowingly contradict yourself without self editing. The humility and wisdom of being able to speak truthfully about how you felt at the end of the video was really great! Keep up the great work, and thank you for putting some of those "silly, weird" looking movements into context!
Honestly this is a great video on the art, aspects I've never seen before are demonstrated. One thing to remember is that the exotic martial arts tend to attract alot of charlatans and often its the fakes that attract the attention. This seems like a pretty legit gym and method of training
Came across your channel by pure chance Sensei Seth. Hadn't heard of Systema before, but the title and the video clip drew me in.
I had expected this to be a hatchet job, well deserved or not, but it was so much more than that. The mutual acceptance and support, the genuine bond of brotherhood, how each of you brings out the best in the others, encouraging one another to excel was a joy to watch.
Thank you for uploading this video, it has brought light into what has otherwise been a very dark 24 hours.
Hope you're doing better now bud.
It's interesting when he talks about body alignment. The first thing that came to my head was archery and weapon fighting (HAMA, HEMA, CMA, etc) when you need that full extension and right bone alignment to keep a sturdy and compose posture. Different cultures, but we all share the same body mechanic, eh.
Boxing has similar
Yeah, it's called being human.
One of my Sifus trains in Systema. While I don't train Systema, my Sifu that does is one of the most scary, powerful people I've ever trained with. This video seems to capture pretty well what I've seen. I've developed quite a sizable respect for Systema.
..
@Munteza What about in a cage?
@munteza9262 it is useless to go to cafe, when you having coffee maker at home
@@ObsceneSuperMatt😂😂
@@ajanhattara😂😂
Very nice video!
I've trained martial arts for most of my life, Krav Maga for over 10 years and was an instructor and served in IDF SF, and after got introduced to Jiujitsu for ground work,
but when I discovered Systema about 10 years ago, and started training, I've discovered its more effective then any of these.
In matter of fact when I started to practice Systema nothing I tried worked against the veteran Systema practitioners, which made me even more enthusiastic to delve deeper into it.
Every instructor is different, each have their own version of it. From what I experienced - in essence Systema is all about freedom, of your body, and especially of your mind.
our instinct is to tense up and block ourselves, both internally and externally. A huge part of what we do while training Systema (apart from learning techniques), is to slowly get rid of these instincts and adopt a "softer" approach. I use the quotes as its more like water, moving the energy around without blocking it with any tension.
Sometimes it seems illogical, and there are things I cannot explain, but I cannot argue with results.
Its more effective then anything else I've seen.
What you've said at the end of the video might be the most important thing - that its the best group of people - positive atmosphere,
and I'll add everyone have an actual will to help each other become better and healthier then the previous day. As there is no way to practice Systema with ego.
Great video, Thanks!
Nicely said, when you fight full contact, leave your ego at the door but don't ever forget your humanity.
I find those mobility exercisers at the start super cool. Im a 28 years old with not that much fat or muscle and I have early genetic skoliosis back problems ( Bechterew's disease to be specific.) I am trying yoga a lot, but that didn't help me much so far, but those Systema prep stuff looks actually like something that would work for me.
Totally agree and I appreciate very much you took the time to check it out for yourself and to show this perspective.
There are two kind of people, those that sit on the sofa munching popcorn and commenting, "the keyboard warriors", and those who actually go out and try things for real, my suggestion to everyone interested in Systema RMA is to do what you and I did, go out in the real world and seek an official qualified Systema instructor and train with them directly or even better, participate in one of the seminars Vladimir Vasiliev holds around the world regularly.
I have been practicing martial arts rigorously for the past 22 years of my life, and this was an extremely eye opening and enlightening perspective of systema. I am really glad you made this video. Congratulations, friend. You earned a new subscriber with your honesty and no holds barred approach.
Cheers friend, I respect your take and the way you presented it. You've got a great disposition and it speaks to the humble, quiet kindness that sits behind the discipline found in martial arts.
Have a good life!
I have been training / teaching systema for 13 years now, I find that systema gave me a framework and deep understanding of movement and combatives that immeasurably enhances my training and background that I have in karate, boxing, jiu-jitsu, ninjutsu, and aikido. For all of you who judge systema by sitting on a chair and watching videos, I suggest you sign up to a month of classes to a respected systema school. You will not regret it.
I think it's great. I trained with an ex spetsnaz guy and he knew some systema and I learned a lot of good things from him while we co trained in FMA.
Thank you for giving it a try and for this unbiased look into Systema practice!
Very well done! It changed my mind about Systema.
I had three classes across two different clubs back in 2008 in London, and I feel many similarities of experience to what you show here. Kind, relaxed atmosphere. Some tough exercises and straight to the point stuff (e.g. knife work, stepping on each other, light punches to the solar plexus, grappling, the list goes on...), building both technique and general body awareness. One thing I especially took with me from there was an emphasis on making sure to breathe freely/consciously in a tense situation. We tend to lock up.
I feel as if there was a general idea of exploring the body's capabilities more than drilling very specific strikes or scenarios.
Good to see the open mind!
We are living in a golden age of martial arts that is unprecedented in openess and availability. Explore it all!
I'm so happy he made another video involving systema. I feel like it's a martial art that needs a lot more attention than it's getting.
That video took a nice turn! Have been trying to decifer some of the wavey punching stuff. Seeing the application in the grappling session really brought it together.
More information in your clip than in many, many of the McDojo stuff of Systema on YT.
Practicing how to relax your body under stress seems like a useful thing to learn, not just for fighting but in general.
thats why alcoholics survive horrific car wrecks
That weird body rolling shit and standing on legs and stomachs reminds me of when I played football. We would start the season with no pads and no contact - just drills, calisthenics, stretching, and running through plays at half-speed.
We'd do that for 2 weeks before throwing the pads on and continuing through another week of what we're doing before with light contact. Add in a lot more running, up-downs, and all that endurance BS.
Then we were ready for full contact. The 3 weeks of practice before going full contact got our bodies ready for the beat down. You just can't start a season going full out with contact - you're just increasing the likelihood of injury. Three weeks of warmups and pain made it a bit easier to play through being hurt.
Seth i love it the quality of ur videos is getting better and better. You are my favorite youtuber now. Keep it ul
Ok, that was something! I was really sceptical of SYSTEMA because Im from Russia and I have never heard of it inside Russia. But from this video I see the roots of it. The wavy punches is probably from soviet school of boxing wich put a lot of emphasis on technic, punching with your whole body and most importantly hips while relaxing your shoulders, so you can basically throw your arm at the opponent. Every rus boxing coach will focus on that more than anything. And the beeng relaxed is tied to the technic too, because if your body is not relaxed, your technic will suffer greatly and you will not find that one opening that will send your opponent to the floor.
странно что ты не слышал ранее.... но круто ведь) добра!
Super strange, you never heard of it. But hey, know you do!
Good luck to you i hope you were able to avoid the meat grinder!
When my xing yi teacher touched the topic of relaxing the arm and how the fist would land harder that way, he said in Chinese it was referred to as having a rock on the end of a string.
Seth, brother, this is an absolutely enlightening look into how Systema works as a martial art. It's actually quite great not only for self-defence in dire situations. Sadly, based on the Instagram answers, I am really astonished to know just how underestimated Systema is.
I took my first systema class back in about 2014. I was shocked by how different it was from any other martial art I've ever taken. There's definitely some stuff that looks weird, and there's definitely some aspects that I might consider bullshido, but as a whole it was very impressive. I've now been studying it on and off for about 10 years with a few different instructors, and it has definitely made me more appreciative of other styles of fighting. The punches may look lazy, but they hit like a sledgehammer.
Looks like it would be an amazing supplemental martial art, taking the lessons of Systema and applying them to more typical martial arts allowing you to take blows better and power up your punches not to mention the extra mobility
Having done Systema for 3 years in my teens, I can say: Not everything is 1:1 applicable to a fight, to me it's rather a supplemental martial art than something to do for effectiveness, but:
Systema improved every aspect of my motion, striking and grappling. It gave me an understanding of how to manipulate an opponents body to bring him out of balance without using any specific technique that I learned. The striking work was also immensely valuable to making my punches later when I did muay thai way harder.
Systema is weird, but it has its merits.
Sure it has its merits... but why? Who decided to create a supplemental martial art? And if it's supplemental it should be sold as such.
Great comment? Could you tell me a bit more? Im trying to mix up my own bunch of techniques and systema seems like a good place to source basic principles. Any tips or insights would be great 0w0
As a guy who has done martial arts about half my life and dove deep and competed in Muay Thai… this knowledge is invaluable. One can get beat up a bunch and spend many years learning these ideas themselves (a must for high-level martial arts) or they can check out systema and learn it much faster.
@@peterwang5660 I mean, who decided the entirety of Japanese martial arts should just be small supplemental styles like a mix and match? And what incomplete style sells itself as such?
😂
What's so great about your videos, is that you are exposing ever so slightly that most martial arts have a place in the world of mental and physical discipline / preparation. Not to be confused with the sale of fantasies some schools/teachers use to find victims. But it is important we recognize we cannot fully appreciate what we don't yet know.
The first serious review of Systema I’ve seen. Excellent.
This close scuffle with knives on the floor, without eye protection ... I had to swallow a little at the acceptance of the risk of eye injury.
glad someone was able to show you what this is really about..and that you wer ebold and brave enought o go into it yourslef. You Rock..and so does the Instructor
Really appreciate the instructor’s breakdown at the end. You gotta train systema (or any martial art for that matter) as you intend to use it.
Seth I asked you to check out systema and Glenn Murphy. You did, sir you have my respect
Wow man great video. Really put things into a better perspective. I'd love a follow up with more strike focus sparring.
what i like about systema is that its practical and functional, its not focused on fancy move combos, its about what works best, and training your body to be responsive to the functionality
Thank you so much for making this video. I have trained and taught Systema in Toronto, Canada for years and it was so refreshing and enlightening to see someone with different martial arts experience make an honest attempt to investigate it before having an opinion. 🙏
Ah yes, funny how things are different in context and actual experience. Of course Systema may often have the issue shared with other martial arts where you might skip the pressure testing or other aspects that are necessary for learning to really apply it in varying situations. A lot is the training is drills that teach the body to function while challenged in various ways. And it's so much fun! I don't mind people making fun of Systema or any other style but it's a breath of fresh air to actually see it properly practised even if just scratching the surface.
Hey man just wanted to say you encouraged me to add Muay Thai to my Karate training. I've been pretty focused on competitions and I think it'll give me a leg up. These sport Karate guys can do some pretty weird stuff, but I think having the extra sparring with kickboxers will give me an edge.
100%! Way to go
Awesome! Now we got a good perspective of what Systema is like and how it can be applied.
Thanks for being our sacrifice, Seth
My respect as a martial artist. The systems instructor said it perfectly. It depends on what you want to use it for and how you train for it 🔥. Same applies for all other forms of Fighting. I currently do grappling and we train with knives similar to what they are doing. We also like to roll with one hand tied or not using your hands etc. It makes it more fun and also changes you perspective of what the goal is at that moment.
Systema seems like a good base to learn for other more grapple oriented styles. It's like the anti grappler style.
Seeing your reaction to systema is pretty great.
It's great for mobility and takedowns. Very physics based. You had a good instructor, instructor quality can be variable.
Just like the Capoeira video you did, this one left me with the impression that I could really benefit from some complementary training in this martial art to work on some of my weaknesses when practicing martial arts. After watching this video, I don't think I would switch to sistema (or capoeira), but still both focus on aspects that I should really work on.
I really enjoyed this video.
Why can't you pay for your training like the rest of us?
Huh, seemed fun. Great video. What I’m really impressed with is that there are SO MANY different martial arts schools in your area. I thought Oahu has a lot.
I live London, we have a every major style you could think of. A martial artist dream
Yeah he's got a lot of schools around. I'm my area there are only two. Karate and BJJ place
Thank-you for your honest evaluation of your experience! It is very refreshing. I second the request that you consider more in-depth series of videos, as I would really appreciate the opportunity to learn more from some of your insights that there may not have been time for in a single video.
I did it for a year. It was fun. The punches start from the hip and whiplash at the fist. If you get the technique right it’s powerful. We used to just stand punching each other in the chest with increasing weight and power. The origin is special forces training and the idea is to be able to fight while exhausted and a lot of the techniques presume that you are sneaking up on someone. Those goofy mobility techniques are to enable movement in spaces or to get out of being restrained.
I have done mma, wrestling and kickboxing and the techniques don’t really stand up in that kind of fight against someone who’s ready for youbut would be useful for a bouncer or someone trying to get out of being restrained by a bouncer OR if for some reason you want to catch people by surprise and really hurt them efficiently.
in one year you only scratch the surface.
@@cresalpcurious what you mean by this?
What you say at the end is interesting. The result of "what you see" is not really a school. What changes people is what is inside the dojo, the method of training, the teaching perspective. Those excercices of Systema are fine, it reminds me Contact Improvisation. Not every school or martial art tries to achieve awareness of your whole body.
I learned a lot of really cool and useful things doing systema. most people overlook the body mechanics. It may not be ideal for MMA, but in self defense the principles are all there. the art focuses on comfort in combat and natural body movements.
Seems incomplete, yet useful - I thought at the start of the vid.
The instructor contextualized it a lot.
Quite a mobility, stamina, flexibility, optimized use of strength, adaptability, calm mindset and multi-purpose exercise it looks. The funny music you put at the background made it pretty fun to watch, also. Thanks for sharing, pretty interesting, I agree
Systema seems more like something you'd apply to mixed martial arts rather than something that works on its own.
I remember reading about Systema a few years back. It's based on Russian Special Forces using their whole body as a weapon. There's not really techniques but more of training to prepare your body. I think it has some practical use but it would take a long time to master.
Nope .... The russian SPETSNAZ use. A combat sambo DEVELOPMENT
@@randomcomment62
The Gru, MVD and fsb use the combat sambo ... The own gennady zastiev Talk about their use AGAINST y.s spies
This talk about "Russian special forces using it" is marketing bullshit.
Russian marine Corps teach systema.
Yess!!! I'm a huge fan of you, wonderboy and Icy mike and I've been practicing systema for 15 years or so and I'm super happy you're getting to experience it!! If you're ever in Austin look up Gene Smithson and come on Saturday. It's kind of a special class even for systema!
This is a great class you went to though.
The class was cool to see and the lessons looked super fun and awesome, but your mindset and outlook on the task at hand really shaped this video for me, truly inspiring.
Now go systema punch some water bottles.
It's pretty much a different form of taichi. It's just understanding kinetic energy flow/alignment and then applying it to actual fighting.
Not quite. Having done both, Systema does use similar ideas of body alignment in relation to partner. Systema uses much more obvious physical movements to achieve this. Taijiquan, at least the Southern Wu style which is my main style of taijiquan, uses minimal movements, “internalizing “ the body alignments with extremely subtle techniques.
The core principles are very different from Tai Chi. Very different way of moving
I know this video is old but for what its worth.. while it isn’t the same thing as systema and I believe the combat strategy to be different. In my experience, systema shares some common attributes to traditional taiji. As some other comments have pointed out, systema is a way of changing the way your body functions to create more connected power and integrated movement that can be applied to any art/system to improve a skill set. I’ve certainly found this to be the case with taiji, while I personally believe taiji is a complete system in an of itself, training traditional taiji methods correctly can transform the way you move, produce power and understand force and balance. All things that are valuable to any striking or wrestling art. Just my 2cents
I’m loving this channel. A great honest journey to become better and shed misconceptions.
Relaxation between strikes is something I am tweaking with muay Thai at the moment. A state of preparedness, but not tension. Maybe I should go to a class sometime. I've had most of these thoughts, but not in an organised fashion. It's definitely better to blend the strengths of martial arts together rather than compare and contrast them all the time.
I did it for a couple of years when I was younger (karate and ju jitsu background) and really enjoyed it. Relaxing and controlling your breathing, even when you’re in pain is central. The striking is good too. I’d recommend it.
I took Systema for 2 years. I was attracted to it because it was quite different from other martial arts. Everything done in this video, I did in class at one time or another. It can be quite fun at times. I moved onto BJJ after a couple years because I'm more into grappling type activities, so BJJ was definitely more my style. But I recommend anyone try it for a week or two.
As with MOST martial arts...they are plagued by the jealous kids/adults online looking for fault without any experience at all-starting a myriad number of social media haters. I've dabbled in Systema while practicing Kajukenbo and in my experience..there was alot of Sambo mixed with a form of "Krav". Good stuff never the less. Thank you.
Thanks for this video. Been practising systema since 2006, been several times to Moscow training with Mikhail Ryabko and what i can say is that most common misconceptions are deeply tied to western ideology and approach to how human works. I would not do anything else than systema in my life. For sure. And so many time i see peoples in rejection just because they are failing are very basic exercices (not even in context of training with opponent) just like body movement in challenging situation. Systema teachs you that your worst enemy is yourself.