"grundbegriffe" auf englisch

[Mr.Fister]

es gibt ja hier den festen thread von andreas, wo er grundbegriffe des systema erklärt.
etwas ähnliches hat ein us-systema-trainer auf englisch verfasst .
ist ziemlich interessant :

alles folgende von nycronin [geposted bei martialtalk]
The 4 cornerstones of Systema - part 1
Breathing.
The first of the 'big 4' in Systema.
As we know, breathing is a necessity for our life. The use of it in Systema has many applications other than just the regular sucking in and out of oxygen. Col. Ryabco and Vladimir Vasiliev (MR and VV respectively) have gone into much detail that ALL of Systema revolves around this simple act. I will try to stay with the physical here - for there is a very deep philosophical crosstie that we might get into later. You might recognize similarities to the Aiki method - maybe differences. Just a primer to share with you.
We train to breath with the full capacity of the lungs - as do most Japanese M.Arts - but there is no deep breathing into the tanden. To us - the 'center' is higher - the solar plexus area - and not 3 inches below the navel. We do not overexetend the breath - inhale and exhale to comfort. We also use the breath to lead movement (ie. the breath starts BEFORE the movement). We also learn to 'separate' the act of breathing from muscular exertion. By example - most are familiar with a 'bench press' I would imagine. Present dogma would state you inhale as weight comes down, exhale as you press. We would vary the breathing - exhale on down - inhale on up. Inhale and exhale on down - in and out on up. Up/down on complete exhale (breath held) - up/down in held inhale.
In otherwords - separation of breathing from movement (PLEASE NOTE: I am well aware that in bench press, maximum pressing force is achieved on exhale -I am not advocating a new method for the press, just using this movement as an example). I often train with the Russian kettlebell - standard 'western' breathing is most often advocated during the movements - VV taught me to 'just breath' normally as the movements are done. The body moving...the body breathing normally regardless of stages of motion. I have found I can train longer by breathing this way.
We do not 'meditate'on the breath (I had been doing Zen meditation on the breath for years when this came along) BUT we will use breathing and muscular tension/relaxation exercises to relieve stress and put us into a more receptive relaxed state for training.

We also have certain breathing patterns to take us through pain and to keep the body calm during the adrenal kick-in of actual fighting. We also, if injured, will envision the breath as entering the body through the injured bodypart - to alleviate pain and to aid in healing. (My personal experience here is that such breathing was a great aid in my recovery from a serious burn I recieved about 3 years ago).

I often end my seminars by doing a breathing/muscular tension exercise as mentioned above. The purpose is to remind us that we must breath - keep breathing - no matter what else comes. Pain, injury - ever catastophic trauma - you MUST focus on this simple act...go into it. Feel it. BE it. It might be the only thing that is left of 'you'. Breath - for as long as you can breath - then there is a chance you will survive.

[Mr.Fister]

The 4 cornerstones of Systema - part 2
The next subject I would like to touch on is the concept of relaxation.
It permeates every aspect of what we do. It is easy to say 'relax' to someone but you often find that they are physically, mentally/emotionally and spiritually contracted and tight. I will, as with 'breathing', leave the spiritual component out of this present post (may have to make the 'spiritual' a completely seperate thread).
Physically, we need relaxation in order to move and react efficiently.
When a newcomer arrives at their first 'Systema experience' they are often struck by the informal and relaxed atmosphere the group maintains - this is rather strange for the more formal, ritual based structure of oriental arts. The is no standard uniform - sweatpants, Gi pants, cammo pants, jogging shorts, sports team logo shirts - pretty much anything is acceptable. The most frequently seen uniform is a Systema t-shirt. Some are barefooted, some wear socks, perhaps grappeling type shoes - all are acceptable. (My group trains out of doors most frequently, all year round, - so comfort to the season is correct. At seminars - I have worn everything from cammo to dockers). No formal rituals to begin...Vlad's sessions often come to order with a simple 'OK guy's - let us try this...'.
There is no ranking system - there Vlad, and those that he and MR have authorized to instruct. During training you could work with a guy who just started then another with years of experience. You are free to ask questions about the work being done. very informal but not lacking in discipline. Respect is not ritualistically demanded or expected - it is given as it is earned.
There are no 'stances'- we move from wherever we are when an attack is launched.(There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained from 'working' this way - many arts train from a squared off position exclusively - and an attack coming from an unorthodox angle could be devastating if one is unfamiliar with the different angle).
Relaxed positioning from the start of a defense permits a more complete spectrum of responses - and also allows one to learn how to absorb (and channel the force of a strike back to the attacker) the force not being permitted to damage you (this is so closely related to the cornerstone of 'movement' that I will go into further detail about it when I post that subject).
We work to avoid muscle tension as we move or strike. We find that oftentimes a 'locking tecnique' loses its ability to hold you if, when you feel the first pain caused by the lock, you relax into the movement and go where your attacker wants you to go...but go just abit quicker than he expected.
We use a sequential 'whipping' or 'waving' type of movement to generate force and perform deflections - relaxation of the body necessary. (Movment. Such as this...very hard to describe effectively).
Relaxation is also a mental/emotional focus. We avoid the 'terminator/kill em all' mindset that permeates many martial methodologies. Such focus freezes the intent and causes one to lose the relaxed flexability of mind - (something like Zanshin - perhaps. Again, I only mention that as a possible parallel concept).
When we train and spar - we actively work on maintaining a smiling face - for many reasons, not the least of which is a psychological benefit for oneself. Smiling happens when we are in a relaxed state of mind - we develop a mental link to the act of smiling. When we do this simple thing as we are faced by conflict - it actually aids us in relaxation of mind and- as a result - a relaxation of body as well. (Those of us who have been at this awhile and are involved in 'action oriented' professions often have interesting tales to tell about the effect that the simple act of smiling has on an aggressor and the ensuing conflict, if any).
(Just as an aside here - Systema is a methodology associated with the Russian Special Forces (Spetsnaz) - Special Operations Units. They developed relaxation methods that are in use today when such agents are involved in active combat situations. For example - small combat units of opposing forces become invoved in an engagement - fighting is fast, bloody and deadly. Both sides fall back and recoup. NOW is when the effect of adrenaline and shock take hold. Normally, this will take awhile before the sides rally for another engagement. When one of the conflicting forces is a Spetz unit - they will fall back and immediately begin a progressive relaxation and breathing sequence...bringing the body back to a state of readiness far before their enemy is ready to continue...then the Spets team comes again...and again - until the end.)
Relaxation. Another Systema cornerstone just touched upon. There is so much more to it.
Remember that it cannot be detached from the other three (breathing, form, movement) - when combined, the synergy is much greater than 1+1+1+1=4. I mearly offer this basic post to get some ideas out to you, the reader

[Mr.Fister]

The 4 cornerstones of Systema - part 3
Moving into the third cornerstone of Systema, I want to bring up the subject of 'form'. (As we go along, the concepts become more entangeled and complex - I will not be able to completely cover any cornerstone in even a dozen posts - please remember, I wish to give introduction to this concept).
Form, to Systema practitioners, is a many faceted subject. Basically, it refers to maintaining proper spinal alignment (whenever possible) while maintaining a relaxed flexability to movement capability.
Our 'relaxed awareness' position (the way we stand, hopefully, whenever possible) is one where the skeletal structure supports the bodys weight most efficiently. The hips are slightly tucked under (a small shift forward for most people) - spine 'straight', shoulders relaxed. If viewed from the side, one would notice that the hips, heels and shoulders are on the same 'line'. Muscular tension is to be kept at a minimum to allow one to move wherever necessary (movement does not necessarily have to mean stepping - body shifting, bending and such are a part of our movement strategy). As though the spine is a recieving antenna for the stimulus of attack, some describe it that way.
This should not be an unfamiliar position for most martial artists. The hips being tucked allows for our motions (such as whip and wave like motion) to happen naturally without first 'setting' ourselves to defend. This position also allows the legs to kick without repositioning the hip - something like a 'shadow-less kick' from the chinese styles.
Form can be broken, as necessary, to evade a strike or 'relax through' a locking attack but is regained as soon as practical.
Form in motion is flexabile - we allow movement as circumstances call but, back we return to the position i tried to describe earlier.
This position is a natural one. We have had numerous new students report that, when the went into this position, they found it relieved their chronic back pain. No surprise there,,,often the very day to day posture a person uses is something that has been molded over time. As children, men (for example) are taught 'head up, shoulders back, chest out'! Over the years, this takes a toll and can cause back pain (women are often so molded by 'learning' to keep their shoulders forward - leading their steps with a swing of the hips. This also leads to back and shoulder pain - lets not mention what the cultural gift of wearing high heels does to their posture and spinal alignment).
A serious Systema student will soon work on maintaining the spinal alignement 'form' whenever possible...standing, walking and such. Within a period of 'reminding' the body of the 'form' something interesting happens - the body adopts this posture constantly (we believe the body is actually 'remembering' that this is the more natural posture than the cultural ones it had been using).
As mentioned in 'relaxation' - we have no 'stance' - this is true - we do have a 'relaxed posture' though. The posture...the form, that we use ALL the time.
(We use the 'breaking' of spinal allignment as a part of our takedown technique strategy. It is a rather efficient method and I have successfully used it in my employ many times, I am certain that this will be covered in detail at the Expo by Vlad).

So far, it should be easy to see how the previously mentioned cornerstones (breathing and relaxation) fit together, and are a synergistic component of the 'form'; at least the very basic introduction to this concept that I have attempted to explain.

[Mr.Fister]

The 4 cornerstones of Systema - part 4
"Twas three men of Hindustan,
(though very much inclined)
went off to see the elephant -
though all of them were blind".
(with apologies to the author)
It is with some trepidation that I approach to describe the subject of 'movement' in Systema - for it is a vast subject - I feel I will serve as well as one of the blind men as I attempt to describe this (Systema) elephant. I shall try though.
Movement - in the body, with the body - is the aspect of this method that most fixate on.
We strive to 'recapture' a totality of movement that general life seems to rob us of as we go through our days. The flexability of the body - its amazing capacity for a wide range of movement...its something that day to day life rarely calls upon. Many sit at a desk or have a repetitious movement pattern in their daily employ - and dont require full range of motion of their body. Martial arts studies often work on recapturing this motion range - yet, oftentimes, they install repetitive patterns of their own, drilled into a students reactions, depending on the 'style'.
Many familiar with the striking methods of a karate like style can notice a 'hinged' turning from side to side of the shoulders when punching. Rarely is the full capacity for circular shoulder rotation called upon to generate force or create a deflecting defense. Such motions are the key to Systema movements of striking and defense.
We often refer to whip-like motion in striking - and it is a sequential chaining of the body motions in turn that develops the power in striking. For example - when a student is taught to strike a head level target with an open right hand strike - the motion actually starts with the left foot. In the beginning, the motion is large and exageratted for the student to learn the 'feel' of the strike - later, the motion becomes quite refined and 'small' - as one becomes familiar with this method of power generation, and can strike quite forcefully with little apparent motion of the body.
Defensively, the student learns to use the flexability to evade a blow without moving the feet or, when getting struck, to ride the blow through the body - the body channeling the force off course. They also learn how to absorb a direct hit - the concept of the martial artist who never gets hit in an all out encounter (particularly a mass attack) is pretty much a hollywood dream. (Not that it does not happen - I have experienced such 'un-touchability' in mass attack through my employ - but I attribute it largely to the ineffectiveness of my attackers).
So far, I have described a small part of just the elephants tail. This was movement in place.
In motion, a System-ist appears to be unimpressive until the contact range is reached. No evil game face or easily recognized fighting stance evident here. The opponent's attack most often dictates what will defeat him...we do not block (though we might strike the attacking limb as it comes - giving the impression of a 'block'). We prefer to redirect the incoming strike in such a manner that the defending limb develops into the strike the attacker meets.
The rhythm - the 'beats' of combat - in Systema is not the classic one-two. The deflections/strikes/takedowns all tend to blend into each other. It tends to be overwhelming to an attacker.
Since we do not 'stance' - we also do not have a tendency to step in a pattern or step deeply, as we feel this restricts one ability to react to things as they arise in conflict. Oftentimes, it appears no more unusual as a normal walking pace.
We 'change levels' to the body during an encounter - this adds force to a strike, takes contact/force away from an opponents blow and helps to create a difficult target for an attacker to draw a bead on. Just by bending ones knees as one fights - you can disconcert the opponent who is used to a less mobile target.
We will, if circumstances warrent; attack before attacked - we do this with multiple opponents more frequently.
The body learn to move its limbs independently, in different directions simultaneously - one defending as the other strikes a different opponent. It also learns to continue a motion broadly - a single punching motion can strike two (or more) points on an attacker or can actually continue to strike two (or more) attackers.

We will also avoid moving more than is necessary - a deflection ends when the threat is passed, we dont defend empty air. When coupled with the moving of the body from one spot to another - a deflection can be very unobtrusive. They can be done with the hands, the elbows, shoulders - even the trunk of the body can be manipulated in such a way as to effect a deflection. The opponent believes he has made solid contact (the Russians call this 'happy fist') but he has not, and before he can process the 'miss', he has been struck, unbalanced or otherwise manipulated into a disadvanageous position.

OK...theres part of the Systema elephants ear.
As the reader might assume - I have left out alot...actually the larger part. Not because I do not believe you can understand what I am describing - more because I have to move into my day. Perhaps more will follow, at a later date.

NOW - I have touched upon the four cornerstones of Systema - and in so doing, only gave the most general of descriptions. The four are so enfolded and dependent upon each other that we return to the 'three men of Hindustan' situation. Again, it is difficult for me to describe what is so much easier to show and teach...but I tried to give some idea.

fister


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