Systema offers self-defense for students
A new club on campus now offers students slightly different kinds of self-defense techniques using Russian martial arts.
Started by Jake Freeman, a junior in psychology, Systema is hand-to-hand combat that can be used in any situation.
“The key to [Systema],” Freeman said, “is appropriate.”
He said Systema teaches individuals to act accurately and appropriately in every situation.
“Guys who are aggressive and mean, sometimes they need a kind word, sometimes they need a punch in the nose, but if we punch everyone in the nose, we might miss a lot of things, so we need to learn when to be appropriate,” he said.
Systema is a form of self-defense originally used in Russian armies dating to the 10th century.
According to Russian Systema headquarters, the style combines “strong spirit with extremely innovative and versatile tactics that were at the same time practical, deadly and effective against any type of enemy under any circumstances.” Freeman said the style is natural without a strict structure or rules.
Most self-defense systems, according to Freeman, are based on an “in-then” scenario. Meaning, if someone does A, then the other responds with B. Systema teaches several tactics that can be put together in a personal way.
Ally Bisel, a junior in psychology, said she like the class because it’s not just techniques.
“It’s more like a natural instinct and what your natural reaction could be,” she said. “People can relate to it better.”
“It’s like teaching someone a language and telling them to write poetry. You teach them the system and let them go with it,” Freeman said. “My version of Systema is very different from yours.”
Freeman said Systema doesn’t focus on training killers or making people dangerous. The focus is making people better thru helping people know themselves. In fact, another name for Systema in Russian is “Know Yourself” (Poznia Sebia).
“Our techniques can be vicious, but we are not. We focus more on being good people without ego,” he said. “If you come to a class, you will not experience yelling or anger, but more likely smiles and laughing.”
Freeman said Systema can be used in various situations, including how to breathe in a scary situation, self-preservation and how to move well under pressure.
Bisel agreed and said that although she hasn’t yet been in a situation where she put her techniques to use, they are skills she has the ability to use in a variety of situations.
Freeman got involved in Systema through a life-long love of the armed forces and the training and techniques involved with the marine division. After ordering a DVD on Systema, Freeman taught himself the techniques as a teenager.
“About a year later, I got pushed out of a tree and instead of falling on my face, I rolled and landed perfectly,” he said. “One of the guys was really interested and we started learning different techniques.”
Freeman has been spreading his love of Systema to college campuses ever since. Originally from Arizona,
Freeman started a Systema club there before transferring to Utah State.
“[The university] was right off of the Apache reservation and minorities would run into situations that require self-defense,” he said.
Although the class is more geared toward women, Freeman said anyone is welcome.
“Men don’t like the idea of self-defense; they like the idea of fighting. It’s hard to find men who are level-headed and don’t want to just hurt someone,” Freeman said.
Bisel said she thinks both genders could benefit, but it is more geared towards women because you don’t have to be physically strong to do it.
“In the Utah State Systema and Self-Defense Club, we do not teach people how to fight. We only teach the legal, ethical and physical aspects of self-defense. I do teach privately if anyone wants to learn deeper methods of self-defense – deeper than we can go into Wednesday night – or fighting.”