by David Orman, CFL Systema (Orlando) Instructor
When Vladimir decides to retire, I have a feeling my own Systema journey will quietly come to an end as well.
Thousands upon thousands will feel the loss when he does. The seminars will become memories. The classes will stop. The Patreon phone calls will fall silent. People will reminisce, tell stories, and wonder if there will ever be another like him.
When my own time comes, perhaps a dozen people will pause for a moment or two. A few may even be sad for the space of a month of Mondays before life gently carries them onward.
But mine will not.
Some chapters are not merely hobbies. They become the architecture of who you are.
I remember what now feels like several lifetimes ago. I was a junior at Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, walking toward my very first karate class. My qualifications were “impressive,” at least in my own mind. I had devoured a stack of Karate Illustrated magazines and watched Enter the Dragon five times. Surely that counted for something.
It didn’t, of course.
As I stood outside waiting for someone to unlock the doors, another student named Wally walked over and introduced himself. He asked if I had any experience. Apparently, an encyclopedic knowledge of magazine articles and Bruce Lee scenes did not qualify.
Then I asked him a question that, without either of us realizing it, would shape the next forty-plus years of my life.
“I read that this style of karate is supposed to be the best. Others say Kung Fu is better, and there was a great article about Wing Chun. What do you think?”
He smiled. Not a dismissive smile. The kind that comes from someone who already knows the answer.
“It is not the art that matters. It is the teacher.”
Few moments in life arrive wrapped in absolute truth. This was one of them.
No explanation was needed. No debate was possible. It was one of those rare answers that was complete the moment it was spoken.
More than 4 decades later, I still abide by that reply. That is why when Vladimir retires, Systema will be my past, not my future. Granted, there are still other arts that I will continue to train and eventually take with me to the grave and beyond. Systema, I do not think, will be one of them.
Why?
Because no one replaces a once-in-a-generation teacher.
He may personally choose someone to continue carrying the torch, and I sincerely hope they succeed. They will undoubtedly help many people. But I suspect the popularity will fade because greatness cannot simply be inherited.
If someone anoints themselves as the successor, history usually has a different ending.
Arrogance wins battles.
Humility wins generations.
I hope that Vladimir’s retirement remains somewhere very far beyond the horizon, so distant that none of us can yet make it out.
Systema has given me more than techniques. It has given me friendships, perspective, confidence, and countless lessons that had nothing to do with fighting. It has added more life to my life than virtually anything else.
For that, I will always be grateful.
Today, there is Systema.
Tomorrow looks good too.
Central FL Systema 