Martial Arts. Just the name brings all kinds of near magical thoughts to our minds. Thoughts about the smashing Korean martial art of tae kwon do, the Japanese martial art of jujutsu and the Chinese martial art of kung fu. All of these martial arts have really simple origins.

Every one came from a point in time when the local authorities were tyrannical and outlawed the commoners from having weapons. The farmers maintained on having paths to protect themselves, with no regard for weaponry.

Therefore , the martial arts were born. Russia is not an exception. Russia has a long list of internal conflict and invasion. It’s a huge country with borders that span over eleven timezones.

Russian warriors developed into the sort of fighter that reacted on instinct. They were forced to face the enemy as an individual and adjust to whatever the enemy threw at them. The Russian martial arts needed to be as flexible as the guys who practiced it. Russia is so great that, at the beginning, the standard armed forces wasn’t possible. There were too many little hamlets and cities scattered across the country, as well as too many lords and territories, that made this kind of organization virtually impossible. In periods of war, men were hired from the cities and towns to battle and, when the battle was over, they returned home. These men would continue to train on their lonesome During peacetime. These Russian Martial Arts were customised to fit the common man.

Systema has no prearranged kumite (choreographed 2 man fighting) like the martial arts of the Far East. Russian martial arts are liquid — the goal being ready to fight without consciousness. Like the various forms of Eastern martial arts, Russian martial arts started with one “ideal” and developed into many various styles of that form across Russia, every one aimed at that locale’s explicit wants. The basic principals stayed consistent and provided the common thread of the Russian martial arts. In time, the loose teachings solidified. The assorted cities and hamlets would show off their talents with friendly competitions among themselves. It was not till 1917 — when the Communists had taken power — that all conventions, including Russian martial art, were banned. The system went underground, instead of face grim persecution for outwardly continuing to practice. As in the Far East, some priories survived and were left alone by the governing body and the friars would keep the “old ways” alive. Dads would also teach their sons, handing down the customs from generation to generation, praying that it might survive.

When the new Soviet state had to target arming their squaddies, they sent agents to find the best fighting systems in the world. They did not have to search too far, the answer was right under their nose. From this point on, the Russian armed forces commenced instruction in an ancient strategy pulled right from the roots of their own heritage. The martial arts have kept on growing in renown in recent years, and the Russian martial art systema is not different. Even though it’s typically utilised by the Russian Special Operation Units, the form spread to the Western world when a couple of infantrymen left Russia after the Cold War finished.