The art of not-fighting
When people think of martial arts, they often imagine two men violently hitting each other, or a practitioner shouting loudly while performing graceful movements. But that image is usually not about martial art—it is about fighting or combat sport. True martial art is the art of not-fighting. This is reflected in the roots of many traditions: the Chinese word Wushu and the Japanese word Budo both mean “the stopping of the spear”—a symbol for ending violence.

Systema: the art of unity In most combat situations, people think in opposites: attack and defense, pushing and pulling, blocking and breaking through. In Systema, which rests on breath, relaxation, posture, and natural movement, we approach it differently: we see how everything comes together as one. An attacker is not seen merely as an “opponent,” but as part of the same system. We share the same space, the same breath, the same movement. Whenever something gets stuck — a breath that falters, a movement that locks, a tension that stagnates — we do not try to stop the action, but to restore unity. Often this begins with yourself: how you breathe, move, and are present in the moment changes the balance of the whole.

Tension and release
Many people know the feeling of being “stuck in their own skin.” Pressure at work, constant stimuli, and the speed of daily life create a buildup of tension. When the body cannot release that tension, it gets stored in muscles, breath, and posture. The same happens with stress or trauma: the body wants to respond—fight, flee, or freeze—but when that action cannot be expressed, the energy remains trapped. What was once a protective reaction later becomes a burden. The tension anchors itself into the movement chain, blocking natural breath, movement, and relaxation. What shows up in daily life as fatigue, stress, or irritability can in conflict situations escalate into aggression.

Aggression rarely arises from calm. An aggressor attacks because tension is trapped in the body, unrest is present in the heart, and connection with breath and feeling is lacking. The attack becomes a release of something that is pressing inside. “An aggressor attacks because he is not at ease—in himself, in his body, in his mind.” A body that is stuck also locks the mind. Thinking becomes clouded and magnifies or distorts what is happening. From that imbalance, people seek an outlet—and often that outlet takes the form of aggression. Systema teaches at that crossroads not to add more tension, but to release. There lies the path back to balance — for yourself, and usually also for the other.

The movement chain
The body moves like a chain of links: feet, legs, hips, torso, shoulders, neck, head, arms, and hands. Each link connects to the next, and together they form the movement chain. When these links work smoothly together, movement flows through the whole body, the breath moves freely, and a natural balance arises between strength and relaxation. In a system where each link sets the next in motion, tension has no place to stick: the body naturally discharges stress.

In Systema we practice strengthening this cohesion. By aligning breath, posture, and movement, you experience how each link supports the other. A movement that begins in the feet can flow effortlessly into the hands; a breath rising from deep within gives space and calm to the whole body. Softness plays a special role here. Where force often provokes tension, softness invites relaxation. A gentle touch or subtle movement can open the body and remind it of its natural flow.

When the movement chain flows freely, you experience harmony: you move with less effort, breathe deeper and easier, and act from calm and clarity. And precisely then, it becomes clear how much difference it makes when tension does get stuck: breath falters, movement stiffens, the mind becomes clouded. Systema teaches you to recognize this contrast, not to remain stuck in tension, but to return again and again to the balance of relaxation and strength.

Systema as a healing art
Systema shows that martial art is not only about dealing with attacks, but also about healing tension in body and mind. Where other fighting styles often focus on winning or overpowering, Systema focuses on restoration: restoring breath, freeing movement, returning balance. When tension dissolves in the movement chain, something essential happens. The body can breathe freely again, the mind becomes calmer, emotions find space to release. Fear and aggression, often deeply anchored as tension, lose their grip. In their place arise calm, openness, and trust.

This does not make Systema less effective—on the contrary. Precisely because no extra tension is added, an attack can be neutralized without brute force. You work with the movement instead of against it, making your response faster, smoother, and surprisingly effective. A physical confrontation is essentially tension that has solidified and overflowed into physical action. Systema prevents this from hardening into struggle, because no additional tension is introduced. As a result, it often does not escalate into aggression: there is simply nothing left for the other to fight against. This makes Systema more than a martial art: it is a healing art—an art that helps restore body and mind to their natural state of resilience and freedom.

For some, that means more relaxation in daily life; for others, a deeper sense of connection with themselves and their surroundings. The healing power of Systema lies in its simplicity: breath, relaxation, posture, and natural movement. Those who practice these four pillars together discover that strength does not come from tension, but from freedom. What you experience in training — the breath that opens, the tension that dissolves — often carries over into your daily life. You notice that you not only move differently, but also breathe differently, respond differently, and stand differently in life. It is this journey of discovery that makes Systema often summarized as: Know Yourself.