We believe in beginners can always join in.
We believe each class should be unique and
every challenge different.
Q: Why do you train slow? How does that work if what I want to learn is real life self defence?
We train slowly at first because speed of movement can create both physical and psychological tension.
In a real life situation you don’t want to freeze up. You want to be able to defend yourself. The freezing is caused by both the physical and psychological tension.
Once you have relaxed and are exploiting the possible counter attacks, then we can speed up and see if the tension returns or if you are able to continue in a relaxed fashion. This is an individual test to see if you can continue to move smoothly even when the speed increases. This is what we refer to as working on yourself.
Freeing yourself from the tension and escaping the line of attack is how you stay safe.
Q: What if I have never studied any martial arts before?
This is the best possible situation to start learning Systema. You won’t feel like you’re having to unlearn tension causing habits like the others often do.
We always provide instructions on how to complete the exercise safely. You’ll never have to do anything you are not comfortable with.
You will just need to practice long enough to acquire and learn the skills.
Q: Are there solo exercises that I can practice when class is not happening?
Yes, there are actually lots.
All of the warm up exercises help you connect or reconnect your breathing to your movement.
Doing any of the continuous movement exercises while maintaining proper breathing is another excellent way to practice.
Doing the breathing exercises daily is recommended. This helps with health, and the release of tension.
There are also an unlimited amount of individual skills that can be practiced to develop proficiency with the weapons.