LOL I was wondering if anybody else thought that. literally that's the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail was that it looked like nikolaj coster waldau (jaime lannister)
It was a good idea but didn’t show anything and I kinda want to see how the teacher really fights another teacher for real and not slowly doing it like a full real fast battle
@@user-fr4cg2xj2w It would probably be more practical, whenever possible, to take the krav maga approach, and use your hand to stop the arm at the wrist. if you try grabbing the knife, the problem is that you may end up cutting your hand, and that causes problems with your ability to control the opponent if you grab ahold of them again in the future.
@@user-fr4cg2xj2w No one is disputing that you don't want to get stabbed in the chest during a knife attack. The dispute here is whether you block the knife with your hand. While in some cases, it may be unavoidable, you never TRY to block the blade itself with your bare hand. You stop or hit the wrist . ruclips.net/video/F2bM5aMBP7A/видео.html ruclips.net/p/PLi5hJ54Oh-hnyW3RdQNbEw96xsWYunYnp ruclips.net/video/bR9DB6JPXAo/видео.html You can try and defend this guy's blade grabbing technique all you want, but at the end he's selling snake oil. You never intentionally grab the blade. not only do you end up getting cut, but your opponent has a better grip on the weapon than you do. If they are using something curved and hooked, like a karambit, them pulling back with enough force will result in you losing all of your fingers.
Is a Soviet-era martial art developed for real world application, perfect for KGB/counter-terrorism. If anyone has seen the FX series "The Americans", there are some great examples of Systema.
Learn the techniques. Make them muscle memory. Spar often, to recognize how fighting actually works. After you get use to it, just react in a fight or in sparring, don't anticipate or strategize. Trust me. works everytime, if you practiced your Martial Art. But I can't emphasize enough how important it is, that you make your counters, your strikes, and your grappling muscle memory
Practice, practice, practice because practice makes perfect. If you keep practicing then it eventually becomes muscle memory and you will just instantly react because your body is trained to react based on your practice.
@@user-pw5rp4qt1o then why the fuck they keep coming here and even caravanning to the border numb skull? Americans don't wanna be here anymore cause welfare seekers won't stay the fuck out.
A few comments regarding the technique at 1:54, I think you need to think outside the box which is what Systema encourages the practitioner to do. Survival is whatever it takes to survive - fundamentally 1. Move out of the way - tick 2. Total awareness of surroundings - tick 3. Relaxed and consistent breathing - tick 4. Compromise attackers integrity - tick 5. Rinse and repeat. Notice the instructor actually gestured to run away so survival doesnt necessarily means injuring and maiming the attacker.
Ur spot on! There are videos out there with MMA fighters fighting systema, and systema loses every time. My friend a sombo fighter from Russia, says all it is Russian Tai chi.
Nice anti knife techniques at 1:54... literally pushing yourself into the knife. Only a master with years of experience would invent such a powerful technique...
systema is as fake as the kung fu in 80s. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best martial art for combat against bigger, stronger opponent. BJJ guys would ragdoll systema people.
Yeah sure when your on the floor, grapling with one person, his friends are going to kick you in the head. That's how dumb bjj is, it's effective but only ever on 1x opponent and with the most non lethal techniques
Oh come on, Systema is a famous bullshido. Only people in systema who can fight - are those who have previous experience in regular combat sports. And it is not taught in any actual armed forces in Russia.
If you grab a knife like that, there is no way you can power through the pain to turn the knife around or even get a good grip on it to turn it around. The enemy is not a 5 year old, it it will be a grown up person with a 100x stronger grip on the handle. Ridiculous. Worst thing I have seen. Just him seeing you gonna grab the knife, he will pull back a few inches while you grab it tight and your fingers are gone.
Systema is the biggest bulls*hit ever!🚯 I can say this because of long years of training and studying Combatives like Krav Maga, T36 Grappling, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, and R.A.T. Please just try to pressure test it with a non compliant partner and you will see... Especially the funky knife-redirecting stuff will get you killed!
Because it is not certified fighting system, it is more likely fake, no one knows about this system in Russia, there is no Wikipedia article even about this trash in Russian lang. The only thing I found about this systema is that it was created after union collapse when there was a lot of chaos and everyone did and named everything they want. I don’t know what Vice is doing now, before it had a lot of good documentaries but now they show this trash. I am russian by the way
I was going to respectfully disagree with you but then I thought it would be pointless. What I will say is that Systema is about letting go of Ego controlling your reactions and having your emotions and body tension in check which is more valuable for me. I've seen people with boxing and kung fu training that was not effective against opponent trained in Systema. Those who were open to learning new things only benefited from it. This vice value essay is misrepresentation of what Systema is about when they use words as "brutal" to describe it.
That guy was clearly in pain after them body shots you could tell by his face , the ambulance got called after that , that's why the documentary was cut short 🤣
@@dankdizzl3546 ruclips.net/video/0XwXaCbfIGw/видео.html Most practitioners of Tai Chi are in no way suited for fighting. Whenever it came to fight night when I was at the American Martial Arts Academy in Killeen, even the Tai Chi instructor didn't fight with Tai Chi. Some of the supposed experts in the playlist you posted would crumble in a full-on pressure test against someone with an equal amount of time training in MMA. In any of the videos were supposed Tai chi master wins the fight, they aren't using tai chi.
Push ups on two kentus ,no fucking show with belts ,no sorry no apologies,no fake face measured masks, just face to face contact ,this is what some of us learnt from the childhood ...after soviet collapsed.
Weird I fought a guy that was a systema practitioner in the octagon and it didnt do so well against typical brutal face to face contact.....I guess if MAYBE youre expecting someone to grab something, it COULD be ok, but when it comes to full on brutal confrontation it doesnt stand up
I would want to correct: Not "it" doesnt stand up but he did not stand up, that might be an importnat difference. Would anybody expect a professional performance in a Sportfighting, no consequences, full recovery time, on the point arranged meeting from somebody that never trained for that kind of special situation? How would a professional MMA fighter have done in WWII as an ordinanry soldier in battle? Would he have been specially successful? Maybe an MMA-Fihgter would have been unable to fight because of starvation, the cold, lack of motivation (no win)? Systema in my understanding helps me to be prepared for a very wide range of possible changes and not for a Sportfighting duel. If I`d want a career in MMA, I would go to an MMA Gym and train as hard and specialiezed for that exact next event, that exact opponent, that exact promotion and its expectations (Payment). Best wishes, Henry
Fight Commentary Breakdowns. Not... Not a whole lot of fighting going on here. I don't see... The point of some of this. That is certainly an excellent way to get stabbed. Maybe this hails from the vodka tiger technique we showcased in one of our older videos.
Unfortunately the documentary was cut short. Vice had to cover a cupcake shop in Williamsberg NY that gave all the proceeds of their period blood pastaries to trans teens with breast cancer.
0 seconds ago there is a guy watches everything i do and he treated me he hears and talks threw people he started the wars need you to find him he doesent leave me alone he uses computers and techonlogy to start the wars he blows wind also he things iam russian but iam not russias syrias ukraines enemys its better you know 4 ever
Classic Vice. 3 and a half minutes on a topic that is interesting and people want to know more about, such as history and whatnot but its just a guy punching another guy with no further info. Then has a 25 min short film on why smoking vegan weed is better for the environment than sex trafficking plastic cis-gender dolls who have feelings.
Putin has nothing to do with Systema. Putin studied Sambo and a little bit of Judo (his "Black belt" in judo doesn't match to standards). Putin likes Systema because its popularization in the West makes for Russian intelligence possible to recruit some people there (that's the reason Germany forbide Systema centers in Germany). Systema is just work of some men trying synthesize different approaches, it took many things from Chinese arts and is meant for surprise attacks and escapes, not to long-time matches in the ring. Systema's "official history" (all those secret martial arts in monasteries) is just a joke. But I like Systema methods and it's approach to trying to achieve freedom in stressful situations (must for every kind of agents and saboteurs).
What a bad presentation on a pretty interesting topic
it finished to quickly, those moves were dope
Truly bad.
I would not even call this presentation, wtf they where thinking making this video.
checkmate yeah boomer
@ Well it's 2019 and he said it so....
Video should’ve been longer
Is that it? thought it was a full documentary
what a ball fondler.
time is money :)
This has been my gripe with Vice lately, they find this really cool stuff and then proceed to make an only 3 minutes long video about it.
@@chohyunil3804 it should be deleted, but they need to get list of those who are up to this topic.
lol i forgot about that one "ball fondler"
Not even ball fondling. JOI.
Why the thumbnail make it look like Putin has Jamie Lannister teaching martial arts
LOL I was wondering if anybody else thought that. literally that's the first thing I thought when I saw the thumbnail was that it looked like nikolaj coster waldau (jaime lannister)
Young Astronaut sameeeee lol
It was a good idea but didn’t show anything and I kinda want to see how the teacher really fights another teacher for real and not slowly doing it like a full real fast battle
who cares it's all bullshit
What is a bullshit ?
Thats what makes it a red flag for me
@@muaythaimarseille3858 wym what’s bullshit? Did u not watch the video?
@@Texmma yes for sure .
3:00 The instructor grabs a knife by the blade, turns it around, and stabs his opponent... Seems like a great way to get stabbed
Malachy Duffy not true, rather stop the impact with my hand, rather than my chest
@@user-fr4cg2xj2w It would probably be more practical, whenever possible, to take the krav maga approach, and use your hand to stop the arm at the wrist. if you try grabbing the knife, the problem is that you may end up cutting your hand, and that causes problems with your ability to control the opponent if you grab ahold of them again in the future.
Vodka helps
Grahf Zero but getting stabbed in the chest can kill you or stop you right away
@@user-fr4cg2xj2w No one is disputing that you don't want to get stabbed in the chest during a knife attack. The dispute here is whether you block the knife with your hand. While in some cases, it may be unavoidable, you never TRY to block the blade itself with your bare hand. You stop or hit the wrist .
ruclips.net/video/F2bM5aMBP7A/видео.html
ruclips.net/p/PLi5hJ54Oh-hnyW3RdQNbEw96xsWYunYnp
ruclips.net/video/bR9DB6JPXAo/видео.html
You can try and defend this guy's blade grabbing technique all you want, but at the end he's selling snake oil. You never intentionally grab the blade. not only do you end up getting cut, but your opponent has a better grip on the weapon than you do.
If they are using something curved and hooked, like a karambit, them pulling back with enough force will result in you losing all of your fingers.
This was really lame. 4min of really nothing, next please go in depth like you did with N Korea I think like 15years ago thanks.
Is a Soviet-era martial art developed for real world application, perfect for KGB/counter-terrorism. If anyone has seen the FX series "The Americans", there are some great examples of Systema.
Good to know, I will check it out!
I never seen a Systema black belt who wasn't 30-60lbs over weight and wearing the tight shirt/sweatpant combo
it's the basic requirement, don't you get it?!?!?
Lol
They don't have belt's in Systems" I take Systema Aikido & I Wrestled in highschool 🙏🛐👍
Don’t forget the military uniforms with the blue/white shirt combo
There's black belts and mma guys (about 10-20 years of experience) in systema, so that's a lie
I wanna meet someone who can teach me to master ultra instinct
potatomato :p
CaCaCaCombo Breaker!!!
Learn the techniques. Make them muscle memory. Spar often, to recognize how fighting actually works. After you get use to it, just react in a fight or in sparring, don't anticipate or strategize. Trust me. works everytime, if you practiced your Martial Art. But I can't emphasize enough how important it is, that you make your counters, your strikes, and your grappling muscle memory
potatomato :p please agony
Fire
Practice, practice, practice because practice makes perfect. If you keep practicing then it eventually becomes muscle memory and you will just instantly react because your body is trained to react based on your practice.
"I want to go back to the roots of my culture...."
I just don't want to go back there.....
what's different between country and culture?
Can't blame him. Russia is a shitty place.
Nick F I sure don’t ah ha ha
@Nick F outside of america nobody wants to be american
@@user-pw5rp4qt1o then why the fuck they keep coming here and even caravanning to the border numb skull? Americans don't wanna be here anymore cause welfare seekers won't stay the fuck out.
" Its fine! "
Said all my ex girlfriends as they slowly grew to hate me and give up
Top comment 😂
"Break the wrist walk away"
Rex Kwon Do
A few comments regarding the technique at 1:54, I think you need to think outside the box which is what Systema encourages the practitioner to do. Survival is whatever it takes to survive - fundamentally 1. Move out of the way - tick 2. Total awareness of surroundings - tick 3. Relaxed and consistent breathing - tick 4. Compromise attackers integrity - tick 5. Rinse and repeat. Notice the instructor actually gestured to run away so survival doesnt necessarily means injuring and maiming the attacker.
I came here expecting advanced techniques in judo throwing a grizzly bear.
I leave disappointed and bored.
Jm 115 😂 🐻
Systema is not being taught in KGB. It was invented by Kadochinkoff and was toaught as optional curriculum. Stop misleading people.
It's not popular because it's not effective!... because if it is... every MMA fighters would be using it!
Ur spot on! There are videos out there with MMA fighters fighting systema, and systema loses every time. My friend a sombo fighter from Russia, says all it is Russian Tai chi.
MMA lmao, that's something that definitely doesn't work either isn't a martial arts sport.
You can't compare with sports and martial arts. two different things.
HEY, I'VE SEEN TAI CHI KICK SOME ASS!! DONT LET THOSE SOFT MOVEMENTS FOOL YOU!!!
There's a difference between fighting to win and fighting to kill. 90% of Cage fighting techniques will fail in real life situations.
The last technique with the knife was awesome
When the presenter subtly just spun that knife in the air and caught it perfectly.
I can totally tell that dude wasn't taking those shots that lightly as he wanted to make it look lol
I'll see y'all again when they recommend this✌🏿
Brian Anouma see you in a few years buddy
now
Nice anti knife techniques at 1:54... literally pushing yourself into the knife. Only a master with years of experience would invent such a powerful technique...
Watch it in slow motion. The way he handled his arm and wrist made it impossible for the guy to stab him.
Welcome to Vice
When he countered a knife thrust with his back i laughed so hard i sharted myself.
systema is as fake as the kung fu in 80s. Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the best martial art for combat against bigger, stronger opponent. BJJ guys would ragdoll systema people.
Well, there's three minutes and thirty-six seconds of my life that I'll never get back.
I need to learn this style to finally defeat my neighbours 5yr old
Is this a trailer? Also getting some strong Steven Seagal vibes from this😂
Please dont hit me systema dudes
Any blue belt in jiu jitsu would smash every person in that room.
Ain't that sure tho but wtv
@Paper_Sword Sure.
Lol any person that a was at least e street fights will do the same
KGB operatives are trained to kill, not to play some sport games.
Yeah sure when your on the floor, grapling with one person, his friends are going to kick you in the head.
That's how dumb bjj is, it's effective but only ever on 1x opponent and with the most non lethal techniques
2:40 goddamn that man is a rock
Check out Mikhail Ryabko!
Hudson Weatherson please a bunny
Ryabko blyat! hah
1:47 "So I can maybe beat up Putin" I don't know what's more crazy, the fact it's a shit joke or the fact he's still alive 😂
putin is like 5'4", he's moves like a dwarf 😂😂
Someone call Xu Xiaodong from kungfu fraudbusters
3:00
GRABBING THE FUCKING BLADE???
This is the most pathetic shit I've ever seen!!!
Oh come on, Systema is a famous bullshido. Only people in systema who can fight - are those who have previous experience in regular combat sports. And it is not taught in any actual armed forces in Russia.
Who said that it's Putin's favorite? It's a lie
Да vice совсем пизданулся, какие-то фейковые системы из девяностых выдаёт за нормальное искусство боя. А раньше у них хорошие документален были...
I said meh когда то были)
He loves judo.
its Trump's favorite
Propaganda
If you grab a knife like that, there is no way you can power through the pain to turn the knife around or even get a good grip on it to turn it around. The enemy is not a 5 year old, it it will be a grown up person with a 100x stronger grip on the handle. Ridiculous. Worst thing I have seen. Just him seeing you gonna grab the knife, he will pull back a few inches while you grab it tight and your fingers are gone.
2:17 Kapalbhati pranayam with a punch. 👊 lol 😜😂
Combat sports that Russians do that actually work , Judo , wrestling , combat sambo and boxing.
It has to be a full documentary.
Systema is the biggest bulls*hit ever!🚯
I can say this because of long years of training and studying Combatives like Krav Maga, T36 Grappling, Pekiti Tirsia Kali, and R.A.T.
Please just try to pressure test it with a non compliant partner and you will see... Especially the funky knife-redirecting stuff will get you killed!
wie zum Teufel please Ronnie
@@TurkishDizileri I don't understand?
Because it is not certified fighting system, it is more likely fake, no one knows about this system in Russia, there is no Wikipedia article even about this trash in Russian lang. The only thing I found about this systema is that it was created after union collapse when there was a lot of chaos and everyone did and named everything they want. I don’t know what Vice is doing now, before it had a lot of good documentaries but now they show this trash. I am russian by the way
Bullshit like all the other ‘martial arts’ you just listed lol. Grow up dude
I was going to respectfully disagree with you but then I thought it would be pointless. What I will say is that Systema is about letting go of Ego controlling your reactions and having your emotions and body tension in check which is more valuable for me. I've seen people with boxing and kung fu training that was not effective against opponent trained in Systema. Those who were open to learning new things only benefited from it. This vice value essay is misrepresentation of what Systema is about when they use words as "brutal" to describe it.
Damn.. And here I am thinking that it’s bear wrestling.
1:57 _Wolf of Wall Street_ breathig technique
That guy was clearly in pain after them body shots you could tell by his face , the ambulance got called after that , that's why the documentary was cut short 🤣
even the martial arts is vodka related
Systema always struck me as a cross between Krav Maga and Aikido
If Krav Maga was good
Heeyy, It's Houdini's long lost cousin! 2:30
Captain America: I got that reference.
it's short, i wanted to see more 💙
Maybe add some thing about Martial Arts to the video next time. Breath out when you are being punched... such insight
Systema is great! This video was way too short. So much more inportant info they could have covered about it
are you delusional?
1:29 we learn RZA's kung fu
The year, '84
November, Day 10
Overwhelmed By the wicked
Inspirations Of Pai Mei's steel hands
... Sorry, only RZA line I can quote and parody
what on earth. these misleading fake arts were around before mma + youtube blew them all out the water, and now we're back...
swiftleigh music really, fake ? Please tell that to Specnaz !
Lmao butthurt boy
Rendemq not really .it's joke ! Nothing more
BJJ and Muay Thai is all you need, and maybe wrestling or boxing. All other fighting skills don't compare.
Judo/ Combat Sambo has entered the chat
Military combat sambo involves weapons as well as weapon disarming
Boxing eskrima muay thai judo Sambo Sabate defendu
As an American I feel much safer now
I thought that was the intro...I was ready to learn...then the video ended. Weird.
I went to make a cup of tea.....when I came back, the video had finished (bummer)..!!
I just see a bunch grown men lying on the ground giggling and touching each other while their “master” stands there over them and nods in approval.
Putins a judo black belt and regularly attends IJF tournaments
"black belt" as in who would not let him win
This video is inaccurate. Systema is not actually used by the Russian military. It's extremely impractical. It's like if we used Tai Chi.
Only Tai Chi is a proven combat Martial Arts....not just old folks stretching.....
@@dankdizzl3546 nah, it's just old folks streching
@@ProCs1100 or not... ruclips.net/user/results?search_query=Conbat+Tai+Chi
Tah Chi is one of the oldest forms of Kung Fu
@@dankdizzl3546 ruclips.net/video/0XwXaCbfIGw/видео.html
Most practitioners of Tai Chi are in no way suited for fighting. Whenever it came to fight night when I was at the American Martial Arts Academy in Killeen, even the Tai Chi instructor didn't fight with Tai Chi.
Some of the supposed experts in the playlist you posted would crumble in a full-on pressure test against someone with an equal amount of time training in MMA. In any of the videos were supposed Tai chi master wins the fight, they aren't using tai chi.
Putins favorite martial art is judo.
“Break the wrist, walk away. It’s that simple”
this video was such a waste of time lol
Ure comment was an even bigger waste of time
the problem with systema is that they dont let you film the sparring session
We will ask the questions
Meagan Smith Please I’ve only
THE KGB WAITS FOR NO ONE!
this needs to be more in depth
I love that the instructor is an OG Soviet, openly says he doesn't care is Putin gets beat up and hangs a picture of V.I. Lenin in his bathhouse.
They are two different things. I don't think Vladimir owns the bathhouse.
@@granddeception4290 What do you mean? There's a picture of Vladimir hanging in the bathhouse, we own that bathhouse.
I'm so tired of the way my country is represented everywhere in social media...(((
well tell the systema guys to stop doing their bullshit :D - and outlaw dashcams, easy :'D
LMBAO @ Russian martial arts!! #WhatAJoke
Push ups on two kentus ,no fucking show with belts ,no sorry no apologies,no fake face measured masks, just face to face contact ,this is what some of us learnt from the childhood ...after soviet collapsed.
Yoo I literary just got an ad for this guy before the vid
Ayyyeee with that Mission Workshop bag!
Me: Hold up I thought Putin loves Judo and isn´t he also blackbelt?
All Judo Fans: "Slowly setting their Gi´s on fire"
The Vodka Martial Art.
Be safe, when drunk.
all we got was some breathing exercises and how to de-arm someone with a knife..
They didn’t show 💩
What does soft serve chocolate ice cream have to do with anything? 😋
Looks like a good preparation for movie fights
Weird I fought a guy that was a systema practitioner in the octagon and it didnt do so well against typical brutal face to face contact.....I guess if MAYBE youre expecting someone to grab something, it COULD be ok, but when it comes to full on brutal confrontation it doesnt stand up
I would want to correct: Not "it" doesnt stand up but he did not stand up, that might be an importnat difference.
Would anybody expect a professional performance in a Sportfighting, no consequences, full recovery time, on the point arranged meeting from somebody that never trained for that kind of special situation? How would a professional MMA fighter have done in WWII as an ordinanry soldier in battle? Would he have been specially successful? Maybe an MMA-Fihgter would have been unable to fight because of starvation, the cold, lack of motivation (no win)?
Systema in my understanding helps me to be prepared for a very wide range of possible changes and not for a Sportfighting duel. If I`d want a career in MMA, I would go to an MMA Gym and train as hard and specialiezed for that exact next event, that exact opponent, that exact promotion and its expectations (Payment). Best wishes, Henry
That should have been longer presentation.
Fight Commentary Breakdowns. Not... Not a whole lot of fighting going on here.
I don't see... The point of some of this.
That is certainly an excellent way to get stabbed. Maybe this hails from the vodka tiger technique we showcased in one of our older videos.
Putin also loves Steven segal. This didnt age well. This aged better than the best fine wine.
Is this just the intro or is there an actual story to go with it?
that's some bullshido if i've ever seen one
Any time I see someone light some sage on fire I instantly discredit any information they say.
I know right? as soon as i saw that i was like "ahhhh......one of these guys"
Meanwhile, the whole class was tapped by a bjj white belt.
Aiki-jujitsu with some New Age stuff in the mix
While here in America we promote transgenderism in sports. #RussiaWins
I don't know if I would count this Bullshido as a win for Russia. I can only imagine Joe Rogan commenting on this.
i'd rather be trans than paying for a "systema" class LOL
This video is about 10x shorter than it should be
yeah, i can still breath after laugging, this is clearly too short!
WHY THE FUCK IS THIS SO SHORT?????
do you think the street will help ? or just looks beautiful ?
Use to watch alot of vladmir back in the day
Unfortunately the documentary was cut short. Vice had to cover a cupcake shop in Williamsberg NY that gave all the proceeds of their period blood pastaries to trans teens with breast cancer.
0 seconds ago
there is a guy watches everything i do and he treated me he hears and talks threw people he started the wars need you to find him he doesent leave me alone he uses computers and techonlogy to start the wars he blows wind also he things iam russian but iam not russias syrias ukraines enemys its better you know 4 ever
Classic Vice. 3 and a half minutes on a topic that is interesting and people want to know more about, such as history and whatnot but its just a guy punching another guy with no further info. Then has a 25 min short film on why smoking vegan weed is better for the environment than sex trafficking plastic cis-gender dolls who have feelings.
you lit up that dude
WHERE’S ZANGIEF?!!
🌏⚡🔥💪🏆
IDF would reckkkk a KGB agent
Thats a good joke
@@andreluiz-ff4cw Russians are little drunk pussies that beat their women
Lesson #1: Don't poke the Bear.... just kick the sh*t out of it !!!
I love the Art it's Got Catholic Orthodox Heritage to 🙏🛐👍👍
1:42 'kay
Putin has nothing to do with Systema. Putin studied Sambo and a little bit of Judo (his "Black belt" in judo doesn't match to standards). Putin likes Systema because its popularization in the West makes for Russian intelligence possible to recruit some people there (that's the reason Germany forbide Systema centers in Germany). Systema is just work of some men trying synthesize different approaches, it took many things from Chinese arts and is meant for surprise attacks and escapes, not to long-time matches in the ring. Systema's "official history" (all those secret martial arts in monasteries) is just a joke. But I like Systema methods and it's approach to trying to achieve freedom in stressful situations (must for every kind of agents and saboteurs).
I took a little Systema & Aikido