Understanding Flow in Systema

Like many of you one of the things that attracted me to systema was its free flowing movements. I remember watching Vladimir Vasiliev move for the first time and I was struck by the ease and freedom with which he moved, seemingly controlling the attacker from start to finish. One movement would flow smoothly into the next until the attack had been neutralised. Students would often say that it seemed like he knew what the attacker’s next move was, but I don’t think that is an accurate description. I think a better way to describe it is that he is able to ride the attack, much like a surfer on a wave, flowing with the attacker’s movement and seizing opportunities as they present themselves rather than having a fixed outcome or technique in his mind.

By not having a fixed response in mind you are better prepared, both physically and psychologically, to respond to the unpredictable nature of combat. Whereas when you try to force a particular technique to a situation where it is no longer applicable it leads you down a path of tension, frustration and a waste of energy.

Flow is not something you do or achieve but rather something you get out of the way of. We all have the ability to make our systema flow continuously and smoothly like Vladimir’s. So the problem is not that you can’t flow but rather that your flow is bound by your own tension and fear. So the goal of training should be to experience your natural flow state by releasing your tension and fear. It is important that you understand that tension and fear are synonymous with each other. Tension is the physical expression of fear while fear is the psychological manifestation of tension.   

So how do we release tension/fear so that we can experience unbound flow? Well the good news is that drills we use in systema are automatically designed to do this if they are done correctly. The following points should be kept in mind to help maximise your natural flow state when training:

Have Fun

We learn at a faster rate when we play. Play encourages more creativity and gives you permission to experiment and push your boundaries. Play is not about winning or losing but exploring possibilities.

Don’t Get Caught Up On The Result

Focusing on the result pushes our thinking into the future rather than staying present and dealing with the opportunities that present themselves.

Learn To Feel

Many of the drills we use in training are quite confronting. They are designed to increase your levels of fear and tension in a safe environment. The biggest mistake most of us make is rushing through this feeling of uncomfortableness by either speeding up the movement to avoid an attack or by finishing the drill as quickly as possible. Again we are focusing on the result as if it’s the only thing that counts. But how you achieve the result is just as if not even more important. You will gain more by allowing yourself to feel your discomfort and grow from it than just covering it up and pretending it does not exist.

Understand That Learning Is A Neural Process

Your body needs time to develop the appropriate neural pathways in the body. Just as you didn’t learn to walk in a day, it will also take some time to develop as a systema practitioner. The worst thing you can do is put unrealistic expectations on yourself and expect to master things in your first class. Take your time. Work slowly and gradually increase the speed and resistance as your skill level improves.

Don’t Stop

People often stop in the middle of a drill when they feel they have made a mistake. In a combat situation there is no right or wrong but rather desirable and less desirable choices. Flow is not about perfect technique. It’s about uninterrupted movement smoothly transition from those less desirable positions to more desirable ones.

Train From Various Angles And Positions.

Flow is about being comfortable wherever you find yourself. The worst attacks are when we are not prepared. You won’t always be in a fighting stance with your guard up facing your opponent. You need to feel comfortable defending yourself from all conceivable angles (front, back, side, sitting, lying on the ground etc.). So when you find yourself out of position during a training drill don’t stop but learn to move from the position you find yourself in. This ability to work wherever you find yourself takes a huge psychological burden off your shoulders as you no longer bound to work from a fixed position or stance but are free to respond wherever you find yourself.

Understand how your body likes to move. The goal of systema is not to move in a certain way but rather discover how your body can and can’t move. This will depend on a number of factors such as size, age, previous injuries and flexibility. It is pointless to look at another person and say “I will never be as good as them because my body can’t do that”. Our training should be orientated around maximising our own body’s potential rather than wishing it could be more like someone else’s.

To sum it up for me flow is best exemplified by water. No matter what obstacles are placed in its way it always follows the path of least resistance to find its way around. Fear and tension are like the cold which causes the water to turn to ice. While the waters potential to flow freely is still present it is trapped so long as it remains frozen only being released again once heat is applied to melt the ice back into water. In our case we need to unbind our own tension and fear through proper training.  So next time your training try and put some of these training ideas in place and see if you can’t unbind your own natural flow state.