Rachel's Systema Writings >> Seminar Reviews >> Vladimir Vasiliev Knife Seminar - Saturday, June 5th, 2004

Vladimir Vasiliev Knife Seminar - Saturday, June 5th, 2004

[Vladimir Vasiliev]
This was my first experience with such a large seminar; more Systema-ists in one place than I've ever seen before. At first I was a little nervous, I feel shy around people with whom I'm not well-acquainted, but all my partners were just as nice as I've come to expect from our community. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with people who traveled from all over the country to be there. And of course to meet the man whom I've heard so much about, who despite his astonishing capabilities, is a warm, friendly, and humble teacher, just as many have described. It was a rare treat to watch Vladimir and many other high-level practitioners as they demonstrated applications dealing with the knife. I can hardly call it fighting, as it seems as effortless and natural a movement a bird in flight, or a fish swimming through water. Not just skill, but a complete harmony with space, gravity, other people; transcending—yet utterly accepting without fear—the physical nature of the universe. As always, my words are insufficient to describe it, and I lack the experience to explain it, all I can do is convey my sense of amazement at what I've seen.

As with Martins' seminar on chokes, this was about using the knife as well as defending from it. To warm up we did pushups, leg-lifts, and squats, with in/out breathing patterns, these exercises are familiar to most who take Systema classes. Then we touched each other with knives, while the other person yielded, using enough pressure for them to feel it and move with it. Then we stabbed or slashed at one another from a step or two distance, while the other rotated or otherwise avoided the knife.

Vladimir reminded us that the person, not the knife, was the threat, and to keep our eyes up and avoid focusing on the weapon. As I understand it, this allows for greater perception of the person's intent with peripheral vision, since movement of the arms or legs begins at the shoulder or hip. Peripheral vision helped our ancestors avoid predators; now that we as a species are at the top of the food chain, we tend not to use it much. Keeping the eyes up also helps to maintain good posture.

Vladimir showed us how sweeping the knife out of the way could make you vulnerable to slashes of the hand, and we practiced redirecting the slashing hand and drawing away immediately to protect the hand. To better illustrate this, we used "digging sticks"—wooden dowels about an inch in diameter with nails hammered halfway into either end. Sometimes these nails are trimmed off and sharpened, but fortunately for us, these had just the nail heads!

We practiced sort of rotating these around our partner's arms, while they maintained close contact, using the figure-eight or snake-like movements to weav around the stick, avoiding the nails. I guess my partner and I were taking it a bit easy, we did not actually leave welts on each other, as some did. But it gives a better sense of the dangers of the knife, especially in the hands of a highly skilled person, than does a harmless practice knife.

We returned to our practice knives to work on avoiding knife stabs and thrusts, which Vladimir demonstrated in various ways, for example, capturing the knife hand and rotating the body towards it, to inflict pressure on the wrist. We also practiced avoiding stabs or thrusts using just the legs. I'm always amazed how using the legs comes naturally when the hands are involved, but for me, when I stick my hands in my pockets, for some reason, I don't use my legs quite as easily. Then we practiced avoiding knife attacks by going down to the ground and taking the other person down. For me, as for many people, this is easier this than taking someone down while standing up.

We also spent time practicing defending with the knife, rather than just avoiding it, so both partners had knives for this one. I found this a real challenge. I've never wielded a knife, aside from carving a roast in the kitchen. At first, while my partner attacked, I kept holding onto it, using only the other arm, and basically handicapping myself with it. But finally got the hang of it, and all the exercises that we had done earlier began to fit into a larger picture.

I was sorry my mom had to miss this seminar; she loves to work with knives, but was obligated to be at work for an important project. But she joined us for our delightful party which followed the seminar. After enjoying many delicious Russian foods, and of course a few glasses of wine, I ended up writing this a few days afterwards, and have forgotten a few things that we learned, but I'm sure I speak for many when I say what a great experience this was, and how much I looked forward to the following day's seminar.