Philosophy of Systema

The heart of Systema’s philosophy centers around three components the Russians believed were necessary to be a Warrior. In fact, at one time what is now recently called Systema was called Know Yourself (Познай Себя). Basically, the idea is to know how proud and/or weak the student is. Systema helps the student to gain the strength which comes from Humility, Honor, Valor, and Strength, which are universally considered the foundations of being a Warrior. These include combat skills, a strong spirit, and a healthy body. The combat skill would be Systema.

The term spirit refers to the human psyche. The term strong will refer to control. The psyche must be controlled so the student is able to do combat while being calm and controlling the fear, anger, self-pity, arrogance, and pride. A healthy body today is generally called a combat body. A combat body is created through Russian massage and specific training exercises. A combat body is a body that is free of tension but has great endurance, flexibility, movement, and explosive potential.

Within that, there are four foundational principles of Systema fighting. These four are breathing, movement, relaxation, and posture. There are pages on this website that go into a deeper explanation of each of these four principles. Most people do not know how to breathe properly or realize that they do not breathe continuously. In Systema, we train to breathe properly for everyday life and all forms of training or combat.

In America, fighters typically "stand toe-to-toe" (static) during a confrontation. In this art, we train ourselves to move constantly. Movement provides students of Systema numerous advantages. First, moving makes us a very difficult target to strike while at the same time, we are capable of precisely striking our opponents. Moving also provides us with the ability to access a larger array of targets to strike because the Systema student can strike targets on the front, sides, and back. Posture is very simple. There are no special stances in Systema. The structure used to fight is the same as used to walk. Finally, in Systema, students train their bodies to be relaxed in life and combat. Bodily tension can be useful for training purposes, striking, and misdirection in combat. Fighting with little to no tension helps the student to be faster and less prone to injury if struck.

Systema, the art, has been and is known by various names. Nevertheless, for me, the one name which I believe speaks to the heart of this system is Познай Себя. If you put forth the effort, this art will provide you with the tools to Познай Себя.

In my opinion, Systema is not a martial art or sport, it is a science of life, of [a] Warrior's life." (Major Konstantin Komorov, Systema Instructor)

The Warrior Class

Many Western practitioners of the various martial arts rarely think about the idea of a warrior. In the West, we rarely use the word warrior. Rather, we use soldier. Throughout history, there has always been a difference. As mentioned above, as the Russian homeland became gathered together as one, the various nation-states, Systema became one of the most important arts. The professional warrior who chose Systema for combat became highly regarded and very sought after.

Nevertheless, the professional warrior class was not the only class who overwhelmingly chose Systema as their art. The normal everyday man, no matter his position in life, overwhelmingly chose Systema as well. These were the husbands and fathers who trained to protect their families and communities from enemy incursions. Unlike the professional warriors, these fighters worked, dealt with family, and trained. Of course, these brave men might not have been paid to fight; nevertheless, they were as professional as those hired by governments to secure their borders.

Which brings us back to the question, what is a warrior? A warrior is much more than a mere soldier. A soldier is a person who does the work of a warrior but does not have the warrior mindset. Yet, a warrior is not necessarily limited to those who are paid to protect a Nation State’s infrastructure or border. A warrior is also so much more than those whose arts concern sport. MMA is a sport fought according to a set of rules under the overwatch of a referee who can stop the fight at any moment without the boundary of a fence. This is about fighting, neither being a warrior nor combat. A lot of MAs are concerned more with self-defense, health, and children rather than combat. Like MMA, they too create a false environment in which they are protected by mats and pads. Such arts are also about fighting, not combat.

So, what is a warrior? He is a protector! He may be paid to protect national assets or he might just be a husband or father who comes home from a long day at work to protect his family. But such an individual is not only willing to die but to kill for those who are his. As a protector, he needs the proper tools to protect. Systema is the answer.

Systema has maintained its warrior mentality, focusing on the true combative of protection, not merely fighting. Unlike many modern arts, Systema still today focuses on Combat Skill, strong spirit, and a combat body, all of which are absolutely necessary for today’s Warrior. Additionally, Systema has never watered down its idea of combat. Systema is studied standing up, lying down, leaning against a wall, the seat of a car, a lake, or the front, sides, or back of an opponent. In fact, Systema excels the vast majority, if not all, the other arts in the use of the various categories of tools a Warrior needs. The student studies H2H, Weapons (firearms, especially Knife-work), Stick, the combat body and survival skills.

As the studies increase, the student will continue to study each category but will decide which category or categories he will master. This way, Systema stays as a system. Systema excels other arts for numerous reasons, but one of the most important reasons Systema excels is because the Systema system is all-inclusive for the needs of the Warrior.

Are you looking for a true combat art? Systema is the answer! Do you want more information? Please use the form below and send me your name and email, and I will respond quickly. I look forward to studying Systema with you.

Bo