RUSSIAN MARTIAL ART - HAND TO HAND COMBAT OF RUSSIAN SPECIAL FORCES

SYSTEMA SPETSNAZ – HAND TO HAND COMBAT

SYSTEMA SPETSNAZ – HAND TO HAND COMBAT HISTORY

Many people know something about the Russian hand to hand combat by hearsay, but very few know what it is in reality.

Martial art of Russian warriors obtained worldwide recognition in ancient times. Russian hand to hand combat inspired enemies’ fear already at that time. Russian ancestors were very strong at close hand to hand combat and gained victory even when all the canons of the military science showed that it was impossible.  Invaders left the battlefield in panic. Alexander Nevsky routed 50000 of Swedish invaders with the help of his armed forces of 50 warriors and a small home guard. Suvorov’s soldiers took the unassailable fortress of Ismail and its superior forces by storm within two days. Battalions of Cossacks showed their exceptional art in hand to hand combat during the first years of World War I.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

Traditions of the Russian Hand to Hand combat were preserved in the army by Cossacks, were handed down from generation to generation (for example, Kadochnikov’s grandfather, the holder of three St. George’s  orders, passed his skill to his son and it rescued him many times at the time of World War II. When Odessa city was attacked, he managed to beat off five hostile soldiers all alone).

This upsurge lasted not for a long time; it was interrupted by the October revolution in 1917. The revolution destroyed not only Russia and its army, but its centuries-old traditions, including Russian martial art ( Traditions of Russian hand to hand combat were moved to the West, partially due to Russian officers-emigrants. Russian hand to hand combat partially became the foundation of mariners’ training in the USA).

The desicion was made to create a new type of combat based on old traditional combat techniques and combined with the best developments of foreign self-defence systems: judo, ju-jitsu, savate, boxing and sambo. Sambo was developed out by V.Spiridonov, V.Oshepkov, A. Kharlampiev, N.Oznobshin, I.Solonevitch, V.Volkov.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

Russian Sambo was created in the beginning of the XX century as a Russian type of hand to hand combat. The young State that was surrounded by enemies and had to defend itself, both outer borders and within the State. It was necessary to train a local police and security officers with new and the most effective methods of attack and defence. Specialists faced the problem of creating a new martial art which united old russian traditions and the best developments of foreign self-defense systems, the main principles of which were aimed at destroying the enemy in a hand to hand combat.

Systema Spetsnaz hand to hand combat training methods and Spetsnaz psychological training were classified as secret for a long time. Only soldiers of special operation units (Spetsnaz) were trained deep in this way. Fights of well trained spetsnaz soldiers and prisoners who were sentenced to death (called “dolls”, “meat”, “gladiators”) were used often. This “helped” to test and polish methods of conducting a fight in real conditions, without paying attention to ethic norms. Not only technical and tactical applications were tested and investigated, but soldiers’ battle reflexes and psychological stability in stress situations were analyzed as a result of such fights. It was the stage of developing and discovering new priciples of new effective fighting methods. A new powerful universal martial art system was created.

Spridonov managed to masterly combine elements of Russian fist-fighting with techniques of the Georgian martial art “Tchidaoba” and throws of the Moldavian “Tyntra”. After the first demonstration performances, it was decided to make sambo a compulsory discipline for special operation units. The new combat appeared to be such an effective and threatening weapon that at a certain stage its “emasculation” started. Sambo techniques were divided into two types: sambo as a sport (wrestling) and sambo as a battle fighting for special operation units (including security officers and officers of the military intelligence service).

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

N.Oznobshin, 1930: “We don’t deny that these systems (boxing, savate, ju-jitsu) practiced for sport aims only on an excellent means of developing power, rapidity, dexterity, fighting efficiency and other physical and psychological qualities. They prepare a fighter indirectly, but we repeat once again that they don’t provide real, direct training for a serious conflict”.

The Great Patriotic War (World War I) stimulated the revival of the Russian combat. Applying Russian hand to hand combat Soviet soldiers became winners in situations which seemed to be hopeless. Here is a one small and well-known fact. In 1945 ten paratroopers under the command of captain V.Leonov captivated a formation of the quantoon army of 60.000 people. There are many other similar facts that had been hidden in silence for a long time. Russian martial art was hidden under the signature stamp “Top Secret” within the walls of specials institutions where saboteurs were trained.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

Russian hand to hand combat became accessible for studying as the result of reorganization of the USSR military forces in 1962. This reform was connected with the appearance of new types of arms, new approaches and views on the organization of military training (mass dismissal of old, experienced instructors). All this led to the situation when even in special operation units hand to hand combat was restricted to working out complexes RB-1,RB-2,RB-3.

We would have lost Russian hand to hand combat without a small group of individuals who gave Russian Martial Arts the second life. They systematized all the knowledge, created a universal system of survival based on exact sciences including physics, biomechanics, physiology, anatomy, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, geography etc, they made this system is the system of life, a world outlook.  One of them is Vadim Starov.

Here is what Vadim Starov said about the Russian hand to hand combat: “It is a great shame and pain to see when the modern officer does not know hand to hand combat of his own country, this unique form of warrior’s training. It existed and I was trained this way myself. It hurts to see that most police officers can apply Russian hand to hand combat the way it should be done. Even some special operation units lack professionals who could solve some problem in the street without leading it to blood… Our main goal is to make a unarmed person armed without weapons. Our methods are totally different from the rest that exist; they are simple and intelligible to all people. Our system, Russian systema, is based on the wide experience of our country, mathematical modelling, and knowledge of the laws of mechanics”.

A war zone or a respectable district, multimillion big city or a quiet patriarchal town.. USA or highly explosive Afghanistan.. each hour thousands of accidents occur in the world.. Often personal security or sometimes even life depends on personal ability to fight, defense yourself rather than on the professional skills of the forces of law and order. There is only one person in the world who can either pull you down to the bottom or pull you up to the surface; and it’s no-one but you! The System of personal security, the System of survival in extreme situations, skills which can secure you and save your life.. this is what the Systema Spetsnaz is about.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

Those who have mastered the Russian hand to hand combat (even if they are weak or wounded, children, old men or disabled), they can defeat their enemies by using the energy and force of the attackers against them all, and by spending the minimum of his or her own energy and force. In the course of the training you will become able to use the enemy’s force and have a bigger chance to survive in different extreme situations.

It’s not our mission to borrow a spirit culture from other peoples or copy them. Our mission is to help you create our own combat techniques, in our own way, using our effective, practical and easy to learn principles of Russian hand to hand combat.

Often, people mostly rely on some technical devices and weapons such as a gas gun, gas spray or electric shocker. But just few of us ever think that we can be armed with a weapon which is much more sophisticated and effective. And such weapon is our own body.

Systema Spetsnaz is an invisible weapon which can not be detected until it’s used and can not be taken away until the man is alive. Basically, what is this invisible weapon of the Russian hand to hand combat? It reminds something patriarchal. From ancient ages the martial art of Russian warriors deserved worldwide recognition. Even then the Russian hand to hand combat instill fear in the enemies. Ancient Russians were strong in the close combat and won even when all military rules said that it’s impossible. Russian Plastoon Cossacks showed their exclusive art of close fight in the First World War.

Systema Spetsnaz was created a universal hand to hand combat survival system based on the historical battle experience and up-to-date developments in technologies and sciences such as mechanics, physics, medicine, geography, psychology, pathology, etc. Eventually, the System became the life system and world outlook of Slavonic people.

 

SYSTEMA SPETSNAZ PSYCHOLOGY

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

However, it’s insufficient just to master the hand to hand combat. It is also necessary – no matter how grandiloquently it may sound – to possess a strong spirit and be ready to give your life in the name of your family and country. Discipline, call of responsibility, ability to instantly estimate the complex situation of a fight, to make the only right decision with a lightning speed, and to govern your own body masterly. These features of hand to hand combat were emphasized by Vadim Starov, the Chief Instructor of Systema Spetsnaz, hand to hand combat training center.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

“To know to foresee, to foresee to prevent, to act to survive” is the Systema Spetsnaz philosophy which prefers defense rather than conflict.

 

Systema Spetsnaz Secrets

What is the Russian hand to hand combat? What is its secret?

The secrets of the Systema Spetsnaz style should be looked for in regular physics, mechanics, biology, anatomy and psychology manuals rather than in any mystic ciphered treatises. Vadim Starov presents the principles of Systema Spetsnaz style with applying mechanical laws into the hand to hand combat.

Hand to Hand Combat Principles

The enemy’s attacks are received in the same plane, by turning the opponent’s arm or his weapon. You should use the enemy’s inertia, add your acceleration and shift his centre of gravity. He can’t resist it. Never use your force to oppose the attacking force. Always evaluate the distance. Create a point of contact and rotate using its center axis controlling the enemy by using a system of levers rather than a brute force. Do it with ease, using only a quarter of your physical strength. Keeping your own reserve of physical strength, you will be able evaluate the whole situation and find the best way to deal with it. This hand to hand combat method effective no matter of age, gender or health problem. Another important elements is that you can use anything as a weapon: a chair, a key, a credit card a pen or pencil. And remember, your arms are your weapons!

You must remember: the most dangerous moment is approaching, when the enemy can start using a firearms. You should be skilled in the close combat and psychologically stable to overcome any extreme situation. That’s why in the Russian hand to hand combat we pays special attention to the principles of survival, breathing, relaxation techniques, self-development training and working with internal energy.

Sergey Kondakov, Tver city, the Specialist of Direct Actions, Spetsnaz Detachment Commander, about Systema Spetsnaz:

In our Systema Spetsnaz Department over 70% of the staff have a real combat experience. Many times they worked in the hot spots of Russia (war zones). Many of our soldiers experienced a special combat training based on the Systema System (Vadim Starov’s style). The advantages of the Systema Spetsnaz style is that the Russian hand to hand combat techniques help soldiers of this special operation units to conduct operations opf stopping illegal drug and arms trade, to fight against customs crimes, and to provide personal security for customs officers and their relatives, or even to rescue hostages. This fight method was tested in so-called hot spots (war zones) and showed its efficiency, saving lives of those who mastered it.

 

Russian Hand to Hand Combat Believes:

–        a man is afraid of the unknown
–        two rivals are never the same in their fight, one of them must get afraid
–        no-one wants to die.

Eventually, you should remember that there is only one man in the whole world who can pull you down to the bottom or pull you up to the surface – that’s you.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz has a simple philosophy. When you sick and you know how to fight your sickness – you are free, because you do not have a fear for your sickness. If you know the human body, the combat principles, the relaxation and breathing methods, then you can defeat your enemy or help others to survive.

The Systema Spetsnaz does not exist in its separate elements, it’s effective because the elements interact and enrich each other. The first word “the system” means everything is together, like fingers in the fist, like soldiers in a battle. The hand to hand combat is just one part of The Systema Spetsnaz. Another one is the system of survival against hunger or illnesses, survive in uninhabited places, find the way, get back to the troops, bring back a wounded soldier alive. There are no particular patterns or combinations against particular enemy’s actions. It is only a specialised approach and training techniques that allow an integral use of the physical, spiritual and intellectual stability of skills on a subconscious level. There are no instructions which can foresee all cases and situations. That’s why everyone should reveal his or her competence, being trained to justify his or her actions. The Russian hand to hand combat system is a weapon. And having such weapon makes you responsible how and where you can use it.

Systema Spetsnaz Benefits

What are the main benefits of the Systema Spetsnaz style? What are the advantages of this style over sambo, wrestling, judo, aikido and other martial arts?

First, this style is very easy to master even for those who are physically not prepared (women, old people, children, disabled people). It is possible to master the system in a short period of time. The degree of traumatism is very low because the style is based on physics and mechanics which are well-known to everyone. One of the positive sides is that there is no need to learn complicated techniques. We teach principles that will help you to develop your own techniques, based on the each situation – physical and psychological state of your opponent, condition of ground, weather, limitation of space and other factors.

The main principle of Systema Spetsnaz, Russian hand to hand combat is not to fight your opponent’s force, but to redirect it back to your opponent.

Systema Spetsnaz style teaches to turn everything that happens to be in your hands into weapon. Use of levers and internal wave motion are the foundation of Russian hand to hand combat; using them a person can defeat the opponent who has physical advantage. This style excludes dogmas, everyone decides in the succession of his actions himself.

Systema Spetsnaz - Hand to Hand Combat

Systema Spetsnaz – Hand to Hand Combat

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