Systema Training with Vali Majd

I had the pleasure of first meeting Vali Majd during my first training trip to Toronto in 2011. Vali is both an awesome and humble individual who has a wealth of knowledge on Systema. My first training encounter with him was during a training session at Emmanuel (Manny) Manolokakis's Systema School Fight Club . We were practicing some knife work, when Vali cam at me with the blade. At the time I made my escape and attempted to control the knife and remove it from him. When my initial action didn't work I resorted to attempting to muscle the knife away from him. After a few moments of this Vali was kind enough to correct me by slamming the ridge of his bald Persian head into my nose (like it needed to get any flatter).

Startled, in pain and with eyes watering I stumbled back, recovered my balance and said the first thing that came to mind... "Yep, Sorry...My fault". At the end of class Vali and I were chatting during which he kindly explained to me that "Using a sudden burst of excess tension to accomplish a task could be just as bad as suddenly speeding up during the use of the slow training tool"

The next time I saw Vali after that trip was during his seminar in Auckland, New Zealand which was hosted by Loren Clements who teaches the Systema Auckland Club. During this 2 day outdoor seminar Vali taught us numerous lessons pertaining to Systema. But for me the one that really stood out was the importance of not only to"Know Yourself" but also to "Know For Yourself".

The following footage was taken of Vali in 2011 guest Instructing at Fight Club in Toronto.

Whenever I am asked about this gentleman I frequently respond with: "If you ever have the chance to train with this gentleman...Take it"


Biography:

Before being named as Founder and Chief Instructor of Roots Dojo, Vali Majd, since 1996 had been, and still is a student of traditional Ryabko – Vasiliev Systema. Vali Majd brings along an army of talent and could be considered honest and dependable; his lengthy exposure to the art, along with his abilities to practice, to teach, to demonstrate and to clearly articulate subtle concepts of Systema makes him and his dojo worth visiting.

2009-Founded JTFCanada
 2002-Formed Comox Valley Systema 
1999-Founded Pacific Coast Systema (now Roots Dojo)
1995-Started at Russian Martial Art HQ, Toronto

Vali is a Medical First Responder and a Firefighter with the Denman Island Volunteer Fire Department.

For more information visit: http://www.pacificcoastsystema.com/



Justin Ho
Principal Instructor
Systema Sydney Russian Martial Art
www.systemasydney.com

Benevolent Fists

We have been playing with cleaning the body and psyche of excess fear and tension using striking. Something I took away from my time in Toronto was the quality of the strikes that were delivered amongst teachers, students and training partners. Whilst at times the strikes were both heavy and deep, they were always delivered in a way that were calming to the nervous system, to help cleanse the person of fear and agitation. It was also an awesome bonding experience, which fostered a great sense of community :)

For those of us that study Systema we have all heard that there are strikes with different qualities. Two such qualities which I am thinking of now are strikes which calm versus strikes which irritate the nervous system. I remember hearing a great explanation from Emmanuel Manolakakis of Fight Club in Toronto; Often people will come to a Systema class, and will often take many hits from many different training partners. When strikes are delivered that have an irritating quality or effect on the person over the period of the class it has a cumulative affect. At first it could be just a slight irritation which is unnoticed by the person who has been hit. However then he cops another strike with an irritating quality a few minutes later, followed by another and another. Over a period of the time often without the person realising it the level of agitation in the psyche increases and increases and then begins to effect how they maintain themselves, how they perceive situations and in turn then affects the work that they produce. 

There are times when it may be appropriate to deliver strikes which agitate or incapacitate a person, however within the realms of training, practitioners need to consider longevity and sustainability. If we are going to be hitting each other everyday regularly, it needs to be done in a way that does not destroy each other, but in a way that makes each other stronger and more relaxed, helping to clean the body of fear. In this way we are able to train and strike on a regular basis and do so in a way where we are able to do this today, tomorrow and hopefully well into our old age (some sooner that others....just joking).

What has helped me work on this for myself and convey this idea to people who I train with is to consider a few things  which will Irritate the nervous system vs Calm the nervous system. Some possible ideas are as follows:

Things which irritate the nervous system 

• Surface impact with sharp but light pressure (likened to getting flicked in the ear)
• Sharp, jerky and erratic movements
• Impact involving bone on bone
• Uncertainty or nervousness in the movement
• An erratic or unpredictable rhythm (which will not allow the person to adapt and become comfortable with the strikes)
• Strikes which cause jolting movements locking the person's body
• Trying to dominate or coerce your partner
• Trying to hit harder
• Thinking of striking as competition
• Striking or working with no awareness or care of the other person

Things which calm the nervous system

• Deep pressure, a deep level of touch (likened to getting a deep comforting massage)
• Smooth, not necessarily slow, but smooth movements
• Impact involving flesh on bone, or flesh on flesh
• Certainty and confidence in the movement
• A constant rhythm (to allow the person to first adapt and become comfortable with the strikes)
• Strikes which unlock tension and teach movements which give a person "somewhere to go"
• Trying to relax or help your partner
• Allowing yourself to learn how to hit well
• Thinking of striking as massage
• Striking or working in such a way that you are aware of the other person, considering there needs at any given moment

In this way a practitioner can learn to hit in a way that is conducive to sustainable training for everyone involved. As funny as it sounds it is a good thing to learn to have Benevolent Fists. 

Or perhaps to be able to "Hit with love", a more familiar saying amongst Systema folk :)

Somebody from across the seas recently told me: You can put the guy down and actually lower the level of fear and anger in this world rather than just shift it. It's a very nice skill.


Thanks Gene.

Justin Ho
Principal Instructor
Systema Sydney Russian Martial Art
www.systemasydney.com

Technical Awareness

There is a technical side to Systema. Some examples could include; understanding the specifics of a good walk, what good structure of the body entails, how to fall and roll in a safe manner, as well as certain anatomical and neurological facts which can help you to train in a safe and productive manner.

It is good to have an awareness of such things, however not at the expense of being able to learn somatically. To be able to learn by feeling and listening to your body is incredibly important. It is good to be aware of technical components, however not to the point where they become dogma which are adhered to zealously and without thought or flexibility (keep in mind the principle of paradox). As Emmanuel Manolakakis eloquently put it; "Training is not about accomplishing technical proficiencies, but rather cleansing your assumptions in life".

It is good to pay attention to technical aspects, they can help you improve your work greatly. However remember they are only part of the larger picture. It is probably not the best to get lost in the details in your head and lose the ability to be in the moment. You don't want to get stuck with a Technical obsession. However you don't want to completely shun technical information either.

A good Technical awareness is a very useful attribute when used as part of the larger picture.

Justin Ho

Principal Instructor

Systema Sydney Russian Martial Art

www.systemasydney.com

Use what destroys you to restore you

Since I have arrived in Toronto Vladimir has repeatedly instructed us to do the following when running in class:

                                                     "Don't look down,
                                                 run because you breathe,
                                              run because you are relaxed,
                                               speed up and stay relaxed."

There was a lot more to these things than I realised when I first arrived. It has been interesting to play with these ideas, seeing the effects that they have on the body, and how you can keep yourself in a calm and neutral state when undergoing a physically demanding activity.

One of my teacher's here Emmanuel (Manny) Manolakakis has explained it to me in several helpful ways:

A person can run or jog slowly and remain relaxed. There is nothing particularly amazing about this.  A person can become quite tense, and run faster, expending vast quantities of effort and energy. There is also nothing particularly amazing about this. HOWEVER: If a person is able to run faster, or perform a task at a higher intensity, whilst still being able to remain relaxed, minimise their tension and maintain a stable/neutral psyche... Well then we really have something here ;)

Manny being quite the cycling enthusiast used the analogy of the riders in the Tour de France. The race covers more than 3,600 kilometres (2,200 mi) and lasts three weeks. These guys will have to ride for several hours every day, and cannot afford to be frivolous with their energy. In this race these guys will have to constantly push themselves to keep going, and at the same time still be able to rest without stopping (for quite a lot of the race). Pushing non-stop with nothing but tension is probably not going to be a good idea given the duration of the race. The ability to work at an increased intensity whilst maintaining relaxation is essential here.

                                  

Study how to use what destroys you, to restore you instead. In this way learn to keep your energy, and to use it wisely. Study to the very best of your ability to make what is your extreme begin to feel like your normal. Don't just become good at suffering.

The work

Begin with walking and breathing. Pick a comfortable count of steps per breath. Be mindful of your physical, emotional, and psychological state. Remember what "Normal" feels like. Your goal will be to maintain this state. Once you are comfortable, begin to jog lightly, whilst still keeping yourself as free of tension as possible. Don't look down. The human head is approximately the weight of a bowling ball, and deviating from a neutral position for extended periods will create and accumulate excess and unnecessary tension which will burden you in this (or any) endeavour. (i.e. your form will be broken, your breathing will become laboured, the tension from your neck and shoulders will spread to the rest of your body restricting your movement, and ability to dissipate any further development of tension, and also there will be implications for your psyche etc...)

Only speed up if you are able to do so whilst remaining relaxed. Breathe to remain relaxed and use the movement of your jog/run to feel and clear out any unnecessary tension in your body. I find speeding up is easier when I think of projecting my head and spine forwards as one unit with my shoulders, arms, hips and legs remaining relaxed and attached to this unit. When I do this it feels as if I relax into my run, almost falling into my run. Then it is just a matter of adapting my breathing in order to minimise the tension. I find also trying to cultivate a feeling of lightness with the breath also helpful.

You can also do this work performing the core exercises (push ups, squats, sit ups and leg raisers). Do these exercises at comfortable pace and as relaxed as possible, then speed up whilst maintaining this relaxation.

It is simple work, but very deep when you perform it correctly.