Training Without a Partner - from Vladimir

[Kwan Lee]

TRAINING SUGGESTIONS from Vladimir Vasiliev

Training Without a Partner

"One of the more commonly asked questions is how do I practice when there are no training partners."


The key in the Russian System is not techniques but realization of movements. The emphasis in your training should be on understanding movements of all kinds - your own movements, those of others and just movement itself.

Movement is external - visible changes in the body positions, and internal - the activity of your mind and energy, movement of your thoughts, perceptions and intentions. The goal of training is to make them both free, fluid and precise. How do you achieve that goal?

Pick the moves that you like from one of the instructional films and then ask anyone to assist you. It may even be a person who has no interest in the martial arts. Make it simple, fun and non-imposing for the other person. People like when you ask them for simple favors. So do not be shy to ask, unless you live alone on a desert island, 'no partners' is just an excuse.

Do not be afraid to seem funny in any way. The fact is that people will actually respect you more for having genuine interest in life and for having the guts and talent to pursue it. If something does not work, do not get concerned, look at it with a sense of humor and go on to other moves.

Light pushes are a good kind of exercise. For example, you may ask your friend to give you a push or a few pushes any time he walks by. This way you explore your movements and the friend will enjoy his task. There are two goals in this drill - learn not to be afraid of contact and to see how and where your body is restricted.

Another good way to explore movements is in a crowded place where you can study how you and other people move, practice keeping your balance, while staying relaxed, watch how you move through a crowd of people leaving a movie theater, for example.

Any obstacle on your way is a challenge to the movement of your body.
There are many other things you can do. Walk through the woods or park where you have to bend and lean away from the tree branches; gradually increase your speed of walking up to running.

Training in the Special Operations Units included carrying out tasks while blindfolded, or having one eye shut for half a day and the other eye shut for the second part of the day. When you move blindfolded, your body begins to relax right away. And if you only have one eye open, it throws you out of balance and improves your skill of adjusting to your surroundings. At home you can walk around blindfolded for 5 or more minutes. Try to find your way around, to get dressed or to do some work this way, you may try to do rolls and other exercises with your eyes closed. You may try to have one eye shut as you walk outside.

Developing symmetry is very important for having smooth, balanced movements. You can try doing any simple tasks that you normally do with the right arm now using the left arm or with both arms together. You can practice standing on one foot and using the other foot to open doors in your home, to pick up or move objects with your foot.

If you ride on a bus or a train, try to keep your balance without holding on to something. You will observe that if your body is rigid, you will not be able to keep balance. If your body moved abruptly while it was tense, the stress goes in to the internal organs as well.

When you view the instructional films, you will notice that you initially see only the movements that are simple and the ones you understand. Try to be relaxed even as you are sitting and watching, let the movements you see on the screen get in you. When you watch the movements in full more than once, you begin to understand them. Then if you are relaxed, you will be able to reproduce them.

Training without a partner is another way for you to understand yourself. A martial art is often seen as something special and separate, and that cuts it off our everyday world. I believe that it is one of the natural components of life. There should not be a boundary where other aspects of life end and a martial art begins. Thus, everything you do in life can be your preparation for martial art, and similarly your martial art experiences are your ways to enhance your life.

[Mike H]

Dear Vladimir,
Your post was most welcome. I dont know why I never thought about this subject before. I think a lot of us are without training partners quite often. This is all very usefull to consider. For several years now I have watched the videos but havent had a chance to train with any of the groups.
However, I have noticed that some of the video content has emerged in the training I do in another style quite spontaneously. Call it osmosis, I dont know but it does feel good.
What I like most about systema is that you can grab what you feel fits and have fun in the process. I realize that a lot of what I see on the videos I cannot yet do and some of it would take some getting use to as it looks some what demanding as well.
I look forward to some day meeting with you and being able to participate in a seminar.
Thanks again for this post as it has been very helpfull.
Mike Hitchcock
LA CA

[John Elliott]

[Niko Christopoulos]

How I train when Im by myself.
When Im hungry (every 5 min) I will open the fridge door very fast and swing my belly to avoid getting hit, then I swing open the freezer door and duck for my life.
When I walk through my hallway I use my entire body to smoothly bounce off one wall and then the other, sort of being in the centre of a circle of people while they push you around.
When I play with my dog I place a ball in one hand held beside me and then use my other hand fending of his attacks for the ball by constantly keeping my hand on him and changing his direction by feel.
When I place a glass down on a table I sometimes try and put it down without making a sound and control my breathing for a soft landing.
Just a little while ago Scott walked into class late and everyone had a partner but Scott, so Vlad had him crawling under a chair like a snake and then had Scott doing rolls with the chair clamped inbetween his legs.
I dont think Scott has a bone in his body
Stand on one leg and try and kick in as many directions as possible until you loose your balance then do it again and again until its as natural as eating.
You see Im thinking about food again so its time to go Systema my fridge.

[Scott Connor]

I have at least one bone in my body Niko.I guess lying still near you could be hazardous if you're hungry eh brod? Maybe you have some film of this you could show us? The chair not you opening the fridge door!

[Clive Jefferies]

Hi,
I was messing about with my training knife, Mikhail is coming to the UK at the weekend and knife defense is one of the themes. Anyway, whilst I was toying, I found myself slashing up and down with the knife, similar to the way when you paint a wall, going as far as I could from left to right (also up and down). What I found was that I appreciated the diverse range of movement of the arms and got myself out of the 'box' range directly in front of myself.

Happy training.

[MattM]

[Paul Kesler]

First time post so please excuse any faux pas...

Of course we can apply the training in any number of ways during the day. I believe it’s not even a case of thinking of the training, more just to think of ourselves, i.e. how are we standing? Are we tense? Are we self conscious? How are we compensating for being self conscious? Are we leaning against a wall or crossing arms while waiting for example.
I have always found that standing in the middle of a lobby, without leaning against a wall, without crossing my arms or putting a hand in a pocket extremely unsettling and disconcerting but extremely interesting of course. Or… is that just me?
Again all this is more from a psychological standpoint I guess.

From the physical side what I really enjoy is moving through crowd. As a hobby I work at a club sometimes. I love moving through the dance floor. It is packed with everyone dancing to there own rhythm (or lack thereof) and it is virtually impossible to move through, being tense. I tried that at first (of course), being all cool and tough, I was like steel and moved and hopped and jumped and of course got burned by cigarettes, splashed with booze, whacked in the cookies (it’s a height thing... don’t ask) and knocked on my ass (Ok I am not a big guy, I admit it!).
When I came to my senses and relaxed and let the crowd move me; almost letting the bumps and pushes propel me through the crowd. I move like lightning and it felts like the crowd almost thins and fades away.

Another really fun thing is when in a rush to cross from one side to the other due to some problem or indiscretion, is instead of just pushing people to one side or bowling them over (yes I can I am not that small... jeez!), is to (mid run) grab them with the right hand for example and using the movement propel them left (still running) and catch them with the left hand while zipping past. It leaves them pretty much where they were a second before, upright, unhurt, unruffled and slightly bewildered.

I highly recommend it when needed.

That’s my 2 cents...

Paul

[Brian G]

Hi. Thought I would put in an appearence for western Canada.

Anyhow after about 6 months with the Calgary outfit I find myself doing alot of these "solo exercizes" frequently and without thinking too much about them. Especialy the ones to do with balance in movement. As my friends and I tend to roughhouse alot, I find some of the movements I am incoperating rub off on them too. It is interesting how naturaly alot of these "solo exercizes" just become a part of one's day to day routine.

[travis b]

Hi-1st time posting-thanks for having me.
i found climbing to be excellent training. Wether its rocks, trees or buidings. Anything. its a comprehensive natural action that is excellent mental and physical challenge. Try climbing a tree as relaxed as possible. play games-start with something real easy then advance-for example take a relatively easy climb on ANY tree-now do the same climb without the benefit of using your fingers-crook of wrists elbows shoulders.
Try hanging from a thick branch by hands and knees. Pull yourself around so that you are stradling it from the top back to the underside then reverse(i always go each direction). Taking a cue from Vlad try it with eyes shut. Nothing should change since you should be bonded to the tree with your whole body (like a snake).
where clothes that you dont mind destroying. get the kids involved. tell your neighboors.
ciao,
tbone

[muNg.]

Paul,

I also work at a night club, two of them actually. And its a great way to train efficiently controlled movements. Initially, it was very intense and physical, especially, having to carry 40 lbs most of the time over my head and avoid spilling, bumping and dropping.

Particularly, when moving through a crowd, i find it best to slip through the gaps, unless, it is demanded that i force my way, which is rare (and in that case a friendly nudge does the job and keeps clients content). I have a tendency to commit to a direction, relax and literally pivot and throw my body and catch myself. the upper torso makes many spontaneous adaptations as cigarettes, drinks and body parts wail around. i have one hand holding 30 to 40 lbs of glass in a basin, which increases the difficulty and even more difficult is dealing with all mentioned and having to grab glasses on the ground which requires a squat, which no one pays attention to and because of so, more cigarettes, drinks and body parts are directed at my face.

realizing that work is training for something beyond work, makes the process all that more interesting.

[Chris Misek]

A drill I was taught and try to practice couple times a week is one to get used to real knife and "cold steel"
All you do is (with real knife),carefully run it over your arms,hands,place the flat of blade on your neck and cheek.Steel of knife on skin has very perculiar feel to it-its good to get used to.

Another drill I do particularly in City or somewhere else crowded is to try to try to manouvere around people as smoothly,effortlessly as possible and only just as much as I need-not too much movement.
Then there is breathing,pushups,observation of others ect ect.

[Demetry Furman]

Edit. Thanks Emery

[Scott Meredith]

When it comes to "training without a partner", if you must train solo, I don't believe anything can beat footbag/hackysack.

Remember in freestyle they use their arms and shoulders and head and chin and everything, not limited to kicks.

Look at Vlad out on the floor with 5 people coming at him. He's basically playing freestyle hackysack out there, using attacker bodies and body parts as his footbags.

It develops kinetic perception and awareness like nothing else.

[richardgrannon]

thanks very much for posting this thread
i read somewhere on this forum about the benefits of training against a knife because it is an equalising tool that is easy to use and the author of the piece says it takes alot of the ego out of training
(actually i think i read the article on an aikido site that was singin systemas praises...)
anyway i combined that advice with vlads and had my girlfriend come at me with an old blunt kitchen knife...
this takes out the factor that i am taller and double her weight and makes it really good training for me
and as vlad said people actually do respect that you have an interest and they like to feel involved and helping... i found that to be true which was nice

sometimes she really goes for me with that breadknife though... mmm... better go do the dishes before she gets back!
_________________
you get what you train for