# Martin Wheeler February 14th NYC Seminar Review



## RachelK (Feb 15, 2004)

This is a review of the Martin Wheeler seminar on February 14th at Fighthouse, NYC.

Martin Wheeler was our first Systema teacher; my mom and I attended his seminar last fall, and have been taking classes since then. Our teacher briefly introduced Martin as one of Vladimir Vasilievs top students. Martin told us that there were mats in the corner, if anyone felt more comfortable on a padded surface, but hed prefer that we work on the floor, as there wouldnt be any nice soft mats in a real scenario. My mom and I did take advantage of the mats for some of the exercises where you had to start from a kneeling position, because we both have delicate knees. I preferred the floor for exercises that didnt involve kneeling or falling forward, because I find the mats make me sore the next day; there is no glide which I find to be of an advantage of the floor. (Of course the concrete of a real scenario has no glide either, but it is certainly closer to the floor than to the mat.)

Based on last years seminar, I knew wed be in for a hard workout. It was no surprise that Martin started us with a 40-count pushup, and then we did twenty more for good measure. By the end of the lesson, I think we did, no joke, about a hundred pushups. I gave it my best, but I can only do about twenty at a time before collapsing, and those are twenty very small pushups, going down a little, not all the way to the floor. Next we wiggled across the floor on our backs, and on our stomachs, using just the shoulders. Going backward while on my stomach, and going forward while on my back, proved to be a lot harder than the other directions.

We then did a few partnered exercises. One person on all fours, the other sitting on them facing opposite directions, then the person on top has to lean back and touch their head to the floor, then sit up again. The person on the ground helps a little by lifting the neck. It is a neck exercise for one person, abdominal exercise for the other. Then we sat on our partners facing the same direction, and tried to swing underneath them and end up on the opposite side. My mom taught me the trick to this, even though I had to coax her into trying this exercise. It sounds idiotically simply, but you have to lead with your head. You cant stick you arm through the persons body and expect your body to follow, but your body will follow the head. 

This also worked for me when we had to do the climbing-around-partner-like-a-monkey exercise. This is where you start as if they are giving you a piggyback ride, and you have to rotate around them without touching the floor. For the first time, I got about halfway around before sliding to the floor, because I moved my head, not my arm, first, as my mom advised me. This is why working with a partner is such a benefit. I feel certain I can get all the way around some day thanks to my partners tip.

Next we practiced falling forward, catching ourselves with our hands at the last minute, and my mom and I did this on the mats. We also practiced getting down on the ground, and up again, very quickly. Martin clapped his hands, and we all had to drop as quickly as possible. He explained that if we were under fire, any parts sticking up could be hit, so we had to lie as flat as possible. Then when he clapped his hands, we had to get up again, not using our hands. He also had us jogging in a circle, and when he clapped, we had to drop. I found it easier to hit the floor smoothly from a run, than from standing still. We did this clapping exercise until I was totally out of breath Martin told us bluntly that his intention was to wear us out so we could work more intuitively. He succeeded brilliantly: I was pretty worn-out by the time we finished our warm-ups.

Martin asked us to lay on our backs, shoulder to shoulder, across the dojo, and then we each had to roll over the row of people, and take our place at the end of the row. I had a lot of trouble keeping a straight line, I kept rolling off the line and having to climb up again, and Martin kept encouraging me to go a little faster.  

The theme of the class was groundwork, and indeed we spent the entire session on the ground. It was good to focus so intensely on one area of Systema. Martin amazed us all with his dexterity. He avoided two and three opponents with ease, and several students got to feel the love, as the guys say, although it looks to me as if they are getting pummeled, but there was no shortage of volunteers. My mom and I got to do some ground fighting with Martin and he was quite gentle, but sincere, when working with us. Like all the System teachers Ive worked with, he can sense who is ready for a challenge and who needs to work lightly.

We continued the warm-ups, moving in the direction of ground fighting. Our partners draped across us while we lay on our backs, and we had to throw them off by sort of jerking our hips and undulating the torso. Martin demonstrated how when someone has an arm pinning your chest, you can puff up your chest, then exhale and simultaneously sweep the arm, effectively taking the stability out from under the arm by exhaling. A sneaky little trick that might come in useful if someone tries to pin you. We practiced light arm wrestling while lying side by side, and head to head, and then on the opposite side. The goal was to try and lock the partners arm, but it was more of a sensitivity exercise than a combat-oriented one. 

We worked from the mounted position, trying to avoid being mounted, escape from the mount, and other variations. We spent a fairly long time evading kicks while in a sitting position, sometimes using just our legs, with our eyes closed, even with both partners eyes closed. Martin demonstrated how to occupy the space that the kickers were vacating. It helps to swing yourself around or even through the persons legs, and get behind them. We evaded by swiveling the hips, and by rolling forward onto our folded legs, and rolling side-to-side, and other ways that Im sure Ive forgotten. Then we moved on to being kicked by 3 people at once. Martin told us not to look at their legs, but up at their heads. This is the only way to avoid multiple attackers, as you simply cannot look at all of them at once. 

We did even more push-ups as the seminar drew to an end. He ended the group with the kind of exercises our regular classes often begin with. One or more persons in the center, and everyone grouped around them kicking or striking. For the seminar, we, a class of about 30-40, kicked at three people in the middle. Then we circled up.

Throughout the seminar, Martin spent a lot of time putting us in uncomfortable positions, getting us used to discomfort, and comfortable with it, as contradictory as that sounds. I thought this seminar was really good self-defense for women, as its a likely scenario of an attacker trying to pin you while you are asleep. It happened to me once, so I was very glad to learn ways to avoid ever being in that situation again. 

Rolling around on the ground gave the whole seminar a playful ambience. I especially enjoyed lightly wrestling with our partners, avoiding and trying to trap their limbs, which we did in an improvised rather than structured way. I think that rolling around on the floor touches acupressure points throughout the body, because I always feel more relaxed after a floor work class.    

It was good to meet Systema-ists from different areas, some familiar faces from last years seminar, and even from my 2001 Seminar tape of Mr. Vasilievs, and some friends, like Paul Katz, with whom I havent worked much lately, and Jackal, whom I know from the RMA Forum, and the newly-certified Systema teacher Frankie (who, like Martin, is a friend of my best friend down in Miami). Martin is a very good teacher; his enthusiasm for Systema is evident and he took the time to work with all of us individually. I learned a ton of new stuff and came away with a lot of valuable concepts that I cant wait to try in upcoming classes. 

*Vsego nailuchshego* (best wishes),
Rachel


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## WillFightForBeer (Feb 16, 2004)

I too attended the seminar and loved all of it. From the one minute pushups to the gang beat down at the end, every second was a chance to both learn something new and test exactly how many kicks you can take to the ribs before collapsing. Being easily the smallest and youngest person there, it was a little tough having 300 pound men rolling over my 100 pound body, but it was yet another valuable learning experience. 
It was great meeting new people and finally being able to put some faces to names. My only regret is not being able to make it the second day.

It was my first exposure to Systema and it was nothing short of great. I look forward to my next seminar in Roanoke next weekend. 

Ilya


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## Jackal (Feb 17, 2004)

Both days were great. My flesh is rather colorful today  with hues of blue and crimson, my arm is a virtual sunset. Gotta love it. 

The drills of Day 2 were geared more towards developing tactile sensitivity. Getting the feel of an opponents overall body movement as opposed to addressing a specific threat was greatly stressed. Knives were introduced in the latter half of the seminar as a further reminder to avoid fixating on one threat at the loss of the entire moment.

The (living) body count was rather small as compared to Saturdays group. I know every one of my muscles screamed at me to stay in bed the next morning. Sundays session, however, did a fantastic job at removing the soreness from the previous days work.

Well worth it.


-Jesse


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