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 Whereas when you try to force a particular technique to a situation where it is no longer applicable it leads you down a path of tension, frustration and a waste of energy.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: