Systema Metaphors

Vladimir Vasiliev

“The picture is better than a thousand words”

“Give tension to the opponent, but remain relaxed yourself”.
“Breathe lightly and the body will be soft”.
“Your work should be multifaceted with multiple meanings”.
“It is too much of you - move just enough, no more than needed”.
“Forget about the guy you hit” (the explanation was do not get emotionally involved with empathy
towards your opponent)
“Be bold in your work” - Work joyfully.
“Good warrior is healthy warrior” - no explanation is needed.
“Aggressive people usually do not have money”.
“Do not fight” (the meaning is not to counter force with force, but rather continue along the line of
attack and lock the attacker unexpectedly, before he can re-adjust)

Konstantin Komarov

“Road with many curves leads to sheep losses”

“Fear lives deep and is planted in childhood, since everything forbidden is reinforced with fear”.
“Movement comes from the body. When you fall do not plan the motion, just sink to the floor relaxing
the body”.
“Thought lives in the mind, sensations live in the body”.
“Trace your own state of psyche and mind. Do not be carried away with things around you”.
“Relax the psyche” (ample amounts of breathing exercises with lots of breath holds)
“Fear is interchangeable with aggression. Rationalize and relieve the fear before it turns into
aggression.”
“Relaxed psyche enables one to move just enough and in time to counter an attack.”
“Once you learn to move the body, you will not be afraid of other folks.”

Sergey Ozereliev

“If you do not do it right away, I will help you in my own way”
“The body is fog, but fists are real” (refers to Mikhail Ryabko being present without any tension, thus
his body is not perceived by the opponent and then the fists come as a painful surprise)
“One strike should feed another”.
“Powerful interactive work comes from freedom”.
“When one focuses on the weapon, only half of the body works”.
“Be free and then you will hit nonstop”.
“If you did not learn to overcome fear, you did not learn anything”.