Our last class before Christmas was very small, only 3 of us showed
up. Denis asked us what we wanted to do. He usually gives us a choice
but has a general idea of what we need to work on. Today he opened
the floor for suggestions. I rarely offer a suggestion when he asks
us. I'm happy to work on anything. I also have this feeling that the
things I'd like to work on are the things that are easiest for me, so
better to work on other things. But I do have some favorite topics,
such as groundwork, working with just the legs, and against the wall
or other confined spaces. My mom likes to work with knives and has
demonstrated proficiency with this topic in particular. Denis asked
if we'd like to work with swords instead. I suggested that we do both
and so we all agreed.
To warm up we did these very hard pushups with each person holding a
knife. One lays on their back with hands raised, the other holds
their hands and gets into pushup position, then the person on the
floor lowers their arms and the person above sinks down as if they
were doing a pushup. This is very hard without even holding the
knife, which added an extra challenge. Then we did the same thing
with the person above sideways (perpendicular) rather than above the
person on the ground. Then, in the same position, we tried to stab or
slash each other, difficult because of the constriction of having to
link hands.
Denis brought us some wooden practice swords which were a little more
realistic than the lighter wooden ones in that they were slightly
heavier and had a hilt and pommel, rather than being just a loosely-
shaped piece of wood. Of course they were nowhere near as heavy as a
real sword. I was expecting some instruction on how to hold the sword
or wield it, but except for a brief comment from Denis not to let the
tip of the sword drag on the ground, we just plunged right into the
topic. Just as we often do with knives, we started by pushing our
partners while they remained in place and yielded just the body part
being pushed, then we did the same thing while they stepped, and
finally we stabbed and slashed at them with the swords while they
avoided. Then we practiced counter-offence by using the sword to
defend against our partners' attacks and return to them. This was
unlike anything I've ever done in Systema class before. I always
figured with swords, you had to spend a long time learning to draw
and hold the sword properly, and that a beginner wouldn't start
sparring until mastering the basics of sword-fighting. But we took a
Systema approach to our sword-work and just dived right in. To make
it more fun, we had two, and then three, people, attack one person as
they used their sword to defend and counter-attack. I quickly found
the principle of constant movement to be the key in avoiding the
three swords as they slashed at me. I was most successful in avoiding
when I stepped "through" the sword after I used it to block an
attack, just as Edgar taught us to step through the "holes" left by
your attacking partner when you manipulate them. It's kind of like
the "hair-combing" method of passing off a blow, by "brushing" your
arm back and over your head and stepping through. So it was less of a
block with the sword than "passing" the attacking blades off with my
own sword and then moving through the hole. It was a challenge with
three attackers, and I found myself moving all over the room to avoid
them, trying not to get distracted by looking at one person's blade
but rather keep all three within my peripheral vision, keeping an eye
on their shoulders, rather than the blade itself, to see the movement
before their swords entered my space.
Edgar and Denis also took their turns with the three students
attacking them with swords. I was very impressed with the way both of
our teachers evaded the sword and maintained a position of advantage
against the three of us. Denis in particular evaded us with ease but
Edgar was also quite skilled in gracefully foiling the three slashing
swords. I know that both of them have many years of martial arts
experience and that they have probably studied a sword art, but I
also think that Systema in itself prepares you to fight with any kind
of weapon, and that the principle of constant movement will always
serve you well when faced with multiple attackers.
We then spent the remainder of class working with knives in close
quarters. We stood side by side with our partners, shoulders
touching, and then one person attacked the other with the knife.
Edgar explained to us that you have to feel the attack first, with
your shoulder or your arm, rather than waiting for the knife to
arrive in your personal space. An important part of Systema--maybe
all martial arts, but I've never studied another--is to feel the
attack before it happens, using perception and sensitivity, and move
before the knife is pressed against you. Of course this isn't always
possible, and that's why we also work on freeing from holds, grabs,
and chokes, but whenever you can, move before you end up in such a
vulnerable situation.
We also did this exercise side-by-side facing in opposite directions,
and with our eyes closed. Then we tried the same thing back-to-back,
which is a lot more difficult. You have no choice but the feel the
attack, as you cannot see what's coming. Closing the eyes actually
didn't make a big difference with the back-to-back exercise because
your perception is most dependent on feeling, not vision.
Then we did the same exercises in chairs, side-by-side, and side-by-
side facing opposite directions. Here the chair can be a useful
accessory, as you can use the back of it to apply pressure to the arm
or to the hand as your partner attacks. The idea with the exercises
above was only to disarm the knife or foil the attack, but we next
moved into more vigorous applications as the three students sat on
the couch. The one on the end was the attacker, the one in the middle
the bodyguard, and the one on the other end the target. The attacker
tried to stab or slash at the target, who just sat there pretending
to be a dumb celebrity, and the person in the middle had to defend
them. We switched this around so the target and the attacker were
sitting in different places on the couch.
To make things interesting, Denis asked my mom and I to remain on the
couch and we'd defend against knife attacks as a family. Edgar
attacked my mom and the third student came at me. We were actually
very effective as a team and were able to use the attackers against
each other to take them down. I was using my legs a lot as I've
found, with your back against the wall, that if you simultaneously
draw in the attacker in and kick their support out from under them,
it can be very effective. Denis told me I should go lower with my
legs and not target the waist, as it's more sneaky and surprising. My
mom was doing very well against Edgar's attacks and we were all
impressed. Then Edgar and the other student took the couch. To my
surprise, they didn't find this exercise as easy as we did and our
attacks were more successful. But there could have been any number of
factors; perhaps we were more resistant to falling that they were.
But without a doubt, working with the knife is one of my mom's
favorites, and she likes confined spaces as well, because she doesn't
feel her petite frame is a disadvantage as she does when we are doing
leg work, for example. I have long legs for a woman and that's
probably why I like the legwork, so, just as it says in the
Guidebook, every body type offers some different advantage.
Afterwards, we had our small Christmas party. Peggy gave my mom and I
gifts, as the Number One and Two girls with our attendance. My
dedication to training and unwillingness to miss a class did not go
unnoticed by them! I was touched by their thoughtfulness. They also
had laid out a nice post-training snack for us, and we spent a few
hours in the back room drinking several bottles of wine and talking
of life and Systema. Edgar and Denis related to us something they had
heard" "Systema just happens to be a martial art." I thought that
captures Systema very well. "It is so much deeper than that,"
said
Edgar, looking thoughtfully at me, and I felt that he truly
understood how much Systema means to me; it has become my way of life.
I have just finished one year of training at Fighthouse, and as I
look forward to many more years of training in Systema, I'm extremely
grateful to have made the acquaintances of such fine people who so
willingly share their knowledge. The camaraderie of the Systema
community is precious to me, it's forever changed my life and not a
day goes by when I don't feel grateful to be part of it.
Best wishes for a joyous New Year,
Rachel