How to Strike Properly with Mikhail Ryabko

Here is an entire seminar on "How to Strike Properly" taught by Systema Master Mikhail Ryabko. It is all in Russian, however even if you do not speak the language there is a lot of great visual information provided.

 

Regards,

Justin Ho

Principal Instructor

Systema Sydney Russian Martial Art

www.systemasydney.com

Fists and Punches by Systema Master Vladimir Vasiliev

A few years ago, when I was visiting Mikhail Ryabko in Moscow, he demonstrated a slow fist pushup against the wall. I still clearly remember how standing next to him, it felt like a huge beast filled the room, the wall was droning and buzzing under his fists.

Pushups in Systema are not just exercises for shoulders and chest, they are a comprehensive method to prepare for fighting and strikes. The way Mikhail did it, he had full sensitivity of the surface his fists were on, and he was not just moving his body up and down, he used the points of weight bearing to work through his entire body. The pushing off force moved though the arms down to the feet and back up, smooth, strong and solid.

Fist pushups are great training for punches. When done correctly, they help us learn how to strike without tension in the body. When we learn to do pushups while keeping the body relaxed, using only the muscles we need – then we will be able to do the same during strikes – that is to keep the body tension-free while delivering a punch. Control of our muscle tension gives us power and precision, it allows us to choose the distance correctly, there is no longer a need to reach, punches become short, strong and accurate. Tension-free punches produce no side effects of straining and fatigue, the recovery time from training and fighting becomes minimal.

When I practiced karate many years ago, before my Systema experience, I noticed a definite vulnerability there. At the point of completing a strike, the body was fixed, in a rigid structure, not moving and tense. I found that this often created a very fragile structure for real confrontations. If the striker was hit right at that moment – he was easily injured. A tense body lacks sensitivity and agility, it cannot react, escape and counterattack quickly and smoothly.




So here is how you can practice pushups.

• Stand on the fists in the pushup position. 
• Place as much of your fist surface as comfortable in contact with the floor. 
• Execute the pushup and continue to feel the ground with the same fist area as you started with throughout the entire range of movement. 
• In the meantime, watch for any tension in the body. 
• As soon as you feel that part of your fist surface no longer has full sensitivity of the floor – you know that tension has set in. In that case, continue the pushups and try to relax through breathing and movement. 
• Repeat as much as you feel is necessary. 

Also, as Mikhail explains, such pushups with tension control have a tremendous health benefit. They ensure that excessive pressure does not go up to the head but instead gets evenly distributed through the body. We know how damaging the excessive pressure to the head can be during striking. Once mastered in pushups, the pressure control will also be occurring while delivering a punch.

About the Author:
Born in Russia, Vladimir received intense training from the top Special Operations Units instructors and is the top student of Mikhail Ryabko. Vladimir's work spans across 10 years of extensive service with the Special Operations Unit. He also served as trainer for elite units, SWAT teams, and bodyguards. Vladimir moved to Canada, and in 1993 founded the first school of Russian Martial Art outside Russia - Systema Headquarters. He has since personally trained and certified well over 300 qualified Russian Martial Art instructors and schools worldwide, and has provided an Award-Winning instructional film collection.




Thanks Vlad,


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

Street Fighter Tests Russian Martial Art Systema

Filmed at the Systema School of Mikhail Ryabko by Systema Miami.

  This clips starts AFTER almost 2 minutes of hard striking by the same guy. Him and his friend wanted to see if Systema is real. They were experienced street fighters from Moscow. They were allowed to hit a couple guys hard to see how we take strikes with breathing and relaxation and then they were given a couple 'gentle' strikes by Mikhail Ryabko. He used just the right amount of power to let them "understand" yet let them keep their "dignity". At the end both guys were very interested and wanted to learn more about Systema. Mikhail converted aggressiveness and bullying into interest and respect. A very powerful lesson for any martial arts teacher out there.

 

Clip sourced from Systema Miami: http://www.youtube.com/user/SystemaMiami?feature=watch

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