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The Kettlebell-Systema Controversy

November 9, 2009 by bqsinc  
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The Kettlebell-Systema Controversy

The Controversy?  Should You Use Kettlebells as part of your Systema Training?

Before I answer this, let me say that I teach a Kettlebell Class right before my Systema classes.  Most of these students are NOT Systemists, but some are.

On the NO side…both Mikhail and Vladimir believe that you don’t need kettlebells (or weight training) for Systema and recommend other exercises and methods to improve your Systema.

On the YES side…are students and teachers who believe that kettlebell training is beneficial to their training.

So let’s look at the benefits of kettlebell training and IF you need them for Systema, and to what degree.

#1 Kettlebells are great for Weight-Loss.  There is no denying this.  If you are trying to shed pounds, they are great.

#2 Kettlebells are a simple way to work out on your own.

#3 Kettlebells can help reinforce proper body alignment

#4 Kettlebells can be used to strengthen movements needed in Systema, like one-leg squats.

#5 Kettlebells can teach you how to use only the tension you need under resistance and how to work with it.

#6 Kettlebells are fun and anything that gets you moving is better than lying on the couch.

#7 Kettlebells can really fatigue you and make you feel “Heavy”

Ok, those are the Basic Pro’s for using kettlebells for Systema.  Now for the flip-side…

#1   Kettlebells tend to make you STIFF (just look at the average girevik)…UNLESS you take conscious effort to keep yourself LOOSE.  They create the unconscious Habit of Tensing–bad for Systema.

#2  Kettlebell training tends to teach your how to ROOT, grip the floor and keep you in one spot.  Definitely another BAD HABIT for Systema.

#3  Kettlebell breathing as commonly taught is Totally Incompatible with Systema. “Power-Lifting” Breathing has next to nothing to do with Systema breathing. JUST TRY TO TAKE A PUNCH WITH KETTLEBELL-BREATHING.

#4  Kettlebell training doesn’t cover all the “movement dynamics” needed in Systema.  The types of motion and positions in Systema just cannot be addressed with heavy weights.

This leads to the next question…Can any benefits of kettlebells for Systema be had through other training methods?

  • Weight-Loss?  Definitely you can do this without kettlebells.
  • Working out on your own?  Don’t need kettlebells.
  • Body Alignment?  Don’t need kettlebells.
  • Strengthening Systema moves?  Don’t need kettlebells.
  • Learning to work with resistance, and with little tension? Don’t need kettlebells.
  • Making you feel heavy? Don’t need kettlebells.

(SIDE NOTE: The WarriorFit Portable Personal Trainer System I created covers ALL of this–without kettlebells!)

CLEARLY Mikhail and Vladimir are correct…that you don’t need kettlebells to improve your Systema…and in fact, there are some BIG NEGATIVES that can adversely affect your Systema performance, IF left unchecked.

It boils down to this.

What is your Primary Goal? If it is to improve your Systema, then you should be doing the exercises that MOST DIRECTLY IMPROVE YOUR SYSTEMA.

How much Time do you have to devote to training? If you are limited, then hard-core Systema exercises ONLY.  If you have more time, then add some kettlebell training, but be sure to compensate for the potential negatives.

What do you like and what amount of kettlebells to add?  My students who like KB’s, LOVE them.  Fantastic.  And, as I said, my KB students go right into Systema class and work on Systema after KB training and they report that that helps them in Systema.  They’re lucky.

ONE LAST THING:

In my own experience I can say that I like KB’s and use them sparingly, definitely as a supplement, and not too much.

I’ve had a difficult time putting it into words but on a deep level I believe Mikhail…when it comes to KB’s and mastering Systema.  There’s a difference in how I feel my body–it’s interconnectedness and unity–in Systema that I don’t get with kettlebells.  I feel like I “have to get that feeling back after I’ve done lots of kettlebelling.”
This is why I’m stressing “kettlebells for Systema” and not just “generic kettlebell training”.  OUTSIDE SYSTEMA, I RECOMMEND KB’S for MOST EVERYONE, no doubt.

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7 Reasons “Normal” Women Avoid Systema Like The Plague

November 2, 2009 by bqsinc  
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7 Reasons “Normal” Women Avoid Systema Like The Plague

1)  There are fewer women than men in ANY martial arts program to begin with.  So if you look at it this way, every martial art and martial art school is competing for a much smaller pool of possible female participants.
(This begs the question, why are there fewer women than men in martial arts?)
2)  Systema is still fairly new to America.  This means that there are fewer Systema schools–and qualified instructors– for women to stumble into to train in, leading to fewer female students.

3)   Systema is still fairly new to the general populace.  This means that people don’t know what Systema IS, which makes them less likely to seek it out than another martial art that they understand a bit better.
4)   “The Military” Image.  Because lots of military and law-enforcement officers use Systema it is portrayed as a Macho Martial Art, which turns women off.

5)   Rolling. Someone please help me out here. DISCLAIMER: I’m speaking from my experience teaching martial arts for decades and am not speaking for all teachers everywhere.  I’ve seen that women, much more than men, have a huge issue with all the falling and rolling in Systema.  I’m not offering any answers here, just observations.
6)  Striking. Face it, we hit each other a lot and have lots of close contact.  Many “tough-guys” don’t like to be hit, much less anyone a bit more dainty, male or female.  So normal people, men and women, gravitate toward arts with less contact.
7) MEN.  I’m not kidding, I’ve seen this over and over and over.
Men treat women like they are going to break.  By the way, this is the #1 complaint I hear from women–Condescension.
Or, they consciously or unconsciously, try to prove themselves superior to female students.  I can only roll my eyes when I see this.
Watch any clip of a women doing Systema.  It always comes across like “look how good this person is doing Systema (for a girl).”
Then, of course, there is the whole “hitting on the 1 woman in class thing.” You’d think these guys hadn’t had a date in a decade (well…).
SO THERE IT IS.  The most unfortunate part of this dynamic is that Systema is possibly the only art that teaches women to fight like a woman and not like a man.  Next to some BJJ/Sambo ground-fighting, Systema is the Best Martial Art I’ve ever seen for women.

If these 7 Reasons could be overcome, Systema classes would be swamped with women.

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What, just one guy?

October 27, 2009 by bqsinc  
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What, just one guy?

Vern Bevan commented after class that he’d never been in or seen a fight that was against just one guy.  Many of us concurred that altercations we’ve been in or been witness to have been with multiple belligerents.

The point?

Well, we’ve been doing a good deal of innovative multiple/mass attack work in class lately in DIRECT DIFIANCE to the “Conventional Wisdom/Drinking the Kool-Aid” dogma that “you can’t beat more than one of you, so why try” that is so prevalent in the Jiu-Jitsu/MMA world.

So…in even a relatively small group such as our school people say mass fighting is the norm…But “don’t train to survive it” is the martial art zeitgeist?

That’s plain stupid.

“Sorry, Mr. Home Invaders, I can only fight one at a time.  Please wait your turn.”

“Excuse me, Mr. Arrest Suspects, I can only get one of you under control at a time.  Would you wait so I can arrest you later?”

“Boys, Gang-Rapists, I can only fend off one person at a time while I’m on the ground.  So don’t all jump me at once.”

I don’t think so.

If defending yourself from multiple attackers means that you will be seriously hurt, then your training should AT LEAST help you to become LESS-seriously hurt, if not just getting out alive or escaping to safety.

Given that mass/multiple attackers is a reality, training for anything less is irresponsible.

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