Florida Seminar with Vladimir Vasiliev, Systema Master

Florida Seminar, Systema at Its Finest

Systema is a wonderfully unusual art. It brings together things that can seem like opposites. The more you relax, the more power you can generate. The less you cling to an outcome, the more remarkable the result can be. Somewhere during those two days, I realized these qualities are not truly opposites. They complement one another and create a different kind of mathematics: one plus one equals four.

Vladimir is not simply a good teacher. He is exceptional. In more than 40 years of martial arts training, he is the finest teacher I have encountered. There is a calm, joyful energy about him. Beneath that peaceful exterior is a world class martial artist who moves, strikes, and understands the art at a level few can match. More than 99 percent of martial artists may be an underestimate.

It had been more than two years since I last trained with Vladimir in person. Time has a way of letting the memory of an experience fade. But just a few minutes into the training, I realized how much I had missed being in the room, learning from him face to face.

The 2 day Florida seminar was extraordinary. The drills were inventive, thoughtful, and built one step at a time. First came the foundation. Then, layer by layer, we explored the full idea: how to move, evade, breathe, flow, and relax. At least, that was the goal. Mistakes were part of the process. Without them, I’m not sure I could have reached the deeper levels of the work.

For all his skill, Vladimir remains generous with what he knows. He shares freely and helps people not only with martial arts, but with other parts of life, including health.

The words instructor and teacher may seem interchangeable, but to me they describe different roles. An instructor helps you work on the mechanics, offering guidance on footwork, elbow position, and other details. That instruction can make a real difference in your martial arts. A teacher offers that guidance, too, while adding compassion, wisdom, and words that can change how you see your life.

Vladimir is both. That was especially clear throughout this Florida seminar.

Special thanks

• Thank you to Tommy Floyd and his crew for hosting this seminar. It was a gift to everyone who attended.
• Tom Burgess, Scott Vail, and Randall Smith, thank you for your friendship.
• David and Rick Merrell, I will always be grateful for the training, time, and attention you have given me over the years.