Ryabko's Systema is a type of martial art headed by Mikhail Ryabko. Ryabko is a Colonel[1] in the Russian military, and has past military, special forces, and traditional Russian martial arts training.
This art is variously called Systema, "The System", "Russian martial arts" and " poznaj sebya" (Russian language: познай себя "discover yourself"). Although this art uses the same name as Kadochnikov's Systema, it is different in a number of ways, most notably because it doesn't directly study biomechanics. The practical philosophy, training methods, views on history and many other subtleties are completely different.
"The System" is a reference to the various systems of the body (Muscle, Nervous system, respiratory system, etc.) as well as elements of Psychology and the Spirit.
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Note: The Systema article describes history common to these arts.
The strongest influence of Ryabko's style is from traditional Russian martial arts, originally through a member of Sokoli Stalina (Russian: Соколы Сталина "Stalin's Falcons" - Joseph Stalin's personal bodyguards.)[2]
Ryabko operates the Systema headquarters[3] in Russia, and continues to train students and military personnel, and also acts as an advisor. Lastly, belonging to the military, he still performs those duties. Students of various kinds travel to Russia to train with him.
Vladimir Vasiliev is Ryabko's senior student, who emigrated from Russia and presently heads the official Russian Martial Art Systema Headquarters outside of Russia, located in Toronto Canada.[4] He has regular classes, and some students travel from international locations to train with him. He travels, mostly in North America to host seminars.
Emmanuel Manolakakis is one of Vasiliev's senior students who also operates Fight Club[5] in Toronto Canada. He also hosts and guests in seminars throughout North America, and has had appearances on television and radio. He has also produced instructional videos. Manolakakis is also one of the first instructors with a youth class.
Valentin Vasiliev, Vladimir's brother teaches in Munster Germany http://www.rma-deutschland.de/
Systema is taught in Port Hope, Ontario, by Sascha Lutz, a student of Vladimir Vasiliev.
One of most senior instructors and Ryabko's representative in Europe is Andreas Weitzel http://www.rma-systema.de/
Edgar Tsakouls teaches Systema at Fighthouse[6] in New York, New York. Seminars that Ryabko has taught in New York have been released on DVD.[7]
Arend Dubbelboer is also an instructor, who gives systema in The Netherlands. He is trained by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev.
In Belgium, Systema is taught by instructor Koen Vandersteene, also trained by Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko.
Although as of 2006 there are students who are three and four generations away from Ryabko, both Ryabko and Vasiliev remain the strongest influences and most capable practitioners.
Training can vary widely between classes or the focuses of each student. For example, instructors may have their own unique preferences and students may have injuries or fears which complicate certain exercises.
In general, though, there is no set curriculum and no two classes even by the same instructor are the same. Commonly, training will include general calisthenics, stretching, breathing and exercises which dramatically enhance strength through body weight and one's natural range of motion. Despite generally being categorized as a martial art, training includes many of these health-enhancing exercises. Some training exercises could be seen as forms of meditation or self-psychology.
Some work could be done alone and some could be done with one or more students. Because Systema's popularity has expanded more than the availability of instructors and classes, solo-work is becoming more commonly seen with those who don't have ready access to an instructor.
Systema is particularly attractive to professionals in the police, military or bodyguard professions, and even to "door men" (bouncers). Because of their special needs, and serious professional interest, their training may be very different from the "civilian self-defence" training which most undergo. The core lessons would be much the same, but specific circumstances and tools would vary. A bouncer may be interested in strikes with slaps instead of fists, a bodyguard would be interested in moving their charge to the ground without hurting them. Defence with knives, crowd or individual-psychology may be particularly important, etc. Work with handguns and rifles, night-work, stealth and espionage or any number of other topics are possible.
Any one exercise could be varied countless ways. Indeed, no exercise is counted and few exercises have more than a nickname to describe them. Most exercises are a description or a demonstration followed by the students trying it themselves. The exercise may be varied or transformed into a new exercise, or the training could progress to a different exercise. In some cases, students will choose to vary the exercise slightly to try something new or to practice something specific. In any case, there are many moments within any particular exercise which allow for variation. Working with a bigger or smaller partner is a notable example how one specific activity can vary widely.
Students attend to each exercise one after the other, without there being a concept of progression through a particular class or between different classes. Each student absorbs the content of their work in a unique way. Each student learns and understands "their Systema" uniquely.
Actual practices can vary widely between practitioners, especially for those who come from a different background and continue existing practices and training. Although there is no official, rigid "belief system" or ideology that is taught, most practitioners over time seem to share similar core values, including:
It is because of this personalness in training and understanding that Systema expresses itself uniquely in each person. Though surface ideas and so-called "philosophies" seem to differ between practitioners, Systema fundamentally encourages that practitioners adopt a philosophical disposition of openness to their experiences, so that they may attain truthful insight into their psyches, to better understand personal strengths and weaknesses.
Other practices include massage and strikes to alleviate stress and tension. Some practitioners douse in cold-water. Typically, a bucket of cold water is left out to chill overnight; then poured over the head while standing outside with one's bare feet on the earth. Some students do weight training with kettlebells.
A number of publications have featured Systema. Here are a few:
Other:
"Systema: Perspective in combat training" article by Kevin Secours]
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