| When the assignment came across my desk, I rolled my eyes. I figured it would be a tough assignment. My editor always gives tough jobs, If it's easy, it's no good, he says. I knew something wasn't right when the plain brown manila folder was marked, G.A.I.N. Top Secret. I opened it and read the following profile:
G.A.I.N. TOP SECRET
Subject: Vladimir Vasiliev a.k.a. the Snake
Age: 40
POB: Tver, Russia
Height: 1.83m
Weight: 81.82 kg
Military Record: Classified
Status: Married, 3 children
Residence: Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada
Occupation: Martial Arts Instructor
Martial Arts Training:
Boxing: 5 years
Karate: 1 year
Military Hand to Hand Combat (the System): Classified
Other Hand-to-Hand Combat Systems:
Method taught by Michael Ryabko 20+ years
Method taught by Uncle Peter 5+ years
Hobbies: Electronic Gadgets, Reading History
Favorite Music: The Beatles
Favorite Movie: Midnight Express
Favorite Food: Roasted Sunflower Seeds
Favorite Drink: Heineken
We had data on this guy, but the editor wants more. The phone rings and he was on the phone. What the hell are you still doing here? he says.
Huh? Get your butt up to Toronto and find out everything you can about this guy. Test him out. Punch him, grab him, do whatever it is that you do to see if he is legit. Don't you do some sort of Russian thing yourself? He can probably relate to you better than anyone else can. Well, why are we still on the phone? Get moving.
The phone slammed down and I thought great, Toronto in January. Why couldn't he have sent me to Brazil to interview Sperry? I arrived as the snow began to fall.
I went to his home and he and his wife, Valerie, welcomed me with open arms and warm hearts. It was about noon when I got to his house and for the next four hours we ate Russian food, talked and watched videos. For those of you who do not know Russian hospitality, experience it, you won't be disappointed. Prior to my trip, I queried other sources for anything they could give me on the guy. I also got a hold of every video he had released. From this information, I made a mistake that good reporters shouldn't make; I went up to interview this guy with an extremely negative bias. Hell, from some of the reports I had, this guy could whip Bruce Lee, Quaichang Kane, Jacob and the Angel, and Godzilla. Secret army this, secret technique that. The videos, well, the stuff looked fake. His training partners looked like they were taking dives. So, after talking with the Super Spec. Op. Warrior for nearly four hours, I found him to be one of the most genuine people I had ever met. His knowledge of all things martial was so comprehensive and so enlightening, I literally forgot to breathe and blink for hours at a time. We analyzed videotapes of other instructors from Russia and the U.S. (including mine). I discovered that he really enjoyed the study of movement and its real world application. He was not interested in sport fighting, just what works on the street or on the battlefield. I thought that this was all well and good. He could talk the talk, but could he walk the walk? I was soon to find out. It was time for Vladimir to teach his class.
We started class with several strange warm-up drills that culminated in exercises that pitted one man against another. I chose Vladimir. This skinny guy was strong. I was quite surprised by his strength, far beyond what I had expected. Next, he lectured his class about movement concepts and then demonstrated what he wanted them to work on. He came over to me so we could work in private. I told him before we began that I had seen his videos and that his stuff looked fake. I explained that I felt it would have a hard time working on the street. He smiled a big smile or was it an evil grin. He then said, "Let's test. You punch, kick whatever and I move." I launched a series of attacks varying from kick to shoot to punch. Although I never went all out, I didn't need to. This guy was amazing. He hit me from the most unpredictable angles. Each of the strikes was not a knockout blows, but they had odd effects that I couldn't and still can't explain. I could get inside and take him down, but the pain he induced made it an unlikely process to happen repeatedly. He was incredible at escaping. All in all, he was the real deal. We proceeded to work on knife defense, pressure points, bodyguarding ideas and most of all, relaxation. The ability to react and stay relaxed was paramount to success using Vladimir's method.
I had an outstanding time that became more enlightening as the class wound down to a close. So how do you describe such a method? Accounting for my training background, I would have to say that Vladimir's method of Russian Martial Art is best described as Drunken Silat or Inebriated Ba Gua or maybe Sloshed Aikido. Hell, how about pretty f****** amazing. However, a system is only good if you can teach it to others so they can use it. Can others learn it? If so, how long does it take to become proficient? Some of these questions were answered when I worked out with two of his students who have been with him at least two years. These guys were smooth and fluid, but not clones of Vladimir. They made the method work for them. This whole training experience created shock waves in my martial arts thinking. It would be well worth it for anyone to make a sojourn to Toronto (at any time of the year) to train at Vladimir's school.
GAIN: What was your first martial art and how old were you?
VV: I took up boxing when I was 13.
GAIN: What system was next?
VV: The hand-to-hand combat taught to me, in the military, was known as The System, a term employed for a compilation of techniques that focused primarily on strategies and tactics. At age 20, I took up karate and after six months of training, I took second place in an all-Russian kumite competition at 70 kilograms. It was a light contact tournament, but it seemed that every other fighter had to see the doctor.
GAIN: What aspects of karate did you like?
VV: I liked the fact that there were competitions and you could show your stuff.
GAIN: When did you start training with your current instructor, Michael Ryabko?
VV: I started training with him when I was 20. My friend and I went to see him because we heard he had great skill. We attacked him at the same time. I kicked and my friend punched and we ended up on the floor. So I started training with him. But I was also still training in karate until I had a street fight and hurt my knee. Then I realized that karate training didn't allow you to continue to fight when you are hurt. The movements I learned from Michael could allow continuing to fight when hurt. I stopped doing karate, but I still love to kick. I used to impress my future wife and future mother-in-law by performing a kicking trick. I had (my wife) Valerie hold a matchbox and I did a jump-spinning-round kick while holding a matchstick between my toes to light the match. I was also very good at throwing things and I impressed them by flicking razor blades, deep into wood.
GAIN: Tell me a little more about Mikhail Ryabko.
VV: He was taught by one of Stalin's bodyguards when he was in the army. Michael started this kind of training when he was very young. He is a very good person and I learned a lot from him. I still go back to Russia to train with him whenever I can.
GAIN: Have you had any other instructors?
VV: Uncle Peter is what I called him. I met him on the street and we started talking. We then started training together. He was in his 70s then, but very strong. Uncle Peter said his system developed out of dealing with Samurai Warriors. It had to be instant reaction and you only let your opponent do one move. It was very scary to work with him because he was so brutal. He taught me how to quickly assess your opponent's weak spot with a kinesthetic sense, a feeling. Uncle Peter told me in the old days, people were more aware and relaxed. This allowed them to find injuries and weak spots on people by feel. He taught me how to heal by transferring energy. I trained with him for five years.
GAIN: What are some of your favorite techniques?
VV: I use movement concepts, not techniques really. In Russia, street fights are common; people are always ready to go. It is normal for our culture. Fights happen in restaurants, bars, everywhere. Each time I fought, it would happen so quickly. People would be lying on the ground and I couldn't remember what I had done.
GAIN: What are the major strengths of The System that you teach?
VV: It allows for growth in horizontal (human qualities) and vertical (skill level) abilities. It promotes less aggression because you are more relaxed and having fun. It allows you to see things not just look at them.
GAIN: What are the weaknesses of what you teach?
VV: There are weaknesses in every system, but the weakness is more within the individual. I like to teach good people that have good hearts.
GAIN: One of the interesting quotes in the Russian System Guidebook says, Ten wounded are better than one dead. Could you explain that?
VV: Humans break easily when you know how. But The System promotes a good moral character and respect for human life. If you can accomplish your task without taking a life, then this is good.
GAIN: Your method is concept/movement based rather than the traditional method of a foundation of techniques. Explain this.
VV: Concepts allow you to adapt and improvise. Learning movements accomplishes the same thing. When a fight happens it is unpredictable and you have to be able to react, be flexible and adapt. This builds upon your natural reflexes. It is also important to move only the parts of the body that you have to. This approach allows you the freedom to handle any strike from any direction.
GAIN: What are some of the training methods you use in your classes?
VV: First class must be fun, there is still work to be done, but it has to be enjoyable. We use progression in our training. By this I mean that first we use wooden weapons or light strikes and gradually work up to live blades and hard strikes. We do some blindfold training. At the end of class, we discuss our experiences to aid in understanding of the lessons. We believe in contact training to aid in the development of reaction, confidence and relaxation. Relaxation exercises are very important because tightness impairs mobility.
GAIN: Is there a philosophical foundation to your system?
VV: Philosophy is very important. A brief introduction to the philosophy is in the guidebook. Philosophy serves as a guide, concepts to be aware of. Here are ten important concepts to aid in the mastery of the Russian system.
- Harmonize your life.
- Do not be aggressive
- Think continuously
- Do not rely on rules
- Understand that it is not the weapon that does the harm, but the person
- Accept the occurrence of defeat and anger
- Slip away without breaking contact
- Don't be self-conscious about how you look
- Do everything with awareness and relaxation
- Always perform with the least possible effort
GAIN: Those are valuable principles. In the Guidebook you talk about the Russian Health System. What are some of the basic concepts behind it?
VV: I first learned some of the principles in the army. In the army, we were trained not to be machines but develop on our own. We were taught the basics on many things that we then researched further on our own. It was the same with the Russian Health System. We employ hydrotherapy, fasting, instinctive eating, movement and proper breathing.
GAIN: Do you follow a special diet?
VV: I eat instinctively and I fast for about 40 hours once a week. This allows me to do the work better.
GAIN: Do you follow a special exercise routine?
VV: Again, to use instinct to tell me what I need to do, but I teach class everyday and this provides plenty of exercise.
GAIN: Let's change the focus here a bit. What do you think of the no-holds-barred contests?
VV: They have a lot of rules to be given such a name. They have allowed martial arts to move forward, but they favor big guys. These guys are the first ones to get hit by a bullet in combat because they don't move so well and are bigger targets. Smaller guys survive combat.
GAIN: Is there grappling in the system that you teach?
VV: We don't do sambo. We focus on movement and not on techniques. Our takedowns create awkward landings and there is a greater potential for injury. We don't practice it a lot. It is the same with our groundfighting, it is movement- oriented and we tend to move through the opponent's limbs rather than hold them. I teach holds, but this is more for police and bodyguard work,
GAIN: What does the future hold for Vladimir Vasiliev?
VV: I am going to produce videos of other instructors from Russia. I will be traveling for seminars in the US and Europe.
Based on my glowing accounts of training with Vladimir, a local Kung Fu organization sponsored a two-day seminar. Well over 100 people attended it from eight different states. Some of Vladimir's long-time students attended also. The amount of information covered in two days could have easily been spread out over two weeks time. I gave Vladimir a basic outline of what the people wanted to see and he covered all of it and more. We did pressure point work, offensive strategies, knife and gun disarms, break falls which were really rolling techniques, open hand striking concepts and foundational principles to allow the inclusion of Vladimir's method into the Kung Fu system they were already studying. After the first night, we had a little soiree for Vladimir and the leading dignitaries of the sponsors. I also invited some Russian friends from the area. We ate Russian hors d'oeuvres and drank some adult beverages. We traded stories and barbs until the wee hours. The seminar on the following day went off without a hangover hitch. At the end of the weekend, a good time was had by all. Many traditional practitioners had their martial paradigms altered extensively. I would have to say that most of the participants will never practice martial arts the same way again.
Well, there you have it, the scoop on Vladimir Vasiliev, a talented martial artist and a truly genuine human being. I recommend his seminars and videos with the highest of ratings. Teaching one of the most unique and effective systems, Vladimir is one of North America's finest instructors.
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