# The 4 cornerstones of Systema - part 3



## NYCRonin (Oct 14, 2003)

Moving into the third cornerstone of Systema, I want to bring up the subject of 'form'. (As we go along, the concepts become more entangeled and complex - I will not be able to completely cover any cornerstone in even a dozen posts - please remember, I wish to give introduction to this concept).
Form, to Systema practitioners, is a many faceted subject. Basically, it refers to maintaining proper spinal alignment (whenever possible) while maintaining a relaxed flexability to movement capability.
Our 'relaxed awareness' position (the way we stand, hopefully, whenever possible) is one where the skeletal structure supports the bodys weight most efficiently. The hips are slightly tucked under (a small shift forward for most people) - spine 'straight', shoulders relaxed. If viewed from the side, one would notice that the hips, heels and shoulders are on the same 'line'. Muscular tension is to be kept at a minimum to allow one to move wherever necessary (movement does not necessarily have to mean stepping - body shifting, bending and such are a part of our movement strategy). As though the spine is a recieving antenna for the stimulus of attack, some describe it that way.
This should not be an unfamiliar position for most martial artists. The hips being tucked allows for our motions (such as whip and wave like motion) to happen naturally without first 'setting' ourselves to defend. This position also allows the legs to kick without repositioning the hip - something like a 'shadow-less kick' from the chinese styles.
Form can be broken, as necessary, to evade a strike or 'relax through' a locking attack but is regained as soon as practical. 
Form in motion is flexabile - we allow movement as circumstances call but, back we return to the position i tried to describe earlier.
This position is a natural one. We have had numerous new students report that, when the went into this position, they found it relieved their chronic back pain. No surprise there,,,often the very day to day posture a person uses is something that has been molded over time. As children, men (for example) are taught 'head up, shoulders back, chest out'! Over the years, this takes a toll and can cause back pain (women are often so molded by 'learning' to keep their shoulders forward - leading their steps with a swing of the hips. This also leads to back and shoulder pain - lets not mention what the cultural gift of wearing high heels does to their posture and spinal alignment).
A serious Systema student will soon work on maintaining the spinal alignement 'form' whenever possible...standing, walking and such. Within a period of 'reminding' the body of the 'form' something interesting happens - the body adopts this posture constantly (we believe the body is actually 'remembering' that this is the more natural posture than the cultural ones it had been using).
As mentioned in 'relaxation' - we have no 'stance' - this is true - we do have a 'relaxed posture' though. The posture...the form, that we use ALL the time.
(We use the 'breaking' of spinal allignment as a part of our takedown technique strategy. It is a rather efficient method and I have successfully used it in my employ many times, I am certain that this will be covered in detail at the Expo by Vlad).

So far, it should be easy to see how the previously mentioned cornerstones (breathing and relaxation) fit together, and are a synergistic component of the 'form'; at least the very basic introduction to this concept that I have attempted to explain.


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