2015 Texas seminar with Andrey Karimov
First of all, I want to thank Olivia for bringing Andrey Karimov to the US. Without her hard work and dedication, none of this would have been possible.
I was so excited to see Andrey's shashka work, especially the videos of his students Natasha and Olivia, because I had finally found something in Systema that I could physically do once again after my forced retirement 5 years ago.*
When Olivia invited me to Texas, I really thought I would have to sit out most of the seminar and just do the whip and sword work. However, like most things in life, my prediction of what I could do was nowhere near the reality. I ended up doing 7 days of training and only sat out for the jump rope work and one other drill. (The funny part is that I didn't do any shashka work until the seminar was over and everyone else had left.)
Out of all the martial arts seminars I've attended over the years, I think this one is in the top two for the effect it's had on my outlook of life. The seminar and the whole Texas experience was exactly what I needed at this point in my life. I had been aimless and basically uninspired for the past few years. Seeing elite people in action has a much more profound effect than any, "You should..." speech can ever have.
Having worked behind the scenes at other events and seminars, I can state this one was off the charts. I've never seen anyone do that much work for 9 days straight. I was literally falling asleep sitting up during the evenings. I'm not sure when or if Andrey slept while I was here. Olivia slept in until 7 am one morning and I thought she was really sick because I had never seen her sleep in so late.
If there was a motto for the Texas seminar, it would have been, "Watch carefully, I'll show you how it's done. Now it's your turn." Everyone was challenged to step outside of their comfort zones and given the opportunity to grow. It was left up to each individual to accept that challenge.
I think most people here did work outside of their comfort zones during the seminar but it will be interesting to see who can continue to do so in real life and who will quickly step back into their personal comfort zones and choose to stop their own growth.
Seeing the pictures and watching the video clips from this seminar, it looks like any regular Systema class. Being here was a totally different feeling. (I trained in a skirt one day!) For me, it wasn't physically demanding training but it was mentally exhausting because all of the work required focus and precision.
Andrey's movements are smooth, precise and coordinated. He made it look so easy that my brain kept saying, "Oh, I know that." Right up until my body replied, "I don't know anything."
As an added bonus, there was a lot of individual attention at this seminar. Andrey's ability to keep the work calm affected the participants and helped everyone stay focused. The balalaika music added another whole dimension to training. It controlled the tempo of the class almost subconsciously. I joked that most North Americans don't dance without alcohol but by the end of the week, everyone's movements were much more free as movement and dance stopped being two different concepts for us.
Some of my favourite drills involved using visual references (like your shadow) to ensure you had proper form and movement. The last day, we progressed to using centrifugal movement to control your partner and also how to counter that movement to regain your own balance. That one drill explained why I always had so much difficulty unbalancing certain partners. It was not the size/strength difference, it was that I was not keeping the proper distance. Such a simple concept made a huge difference.
Andrey emphasized throughout the seminar the importance of being a good partner and attacking in a realistic manner. Again, precision and focus were required from both partners. Immediate feedback is vital when training. Your fist or training weapon should connect if your partner doesn't move properly.
Many people have said they don't want to do the dance part of Andrey's work but the dance movements are the foundation of the fighting movements. We spent a lot of time working on coordination and the payoff was immediate. Everyone's movement and timing improved once we started to get our legs and hips coordinated.
Thank you to Andrey and Olivia for an amazing seminar. To all my new friends, thank you for the fun times. I'm looking forward to bringing Siberian Cossack Systema to Canada. Let's go!
* I retired from Systema in 2010 on my doctor's advice. He told me if I didn't stop, I would go blind from glaucoma (from increased pressure in my eyes) mostly due to the jarring motions and being choked. This was (and is) not an idle threat. While I still have physical limitations in what I can do, Andrey's work allows me to train and teach again.
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