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WWW.MEIBUKANMAGAZINE.ORG No 3 September 2004House of the Pure Martial Arts

MEIBUKAN MAGAZINETHE INTERNATIONAL WEB BASED MARTIAL ARTS

MAGAZINE AS A PDF DOCUMENT No 3 SEPTEMBER 2004

House Of The Pure Martial ArtsMEIBUKAN MAGAZINE

The History of Goju-ryu Karate, Part II

A Brief History of the Russian Martial ArtsSystema: Principles of the Russian System

Interview with Vladimir Vasiliev

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MEIBUKAN MAGAZINENo 3 SEPTEMBER 2004House of the Pure Martial Arts

Meibukan Magazine is published several times ayear in an electronical format with an attractive mixof subjects and styles. Each issue of at least twelvepages is published as pdf-file for easy printing.Published editions remain archived on-line. We havechosen for a low picture resolution for easy down-loading

Readers of the webzine are enthousiasts and practi-tioners of the spirit of the martial arts world wide.

Editor in chiefLex Opdam

Executive editorMark Hemels

Editorial BoardMatthew Jones

Iwan MeijJeroen Verhoeven

ContributorsMathieu RavignatJames Williams

Vladimir VasilievMarc van Dam

Art directorLex Opdam

Meibukan Magazine is pleased to submit views,concerns and experiences on any subject matter IFrelated to the mission statement expressed by theMeibukan Magazine. Therefore articles, photographsand illustrations are welcome, although MeibukanMagazine is selective and can not garantee that sub-missions will be placed. Submission can be mailedto our P.O. Box by floppy, CD or DVD, or can besent to our e-mail address.

MISSION STATEMENT

Meibukan Magazine is an initiative of Lex Opdamand Mark Hemels. Aim of this web based magazineis to spread the knowledge and spirit of the martialarts. In a non profitable manner Meibukan Magazinedraws attention to the historical, spiritual and tech-nical background of the oriental martial arts. Start-ing point are the teachings of Okinawan karate-do.As ‘House of the Pure Martial Arts’, however,Meibukan Magazine offers a home to the variousauthentic martial arts traditions.

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MEIBUKAN MAGAZINEP.O. Box 8, 6663 ZG, Lent, Netherlands

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ColumnMartial System or Martial Art

HistoryA Brief History of the Russian Martial ArtsThe martial arts of Russia have a long but unknown history. With the endingof the Cold War the surviving arts slowly emerge again.

FeaturePrinciples of SystemaJames Williams, teacher of Systema, gives an in depth explanation of thephilosophy behind the Russian System, in which learning to flow with forceis taken to an exceptional level.

ReviewThe Russian System Guidebook by Vladimir Vasiliev.Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts by Patrick McCarthy.

InterviewInterview with Vladimir VasilievBorn in Russia, Vladimir Vasiliev’s work spans across 10 years ofextensive military service with the Special Operations Unit of Spetsnaz.After moving to Canada, he founded the first school of Russian Martial Artsoutside Russia.

FeatureHistory of Goju-ryu Karate, Part IIAlthough Kanryo Higaonna learned and taught a style related to WhoopingWhite Crane, Goju-ryu Karate today is very different from it. MathieuRavignat examines the changes Chojun Miyagi made.

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Copyright and disclaimer

© 2003-2004 Meibukan Magazine.All materials on the Meibukan Magazine website and Meibukan Magazine pdf-files (including without limitation all articles, text, images,

logos, compilation, audio, video, and design) are Copyright by Meibukan Magazine. All rights reserved.The downloadable Meibukan Magazine pdf-files may be downloaded, printed and distributed for personal use only.

Only with explicit permission in writing from the Meibukan Magazine and the original copyright holder may the Meibukan Magazine or(part of) articles be used for other than personal use (e.g. educational, research purposes, commercial use, a.o.).

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All information and materials on the Meibukan Magazine website and Meibukan Magazine pdf-files are provided “as is” and withoutwarranty of any kind.

Meibukan Magazine founders are Lex Opdam and Mark Hemels.Web design by Lex Opdam.

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Martial system ormartial art

In this special edition of Meibukan Magazinewe have chosen to present a martial systemthat has its roots in the Slavic warriortradition. It was influenced by Asian martialways and later systemized. For modernmilitary purposes it was further developedwithin certain units of the Russian SpecialForces better known as the Spetsnaz. Afterhearing, reading and seeing this Russianmartial system in practice, I feel it deserves apublic place in the ‘established’ world ofmartial systems. More research is neededregarding this unique systems origins,philosophical and ethical principles withinthe framework of this systems teachings.

Depending on the philosophical conceptsintegrated in a martial system, the foundersor reformers of it present their martialsystem as an ‘art’ or not. More importantare their intentions and the way teachersexpose the martial system to their studentsand the outside world. In general, we acknow-ledge a martial system being an art if itspurpose is to serve something higher thanits practical fighting use alone. These higherpurposes often relate to selfrealization,spiritual growth or religious beliefs.I doubt that the Russian Special Forces haveany guidelines for didactical and methodicalteachings serving a higher spiritual goalother than being prepared for combat inextreme circumstances. I believe, however,that a transformation could take place withinan individual by undergoing a certain amountof practice in a certain way combined withthe individual’s life-experience and selfreflection, and that the practical goal alone– being capable to act and survive in extremecircumstances – could be surpassed. Thisdespite a lack of spiritual guidance from ateacher or certain methods a system containsfor spiritual purposes. I also think thatbeing subject to issues related to extremefear, like for example the Spetsnaz trainingand experience, could lead to spiritualgrowth. I believe that the opposite effect isalso possible.Altogether, I prefer to speak about a Russianmartial system, which is - by some people -considered to be and taught as an art.

In this issue we cover the history andphilosophy of the Russian Martial System.In addition we present an interview withVladimir Vasiliev, who is a teacher of Systemaand an ex-member of the Spetsnaz.

Lex OpdamEditor in chief

The martial arts of Russia have a long but unknown history. Theearliest accounts testify of combative contests as part of tribal

rites. Until the 17th century an authentic martial traditionflourished, which declined under Western and communist

influence. With the ending of the Cold War the surviving artsslowly emerge again.

- By Lex Opdam -

Russian Martial ArtsA Brief History of the Russian Martial Arts

In an overall look upon Russia’s martialhistory one could say that Russia’smartial traditions, like many others in theworld, have a long and tested history.Although Russia’s martial history tracesback before the Slavic warrior commu-nities, the first important recordedforeign influences of which we knowtoday, left their marks upon the Slavictechniques, tactics and strategies ofcombat around the 6th century AD.

Tribal warfareBefore the 6th century AD, combattraditions during that Slavic period werepassed on to each new generation as partof tribal rites and preparations for tribalcombat. Combative sports and grapplingcontests were conducted as part of tribalrites, among them children competedwith each other making their passagefrom childhood to adulthood. These con-tests were conducted to honor Peroun, theSlavic patron deity and with this in mindwe find the first traces of a Russianmartial arts tradition.Between the 6th and 9th century Russiawas under heavy attack by foreign in-vaders, and the Slavic communities wereforced to reflect on their martial traditions.Until this period, the Slavic communitieswere mainly involved in tribal warfarewithin their own regions.

FirearmsAfter the 9th century, although thecenturies before had already had animpact upon Russian fighting traditions,new developments arose in the field ofmetallurgical adjustments to weaponsand armor. Between the 9th and 13th Russian Holy Warriors (Bogatyri).

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century these new developments ledagain to adjusted techniques and tactics,especially in close-combat fighting.From 1237 AD until the 15th century,Russia came under Mongol occupation.This period had a tremendous impactupon the Slavic martial traditions. Theweaponry of the Slavic changed inresponse to Genghis Khan and his horde.It was at this time that, despite the enor-mous influence of centuries of occupation,many say the Slavic martial arts begantheir own evolution, rather than copyingthe Eastern martial arts.At the beginning of the 17th century arapidly increasing Western influencetook place. Firearms took over the roleof engagement in combat and otherWestern martial traditions were intro-duced. This resulted in a diminishing ofthe Oriental martial traditions and thedecline of the Slavic martial arts. Althoughthe general skills and knowledge of theSlavic martial traditions rapidly disappear-ed, some Slavic families and communitieskept these Slavic martial arts alive andpracticed and continued to teach thesetraditions to every new generation.

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Vladimir A. Spiridinov.Anatolii A. Kharlampiev. Vasilii S. Oschepkov.

“The Slavic martial arts traditions didnot meet the communist ideologicalstructure and therefore became anenemy of the state.”

1923 the research group called “Dynamo”and ordered three people (Spiridinov,Oschepkov and Kharlampiev) toinvestigate the native martial systemsof different countries such as Japan,Mongolia, China, India, and countries inEurope. This research took almost adecade and resulted in several levels ofcombat under the name Sambo meaning‘Self-protection without Weapons’.Although the Sambo the world knowstoday is mostly known to be an OlympicSport, the Sambo, better described as‘Combat Sambo Spetsnaz’, practiced bycertain elite units of the Special Forces,is of a very different caliber. The nameSambo used in the name ‘Combat SamboSpetsnaz’ was a cover for the outsideworld. It uses weapons and practiceslethal techniques in all possible ways.This is not the case in other levels ofSambo, like the Sambo known as sportsSambo, or the Sambo that also containsimmobilization or restraining principlesoften used by the Soviet police. Modernmilitary aspects, foreign martial ways,

October RevolutionThe most drastic event to the Slavicmartial arts traditions began in 1917during the October Revolution when allnationalistic martial traditions wereforbidden. The communist governmentespecially wanted a united socialistculture where cultural traditions that didnot meet their conditions were terminated.The Slavic martial arts traditions did notmeet the communist ideological structureand therefore became an enemy of thestate.Some of the Slavic families continuedpracticing and teaching the art in secret,and oral history even tells us that theywere sometimes in a position to get theirsons into the elite divisions of the SpecialForces (Spetsnaz). These Special Forcesunits (and several specialized secretpolice units) were the only ones allowedby the Soviet authorities to practicespecialized and lethal techniques focusedon combat by means of killing andassassination that contained unarmedand armed techniques. Turning a blindeye, the authorities noticed that theancient knowledge of Slavic martialcombat would not disappear because ofits practical use, but on the other hand,suppressed any other activity that wentbeyond this.

SamboIn the 1920’s, Stalin ordered a mannamed Voroshilov to research closecombat methods that could be suitableto train Russia’s army in a standardizedway. Voroshilov in his turn formed in

“Modern military aspects, foreignmartial ways, ancient and modernhealth methods were systemized andbecame the way of close-combatpractice within certain units of theSpecial Forces.”

ancient and modern health methods(probably with ancient Slavic martialprinciples) were systemized and becamethe way of close-combat practice withincertain units of the Special Forces.

HeritageIt is not (yet) clear whether the Slavicmartial tradition did have an evolutionafter 1917 or that it has emerged into a

modern eclectic martial system. Thereare many questions concerning thepreservation of the ancient Russianmartial ways as both a system and anart within the Special Forces and theSlavic families. If one looks deeper inthe martial history of the Soviet empire,there is much unclearity, and a totalitarianregime like the USSR would have doneeverything to erase or rewrite history.Without having material to compare, ordirect access to certain knowledge fromthe past, it is difficult to compare Russia’smartial systems before and after 1917.There are Slavic families in Russia thathave survived the 19th century whilekeeping their martial traditions alive. Inthe last two decades, old Slavic martialstyles appeared in public in Russia andtheir origins are researched. It is evensaid that some of the Slavic families ofnoble heritage were able to get theirsons into those Special Forces and keeptheir Russian Martial Arts active. Todaythere seem to be only a few left whoindeed are named Russia’s martial artsguardians. These guardians keep oldmartial ways intact and add only usefulmodern and scientific knowledge concern-ing the body and mind. This knowledgehas been thoroughly researched throug-hout the USSR’s good and bad civil andmilitary history. In this case, one indeedcould speak of an evolution in Slavicmartial tradition, but one that has itsmartial cornerstone from more than1000 years back.Note that in the case of those fewguardians, not all ancient knowledgewas given to the elite Special Forces inthe general and official trainings. Someof the Spetsnaz soldiers seem to havereceived private training outside theboundaries of USSR authority.It would be fortunate if the keepers ofRussia’s martial traditions would bringtheir martial traditions to the surface andoffer opportunities to investigate Russia’smartial arts traditions and, where possible,support these traditions to continue.

Combat Sambo SpetsnazThere is hardly any written material onancient Russian fighting techniquesavailable. Partly because we are not awareof it (yet) and partly (and possibly mainly)because the present Russian MartialSystem teaches a person to move naturally

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and free without pre-arranged forms andpostures. Its way of bio-dynamics hasa principle that contains moving fromthe Solaris plexus instead of the Lunarplexus, which is not often seen in manyother Eastern martial arts. It points direct-ly towards mobility and non-resistance.It is difficult to accompany such bodydynamics with drawings or writtenwords, and nothing as yet is known to berecorded on film before 1917. Therefore,it is also difficult to compare Russianmartial art as practiced before 1917 andafter. Just recently, after the Communist

regime fell in 1989, ‘Combat SamboSpetsnaz’ is slowly revealing itself in andoutside of Russia. Its secrecy has for thegreater part been broken, and since theearly 1990’s international schools havebeen founded.In this present era, there are severalknown schools of ‘Combat SamboSpetsnaz’, like for example ‘ROSS’(Russian Own System of Self-defense)‘A.A. Kadochnikov Russian Style’, andthe System better known as ‘SYSTEMA’.They all have the same basic principlesof bio-mechanics and the study of humanbehavior under extreme circumstances,but differ in the way their teachings andhistory are presented.

SourcesBucknell University, A Chronology of Russian His-tory, http://www.departments.bucknell.edu/russian/chrono.htmlCurlee, Eric, Russian Martial Art - An AncientSystem Revived, American Survival Guide, Janu-ary 1997.Hooper, Barret, How to Fight Like a Man, Sat-urday Post, January 2002.Orthodox Church in America, Feasts and Saintsof the Orthodox Church, http://www.oca.org/pages/orth_chr/Feasts-and-Saints/Sonnon, Scott, The Three Styles of RussianSambo, World of Martial Arts magazine, June1999.Sonnon, Scott, Inside the Lethal Art of the Rus-sian Spetsnaz, Blitz magazine, June 2000.Sonnon, Scott, What is ROSS, Australian Mar-tial Art Magazine, January 1999 & February1999.Sonnon, Scott, Soviet System of Sport and Com-bat, American Academy for Russian Martial Artand Combat Skill, 1997.Sonnon, Scott, History of Russian Martial Arts.Vasiliev, Vladimir, The Russian System GuideBook, Optimum Training Systems 1997.Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Early EastSlavs, http//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Saint Alexander Nevsky (1219-1263) GrandPrince of Russia also known as the ‘Knight in

Shining Armor’, defended Russia throughout hislife with utmost devotion.

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SYSTEMAhttp://www.russianmartialart.com/

ROSShttp://www.amerros.com/

A.A. KADOCHNIKOV RUSSIAN STYLEhttp://www.kadochnikov.org/

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http://www.russianmartialart.com

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If someone had told me a few yearsago that out of a western Christiantradition would come a martial art asdeep, sophisticated and evolved as thebest of the oriental arts I would not havebelieved them. Yet there is such an artcoming out of the ancient Russianculture with deep roots in the RussianOrthodox monasteries. At its root inthe present day is an exceptional man,Mikhail Ryabko. Trained by one ofStalin’s Falcons from the age of five andbeginning his operational career in theRussian Spetsnaz (Special Forces) atthe age of 15, Mikhail Ryabko was notonly given the secrets of this ancient art,he was put in the position of repeatedlyapplying both the art and its principlesin life and death combat on, what formuch of his early life, was a day-to-daybasis. This System, taught by MikhailRyabko, is not a shadow of what oncewas, it is a living practical art that evennow is being applied by warriors incombat. When working with Mikhailand his foremost student, VladimirVasiliev, one is struck by the calm depthof these men. Enormous knowledge andability taught with calm, deep conviction.

“Allowing things to be as they are frees us from fighting and contesting,” says James Williams,teacher of the martial art of Systema. In this article he gives an in depth explanation of thephilosophy behind the System, in which learning to blend and flow with force is taken to an

exceptional level. “Systema is a state of consciousness, not a series of techniques.”

- By James Williams -

SystemaPrinciples of the Russian System

Operating systemThe heart of Systema is its operatingsystem. Techniques do not define theart, in fact, techniques per se are nottaught. To make the most of Systemathe mind/body must be free to do what-ever is necessary, and not be limited bytrained techniques. Techniques createa box, limiting the individual’s ability tosolve problems. By operating system, Imean the manner in which humanphysiology and psychology accessphysical reality according to both aclassical Newtonian and quantumphysics understanding of universalreality. This operating system opens thedoor to a completely new world. WhenVladimir was told at one seminar, “Youare very flexible, he replied, “No, I amfree.” It is this very freedom, this givingup of ego, which gives back so much.This is because principle-based Systemaconforms to the individual instead ofrequiring the individual to conform to it.Everyone’s expression of Systema isdifferent. It is like you are taught howto paint and then you express yourself.

FaithThe Systema operating system as taughtby Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasilievis a faith-based operating system. Theprocess of giving up your ego-basedpersonal power and having faith thatthings are the way that they should beforms the core of this art. Mikhailteaches that fear produces unnaturalmovement. It is only through faith –knowing that things are the way theyare supposed to be – that we can befree of fear and move naturally. Faithis based on the fact that everything thatwe need to exist has been given to us.Most of those things that are essential

to our existence we do not even thinkabout. We tend to breath unconsciouslyeven though oxygen transfer is the most

From left to right: Vladimir Vasiliev, JamesWilliams and Mikhail Ryabko

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“You breathe in when you are born andout when you die, in between is your life”

important thing that takes place in ourbody. It is the seminal energy transferfrom which all else becomes possible.As Mikhail says, “You breathe in whenyou are born and out when you die, inbetween is your life.” Gravity keeps theatmosphere, which contains our oxygenand us on the planet that supports ourlife. Electro-magnetism allows shapeand form. All of these, and many otherunseen forces work to our benefit, yetthey are all gifts, as we have nothing todo in determining them. We live bygrace, who’s meaning you may ponderfor yourself. If you are further interestedyou might do some research in regardsto strong anthropic principle and super-string theory. That which we view assolid and “real” does not last. Thoseenergies that allow us life, that we cannotsee, are more real than those “solid”objects that will all pass away.

Being presentOne of the exercises that I use to keeppresent and in faith, is to catch myselfjudging another or lacking forgiveness.These states of mind do not come fromfaith; they come from fear. You will findthat you are constantly judging, and thisdoes not just refer to negative judgments.Accepting things as they are is as freeingas it is difficult. Reality is that at anygiven moment things are exactly as they“should” be because they are respondingto universal law. The fact that we thinkthat they “should” be different means

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we are not accepting what is, we aredenying reality. How does this transferto a martial art, you may ask? Allowingthings to be as they are frees us fromfighting and contesting. A key elementin Systema is not to contest for spaceor to hold ground. Learning to blend andflow with force is taken to an exceptionallevel. It also keeps us in the presentmoment of time, freeing us from theconfines of the past and future. Theconscious human mind, the ego mind, ismoving constantly between past memoryand future anticipation. Neither of thesestates is real and both limit or precludeour ability to perceive the absolutemoment of “now” time. We tend to spendthe majority of our time in this state ofunreality. Those moments when we aretruly present stand out for us such aswhen we have done something verydangerous that took all of our ability toaccomplish and when done we have the“high” that comes from being absolutelypresent.

“We arrive at the understanding thatliving the will of God is the passport tothe endless possibility of infinity itself.”– Urantia

FearContesting for space is a huge fear-based response for human beings. Weeven talk about people invading ourspace, as if we owned it. The fact thatsomeone’s fist and my face intersect atthe same point in the fabric of space/time is an agreement. How you mightsay would one make such an agreement?These agreements to fight and protectspace are made by our fear, our insecurity.The so-called startle reflex, and sharpinhale and tensing of the body whensurprised or frightened, is an excellentexample of this response. This responseis fear based and destructive to us. Oneof the reasons drunks emerge fromtraumatic situations so well is that theydo not have this response, they are notaware enough to be afraid, fight thekinetic energy and damage themselves.

And there is the real truth of it, wedamage ourselves. We do it in so manyways however; here is one that is easyfor us to understand. Tension resistingkinetic energy means that something hasgot to give. Kinetic energy cannot becreated nor destroyed so guess wholoses.A natural, faith-based response, is simplyto not be in the force vector. In reality,there is nothing to protect. The spacethat we are in at any given moment doesnot belong to us, so why not vacate ifsomething else wants to be there? InSystema this response is taken to a trulyincredible degree.

SolutionsWhen practicing Systema, visualizeyourself as a contiguous energy field.In other words, there is no separationof body from mind. Visualize yourpartner the same way and, as you beginto work, keep this awareness. Don’tcontest; don’t try to do, just be moved.If you have truly understood the returnenergy drills, the solutions will come ofthemselves. This reflects another universaltruth, all problems bring their solutionwith them. An attacker brings the solu-tion to his attack when he attacks. Ifwe relax and “listen,” the solution willbecome apparent and all we have to dois implement it. However, if we alreadyhave a technique that we want to useto solve this problem we have limitedour ability to perceive the most efficientsolution. If you approach the problem witha toolbox of techniques and strategies,you will be limited to them regardless ifthey are the most efficient means to dealwith the attack. In fact, depending upon

the opponent, they may not be success-ful at all. When faced with a choice ofsolutions, the simplest, most efficient, isthe correct solution. We define efficiencyas the least amount of time, space, andenergy it takes to solve the problem.

EnergyAllowing, accepting, also gives us accessto energies that we normally have onlya rudimentary ability to use efficiently.One of the main energies is kineticenergy. As you get softer, relaxed, andmore aware, you realize that there areenergies at work within you that youcan use. You do not create them, theyare not yours to own, however, they areavailable for you to use if you can giveup enough of yourself, your ego self.Psychic energy is like fire. We cannotcreate fire, however, we can create asituation in which fire is manifested. Wedo not own the fire, however, we canuse it. It is not intrinsic to us and yet itcan serve our needs. There is no needto try and accumulate physic energyinside ourselves; it is everywhere, it isan intrinsic aspect of universal reality.Like a sail that can shape the invisibleenergy that we call wind, we too canblend and shape forces on the levels thatwe can perceive. We do not create theseforces, just as we do not create the wind,however we can perceive and use themnonetheless.Breath is the beginning of all energy inthe body. It is the seminal energy trans-fer; without it death occurs, with itmachines can be built that take us intospace. And with proper use of breathour own body/mind can be trained todo that which does not seem possible.

In conversation with master Mikhail Ryabko.

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“A key element in Systema is not tocontest for space of to hold ground.Learning to blend and flow with theforce is taken to an exceptional level.”

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In the beginning, it is essential that webegin to harmonize with our breath.Most people breathe as effort increasesbecause their body is telling them thatthey need more oxygen. However, asyou become more aware, you breatheso that you can do more work andthereby gain more ability and perfor-mance. As an analogy, if you want asteam engine to go faster you must firstgive it fuel, yet we constantly ask ourbody to do more and then breathe harderto try and make up for the oxygen debtthat is incurred. The next step up theladder is to breathe so that we can domore. The proper use of breath is not justemphasized in Systema, it is everything.

Slow-speed sparringIn Systema, the kata is replaced byslow-speed sparring training. Learningthe physical movements is the outsideor omote of the art. The ura or innerart is learned slowly over a period of

proper instruction and training. Thisgrowing awareness, perception, andunderstanding is never ending. This pathof discovery is fascinating, enjoyable,and takes you into another world ofunderstanding and performance. Gettinginto the flow of slow-speed sparring canget quite addictive. Your sensitivity andawareness move to a higher level. Youbegin to perceive movement, distance,and possibility with more than your eyes.You begin to see not just what is butwhat is possible.Another benefit of slow-speed sparringis emotional/psychological. You find outexactly where you are stiff, where fearis held. You also find out where you arenot practicing with integrity. Speedingup a movement to avoid being hit forinstance is out of harmony with thepractice. You know that you did it, youpartner knows that you did it, you knowhe knows, and he knows that you knowthat he knows. You find where you are

not in integrity both on a conscious andunconscious level. The immediate causeand effect is enormously more beneficialfor the emotional/psychological growthprospect than the rationalizations for ourbehavior that make up so much of ourdefense systems. Thus practicing withintegrity not only improves our martialskills, it creates an incredible feeling ofbeing in the flow of “now.” It makes youwant to spend more time there.

Vladimir Vasiliev teaches Systema.

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Returning of energyOur mind is reflected in our physicalbody. Fear-based judgment producesrigidity; faith produces fluidity. Our ownresistance becomes our teacher. Theuniverse was set up to teach us; as itcorrects itself so are we corrected. If wegive pain we get pain. If we give fearwe get fear. If we give love we get love.What we give is what we receive.When you can give up and allow in-stinctively and intuitively, you can returnany energy sent your way like a conduit.This returning of energy to its sourcemeans that the attacker gets back whathe gave. At higher levels, this returningof energy needs to be felt as how it canbe achieved does not seem possible.Hearing about it or observing it leads toincredulity. The difficulty comes intrying to explain something that wordsare not adequate for. Explain to me howyou ride a bicycle. It is an extraordinarilycomplex relationship where the experi-ence of doing it far exceeds any ability

Left: Mikhail Ryabko tests Systema practitionerJames King with punches to the body. The practi-tioner has to relax his body and mind and absorbpunches with correct breathing.Above: Russian training is hard.

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“Our mind is reflected in our physicalbody. Fear-based judgment producesrigidity; faith produces fluidity. Our ownresistance becomes our teacher.”



No techniquesThere are good reasons why Systemadoes not teach “techniques.” Technique-based systems have a strong tendencyto produce technique-based solutions.This “box” that is built, however largeand powerful, limits possibilities. It alsolimits, to a great degree, how the indivi-dual can adapt to each different situation.There are an infinite variety of potentialproblems that are never the same of thesort, best explained by chaos theory. Ifyou have a body of techniques, howeverlarge, you try to fit the problem into theexisting structure regardless of whetherit is the most efficient solution for treatingthat particular problem. The mind at-tempts to define things by what it knowsalready using existing understanding andconcepts. This technique-based processdoes not allow for those possibilities thatmay exist. In a manner akin to a governoron an engine, the mind itself becomes

and awareness. Systema is a state of con-sciousness, not a series of techniques.The fist, the stick, and the whip presentthe double-edged sword of traininggiving pain, exposing fear, and teachingus how to relax, use breath, and dealwith painful energy transfers on manylevels, with the mind being positivelyinvolved. One enormous benefit is thatof inculcating a relaxed exhale-startleresponse. This contrasts sharply with the“normal” fear based contraction inhaleresponse that is a great detriment to us.We injure ourselves with this rigid, fearbased response. A pliable body can takemuch greater stress than one that hasbeen made rigid with fear. Instead ofribs flexing and absorbing the impact ofhitting the steering wheel with force,tensed muscles give the ribs no choicebut to break under the impact with apotential penetration of the lung fromthe sharp broken end. Without the fear-based mind to injure it, the body willprotect itself. Integrity is essential in anyhigher human endeavor, and faith isessential to integrity. In Systema, integrityis essential to proper training. This in-tegrity is required of both practitioners,as this journey cannot be walked alone.It demands that we share ourselves, andin the giving we get more than we give.

SoftnessIn Systema, soft means sensitive andaware. Systema makes us aware of forcevectors so that we do not contest withthem. It has nothing to do with an emotional

or attempt to explain it. It is best to feelit for yourself. Again this is not to addmystery to the art, however when youare dealing on the edge there are manyphenomena that cannot be adequatelyexplained in words. Your conscious minddoes not, indeed cannot, ride the bicycle.That is why you can think, day dream,etc. while you are riding the bicycle. Itis your subconscious mind that is makingit possible to ride.The returning-energy phenomenon doesnot allow an attacker to escape recei-ving the energy that he generates. It islike standing a few feet from a solid walland throwing a rubber ball at it as hardas you can. The ball immediately reboundsback at you before you can avoid itspath. The human body can return energyin the same way if we do not fight theenergy and just let it go back. Thevectors can become very complex andalmost impossible for the attacker toavoid.Energy flows in waves. The blood thatpulses through your body does so in awave. You can learn to use these wavesto keep your balance when avoiding astrike and you can use these waves toreturn the energy to its source, yourattacker. And these are the beginninglevels, relatively speaking. To be ableto access kinetic energy efficiently it isessential to truly relax your body. Thisrelaxation is far beyond what we nor-mally feel is relaxed. To achieve higherlevels it needs to be deep in your psyche,hence the necessity of faith.

ResistanceWe do not realize how much resistancewe have to being pushed by other humanbeings. Our fear makes us contest forspace to a degree that is unconsciousand reflexive. The use of an object likea knife to apply the pressure engenders avery different reaction. Our fear-basedego response to another person’s pushor punch all of a sudden gives way to aget-out-of-the-way response. This isbecause of the pain and damage theknife would cause and, in my opinion,because the knife is an inanimate objectour ego also has an easier time lettinggo of resistance. I use the knife, real,sharp blades, ever more in my teachingbecause of their ability to help reprogramthe resistance response in our brain.

Mikhail Ryabko demonstrates the sword.

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“Since the System is made up of thelaws of the universe, there is only truthin the teaching. It is not about opinion,it is about discovery and awareness.Systema is a state of consciousness,not a series of techniques.”

limited. A bigger box is still a box, and alonger chain is still a chain. The System,quite literally, is the teacher. Since theSystem is made up of the laws of theuniverse, there is only truth in the teaching.It is not about opinion, it is about discovery

8



“feel good” state. As I often remind mystudents, in the real world that warm,gooey feeling is usually blood. The con-scious mind is not accessed when en-gaged, it is too slow, too emotional, andcannot handle a sufficient number ofvariables to deal with the time-space-chaos of combat, it is also not possiblefor the conscious mind to be “present.”Systema does not seek to control thechaos of combat; you ride the wave ofit like a surfer, knowing that you cannotcontrol the forces but that if you don’tfight them you can use them. My personaldefinition of soft is conformity with cosmiclaw; that which is in conformity is soft,that which conflicts is hard.In my personal experiences the empty-hand arts that are the most sophisticatedare all a part of sword-based systems.With edged weapons the space that isbeing attacked is vacated by you, theopponent’s target. As he enters thatspace to attack, your weapon meets himin the very space that you vacated. Thisis the returning of energy that is practicedat many levels and in many differentways in Systema. Energy cannot becreated or destroyed, however it canbe shaped.

ConformityKnowing is being and doing. It is anunderstanding in the body and mind thatis apparent and perceptible in function.An intellectually grasped concept is notknowing, it is thinking. It exists in thefear-created mind, which is not in touchwith reality. The gifts of Systema arefree. Free in the sense that the more youare in harmony with the universal Lawthe more of that universe becomesavailable to you. You don’t work forindividual abilities as you do in othermartial arts. This is the result of faith-based process. One analogy would bethat of a leaf blowing in the wind. It

blows as far and as fast as the windblows it. No faster than the wind; noslower, it just is. In training look abovethe opponent’s eyes with defocusedvision. Pick up the totality of the rhythmof movement. Like listening to a sym-phony with your whole being, becomethe flow. Separation leaves gaps, natureabhors a vacuum, these gaps are filled,what/who fills them is the question, andyou have the answer. Once you canmanifest this level, you can begin to playwith and change it.

“Virtue is righteousness, conformitywith the cosmos.”

We are looking for a state of being, astate of consciousness. Conscious, not-thinking as opposed to unconscious non-thinking. This is another world, a trans-cendent state. Conformity with cosmiclaw is living the will of God. Systema isa path to that conformity. Living withfaith, not fear, allows us to be aware ofand access those energies that havebeen freely given for us to use. This istrue on the physical, emotional, andspiritual levels: “Know the truth and thetruth shall set you free.”

Vladimir Vasiliev and James Williams.

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James Williams is acertified instructor of

Systema. He has beenstudying a number of

different martial arts since1960. He teaches Nami Ryu

Aiki Heiho (kenjutsu,iaijutsu, and aikijujutsu) and

Systema in Encinitas,California. Williams alsoteaches Close QuartersCombat to police and

military both foreign anddomestic.

This article was first publishedonline at www.aikidojournal.com

For more information aboutJames Williams

please visit his website atwww.dojoofthefourwinds.com

or contact him at [email protected]

The Russian SystemGuidebookby Vladimir Vasiliev

138x215 mm, 59 pp,16 ill.

available atwww.russianmartialart.com

THE RUSSIAN SYSTEMGUIDEBOOKBased on the training of the Russianspecial forces

The Russian System Guidebook is a short butcomplete document on the Russian martial artof Systema (the System). According to authorVladimir Vasiliev, the Russian martial artdates back to the 10th century. Following theRevolution of 1917, all national traditions –including the Russian fighting style – werelost for the common man. However, the artlived on in the top Special Operations Unitsof the Russian Army. For 10 years VladimirVasiliev was one of their members. He becamea master of the fighting system that madethe Soviet Union’s elite soldiers the mostfeared in the world.The Special Forces trained soldiers in a waythat they could resist any psychological stress.For this reason a great deal of The RussianSystem Guidebook deals with philosophicaland psychological issues, such as awarenesstraining, confidence building, and fear andpain control. “Inside Secrets of Soviet SpecialForces Training” is the intriguing subtitle ofthis book, and indeed Vasiliev gives us stunningaccounts of extreme physical and emotionaltraining. Most fascinating is the focus on thegood side of human beings in everyday life,despite the rough training methods in the army:“With all the aggression in the world, there’salso a great fear of becoming a victim. TheRussian System tries to free the student ofthis fear and protect him from the even greaterterror of becoming an aggressor.”The book closes with an introduction to theRussian Health System. It focusus on increasingthe level of vital energy by strengthening thebody with water, fasting, movement, properbreathing, and interaction with nature. Theexercises are very simple and inviting, althoughsome of them are not for the faint hearted.Think of pouring a large bucket of icy coldwater over your head twice a day. “The bodyreacts to the cold water by very rapidly in-creasing its core body temperature. Thisexplosion of warmth will kill off most bacteriaand viruses.”The Russian System Guidebook is illustratedwith the superb drawings of close combatexercises. These sketches represent the ideaof mobility and natural movement, which isat the heart of the Russian System throughoutthe book. It’s a great read.

By Mark Hemels

9



http://www.dojoofthefourwinds.com


Vladimir Vasiliev is Director and Chief Instructor of the Toronto School of Russian Martial Art.Born in Russia (1958), Vladimir received intense training from the top Special Operations Units

instructors. His work spans across 10 years of extensive military service with the SpecialOperations Unit of Spetsnaz, including regular high-risk covert assignments and missions.

Vladimir also served as trainer for paratroopers, SWAT teams, and elite bodyguards. He movedto Canada, and in 1993 founded the first school of Russian Martial Art outside Russia.

- By Mark Hemels -

The Way the Water RunsInterview with Vladimir Vasiliev

Mr. Vasiliev, where did you learn theRussian Martial Art of Systema?I learned a lot of it in the army, and Itrained extensively with my maininstructor Mikhail Ryabko, Colonel ofthe Special Operations Unit with theRussian Military. We worked as collea-gues in the army some of the time anddid a lot of training in the meantime.Before that time, I had experience inkarate and boxing. In Russia there wasn’tmuch distinction between differentstyles. It mainly involved using yourlegs and arms a lot [laughs]. I did parti-cipate in championships a lot and didvery well.Once I was in the army, I realised thatas much as karate is effective in com-petition, for myself it wasn’t so good inreal combat. I found that the RussianSystem is a lot more effective in realconfrontation. And that’s why I startedto study it intensively.

Why do you find the Russian Systemmore effective than, for instance, karatein real combat practice?The Russian System is more mobile. Youcan be ready instantly. There are noforms or patterns that you have toprepare yourself with. In the RussianSystem I learned how to move, and notso much the actual techniques. Tech-niques are learned step by step, by wayof certain patterns, and then it becomesa style. The Russian System focusesmore on how to move.

Isn’t technique, and the repeated practiceof technique, necessary to make fightingeffective?At a certain level you are right; it is goodto practice some moves over and overagain. But if you want to understandlife deeper, it should be the way how tomove that you practice, and not certainpatterns. The techniques are an illusionin some way, because all the techniquesare based on your body being healthy.For example, if you study grappling, youpresume that both your arms areworking well. But what if you have aninjury, or what if one arm is wounded?Or what if even one finger is strained?Then you can’t do it anymore. Thetechniques won’t be all that effective.If you learn how to move, it doesn’tmatter what part of the body is used.The movements rely more on theintuition, and not so much on what youhave practiced and memorized.

How are intuition and natural movementdeveloped in your training method?Everybody is talented, and natural

“To any situation the reaction may bedifferent. That’s why it’s useless – in away – to memorize patterns, because thepossibilities in life are endless, and youcannot be prepared for every single thing.Therefore it’s better to be able to movein a natural way, and not even physicallybut intuitively.”

movement is just the shortest way toan effective result.It’s like the way the water runs. Italways finds the right way. It may notbe necessarily the shortest physically,but it’s the right way. It flows around byway of the least resistance. It’s the samewith natural movement; it goes aroundto find the most effective pathway.

To any situation the reaction may bedifferent. That’s why it’s useless – in away – to memorize patterns, because thepossibilities in life are endless, and youcannot be prepared for every single thing.Therefore it’s better to be able to movein a natural way, and not even physicallybut intuitively.

How long did you serve in the army?I had a total of two years in the army,which is standard for Russia. Then Istarted to specialize in this field. Afterthe army I continued for another tenyears, and that was with the SpecialOperations Unit.

Were you a teacher in these SpecialOperations Units for all these ten years?I was trained to work with the S.O.U.,

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Vladimir Vasiliev.

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and every once in a while there weregroups I had to teach. It was all going onat the same time: I was trained myself,I did training of others, and I did theactual assignments.

Why did you leave the army?When Perestroika happened in Russiain 1985, there were a lot of changes.Some groups in the army started toclose, and there was a possibility toleave at that point. I wanted to go andleave Russia and travel for a while,which I did. I ended up in Canada andmet my wife Valerie, who was alreadya Canadian citizen. When we gotmarried I stayed in Canada, and nowwe have three children.In Canada I started a school; becausethat was the thing I knew how to do. Ineeded a job to support the family. Itstarted with a bit of training I did with afew guys at the gym. Then people sawwhat I could do and encouraged me tostart up a school. It started with somethingsmall, and then it developed and grew,and now we just celebrated our tenthanniversary.

It puzzles me how the Russian MartialArt – with its focus on morality and thegood in people – can go together with amilitary unit that is trained to kill. Howcan these two be combined?There are different special units, and abig goal of any moral system is to defendyour country. That’s not a sin at all. Theyare warriors and have to protect theirmotherland. A very important principlein my unit was to deliver the leastpossible harm.There are different special units; thereare some that are really crazy and gooverboard; the tough guys like it thatway. But fortunately there are others

who have different principles. TheSpecial Forces guys aren’t all viciousand out there to kill. One of MikhailRyabko’s favourite sayings is: “Thereare no atheists in the trenches.” Inbattle, you right away start to believein God, no matter what you were before.That’s why a lot of guys who participatedin military action later on analyzed it –and if they do the right job in analyzingit, it brings them closer to God.Besides, you cannot assume that all theSpecial Forces in Russia did the System.It’s only a tiny minority that practicedthe Russian System. Most other Spetsnaz[members of the Special OperationsUnit] did kick boxing, karate, andsambo, the Russian wrestling style. Veryfew did the Russian System.

Could you tell us something about therole of the Russian Orthodox Churchin Systema?The foundation of the Russian Systemcomes from orthodox Christianity. It’sa style that comes from the monasteriesin Russia. A whole culture was comingout of monasteries in the old days. Asettlement would be built on the banksof a river or a lake, and there was a fort,and the main structure in that settlementwould always be a church. The peoplethat defended that fort were monks,religious people, and that’s why thefoundation of this warrior spirit is reallyChristianity.

The warriors that participated in battlewere actively defending their country.Once they would become older, theywould go and live in the monastery, andthey would be the ones teaching theyounger generation. And that’s why it’sall faith based. Warriors would want togo to the monasteries to repent for thesins that they have committed and tocontinue fighting evil on a spiritual levelwhen they get older, through prayer anda righteous life.The key quality that anyone has todevelop – a regular person as well as awarrior – is humility. Otherwise ourland would be gone. If you don’t try todevelop humility, what you end up de-veloping is pride, and that’s destructive; itdestroys yourself and it destroys theworld around you.

Could you please explain what makesSystema a fighting art in stead of afighting system?It’s not even an art; it’s more a system.That’s why it’s called a system. It’s

Vladimir Vasiliev demonstrating self-defenceinvolving a firearm.

A unique component of Systema as demonstrated during a seminar in London; Mass attack, achaotic event in which a large group of people is fighting with each other.

“The key quality that anyone has todevelop – a regular person as well as awarrior – is humility. If you don’t try todevelop humility, what you end updeveloping is pride, and that’s destructive;it destroys yourself and it destroys theworld around you.”

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are stimulated to be aggressive, nervousand uptight; then they can do damage.But if people are just taught how to workproperly in a calm setting, then thatwon’t be dangerous.

So that also includes working withknives?Yes, the knife is just a tool for self-defence. Nobody is presumed to goaround and start cutting up people. It’sjust a way of self-defence. What I dois relax them, because a lot of peopleget nervous about weapons. So it’s justa way to relax them and make them feelcomfortable with a knife.

In your Russian System Guidebook yousay being serious in life and in trainingis not helpful – in the contrary – whenreal fighting action is needed. Could youexplain this?

Being serious means to be responsible;taking full responsibility for your actions,and not being emotional. Because oftenour emotions cover up the real truth, andthen we don’t see the responsibilitieswe have. It just cautions against beingoverly emotional.

In karate training a serious attitude whilepracticing also means a strong focus andconcentration on what you are doing...What happens a lot of times in karate isthat people are really tense. It may befocus but they are tense, and that’sdestructive. It destroys your psyche aswell as your physical body. A lot ofstrikes rebounce back into your bodyand destroy you. A lot of karate fightershave damaged joints, torn ligaments,strained shoulders, knees and hips. Inthe Russian System there’s a big em-phasis on not to hurt your body; toimprove the conditions of your joints,tendons and all that, and all the strikesand moves are designed to do that.

How is the sixth sense trained, and whyis it important in Systema?The foundation of it is in just relaxingyour body. When the muscles are tight,they prevent the passing of information,and you are no longer aware. Once yourelax, then you can absorb the infor-mation intuitively. It’s like you catch theright wavelength if you relax. If you’retense, you’re shutting that informationoff. So that is the foundation; to just berelaxed. It doesn’t mean being limp. Itmeans that everything is calm and youare really aware. And then, once you’vegot that, prayer is the next stage. Whenyou pray, you feel humble and connectedto God. And all the things that are down

common to call it a martial ‘art’ interminology, but it’s more than that. Itcombines all levels of human ability anddevelops all our physiological systems.It develops the breathing system, thecirculation, muscular, skeletal, digestivesystems. All the bodily systems aredeveloped in a natural way, and then itgoes on and develops your psychologicalstate and your psyche. And then, on thenext level, it brings you closer to God, itdevelops your spirit. It gives you strengthand a sense of truth. And that’s whyit’s not even an art; it’s a whole system.It’s like life.

What do you consider to be your respon-sibility as a teacher of the System?It’s really a big responsibility, becausepeople do come to you with theirquestions. They come because they lookfor something, and not just for a self-defence skill. The main responsibility isto be a good person yourself; to behumble, not proud, and not try to impressanyone... just try to improve yourself;that’s the most you can do for people.As soon as you do the right thing foryourself, then you achieve real truth andyou can pass it on to others.

In your seminars you also give exercisesthat involve attacking with a knife. Whyare these lethal techniques taught tocivilians whom you’ve never metbefore?I don’t think I teach anything aggressive.All the techniques are just work. I showthem how to use the knife, and there isnothing vicious about that. I don’t makeanimalistic stances or vicious faces, andthere is no aggression in this. The mainthing that could be harmful is if people

Practising punches and taking blows.

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goes along with the bible. It’s trying todo all the right things throughout yourlife. Then the prayer is really powerful.The key prayer is ‘Lord have mercy’,so it is in sensing how you are withoutGod, that you are nothing, and that onlywith God you can be everything. Thismakes you humble and tolerant towardsother people. But prayer isn’t taught intraining. It’s up to the individual, and infact you don’t have to be a Christian topractice this.

In Systema you are taught not to lookthe opponent in the eye but above hishead, whereas in most other martial artsyou look the opponent in the eye. Whyis that?A lot of times when people look eachother in the eye, it’s a challenge. So inkarate and in many other martial artsyou challenge your opponent. In theRussian System the main goal is to calmyour opponent down. And the only timewhen you would look him in the eye iswhen you know you can calm him downwith your eyes, when you can controlhim and relax him with your eyes. Sothat’s why we often look above theopponent’s eyelevel. And if you havemultiple opponents coming at you, thenobviously you can’t look into their eyes.Then it’s more effective to look abovebecause your peripheral vision helps youbetter.

It is often thought that by looking in theeyes you can read your opponent’s mindand anticipate his intentions. Isn’t thisquality lost?There is much more to a person thanjust the eye. Looking in the eye andlooking at the body is more a sports

to earth are cut off from you; you’vejust got a higher connection. And thena lot of information opens up to you, thekind of information that is not based onvanity or how to be funny or successful.It’s the real information.

Working an opponent to the ground.

So, the sixth sense is developed by bothrelaxation and prayer?Yes, absolutely. And prayer is not justthe repetition of certain words, becausethen it becomes almost like meditation.Prayer is really if the rest of your life

Exercise in kicking and taking a blow to the leg.

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Ancient OkinawanMartial Arts 1by Patrick McCarthy

152x227 mm, 116 pp,over 400 photos

available atwww.amazon.comwww.mikado.nl

ANCIENT OKINAWAN MARTIALARTS 1Koryu Uchinadi

In Ancient Okinawan Martial Arts: KoryuUchinadi the Western reader has readyaccess, for the first time, to an extensivecollection of the most important documentswritten by and about Okinawa’s most famouskarate and kobudo masters and their arts, aswell as to photographs of kobujutsu katas ofhistorical significance. This two-volumeanthology includes previously untranslatedtexts by Chojun Miyagi (founder of GojuRyu karate), Kenwa Mabuni (founder ofShito Ryu karate), Shinken Taira (founderof Ryukyu Kobudo), Choshin Chibana(founder of Kobayashi Shorin Ryu karate),and Choki Motobu (the notorious scrapperwho in his maturity went on to teach manywho became great masters in their own right).Patrick McCarthy - with the able assistanceof his wife, Yuriko McCarthy - providesexpert translation and commentary basedon his extensive research into these mastersand the systems they founded, as well asinto the establishment of the Okinawankarate tradition in the main islands of Japan.This first volume featuring the work andtechnique of Shinken Taira, includes‘Ryukyu Kobudo Taikan - An Encyclopediaof Ancient Ryukyuan Martial Arts’ byShinken Taira, with photographs by PatrickMcCarthy and ‘Taira Shinken - The Fatherof Modern Kobudo’ by Patrick McCarthy.

By Marc van Dam

Ancient OkinawanMartial Arts 2by Patrick McCarthy

152x227 mm, 144 pp,10 photos

available atwww.amazon.comwww.mikado.nl

ANCIENT OKINAWAN MARTIALARTS 2Koryu Uchinadi

This second volume features Kenwa Mabuni,Chojun Miyagi, and the role of the seminalmartial arts organizations in preserving andmodernizing the ancient art for posterity.

By Marc van Dam

technique. For me and my teacher, wesense the person as a whole; we don’tneed to look him in the eye. We justsense the whole thing right awaywithout the actual analysis of visualinformation. Besides, looking in the eyeis more a competition aspect: who’sgoing to hit quicker, that kind of thing.

Is there a special reason why beginnersand advanced students all train togetherin Systema?Indeed, there are no belt levels orgrades. The psyche is primary, it’s moreimportant than your physical skills.Often times, when a person reaches acertain level – a black belt for example– he has this prestige that he has to keepup. He has proven himself in some waysand is afraid to lose face. And if a newperson comes off the street and all of asudden chokes him, he doesn’t knowthat this person has such a level of blackbelt.When I first opened the school, I triedto teach close to what I was doing inthe army, and people were just afraid.A lot of them didn’t stay. At one pointfrom the 20 people that started only 2kept going on. Of course for people whodon’t have to go to war, that was a bittoo much. Now, the principles are moreadapted to ordinary life.

“Breathing is life. It is the basis ofeverything. So you have to utilize thisresource to the most that you can.”

How important are breathing andbreathing techniques in Systema?Breathing is life. It is the basis ofeverything. Literally, it is life. So youhave to utilize this resource to the mostthat you can. That’s why there’s a lotof breathing practices that are doneevery class. Systema is the only systemthat has all the aspects of breathingcovered.The people are taught how to maintainthe breathing cycle no matter what,that’s one big goal. The other is to makesure the breathing is full, that it goesthrough the whole body, not just downto the bottom of the lungs but throughthe whole body. There are so manythings you can do with breathing. Oneof Mikhail Ryabko’s colleagues inMoscow, by way of breathing he heals

people even from cancer at the laststages; people who have gone throughradiation therapy and nothing helped.These terminal people have been helpedby breathing, and cancer just went intoremission, to the amazement of thedoctors.

Is there anything you would like to addto the interview?One way to understand the System isto see that there are three levels ofhuman ability. The first level is thephysical. Imagine two guys sparring:the one who is healthier and stronger isthe one who is going to win – purely ona physical level. The next level is skill;the one who has more techniques andknows more about the ways to move isthe one who is going to win. The levelbeyond that is the spiritual level, theunderstanding level; the one who cansee more is the one who will really win.That comes with experience and aware-ness of life. That usually happens fromthe age of forty or fifty and up. The physi-cal part may not be as overwhelming atthat point, but if an old person has theright understanding and spirit, then avery skilled and strong young personcan not defeat him.

For more information onVladimir Vasiliev and Systema, visit

www.russianmartialart.com.

Mark Hemels is editor ofMeibukan Magazine. He

interviewed VladimirVasiliev on 23 May 2004

with the kind help ofinterpreter Valerie Vasiliev.

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www.amazon.com

www.mikado.nl


In a series of three articles, Mathieu Ravignat narrows down the confusion over the Chineseorigins of Goju-ryu. Having reasonably established that Kanryo Higaonna learned and taught anolder style related to Whooping White Crane, we are now in a position to explain why it is thatGoju-ryu karate, as it exists today, is so different from Whooping White Crane and To’on-ryu.

For this purpose, we will examine the changes Miyagi Chojun made after his own trips to China.

- By Mathieu G. Ravignat -

History of Goju-Ryu Karate, Part IINew Ideas on Goju-ryu’s Direct Chinese Ancestors

As I indicated in the first part of theessay when we compare To’on-ryu toGoju-ryu there are many differences.This fact is supported by Dai SenseiMeitoku Yagi’s Book The Life Drama ofthe Man Meitoku, where he discusseshis visit to Kyoda Juhatsu in the fifties.Dai Sensei asked Kyoda Sensei if hewould act as Chairman of the Goju-ryustyle in Okinawa, to which Kyodareplied he did not care about Goju –implying it was too different from To’on-ryu – and did not like what Miyagi haddone to Higaonna’s teaching (Yagi,2000, p. 172-174, translated by MarioMcKenna). Therefore, we can assumeby this that differences abound.

General DifferencesThis assumption is also supported byrecent research on To’on-ryu by MarioMcKenna published in the Journal ofAsian Martial Arts Vol 9 No. 3. McKennareports that out of the five original katataught by Higaonna: Sanseru, Seisan,Sanchin, Sepurunpai and Neipai four arestill found in Goju-ryu though in a slightly

changed form. According to his interviewwith the current grandmaster of theTo’on-ryu system Kanzaki Shigekazu,To’on-ryu differs in many regards toGoju-ryu both in overall performanceand in the specific performance of thecommon kata.To’on-ryu is characterized by swiftspringing movements and places littleemphasis on rooted stances, a Goju-ryucharacteristic. Generally speaking, To’on-ryu techniques are executed in a muchmore circular, smooth, and flowing patternthan their Goju-ryu counterparts. Thereis definitely a more distinctive andobvious Chinese flavor to To’on-ryu(McKenna, 2000, p. 37).McKenna also mentions that a majordifference exists in the chambering ofthe fist. To’on-ryu chambers the handjust slightly above the hip like in Shorin-ryu and most Chinese systems asopposed to the chest position in Goju-ryu.But perhaps the greatest differencebetween To’on-ryu and Goju-ryu is intheir pedagogy. McKenna relates thatin Kyoda’s dojo students were expectedto experiment with the bunkai of thekata through personal research and thenreport these findings to Kyoda whowould scrutinize them and approve ordisapprove of their interpretation. Theywere never taught bunkai but had tolearn by deduction. By the third year,they were expected to apply what theydiscovered in simple and complexpatterns.Interestingly enough all these differencesreveal that To’on-ryu is characteristicallymore Chinese than Goju-ryu and there-fore we can assume closer to Higaonna’soriginal style.

Differences in kata

SanchinThere are also substantial differencesin the basic kata of both systems. To’on-ryu Sanchin is done with the hands open,whereas Goju-ryu Sanchin is done withthe hands closed. This change, which isusually attributed to Miyagi, is accordingto Shigekazu actually just a preferenceof Miyagi’s, which later became com-mon practice amongst his students.According to this, current Grand Masterof the To’on-ryu system Higaonna hadtold Kyoda Juhatsu that he should dowhat was most comfortable for him,either closed fists or open hands. TheTo’on-ryu version also places its feetwider than that Goju-ryu version, this isalso probably just a preference (McKenna,2000, p.37-38).

“Where the Sanchins of Goju-ryu andTo’on-ryu differ substantially is in theirrespective breathing methods. Accordingto Kanzaki Shigekazu, the currentgrandmaster of the To’on-ryu system,Miyagi changed the breathing methodwhen he came back from his researchtrip to China.”

According to Shigekazu, where theSanchins differ more substantially is intheir respective breathing methods.To’on-ryu does not take an additionalinhale before exhaling the hand backinto the Sanchin Guard position. To’on-ryu practioners inhale while withdrawingand exhale continuously with a slightpronounced “su” exhalation while placingthe hand back into Sanchin position.Chojun Miyagi, founder of Goju-ryu.

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Incidentally, this is very similar to theway Uechi-ryu practitioners breathe intheir Sanchin. According to Shigekazu,Miyagi changed the breathing methodwhen he came back from his researchtrip to China (McKenna, 2000, p.37-38).

SeisanSeisan differs between To’on-ryu andGoju-ryu only because Kyoda Juhatsudecided not to teach the Kanryu Higaonnaversion because it was being taught inGoju-ryu and instead decided to pre-serve the Kanryu Higaonna (cousin ofKanryo) version in his system. Reportedly,they do not differ much in substance(McKenna, 2000, p.48).

Sepurunpai/PechurinSepurunpai and Pechurin are essentiallythe same kata but only different in name.According to Shigekazu: “Perhaps it wasMiyagi Sensei’s trip to China that af-fected the name change of the kata.”(McKenna, 2000, p.49).

SanseruThe two versions are completely differentbecause according to Matayoshi ShinpoMiyagi did not learn Sanseru fromHigaonna. According to Shigekazu, theTo’on-ryu version uses twice the amountof movements than the Goju-ryu versionwith many long lunging and jumpingmovements. Miyagi did not learn it fromHigaonna because he was away fromhome on obligatory military service for

two years. No one knows who taught itto him. It is the opinion of McKenna thathe may have learnt a form of it on his tripto Fuzhou in 1915 (McKenna, 2000, p.48).

Tensho/RokkishuAccording to McKenna Rokkishu is aseries of techniques taught right afterSanchin in the To’on-ryu system. It hasmany similarities to Tensho kata but thetechniques were not systematized intokata. It is believed that both Miyagi andKyoda independently created thesefrom their research on the Bubishi andor their contact with Gokenki (McKenna,2000, p.38).

Training ApparatusIn training To’on-ryu practitioners usedsomething very similar to the ChineseMuk Jong called a kakete (suspendedhand arm or wooden dummy) madefrom a telephone pole on which youcould practice hooking (kake), striking,deflecting, punching and kicking as wellas generally toughen up (McKenna,2000, p.53).

Miyagi Chojun’s ChangesTherefore, amongst the four sharedkata all of them have been changed oneway or another by Miyagi, thoughPechurin in name only. Also none of thefollowing kata: Saifa, Shisochin,Kururunfa and Seipai are accounted forin To’on-ryu. To’on-ryu’s current grandmaster Kanzaki Shigekazu also does notknow where Miyagi may have learntthem. Though, considering his opinion

that he changed the name of Pechurinand the breathing in Sanchin becauseof the trip to China, we can surmise thatthe trip had long lasting effects onMiyagi’s Karate. But we have betterreasons to believe that the trip had themost profound influence on his Karate,i.e., the words of Miyagi Chojun himself.In the 1936 Meeting of Masters Minutestranslated by Partick McCarthy, MiyagiChojun plainly says in answer to whetheror not he specifically went to China tolearn more karate-do that: “Although Ididn’t begin my training in China, I wentthere after realizing that it was the placeI had to go for more advanced KungFu training.” (McCarthy, 1999, p.61).He also mentions a specific place wherehe had been in China: “When I visitedBuwa, the Chinese seemed to be familiarwith the term Toudi.” (McCarthy, 1999,p. 64).

Therefore, we may conclude that: 1. Miyagi’sresearch was the predominant factor inthe character of modern Goju-ryu and2. that his trip to China had the greatestimpact on his research. In other wordsthere are essentially two major con-tributing factors to the differences andadditions to Kanryo Higaonna’s originalstyle: 1. Miyagi’s research in Fujian and2. Miyagi’s research amongst his col-leagues in the Kenkyukai (A KarateResearch Society) especially the ChineseTo Daiki and Gokenki, friends of Miyagi.

Flawed TheoriesIncidentally, I discount Miyagi’s visit to

Kanei Uechi performing Uechi-ryu’s Sanchin.

Kanryo Higaonna (seated third from the left), Juhatsu Kiyoda (standing second from the right) andChojun Miyagi (standing in the middle).

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Shanghai as a major influence (of whichthe late and respected Sensei RichardKim spoke much about and on whichPatrick McCarthy has many speculations)because, according to Morio Higaonna,in History of Karate Okinawa Goju Ryuhe was only there for six weeks, muchof which was used up demonstrating forJapanese nationals (Higaonna, 1996, p.78).It is impossible even for the greatest ofmasters to learn any external or internalsystem in a matter of six weeks.More importantly, I also discount thetheory held by Morio Higaonna and bycountless others that he could havelearnt the additional kata from KanryoHigaonna himself (Higaonna, 1996,p.51). This theory is flawed for manyreasons but mainly because the theoryclaims that Miyagi was somehowfavored by Higaonna and would havelearnt five kata other than KyodaJuhatsu who was actually his seniorstudent. It is the opinion of researcherJoe Swift of Dragon Times that thisidea just doesn’t add up because itwould mean that Miyagi received fivekata more than Kyoda, and yet it isMiyagi who was gone for a full twoyears doing his obligatory militaryservice during which Kyoda learnedSanseru, (web document McKenna,downloaded January 22, 2003, p.3). AlsoI find it unlikely that Kanryo Higaonna,who on all accounts was a perfectlymoral man, would be so unfair to sucha loyal and respected long term studentas Kyoda Juhatsu. Finally, it is alsogenerally believed (as reported by MorioHigaonna) that Miyagi was very jealousof Kyoda for having learned Sanseru.Why would a man who had learned fiveextra kata from his master be jealousof someone who had only learnt one?

Other InfluencesTherefore, more than likely KanryoHigaonna only had four kata to teachand Miyagi only learned three of them.Incidently, there are technical reasonsthat point to this. As Sensei Hing PoonChan has pointed out, all of the Higaonnakata start with the Sanchin guardposition. Seisan, Sepurunpai, Sanseruand Sanchin all start with a similaropening but Seipai, Kururunfa, Shisochinand Sieunchin do not. Shisochin differsfrom the older kata only because its

Alexandre Co in his book on FiveAncestor Fist Kung Fu, in which hediscusses the similarities between bothsystems, Miyagi Chojun must havelearned this system while in China (Co,1995, p. 30-36), whereas Fujiwara andGima hint that this influence may comemore subtlety through To Daiki, aChinese member of the Kenkyukai whomay have been a Five Ancestor Fistmaster (we will discuss him later)(Fujiwara & Gima, 1986, p. 35). Eitherway there seems to be some solid evi-dence to point to a connection betweenthese styles, and a comparison would beuseful.

Five Ancestor Fist regroups five distinctstyles of Kung Fu: White Crane, Tai Cho(Tai Tzu quan or Sung dynasty emperorboxing), Lohan (Luohanquan, or BuddhistArhat methods), Kao Kun (Huquan,Monkey), and Tat Chun (Yin Jin Jing,Bodhidharma’s method). Interestinglytwo of these styles (White Crane andLohan) have a direct historical relation-ship with Goju-ryu. It is useful to comparewhat we know of Five Ancestor Fistand Goju-ryu karate.However, before we make this comparisonother more eclectic theories have beenproposed which we must address. Mostrecently, McKenna and Swift in DragonTimes, report on research conducted byKinjo Akio and Tokashiki Iken whichpurports to show the Fujian animal formorigins of all the Goju-ryu kata(McKenna & Swift, 2000, p.35). Ikenand Kinjo believe that the originalmeaning of the names of the kata havebeen forgotten and that most of themwould have had an animal backgroundand name. Interestingly, their list ex-cludes all forms taught originally byHigaonna which have numbers in alltheir titles (McKenna & Swift, 2000,Dragon Times, p. 35). So they arereally only talking about those “mysterykata” provided by Miyagi to the system.Certainly, these animal forms do existin Fujian Kung Fu but so do forms withthe traditionally ascribed names of theGoju-ryu kata. When we look at themeaning of the names of the kata givento us through tradition by Dai SenseiYagi Meitoku and compare them to FiveAncestor Fist we find matches betweenthe non animal names. Therefore,

hands are open. Also, as Charles Swifthas discussed in Dragon Times vol 23,all of the Higaonna forms are sym-metrical and all techniques are doneonly on the right side (Charles Swift,2003, p.11). The other kata in the Goju-ryu system (Kururunfa, Seipai, Sieunchinand Shisochin) do not do this. This isfurther evidence to believe that they arefrom another source than Higaonna.If all of the above is correct than weare left with only Miyagi’s trips to Fujianand other Chinese influences in Okinawasuch as Gokenki and To Daiki to explainthe composition of modern Goju-ryu.

Research in FujianMiyagi Chojun Sensei visited Fujian inChina twice, but his longest and mostproductive stay was for two years from1915 to 1917 (Yagi, Wheeler, Vickerson,1998, p.46). Unfortunately, upon hisarrival he learned that many of the KungFu masters had fled to other parts ofSouth East Asia because of the BoxerRebellion and the political turmoil inChina at the time. Therefore, there wereonly signs of rubble left where KanryoHigaonna had originally learned.

“Unfortunately, upon his arrival inChina, Miyagi learned that many of theKung Fu masters had fled to other partsof South East Asia. In this case MiyagiChojun would have been left searchingfor a school and a style to practice.Could he have learnt Five Ancestor FistKung Fu?”

Nonetheless, Miyagi was able to find ajunior student of Ryu Ryu Ko’s (WaiXianxian) who was still alive. Accordingto Morio Higaonna’s research, thisstudent told him that he did not know ofanyone else who was teaching the stylein Fujian (Higaonna, 1996, p.55). In thiscase Miyagi Chojun would have beenleft searching for a school and a styleto practice. Could he have learnt FiveAncestor Fist Kung Fu?

Five Ancestor Fist gongfu?The comparison with Five Ancestor Fistis important because three separateresearchers, Co, Fujiwara and Gimabelieve that this style is Goju-ryu’sclosest Chinese match. According to

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the traditional meaning of the katapassed down from Dai Sensei Yagi canbe found in at least one Fujian Kung Fusystem, so there is really no reason tothink (as do Iken and Kinjo) that theywere forgotten or transformed irreparablyover the years from their Chinese origin.Also, there is no reason to doubt theirattribution and meaning. This etymologicaldegeneration may be the case for theJapanese karate who Japanized thecharacters but is unlikely for the Chinesereading Okinawans such as Dai SenseiYagi Meitoku. However, if these meaningsdid not exist in any Chinese martial artat all then we would have better groundsto doubt the meaning of the kata givento us, but that is not the case.

Similar NamesAmongst the Five Ancestor forms thefollowing share similar meanings andnames as Goju-ryu kata, the meaningused by the Five Ancestor style are inbrackets after the Chinese name (Namesand meanings are taken from Co, 1996,p. 145):

where this philosophical idea origi-nated. The three (san) would refer tothe characteristics of the form andperhaps the three steps. It is unknownwhat meaning To’on Ryu uses for theirSanchin kata).Se mun kwa (four direction sweeping):Shisochin?Chian lit a (chopping attack): Saifa?Se mun tia cha (deflecting/interceptingfour directions): Kururunfa?Sachap lak tian kong wat (thirty sixsteps of the monkey): Sanseru?

Therefore, it is possible that the katanames are simply Okinawan phone-ticizations of Chinese gonfu form namessome of which may or may not havebeen from Five Ancestors.

Other SimilaritiesFive Ancestors also uses the Sanchinstance as their predominant fightingstance, though it is a little wider thanthe Goju-ryu version. The fist is alsochambered at the rib cage as in Goju-ryu. However, according to AlexandreCo’s presentation of Sam Chien theredon’t seem to be any similarities betweenthe Sam Chien breathing and thebreathing of Sanchin (Co, 1996, p.79).But other similarities exist which arequite curious specifically for Meibukanpractitioners. For example, much of thetime Five Ancestors practitioners holdtheir fist so that it is held flat so that thethumb and knuckle face inward restingon the rib cage. This is also how the fistis held in the Meibuken kata created byDai Sensei Yagi which are also the resultof his own research in Taiwan. Thismay also be a strong hint by Dai SenseiMeitoku Yagi about the origins ofMiyagi’s changes and the creation ofthe Meibuken kata. Dai Sensei spent acouple of years in Taiwan where manyFujian Kung Fu masters had fled to duringthe Communist revolution in China. Thisexodus is confirmed in the specific areaof Fouzhou by Morio Higaonna in hisThe History of Karate OkinawanGoju-Ryu, (Higaonna, 1996, p.55).Finally, the following names in the FiveAncestor system have similar animalnames as the Meibuken kata:

Ngo ho chien (Five tiger tension):Byako? (White tiger)

Chua Giok Beng, founder of ngo cho kun (Fistsof the Five Ancestors).

Gimbo (black turtle snake monster) isnot found in any possible way in the FiveAncestor system.

Other similarities in strategies, body con-ditioning and mechanics, as well as in-dividual techniques abound betweenGoju-ryu and Five Ancestors Kung Fu.For more on this I refer the reader toAlexander Co’s book Five Ancestor FistKung-Fu (Co, 1996, p.30-36).

“Similarities in strategies, body con-ditioning and mechanics, as well asindividual techniques abound betweenGoju-ryu and Five Ancestors Kung Fu.we have no reason to doubt that the kataMiyagi Chojun added to Higaonna’scurriculum may have been learned by himon his trip to Fujian in 1915.”

Though all of these attributions andname correspondences are tenuous atbest they at least point to the fact thatcommon names for the kata added byMiyagi Chojun can be found in at leastone Fujian fighting system. Therefore,we have no reason to doubt that thekata Miyagi Chojun added to Higaonna’scurriculum may have been learned byhim on his trip to Fujian in 1915.

Lost Kata?However, the following kata are notaccounted for in the above comparisonwith a Fujian fighting system: Seipai,Gekisai ichi, Gekisai Ni, and Tensho.It is my opinion that Seipai kata is ofsouthern Lohan Shaolin extraction. Thenumber 18 is a sacred Buddhist numberand the kata may be related to a southernform of Lohan Shr Da Shou Quan, (18hands of the Arhat or Buddhists saints).It is my opinion that this kata was taughtto Miyagi Chojun by someone else inOkinawa or learnt in China either fromTo Daiki or Gokenki.It is well known that Gekisai Ichi andNi are not Chinese in origin but were

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Hong be chien (Phoenix tail tension):Shujaku? (Red Bird)Lieng tao chien (Dragons headtension): Seiryu? (Green Dragon)Tian te lin chian (Heaven and earthand man tension): Tenchi? (Heavenand Earth)

•

•

•

•

••

•

•

Sam Chien (three wars (battles)tensions): Sanchin?(In this case at least the popularmeaning of the kata would come fromFive Ancestors. According to SenseiChan the Chien is a word used for allforms in the Fujian dialect. It refers tostretching or tensing (a conflict in thebody) and in no way implies that thetensions or battles are related to theZen Buddhist religious concepts ofmind, body and spirit. It is unclear

•



created by Miyagi and Shoshin Nagamineas basic kata for the Okinawan schoolsystem. They were then included byboth of them as basic kata in their systems.It is largely believed that Tensho wascreated through Miyagi’s contact withGokenki and on the basis of researchon and inspiration from the Bubishi.

The Kenkyokai and the BubishiThe Chinese influence already in Okinawaon Goju-ryu is perhaps the least clearof all. To understand this it is importantto know something of Miyagi Chojun’sfriends within the Karate Kenkyukai(Karate Research Club) such as theChinese To Daiki (reportedly a Five An-cestor teacher) and Gokenki (a White

Chojun Miyagi seated in the middle.

Crane Kung Fu master who had follow-ed him to China). It is also important toconsider the Chinese combat manual theBubishi. Their influence on MiyagiChojun’s karate will be explored in PartIII.

Conclusion to Part IIWe may therefore conclude that thedifferences between Goju-ryu and To’on-ryu are largely due to Miyagi Sensei’sindependent research. Secondly, that thosekata added by Miyagi may arguably beof Chinese origin but from a source otherthan Kanryo Higaonna. Thirdly, thatFive Ancestor Fist Kung Fu or a similarstyle can safely be argued, though notproven, to have been the style thatMiyagi Chojun learned while in Chinafrom 1915 to 1917, and which accountsfor the presence or the creation of thefive kata which do not come from KanryoHigaonna in the Goju-ryu system.

BibliographyCo, Alexandre L., Five Ancestor Fist Kung-Fu, Tuttle, 1996.Fujiwara, R.G., Shinkin, Kindai Karate-do noRekishi wo Kataru (Conversations on theHistory of Modern Karate-do), Tokyo,Baseball Magazine, 1986.Higaonna, Morio, The History of Karate:Okinawan Goju Ryu, Dragon Books, 1996.Hokama, Tetshiro, History and Traditions ofOkinawan Karate, Master Publications, 1993.McCarthy, Patrick, Bubishi: The Bible ofKarate, Tuttle, 1995.McCarthy, Patrick, Ancient OkinawanMartial Arts: Koryu Uchinadi, Vol.2, Tuttle,1999.McKenna, Mario & Swift, Joe, Etymology ofGoju Ryu Kata, Dragon Times Vol.21, 2001.

McKenna, Mario Wu Xianhui and Tang Daiji:Pioneers of Okinawan Karate, Dragon TimesVol.20, 2000.McKenna, Mario, To’on Ryu: A Glimpse intoKarate-Do’s Roots, Journal of Asian MartialArts, Vol .9, No.3, 2000.McKenna, Mario, Kanzaki Shigekazu: AnInterview with To’on Ryu’s Leading Repre-sentative, Journal of Asian Martial Arts Vol.9No.3, 2000.McKenna, Mario, Web document, Wholearned what in Higashionna Kanryuo’sNahate, downloaded January 22, 2003,nhate.freewebsites.com/higashionnastudents.html.)Miyagi, Chojun, An Outline of Karate Do(transl. McCarthy), IRKS, 1993.Nagamine, Shoshin, Tales of Okinawa’sGreat Masters (transl. McCarthy), Tuttle,2000.Ohtsuka, Tadahiro, Bubishi, Baseball Magazine1991.Swift, Charles J., The Kenpo of Kume Village,Dragon Times Vol.23, 2003, p.10,11, 12 and 34.Yagi, Meitoku, The Life Drama of the Man,Meitoku, 2000, p.172-174, translated byMario McKenna 2001, posted on Goju.net)Yagi, Wheeler, Vickerson, Okinawan Karate-Do Gojyu Ryu Meibukan, Action Press, 1998.

White Crane master Gokenkin.

Mathieu G. Ravignat B.A,M.A. PI. Sci. is one of

Sensei Hing-Poon Chan’ssenior students and is a

student at the All AmericanGoju-ryu MeibukanAcademy-Canadian

Headquarters.

He is also the founder ofthe Stonelion Traditional

Chinese Martial ArtsAssociation, founded in

1993.

DisclaimerThis article represents the opinions andspeculations of the author and in no wayshould be taken as a reflection of the historicalopinions of the All American Goju RyuMeibukan Academy or of its branches. It isdesigned to incite discussion and thoughton the Chinese origins of Goju Ryu Karate.To this end the author invites all who wouldlike to cordially discuss such historical mattersto contact him at the following email address [email protected].

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