This year I was lucky enough to get the chance to attend Vladimir's annual Summer Camp. This was the second year the event has been held and judging from the feedback, photos and video clips from last year's event was going to be a lot of fun! After a smooth journey into Toronto and then up to the school, a minibus picked up a group of us for the drive north. A couple of hours later we were wending our way down a narrow country track (spotting a deer in the process) and so we arrived at the campsite.

THE PLACE

The large campsite nestled between the lake and the forest, a truly idyllic setting. A number of large cabins were dotted around an open field area, nearer the lake were the shower block and dining hall. The quiet was broken occasionally by a flight of Canadian geese winging their way at treetop height from lake to forest. This was a real chance to get away from it all - no TV, no mobile phones, no internet..... The lake was clean and surprisingly warm and became the cool down method of choice after each training sessions!

THE WORK

To go through all the work in detail would take a small book. In fact I filled the best part of a notebook as it was during the training. Instead I'll briefly outline the main events and some of the "stand out" moments for me.

The work was divided into four sections: Field, Forest, Urban, Water. Each day comprised three blocks of training (following morning exercises at 7am), each block lasting around 3-4 hours.

One aspect of the work was running the same drills and exercises through in a different environment. So, as you can imagine, there is a marked difference doing press ups indoors and doing them in waist deep water. The physical and psychological implications of each environment became very clear. Each new setting brought a new challenge, new possibilities and new limitations to the work and it was fascinating to see how the mood of the group would vary in each setting.

The second aspect was work specific to the environment. So work in the field was focused on large movement, threat awareness from a distance, falling and rolling, work with and against a stick and so on.

Forest work included fighting in amongst the trees and bushes, learning to fall and roll around an obstacle, using the terrain to your advantage, camouflage and hiding techniques and more.

Urban work included moving / rolling down stairs, fighting on stairs, working in a confined space, working with and around chairs, moving through buildings.

Water work included psychological work such as being held under water and taking strikes, rolling, short strikes, takedowns and controlling methods to keep the person underwater.....

There was also a considerable amount of night time work in each environment which concentrated strongly on awareness and intuition, working as a team, and navigation and ambush work in the forest. There was also a very interesting session on criminal psychology where we got to play the part of pickpockets and bag snatchers - great training not only for general awareness but as an insight into how victims are chosen and general criminal strategies.

We were also given insight into bodyguard work, how to check a car for explosives, getting people in and out of a vehicle (willingly or not) and even tips on escaping from a car in the water. Traditional Russian massage was also available for tired bodies.

The work was concluded with a lecture on defence against dogs and a lively Q and A session which brought out some interesting anecdotes!

So that's the work covered in a few sentences, which doesn't really do justice to the breadth and depth of what was covered, but here are a few highlights:

The 10 minute press up - the biggest struggle for me, physically and psychologically. Definitely something I'll be working on!

Everyone training with a long stick, while Sergei had a tree trunk! He was hitting people with it too...

The swims in the lake - refreshing and invigorating

Being pushed backwards down a steep slope and learning how to twist fall and roll very quickly!

2am in the forest, when Konstantin gathered the group round to pass a candle flame around and talked of the coming year.....a magical moment.....

Working in pitch black with my partner and losing the trail in the forest when we tried to go slow. Interestingly, when we made a run for it in the ambush we managed to stay on the path!

The sterling work of Yuri and Ari in being the demo partners and taking hits that made all of us wince

THE PEOPLE

A wide cross section of people! Some were familiar faces fro the Toronto group, there was a contingent from the UK, there were also a few people for whom this was their first experience of the System - what an introduction! I think I heard their were people from over a dozen different countries - truly an international event.

Quite a high percentage of the group were military / LEO personnel, reaffirming the growing interest in Systema amongst that community. It was also interesting just chatting to people - there were so many different "life experiences" there, from the professional guys through to a lady who had traveled extensively in many places around the world, that chatting at meal times was an education in itself. The presence of Vladimir's senior group meant you could get top rate instruction from a large number of people and everyone approached the training with enthusiasm and honesty - it really was a pleasure to train with everyone.

THE TEACHERS

Vladimir - what can you say about Vladimir, he just gets better every time you see him. His work has grown distinctly more subtle - even when used to it their are still things you fail to see unless pointed out. In particular I remember Vladimir showing how the movement he just did would actually turn the stick back into the wielder as he fell. At speed it's almost impossible to see what happens - and yet it all remains so simple. Nothing fancy or complicated, just a turn of the waist a the right time, a flick of the foot into the right spot, a "helping hand" at the right angle. Precision under pressure, allied with a masterful knowledge of body mechanics and use of the opponent's tension, delivered with the trademark good humour and generosity.. Someone commented during a demo "it looks so simple!" Vlad stopped and looked up "it is simple!". And there's the answer - we all try to complicate things or let our fear, aggression or ego impede what is quite a simple process.

Outstanding work for me was Vladimir's with and against the stick, his differentiation between aggressive and professional work with the knife and the amazing work he showed in the water.

Konstantin - I'd met Konstantin briefly before in Moscow, so was looking forward to the opportunity of more in-depth training from him. He didn't disappoint. Here is a unique blend of personal experience (Konstantin peppered his lectures with many interesting references to his own operational experiences) allied with a keen and perceptive mind. It's clear that Konstantin has carried out extensive research into psychological theory and uses this to shape the training methods to bring greater understanding in a short space of time. There are no "buzz words" with Konstantin, no snappy marketing phrases or labels, this is pure information accessed through physical drills. His overriding message throughout the training was learn to develop, listen to and take notice of your inner voice. He taught some unique and remarkably effective drills that stripped away the day to day "noise pollution" we all live with and pointed the way to a healthier and more intuitive lifestyle. Konstantin made a number of profound points and spoke about how the work we had done at the Camp would reverberate when we got back to the "real world".

OVERALL

I had high hopes of the Camp and it totally lived up to all expectations. The teaching was great, the camaraderie amongst the group was excellent and the setting was perfect. Meeting old and new friends was a thrill and I can only say a big thank to everyone involved - Vladimir, Valerie, Konstantin, everyone who helped organise the event, the staff at the camp and my fellow training partners and "roomies" - what an experience!

VIDEO CLIP HERE

PHOTOS HERE