Systema (russian: Система, Sistema, system) is a
Russian martial art. There are multiple schools of systems that began appearing after
the end of the Soviet Union in the 1990s, with teachers claiming their respective "systems" (usually named after themselves). Training includes, but is not limited to: hand-to-hand combat, grappling, knife fighting, and firearms training. Training involves drills and
sparring
Sparring is a form of training common to many combat sports. Although the precise form varies, it is essentially relatively ' free-form' fighting, with enough rules, customs, or agreements to minimize injuries. By extension, argumentative debate ...
without set ''
kata
''Kata'' is a Japanese word ( 型 or 形) meaning "form". It refers to a detailed choreographed pattern of martial arts movements made to be practised alone. It can also be reviewed within groups and in unison when training. It is practised ...
''.
Media appearances
Systema has gathered interest as its coverage has increased. Examples include
CTV Travel
T+E is a Canadian English language cable television specialty channel owned by Blue Ant Media. The channel primarily broadcasts entertainment programming, including docu-series and dramas related to the supernatural and paranormal.
History
O ...
's show ''Go Warrior'' in 2008 and
''Black Belt'' magazine in 2011. For the 2018 BBC crime drama ''
McMafia'', actor
James Norton learned aspects of systema in preparation for his leading role as a London banker drawn into the violent world of the
Russian mafia
Russian organized crime or Russian mafia (, ), otherwise known as Bratva (), is a collective of various organized crime elements originating in the former Soviet Union. The initialism OPG is Organized Criminal (''prestupnaya'' in Russian) Gr ...
. Systema has also been used by
Lamarr Houston of the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in his training. In Japanese fighting games ''
Street Fighter V'',
Kolin's fighting style is systema, as well as
Marie Rose in ''
Dead or Alive 6
is a 2019 fighting game developed by Team Ninja and published by Koei Tecmo. It is the sixth main entry in the ''Dead or Alive'' fighting series. The game was released for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One on March 1, 2019, and wa ...
''.
References
{{Reflist
Russian martial arts