# Taken from the Russian Systema Guidebook By Vlad Vasiliev



## GouRonin (Nov 7, 2002)

10 Guidelines for achieving Mastery in the Russian System:

1)Harmonize your life
2)Do not be aggressive
3)Think continuously
4)Do not rely on rules
5)Understand that it is not the weapon that does the harm, but the person
6)Accept the necessity of fear and anger
7)Slip away without breaking contact in combat
8)Don't be self concious about how you look
9)Do everything with awareness and relaxation
10)Always perform with the least possible effort.

Alrighty...who wants to start the discussion?


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## Roland (Nov 7, 2002)

I have to add, act as a child every chance you can!
In other words, do not take yourself, or anyone, or anything, too seriously.

I believe most children have a lot of these guide lines down pat already, and that some where in their life, parents, other children, TV & media, school or any combination just beats this out of them!

Watch a young child roll around on the ground, or get out of the way of any fast paced adult. I think you will see this in action.


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## Arthur (Nov 7, 2002)

So true Roland, so true.

I'm not sure what there really is to discus Gou Ronin. Its all good stuff. I have no counter point.

Perhaps a small commentary then. I find the not caring how you look to be the most difficult one for most people. I've seen so many students who had it them to bereally good, but they couldn't get by that and it held them back.
Arthur


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## Jay Bell (Nov 8, 2002)

"Enlightenment is seeing the world through the eyes of a 3 year old"  

~Masaaki Hatsumi


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## Roland (Nov 9, 2002)

It can be hard to over come by many.

Side note - Had a thought while training the other day, and was wondering about the idea of sensory overload while wworking out......

While we never seem to reach that point, I would imagine that, or something like it, is what happens during some of those group sparring sessions that Gou has talked about before.

My thought was that if in training we are overloaded, and we just continue to work and move, that we can eventually get to the point where we truly relax and let our natual instincts take over!
Does anyone do this on purpose, or does it just kind of 'happen' sometimes?

Just a thought.


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## Arthur (Nov 9, 2002)

I do it on purpose.

I actually just wrote a post yesterday on this same thing over on the RMA board.

I'll go grab it and bring it over.

Arthur


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## Arthur (Nov 9, 2002)

A question was asked about feeling intent and how it can be harder to move on time if you can't feel the other persons intent. The question was more detailed than that, but hopefully this is enough context.

I'd post the original question, but its not my own so I don't feel I have the right.

So I replied thusly

Funny, we did work on this Tuesday night in class. 

I agree with most above that if it were a real attack, most likely he would have had intent. However, professionals and thoseof higher skill level can also hide/mask there intent or as was mentioned sort of have no intent when they attack. 

Likewise things that happen by accident are often evoid of that kind of intent. 

Since you always want to be training to fight the more skilled opponent, something should certainly be done to increase your skills in that area. I know I'm working on it right now. 

The way i have it figured. there are three main things that need to be trained for. 

A) increasing awareness of more subtle gradations of intent 
B) develop awareness of different types of intent (he may not have intent to harm... but he likely has intent to move his armforward) 
C) increasing your other perceptions so as to be able to work efficiently without feeling the intent 

In training all three of those things, I think its useful to start with working on your ability to become intent invisible yourself. As anything you can do yourself, is always easier to understand in the opponent. And of course as Furtry says... "Its always about yourself"  

A and B can of course be helped by blind training and I'm guessing you already do that. 

C can be aided by reversing the blind training idea. Find a way to mask yourself to the intent and work for a while. Overloading your senses can be helpful. Give yourself so much input that its hard to sort it out. 

Or you can try to artificially change your partners intent to make it harder to read. If you make the practice in to an asymetrical game (two different goals for each participant) this might help. 

Opponent say has to touch you as softly as possible with a short stick, while say moving in rhythm to a calm piece of classical music (in a ear phones). Make his job have as little to do with martial intent as possible. try different metaphors or visualizations... what ever works for him.You on the other hand work against him normally, or blind folded, or listening to loud disharmonious music (I'm sure you could get some from Jonas  ). 

Sure it sounds weird, but I'm guessing it will probably be useful. 

Before i was doing RMA I use to occasionally bring in Indonesian music and other things with uncommon time signatures and what Americans think of as atonal scales. I'd blast it during drills where people were relying to much on rhythm and not enough on spontaneous interaction. Inevitably people would get a lot of lumps at first, but then they'd usually break through to another level. I've found the use of music to be quite useful in messing with or enhancing natural rhythms. 

Arthur (bringer of strange drills) Sennott


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## Roland (Nov 10, 2002)

It started out a like how I was thinking about sensory overload, then changed into the music and timing ideas, which i really liked too! Very similar.

Some more to think upon.


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## GouRonin (Nov 12, 2002)

_"If you live in harmony with yourself, nature, and the people around you, evil, in the form of an attacker, is far less likely to present itself. Bad situations are far less likely to occur.

Living in harmony with yourself and all that is around is also essential for true mastery of the Russian System. Respect for others and the fragility of the human body breeds a respect for your own skills and opens up new levels of ability."_

*- Vlad Vasiliev*


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## arnisador (Nov 22, 2002)

Are these Vlad Vasiliev's personal guidelines or are they general Systema guidelines?


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## Arthur (Nov 23, 2002)

I think the answer to that would be both.

Arthur


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## Brian King (Aug 25, 2019)

FYI, Systema folks - This guide book was unavailable for years but is now available on Amazon (both Kindle and paperback- Kindle is affordable - paperback is a bit steep) It is a thin booklet but has some interesting points. No where near as comprehensive as the more recent Strikes and Breathing books but interesting for Systema practitioners. 

https://smile.amazon.com/Russian-System-Guidebook-Vladimir-Vasiliev-ebook/dp/B07RHKYT5M/

Interesting older thread/discussion on the above mentioned guidebook.
The Russian System Guidebook

Regards
Brian King


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