Blog Feed: Systema -Welcome to Steve’s Systema website.. A simple no frills site to show you what goes on at the Tempsford HQ an..
| Home | My Account | Directories |
Don’t forget this Saturday…
Published on 2012-05-23 13:09:00
Holding the Fort…
Published on 2012-05-20 05:41:00
While Rob and Nick were away in Germany, a seminar with Vladimir Vasiliev, a few of the guys including myself decided to meet up over the old Viking battle field.. There were six of us in total and turned out to be a great session. No real format in mind, Gareth suggested we all contribute to the session feeding off the previous drill; this is a great way to include everyone in the class and gets input that has a positive effect on the training. First, as an observation, it’s clear to me that [..] > read more
Onwards and Upwards…
Published on 2012-05-14 10:26:00
Well who would have believed it a land mark year, the big 5 > read more
News…
Published on 2012-05-11 10:04:00
CONTROL & RESTRAINT WORKSHOP26th MAY 2012Stuart Memorial Hall Tempsford, BedsDanny Lines - K9 Britannia SecurityRob Poyton - Cutting Edge SystemaA great opportunity to learn professional C&R work, shortrange strikes, takedowns, transport, pressure work and more!Full details here NEW SYSTEMA TEE SHIRTSNow availabe here!Order direct from our partners at Dizzyjam LATEST BLOG POSTINTEGRATIONTORONTO SUMMER CAMPSystema at Full Range 2012 VLADIMIR UK VISIT20th - 21st of October 2012For details conta [..] > read more
Pressure Testing
Published on 2012-04-29 08:51:00
Sometimes a change of plan helps to change the course of the lesson. There was going to be a wedding reception held in the main hall today, so the class was held in the smaller hall at Tempsford, which was ok, as there was only about ten of us. I'm not sure what Rob had originally planned, but as usual the flexibility that Systema offers enabled an off the cuff session that turned out to be a good one and covered quite a bit in the two hour session, push work, knife, heavy strikes as well as glo [..] > read more
Rob Poyton’s Vlog No 1
Published on 2012-04-27 12:31:00
Some thoughts from class on taking strikes > read more
From school yard to training hard…
Published on 2012-04-27 04:42:00
Not sure about your school days, but mine are memories of lunch time games of football, cricket, listening to music and the usual rough and tumble; as well as the non traditional games of knuckles, nipples, mercy, dead Legs, dead arms, chinese burns and slapsy’s… All of which seemed good fun at the time, but often ended in some painful bruises by the time the home time bell rang. I look back at these > read more
CLASS TRAINING SPRING 2012
Published on 2012-04-16 14:34:00
Greyed out…
Published on 2012-04-11 04:20:00
I can remember my early days in Iaido, the instructor saying “you need to feel as though you are skimming across the floor’s surface, make no sound, feel as though the distance between your feet and the floor is no greater than the thickness of a cigarette paper”. Indeed when skimming across the dojo floor releasing the Iaito from my waste, tying breath, movement and the crisp cut, the whoosh of the blade, it was an incredible feeling, the Zanshin moment after the cut was made, the Noto, r [..] > read more
The Pendulum Effect…
Published on 2012-03-30 04:31:00
Pendulum - A body suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity.. The more I do of this Systema stuff the more I wish I had started at a lot younger age, but hey ho this is where I am now, so wont dwell on it, just think about the many discoveries still to come.. One such discovery for me made in the last few months was the Pendulum motion. I had never really paid much attention to this idea, although it had been talked about on occasion du [..] > read more
Taking your eye off the ball..
Published on 2012-03-28 02:55:00
From my earliest days teaching Martial Arts it was clear that the most dangerous thing you were ever likely to come up against in class was the complete novice, and all these years later although not teaching anymore, always feel the same trepidation when training with the uninitiated. We all spend years training in what ever system and along the way you hear people say, “well the system we train in assumes the opponent knows nothing for it to work”.. this was the explanation given when two [..] > read more
Tactical Training Day...
Published on 2012-03-19 11:25:00
It was an early start for a Sunday morning; up at seven to meet Nick by the A1 at 08:15 and from there head towards Romford, which is located in the County of Essex just to the east of London. It was about an hour’s drive to the Pro-k9 venue and arrived in good time, just ahead of the rest of the Systema contingent, Rory and Rob P.The event was organised by Danny Lines and Sujay Bhola of Britannia Security Services with guest instructor Rob Poyton of Cutting Edge Systema. Danny’s and Sujay [..] > read more
Don’t forget this Sunday - Tactical Training Day...
Published on 2012-03-16 06:37:00
Sunday 18th March 2012Hosted byDanny Lines, Rob Poyton & Sujay Bhola09:30am Registration, Start Training 10:00Lunch at 12:00, Finish at 15:00£30 Per Person474 Rush Green Road, Romford, Essex, RM7 0LU This Event will consist of:-Urban AreaRob Poyton - Head of Systema UK teaching basic body guarding drills, diversionary tactics, weapons defence, striking, close quarter combat inside vehicles & Russian SystemaDanny Lines - Self Defence Federation Examiner & Celebrity Bodyguard teaching Body guardi [..] > read more
What ever you want to call it…
Published on 2012-03-15 10:28:00
It’s funny how different systems incorporate symbols to reinforce the methodology of what they’re trying to get across in their teachings. A few I have come across like most of you I guess are the Wedge, Fence, Roof, Swan neck, I’m sure the list is endless, many more out there if you looked hard enough. In my view It all boils down to the same thing, a way of putting your own stamp on something, but to be honest the more I travel on life's path the more you realise that there isn’t much [..] > read more
Escape and Control..
Published on 2012-03-04 04:05:00
Thursday Class – Ground work escapes This weeks Thursday class spent more time looking at work on the ground and one area was exploring chokes and escapes from them. I think I’m finally dealing with certain fears in my training one of which is letting someone do press ups on my legs especially on the pressure points of the inner thigh, the other one is dealing with chokes, both are similar fears as you have to relax enough to deal with both, but the chokes have been more difficult than most [..] > read more
Training Kit…
Published on 2012-02-26 04:21:00
One of the things I like about Systema is that it doesn’t cost a fortune to participate, in fact you can get away with just brining your body to class and nothing else. But over time you will find that you’ll build up a selection of kit that allows you to participate better within the drills. With the majority of guys now carrying similar equipment, we’re always prepared for most things in class and if someone’s short of something there's always enough kit to go around. The picture to th [..] > read more
Preparation time…
Published on 2012-02-17 07:35:00
Thursday Session.. I think we all forget sometimes that good preparation for a particular way of training is just as important as the training itself. last nights session was all about this.. The Thursday class for the last few weeks have been focusing on various aspects of ground work, and for this weeks session Gareth decided to join in the class and hand over the reins to John Hunter, who in my opinion is a very knowledgeable Systema guy, and has an excellent teaching method. John explained [..] > read more
Piece by Piece…
Published on 2012-02-10 08:46:00
After a weeks lay off from training due to a winter cold, it was nice to have two great sessions back to back. Thursdays session involved dealing with kicks while on the ground and todays session spent the full two hours on knife work, which a fair proportion was also spent dealing with knife attacks whilst on the ground, the two classes I thought linked together quite well. 2012 has been a pretty good one so far, in terms of understanding my training, what I’m doing and what I’m doing it fo [..] > read more
Levels of play…
Published on 2012-02-01 03:21:00
I’m not sure about you, but I sometimes find it difficult to maintain the concept of soft play in training, the likelihood is at some point I will feel the need to ramp the pressure up... Rob pointed out quite rightly in last Saturday’s class, that its not always a good thing to remain in the “killer” mind-set of hard and fast for extended periods, as it could turn out to be counter productive, in that you don't give yourself the time you need to learn. I suppose keeping yourself in a hi [..] > read more
NEW SYSTEMA CONCEPTS DVD! - MINDSET
Published on 2012-01-26 07:56:00
Shows simple, practical methods to access survival mind-set and how to bring that mind-set into your workShipping next week, available at pre-order price here > read more
To the last breath…
Published on 2012-01-22 06:16:00
One of my greatest fears is having my breath taken away, suffocation or perhaps drowning. The thought of dying in this way is a pretty big fear of mine and facing up to it and working though it is a big challenge; to be able to fight to survive knowing that you have to find a way out, to get that breath that your body craves, coping with panic and other emotions, to keep a clear head under this sort of pressure is really worth visiting, as Rob said taking your self somewhere like this highlights [..] > read more
S-t-r-e-t-c-h your
Published on 2012-01-15 11:01:00
One of the more significant changes in how I use breath work in my training was the idea of stretching your breath. I think I’ve only just started to appreciate how useful this way of breathing really is.. its probably only since the summer of last year that I started to really put it into practice. I particularly like it because its a very easy way of allowing you to make simple exercises like press up’s, sit up’s and squats more challenging. Its funny that as a result of this type of bre [..] > read more
The Road Ahead…
Published on 2012-01-08 07:35:00
Frustration, inadequacy, confusion, were a few of the emotions I felt throughout yesterdays session, the first Saturday of the new year… These emotions were highlighted during a section of the class where I was paired up with Rob P working on a specific close work drill, the idea in its self was quite simple, move away from the punch and continue to work against your partner, pretty easy you would think, but caused me one or two problems... I was having real trouble with my flow motion, a subj [..] > read more
Good to be back… :)
Published on 2012-01-06 09:21:00
Yes 2012 is here and the 5th of January marked the start of training for 2012. It was good to see some of the old faces again after the couple of weeks break and good to see a new starter so early on in the new year. As it was the first session back for the Stevenage Training Group, Gareth decided to make it just a general session to get us back into the swing of things, as I think most of us were pretty lazy over the Christmas period and fitness levels were probably suffering more than we r [..] > read more
2012’s around the corner…
Published on 2011-12-30 08:16:00
On a personal level 2011 has been a pretty good year for training, low on injuries and also pleased to say good health. This has enabled me to turn out fairly regularly and as a result feel some improvements have been made. There seems to have been so much ground covered in the past twelve months and everyone that takes part in Rob's classes and Gareth's training group seem to have gone up notch, I for one feel this is so, as the guys are pushing and making things more challengin [..] > read more
Three for after Christmas… :)
Published on 2011-12-23 05:46:00
Crunchy Star.. Figure of eight sit up.. Moving push up from a fix point.. “Merry Christmas” and a “Happy New Year” especially to the Tempsford, Stevenage and Leicester Boys... Thanks for a great years training… Steve > read more
Knife Practice… Most definitely for the over 18’s..
Published on 2011-12-22 13:19:00
Following on from my last blog post, I thought I’d experiment with some knife drawing practice at home. Some aspects of this have been covered in class this year. Steve > read more
Independent Actions…
Published on 2011-07-02 13:11:00
In today’s class Rob was trying to get across in simple terms how it was important for the body to deal with things as they happened and although all of the bodies parts are connected together, was it possible for them to work in isolation? To find > read more
Switch on…
Published on 2011-06-20 07:40:00
01010011011110010111001101110100011001010110110101100001 = Systema The buzz word from my Karate sparring days was “switch on” whether the meaning is obvious to you or not, it wasn't clear to everyone at the time, for some they were simply never g > read more
Switch on…
Published on 2011-06-20 07:40:00
01010011011110010111001101110100011001010110110101100001 = Systema The buzz word from my Karate sparring days was “switch on” whether the meaning is obvious to you or not, it wasn't clear to everyone at the time, for some they were simply never g > read more
Ranges…
Published on 2011-06-15 06:44:00
The last few weeks we’ve been looking at a couple of things with Rob talking about range and the terms fight, flight and freeze and with Gareth working on kicks and associated drills, again looking at range within kicking. Once again I was thinking > read more
Ranges…
Published on 2011-06-15 06:44:00
The last few weeks we’ve been looking at a couple of things with Rob talking about range and the terms fight, flight and freeze and with Gareth working on kicks and associated drills, again looking at range within kicking. Once again I was thinking > read more
Systema - The Total Body Work Out…
Published on 2011-06-09 05:55:00
It’s only recently that I’m feeling that I’m starting to get Systema and understand its principles enough to be able to start applying them, thinking more deeply about how important they are to everything we do. In fact I find it hard not to ap > read more
Systema - The Total Body Work Out…
Published on 2011-06-09 05:55:00
It’s only recently that I’m feeling that I’m starting to get Systema and understand its principles enough to be able to start applying them, thinking more deeply about how important they are to everything we do. In fact I find it hard not to ap > read more
Learn to Teach, Teach to Learn…
Published on 2011-06-05 03:30:00
There comes a time when the students desire to become the teacher becomes high on their own agenda, the feeling that its time to pass on some of what they know and for many they think this is a natural progression. They now feel they have all > read more
Learn to Teach, Teach to Learn…
Published on 2011-06-05 03:30:00
There comes a time when the students desire to become the teacher becomes high on their own agenda, the feeling that its time to pass on some of what they know and for many they think this is a natural progression. They now feel they have all > read more
Shoulders and Feet…
Published on 2011-05-30 08:03:00
This week Rob asked what we wanted to cover in class and I asked if we could look at kicks, as I'd been working on my legs at home this week looking at stretching and foot placement, mainly the kicking foot but also paying some attention to what was > read more
Shoulders and Feet…
Published on 2011-05-30 08:03:00
This week Rob asked what we wanted to cover in class and I asked if we could look at kicks, as I'd been working on my legs at home this week looking at stretching and foot placement, mainly the kicking foot but also paying some attention to what was > read more
Finding Space…
Published on 2011-05-16 06:57:00
From my early school days I can remember calls from the side lines “Wildash will you get into space” the PE teacher would often call at the top of his voice when we played Football and Rugby at our weekly games lessons. Now at that time being a y > read more
Finding Space…
Published on 2011-05-16 06:57:00
From my early school days I can remember calls from the side lines “Wildash will you get into space” the PE teacher would often call at the top of his voice when we played Football and Rugby at our weekly games lessons. Now at that time being a y > read more
TEAMWORK
Published on 2011-05-13 16:39:00
TEAMWORK
Published on 2011-05-13 16:39:00
Supplementary Training…
Published on 2011-05-12 16:37:00
It was time to improve my cardio and decided to join the local Gym to work on this. Although the Gym is small it has enough equipment to cater for my needs although I’m not a natural lover of weight training or running, I see the visits as necessar > read more
Supplementary Training…
Published on 2011-05-12 16:37:00
It was time to improve my cardio and decided to join the local Gym to work on this. Although the Gym is small it has enough equipment to cater for my needs although I’m not a natural lover of weight training or running, I see the visits as necessar > read more
Some work from Tempsford and Leicester groups Spring 2011…
Published on 2011-05-06 11:49:00
Some work from Tempsford and Leicester groups Spring 2011…
Published on 2011-05-06 11:49:00
Group Work
Published on 2011-05-01 06:09:00
Back in the Tempsford training hall this week and a change from the outdoors of recent weeks.. It felt good to roll around on the hard wood floor again, as my back needed some attention that only the wooden floor can provide.. no messing about after > read more
Group Work
Published on 2011-05-01 06:09:00
Back in the Tempsford training hall this week and a change from the outdoors of recent weeks.. It felt good to roll around on the hard wood floor again, as my back needed some attention that only the wooden floor can provide.. no messing about after > read more
Team work continued…
Published on 2011-04-27 02:43:00
Another hot day, I'm not sure why it's so hot for April, but can't complain. More on team work was the plan for today and most of us hoped it wouldn't involve running around the field again as we did last week, as the temperature was climbing. Group > read more
Team Work…
Published on 2011-04-20 03:15:00
Cooperation V Competition Last Saturdays session was all about team work and how it was important to think about this when either working in pairs, three’s or indeed larger groups. Rob was trying to get across to us that it was “Cooperation” an > read more
Knife throwing…
Published on 2011-04-06 08:38:00
I think from an early age knife throwing seemed an amazing thing, recalling early memories from TV and of course circus performers, who dressed up as Indian braves throwing a handful for large blades at his squaw standing cool as you like in front of > read more