Hello,

On the official forum at www.russianmartialart.com/forum, an
instructor posted a question from a study group

>>I have a question about some training. We have been doing a lot of
sensitivity training and push training and now whenever I try to
perform a take down on one of the faster learning guys he is
beginning to flow and go and evading pressure to the control points.
I am also doing the same. I can still take him down, but I have to
almost "set him up" or wait for the right time in order to bypass his
evasiveness and take him down. Any thoughts?<<

You can read the instructor's response here
http://www.russianmartialart.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=29591#29589

as well as my own, which I am pasting below:

I would suggest the 'ballroom dancing' drills because the outcome is
less predictable and therefore harder to avoid than a takedown. No
doubt you are familiar with them, but I will describe them using the
generic third-person 'you' for the benefit of anyone reading this
forum.

Stand at a natural distance from your partner, and push or pull him
as you would for a typical Systema yielding warm-up drill. Each push
or pull should correspond to one step by both you and your partner as
you move around the room. Your partner should not move until he feels
your push or pull. If your partner begins to move before rather than
after the push or pull, slow down and push or pull less frequently
until the rhythm is restored. To an outsider, it will look very much
like dancing. Both partners should remain inside the 'hula-hoop'-
sized imaginary area that encompasses them so this will involve
turning, pivoting, and relaxing the axis of the hips and shoulders.
This is not the same as the 'grab-and-escape' drill; it is for
developing sensitivity.

Once you have mastered that, try the same exercise with one or both
partners' eyes closed. When you are both confident that you can
remain within the imaginary area with only your sense of touch and
intuition, try the foot-stepping drill, which is more like a game
from childhood than a drill. Stand at a natural distance from your
partner, and raise your hands above your head. Your partner should
raise his hands, too. This will help keep your eyes up. Relax your
eyes with an unfocused gaze. Then attempt to step on your partner's
toes, while he attempts to avoid having his toes trodden upon. This
is quite difficult. The idea is not to see if you can break your
partner's toes. If you are stepping on his toes over and over again,
slow down to the point where he is escaping most of the time. If you
are unable to step on his toes, try going a little faster or use
false visual cues, such as looking off to one direction and stepping
in another, or dropping your right shoulder but stepping to your
left.

I find these drills useful for developing better timing and
sensitivity to movement, which are helpful in physical conflict
situations. These recommendations are not based on my expertise with
Systema but rather upon my extensive collection of Systema drills in
my training notes from the last five years (located at http://new-
pony.com/systema/#topics )

As an aside, I'm still on the bench, recovering from ankle surgery,
so my posts have been less frequent than usually. Thanks for sticking
with the Systema Group.

*Vsego nailuchshego* (best wishes),
Rachel