Recently, I delved into a bevy of delight when Andrey Karimov and I began exchanging folklore tales via videos and images . Mostly, I found alot of translated Cossack imagery and tales that were from an antiquated book, and I was checking with him to see if he had heard of them.I am very fond of the art of alot of the stories.
But also, much to my surprise, alot of the tales very much mirrored what I grew up hearing in my own Mexican American culture...
Now , I could on and on and do a side by side analysis of the similarities and imagery, but that would be a whole nother blog...
But for now, one of the key things that I have noticed is that for the most part, the traditional tone of both cultures easily merges. As Mr. Karimov and I share You Tube videos of each other's respective cultures , whether it's song, dance,or performance, we almost always are amazed at how closely related the details are.
At one point, I asked if we had been separated at birth( he didn't respond). While Mr. Karimov takes the time to preserve his heritage, I am off and on trying to dig into mine. Having ADD makes it no easy task and I often get swept away into hours of reading something I never thought I would.
While he knows songs and folklore of his rich Cossack heritage, I can only name a few of the Mexican Folktales I remember from childhood. In fact, one of my favorite folklores , I have tattooed on my back simply because, I have no other real connection of my ancestory and it was one of my favorite tales that my grandfather told me repeatedly , when we spent time together.
This is why meeting Mr. Karimov became more than finding out about Systema. It became a virtual life shift, from the mundane, to now daily reading and studying as much as I can about both worlds. It is a huge undertaking and more than a full time job. How Mr. Karimov does this, is beyond me. I barely remember which was the last book I read a week ago, let alone...which video correlates to what topic we're talking about.
This leads me to believe that Andrey Karimov is a type of phenomenon that we rarely see in our lives. While we like to believe we all meet people for a reason...meeting Mr. Karimov at this specific time in my life , I would have to say, has been the most refreshing thing that has happened in a while. I endlessly get lost in his catalogs of videos of song, dance and music, yet his one to two word responses to my lengthy questions always delight me.
This, to me..is Systema. And while we rarely talk about actual Russian Martial Arts anymore in the "Systema" context, I am always referred back to the meaning of the word..."system". This is a system or method that we should all adapt to. Caring about each other, making connections, forming communities and reaching out to people. Nevermind the awesome training and sword work that visually speaks for itself, but through this type of friendship, we have created something more...a SYSTEM.
The closest thing I've witnessed to something similar to this in my own Hispanic culture was something that happened a few years ago when my son started public school.
I remember desperately trying to rally up members for his low performing school's PTA. I was appointed Vice President(I don't even think I ran for election) and there was a mom, Gloria, who was very active among the Hispanic population of the school(which was 65% Hispanic). Once she realized that I spoke Spanish, her and I became a force and a voice for the Hispanic families that had children in this school. I knew my son was not going to attend there the following year, so I did everything I could to prep her for becoming the school's PTA president. We poured over documents, English lessons, meeting notes(there weren't many) and anything I could think of. Together, we managed to develop two literacy programs for the school and one ESL program so parents can help tutor and learn with their kids.It was exhausting to say the least. Gloria and I rarely spoke outside of school, but one day she called me. I immediately thought something was wrong...(no one calls me, really, unless something is wrong). She asked me what I was bringing to the teacher luncheon the following day.
Because she found out I was a chef, she wanted to see if I was bringing anything spectacular..I told her I was just bringing dip...but it was really good. She laughed and asked if I wanted her to make anything from my childhood.
Now if you're Hispanic, you know this means..tamales. Part of our culture is widely based on food. So without even saying it..she told me she had already made some and was going to save extra for me.
The next day at the luncheon, Gloria and I met in the hallway..she had me follow her to the room where the food was going to be served. When I walked into the room , I all but dropped my pathetic dip with bread bowl, I had spent a total of 15 minutes making. There, in all it's glory, was a buffet fit for several kings. There were about thirteen other hispanic women and Gloria, still working on food preparations. One of the women took my dip from my hands and handed me a plate. The look on my face must have said it all...because she then grabbed my arm and walked me to the first section of food. I was in complete , utter , food anthropology heaven. Some of these women were from El Salvador and South America. Most are from Mexico and none, not one, understood why I was about to cry.
All I remember doing was hugging each of them and getting really, really emotional. While they laughed emphatically, I remember the look on Gloria's face.... she winked at me and in that instant, I knew we had formed a small community. And despite my food geekiness, the women filled my plate with way more food than I could ever imagine. A week or so later, Gloria invited me to her son's birthday party. I asked her if she needed any help and all she said was "don't pass out when you see the food"(in Spanish). When I arrived at the park, there was more food in so many pots and containers than I could ever imagine. I immediately told her she needed to open a restaurant and started calling everyone I knew who had some information on how to help her. She looked at me like I was crazy...but then said" if I open a restaurant, how would I be at the school all the time?"
This was a dilemma. I told her to think about it and to invite me to every gathering she ever had for the rest of my life. And she did, until she moved.
But also, she became PTA president the very next school year. She held meetings in Spanish with an English translator, and did very well for the school. This, was a System.It was a community and probably the closest thing to forming a sustainable source effectively as possible. And it wasn't just one person, it was a few of us...but we did it.
When I look into Mr. Karimov's world, I notice that everyone magically works together. There aren't too many days that go by that I don't communicate with him, and there are even a few days here and there that I talk to some of his instructors from other countries. And seemingly, we are all on the same page. It is such a great feeling to know that this exists, albeit a zillion miles away. It makes you really wonder why this doesn't exist here in the US? Is this an issue as a whole for martial arts? Since I do not know that many martial artists, it would be hard for me to check. I do know that my son's former martial arts instructor and I still talk frequently and I do know, that if she ever needed anything, I would be there for her and vice versa. But maybe, that is only because we clicked. I also know that if any of the people I have trained with , needed something and called me, I'd be there for them too. How could I not? We have all been through some pretty weird things together, and sweated on each other, saw some blood, some emotions...some life. It would be a great System if it stayed that way.
As I was typing this, I decided to watch "Tyson" a documentary about Mike Tyson. His former beloved coach and mentor, Cus D'Amato said this "I never teach until I’ve spoken to the fighter. I have to first determine his emotional state, get his background, to find out what I have to do, how many layers I have to keep peeling off so that I get to the core of the person so that he can recognize, as well as I, what is there."
I almost fell off my chair when I heard this. This is what ,Mr. Karimov and I had been talking about . This is not a new concept, but clearly , produces world championship results. Unfortunately, Mike Tyson fell apart once Mr. D'Amato passed away, but swears that his life would have been much worse had he not had the few impermeable years he had , with him.Imagine, if he had remained alive, the completely healthy mental shape Mike Tyson would have been in? Andrey and I have spent hours upon hours talking about the psychology of Systema. Something I never really thought much about until I asked him.And when I now say "he's my instructor" people must think , "she is crazy, he's in Russia!!"Let me be very clear. I know that. He knows that. But I have learned so much from him about the mindset of training, that I am baffled that it is not discussed here. What he has taught me, is far better from any fall or punch I have conditioned my body to take. Sure , maybe mindset and mental state are mentioned in a few books, but the sense of understanding what real Systema is, now, more than ever...has stopped me dead in my tracks.In a good way.
Now, for the life of me, I don't understand why Andrey Karimov spends so much time interacting with me, but I am truly grateful, to him and his beautiful family. It has made such a huge impact on my personal training goals and direction I would like to take and definitely has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities not only for myself, but for my family , friends and community. How can one person make such a difference? Just by being open and talking. In fact, sometimes, I watch his training videos and think, "this was the man that I just talked to about Russian Folktales?".Because, he is so very , very powerful at training, and so very enjoyable to talk to, you'd almost swear it is two different people...but that is because I had such preconceived notions of what an "instructor" and "instruction" is.I have even , in fact, asked him if it was him in all the videos and still the same person I talk to. Can a person have such a dynamic of being both a great artist and compassionate human being? Yup. And he wants everyone to feel the same. It's a System. Defined in the rawest, purest , state.
And on the heals of all this, I remembered a picture someone sent me this morning, that made my mouth drool...
And yes, I am aware it is a religious setting, and yes, maybe I shouldn't have noticed the food first. But more importantly , I noticed just simple sense of community. Whether it be a church setting, ladies luncheon, or martial arts group meal....this is still Systema.
click here to watch one of my favorite Systema videos of all time
Now , I could on and on and do a side by side analysis of the similarities and imagery, but that would be a whole nother blog...
But for now, one of the key things that I have noticed is that for the most part, the traditional tone of both cultures easily merges. As Mr. Karimov and I share You Tube videos of each other's respective cultures , whether it's song, dance,or performance, we almost always are amazed at how closely related the details are.
At one point, I asked if we had been separated at birth( he didn't respond). While Mr. Karimov takes the time to preserve his heritage, I am off and on trying to dig into mine. Having ADD makes it no easy task and I often get swept away into hours of reading something I never thought I would.
While he knows songs and folklore of his rich Cossack heritage, I can only name a few of the Mexican Folktales I remember from childhood. In fact, one of my favorite folklores , I have tattooed on my back simply because, I have no other real connection of my ancestory and it was one of my favorite tales that my grandfather told me repeatedly , when we spent time together.This is why meeting Mr. Karimov became more than finding out about Systema. It became a virtual life shift, from the mundane, to now daily reading and studying as much as I can about both worlds. It is a huge undertaking and more than a full time job. How Mr. Karimov does this, is beyond me. I barely remember which was the last book I read a week ago, let alone...which video correlates to what topic we're talking about.
This leads me to believe that Andrey Karimov is a type of phenomenon that we rarely see in our lives. While we like to believe we all meet people for a reason...meeting Mr. Karimov at this specific time in my life , I would have to say, has been the most refreshing thing that has happened in a while. I endlessly get lost in his catalogs of videos of song, dance and music, yet his one to two word responses to my lengthy questions always delight me.
This, to me..is Systema. And while we rarely talk about actual Russian Martial Arts anymore in the "Systema" context, I am always referred back to the meaning of the word..."system". This is a system or method that we should all adapt to. Caring about each other, making connections, forming communities and reaching out to people. Nevermind the awesome training and sword work that visually speaks for itself, but through this type of friendship, we have created something more...a SYSTEM.
The closest thing I've witnessed to something similar to this in my own Hispanic culture was something that happened a few years ago when my son started public school.
I remember desperately trying to rally up members for his low performing school's PTA. I was appointed Vice President(I don't even think I ran for election) and there was a mom, Gloria, who was very active among the Hispanic population of the school(which was 65% Hispanic). Once she realized that I spoke Spanish, her and I became a force and a voice for the Hispanic families that had children in this school. I knew my son was not going to attend there the following year, so I did everything I could to prep her for becoming the school's PTA president. We poured over documents, English lessons, meeting notes(there weren't many) and anything I could think of. Together, we managed to develop two literacy programs for the school and one ESL program so parents can help tutor and learn with their kids.It was exhausting to say the least. Gloria and I rarely spoke outside of school, but one day she called me. I immediately thought something was wrong...(no one calls me, really, unless something is wrong). She asked me what I was bringing to the teacher luncheon the following day.
Because she found out I was a chef, she wanted to see if I was bringing anything spectacular..I told her I was just bringing dip...but it was really good. She laughed and asked if I wanted her to make anything from my childhood.
Now if you're Hispanic, you know this means..tamales. Part of our culture is widely based on food. So without even saying it..she told me she had already made some and was going to save extra for me.
The next day at the luncheon, Gloria and I met in the hallway..she had me follow her to the room where the food was going to be served. When I walked into the room , I all but dropped my pathetic dip with bread bowl, I had spent a total of 15 minutes making. There, in all it's glory, was a buffet fit for several kings. There were about thirteen other hispanic women and Gloria, still working on food preparations. One of the women took my dip from my hands and handed me a plate. The look on my face must have said it all...because she then grabbed my arm and walked me to the first section of food. I was in complete , utter , food anthropology heaven. Some of these women were from El Salvador and South America. Most are from Mexico and none, not one, understood why I was about to cry.All I remember doing was hugging each of them and getting really, really emotional. While they laughed emphatically, I remember the look on Gloria's face.... she winked at me and in that instant, I knew we had formed a small community. And despite my food geekiness, the women filled my plate with way more food than I could ever imagine. A week or so later, Gloria invited me to her son's birthday party. I asked her if she needed any help and all she said was "don't pass out when you see the food"(in Spanish). When I arrived at the park, there was more food in so many pots and containers than I could ever imagine. I immediately told her she needed to open a restaurant and started calling everyone I knew who had some information on how to help her. She looked at me like I was crazy...but then said" if I open a restaurant, how would I be at the school all the time?"
This was a dilemma. I told her to think about it and to invite me to every gathering she ever had for the rest of my life. And she did, until she moved.
But also, she became PTA president the very next school year. She held meetings in Spanish with an English translator, and did very well for the school. This, was a System.It was a community and probably the closest thing to forming a sustainable source effectively as possible. And it wasn't just one person, it was a few of us...but we did it.
When I look into Mr. Karimov's world, I notice that everyone magically works together. There aren't too many days that go by that I don't communicate with him, and there are even a few days here and there that I talk to some of his instructors from other countries. And seemingly, we are all on the same page. It is such a great feeling to know that this exists, albeit a zillion miles away. It makes you really wonder why this doesn't exist here in the US? Is this an issue as a whole for martial arts? Since I do not know that many martial artists, it would be hard for me to check. I do know that my son's former martial arts instructor and I still talk frequently and I do know, that if she ever needed anything, I would be there for her and vice versa. But maybe, that is only because we clicked. I also know that if any of the people I have trained with , needed something and called me, I'd be there for them too. How could I not? We have all been through some pretty weird things together, and sweated on each other, saw some blood, some emotions...some life. It would be a great System if it stayed that way.
As I was typing this, I decided to watch "Tyson" a documentary about Mike Tyson. His former beloved coach and mentor, Cus D'Amato said this "I never teach until I’ve spoken to the fighter. I have to first determine his emotional state, get his background, to find out what I have to do, how many layers I have to keep peeling off so that I get to the core of the person so that he can recognize, as well as I, what is there."
I almost fell off my chair when I heard this. This is what ,Mr. Karimov and I had been talking about . This is not a new concept, but clearly , produces world championship results. Unfortunately, Mike Tyson fell apart once Mr. D'Amato passed away, but swears that his life would have been much worse had he not had the few impermeable years he had , with him.Imagine, if he had remained alive, the completely healthy mental shape Mike Tyson would have been in? Andrey and I have spent hours upon hours talking about the psychology of Systema. Something I never really thought much about until I asked him.And when I now say "he's my instructor" people must think , "she is crazy, he's in Russia!!"Let me be very clear. I know that. He knows that. But I have learned so much from him about the mindset of training, that I am baffled that it is not discussed here. What he has taught me, is far better from any fall or punch I have conditioned my body to take. Sure , maybe mindset and mental state are mentioned in a few books, but the sense of understanding what real Systema is, now, more than ever...has stopped me dead in my tracks.In a good way.
Now, for the life of me, I don't understand why Andrey Karimov spends so much time interacting with me, but I am truly grateful, to him and his beautiful family. It has made such a huge impact on my personal training goals and direction I would like to take and definitely has opened my eyes to a world of possibilities not only for myself, but for my family , friends and community. How can one person make such a difference? Just by being open and talking. In fact, sometimes, I watch his training videos and think, "this was the man that I just talked to about Russian Folktales?".Because, he is so very , very powerful at training, and so very enjoyable to talk to, you'd almost swear it is two different people...but that is because I had such preconceived notions of what an "instructor" and "instruction" is.I have even , in fact, asked him if it was him in all the videos and still the same person I talk to. Can a person have such a dynamic of being both a great artist and compassionate human being? Yup. And he wants everyone to feel the same. It's a System. Defined in the rawest, purest , state.
And on the heals of all this, I remembered a picture someone sent me this morning, that made my mouth drool...
click here to watch one of my favorite Systema videos of all time
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