Learning to take strikes onto the body.

The ability to take strikes onto the body is practice within the Russian System. Unlike some martial arts Systema makes no claims of special powers being used to perform this impressive feat. Instead drills and exercises teach us how to use breathing and relaxation to prevent the strikes entering the body space and in the event that they do to expel them as effectively as possible.

To understand how this is done first you have to know a few things about what happens to us if we are punched. There is a psychological component to any strike. This is amplified by our experiences through life and what we hold as being important. By this I mean that a punch to the face of a person who holds their looks in high esteem is going to effect them very differently to a person who has no care for his looks.

Another way the pride that we have effects the way we react to strikes, is when a punch hits an area that we take pride in being strong, but it still hurts and starts to enter the body. Because this challenges our false image of ourselves it causes a loss in confidence and the will to continue. This is the case when people who lift weights are hit in the arms or chest and the strike enters the body cavity or causes extreme pain that they have difficulty understanding.

Mechanics of taking strikes

Being relaxed is an important concept in taking strikes. Beware this does not mean that you are floppy, because you will be easily broken by an opponent. Relaxation is as much a state of mind as a physical condition. An acceptance of the strike prevents apprehension and an increase of the tension in your body that is caused by it.

Keep good posture. The back should be straight and the pelvis slightly tipped underneath you to prevent the lower back from being curved.

Breathing in should take place through the nose and the out breath is through the mouth. The mouth should be ‘O’ shaped. As the punch makes contact with the body we exhale. The reason for this is that the strike increases the pressure in the body and by exhaling we remove this.