GlobalKick Systema Training

This interview with Aran appeared in Combat magazine's column The Negotiator in Oct 2009. It has been edited for website convenience.

 

By The Breath

an interview with Aran Dharmeratnam

 

 

The training which Aran received over the years has taken him along some remarkable paths. Whether it’s a conversation or a training session, a meeting with Aran is always inspiring. Respected in both the martial arts and security field, Aran maintains a busy schedule teaching the Russian martial arts and defence tactics. This interview offers a chance to catch up with this master of the arts and find out more about his fascinating approach to training. He talks about the tactics he teaches; how he trains people to strengthen mind and body and he reveals more about Systema breath work.    

 

 

Combat: Aran the very first time you were interviewed in Combat, you had just returned from Russia. How has your approach to training developed since then?

 

Aran: It’s not so much that my approach has dramatically changed or developed along a certain path. But my understanding of some of the Systema principles has gone deeper; so in that way perhaps my classes have progressed. The main thing is that the information conveyed in class has become more concise. The first time I was in Russia I was there for over a year. By being able to train and investigate the arts, in some capacity practically everyday, I received a lot of information about Systema and different Russian arts. It was intense… but the result was that a lot of knowledge and tactics were gathered. Then when I returned to England, my body needed some time to assimilate this research and as I went further into some aspects of Systema, I felt it wasn’t necessary to show certain tactics anymore. People will find the necessary tactics as they go deeper into the art.

 

Combat: Did you find that in teaching Systema here in the West, some things had to be shown differently than how they are taught in Russia?

 

Aran: In Russia, of course the way of life is very different; the culture is very different, so maybe people understand or perceive things in another way. I found that many of the practitioners in Moscow are very dedicated to training; they have learnt how to connect the training with their everyday lives. The thing with arts such as Systema is that they are quite interwoven with different aspects of Russian culture so it becomes easier to make the training a part of life. Still, its not that people from one place need to be taught so differently from people from another part of the world- in essence the principles of the art are the same. Its better I feel to see people as individuals. Even hear in England, the people who train with me are from really different parts of the world such as USA or parts of Europe, but the principles we explore in training are the same.

 

Combat: So no secrets; only hard work?

 

Aran: Well there is deeper knowledge… or further levels of understanding- and its not that this is secret; it just requires the person to be able to perceive things from different perspectives. It requires faith. So yes hard work is important and other things can help: such as consistency in training and the person’s readiness to remove various layers of tension from the body. And actually it is this consistency or diligence that help a person stay connected to their training, when faced with a hostile situation. Then as time progresses, with patience, more can be perceived.

 

Combat: Before you started in Systema you had trained in some really diverse styles including Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Fencing, Aikijutsu, Silambam, (Indian weapons art), and Thai Boxing to name just a few. What inspired you to explore so many arts?

 

Aran: I wanted to have a good understanding of the different tactics that were out there and the different ways the body can be utilised. I can’t say that I trained extensively in every art that I looked at. Sometimes, my encounters with certain teachers were quite brief; but after a while I found it easy to observe an art or a teacher and gather something useful from the experience. If you meet someone who is of a high level in their art, you can gain a lot from even a short interaction. And sometimes, some encounters in the Far East and even in Russia would happen almost by chance.

 

 

Combat: Today some of the people you train are also instructors from different arts, with their own interesting backgrounds. Why do you think they come to you for training?

 

Aran: I think it is more about the art! Systema is an art that people seem to be curious about and some are looking for something deeper that goes beyond the fighting aspects. Its one of these arts that one can be practised even as one gets older as it doesn’t rely on the type of athleticism found in some of the sport based arts or more acrobatic styles. I found it to be much more conducive to the body. But at the same time the training can also be used to help people who are looking to enhance the body’s performance or efficiency….so I also have people coming to train with me who are involved in certain sports like tennis or triathlon. And others who simply want to learn more about movement or intuition. Now whenever I train with the Russian master Mikhail Ryabko he always shows some interesting exercise that can be used to strengthen the body or something that can have a restorative effect on the body. This restorative aspect of training is especially useful for people involved in the martial arts.

 

Combat: In some of the YouTube clips displayed on your website, a lot of the filming is done outdoors in scenic places. Is outdoor training something you emphasis?

 

Aran: The truth is you can learn most of the principles inside a small training room or gym; but outdoor training is certainly useful. It’s great to train amidst nature and apply the self defence aspects in different terrain. And the environments around us can also provide some subtle lessons.

 

Combat: In what way does the environment provide these lessons?

Aran: Our environment can give us feedback; it can help us realise our weaknesses…it tests our ability to adapt. Recently for example I was in North Africa and I did some training there. Training in such a hot climate, really forces you to work economically with your movement, and you really appreciate the careful use of energy that arts such as Systema convey. But usually when I am in England, I like to carry out some training in forests or wooded areas because these are peaceful places, places where there is stillness. The surroundings there can also be used for particular exercises.

 

 

Combat: Aran you keep in very good physical condition and with a busy teaching schedule I suppose this is essential right? So what kind of exercises do you carry out?

 

Aran: You could say my training is very intuitive; I try to listen to the body and work on what it needs. I like walking and movement exercises using the stick.Systema has many different body weight exercises which feel very natural for the body- this type of exercise helps you to keep functional and I find that they give an incredible amount of energy. It’s just important to have a good understanding of the effects of different types of exercise, especially with arts like Systema where there are so many dimensions to training. For instance some exercises help you connect with stillness, and rejuvenate; others energise the body and then we have more specific exercises for the psyche.

 

Combat: And the breath work is a big part of this training right?

 

Aran: Yes breathing is at the heart of this.

 

Combat: Something you often talk about in your column is how breathing can be used in many different parts of our lives. Can you tell us a bit more about the Systema breath work?

 

Aran: With the breath training, once the person is introduced to some of the principles, they need to understand the purpose behind the exercises. Mikhail Ryabko shows breathing exercises for very specific reasons; there is a clear purpose behind this work and some of the breath work is designed to produce a certain effect or help the person connect with a specific state. Breath work should be something organic; it should not be rigid. What I mean is we might utilise the breathing exercises in a certain way depending on certain factors like the time of day, so for instance in the early morning the breathing can be used to help wake up the body and charge it for the day ahead. At some other moment, it might be used to calm the mind and help reconnect with stillness. Then another approach might be used when the person is moving through certain environments.

 

Combat: So this concept of the breathing being organic means that it should be adaptive?

 

Aran: Yes and as a person gets a deeper understanding of their body and its current state, they will have a better feeling of how to work in harmony with the breath.

 

Combat: These are some fascinating insights Aran. So are there any things that can spoil our breathing?

 

Aran: One of the first things that the person should understand when studying breath work is not to get too fanatical with the exercises. They should be approached in a calm way and not treated like some athletic endeavour. But I think one of the big factors that negatively influences our breathing is excessive physical or mental tension. This tension can come from different aspects of life- maybe from a negative way of thinking…negative emotions or from harmful physical exercises or practises. Sometimes just by freeing the body of tension, the breathing will return to its natural, functional state. You see a big part of the Russian martial arts is this idea of cleansing. You clean the body on different levels to help it return to its natural state. Tension can embed itself in different aspects of the body or consciousness and so the various training drills and practises address these layers.

 

 

Combat: Now something that you mentioned before that may be related to breathing is ‘cloaked tactics’. Can you explain what you mean by this?

 

Aran: Ok…well first of all I should say, that there is nothing really mysterious about this; you don’t need to understand quantum physics or futuristic warfare developments! [smiles]…. In fact, there are simply two aspects to this. On the one hand we have this type of work which is about connecting with a very calm state of awareness- a state of being that doesn’t agitate, antagonise or draw unnecessary attention to one self. And yet again breathing is the key here. It steadies the pulses, the heart rate, and calms the mind. This type of work has various uses in everyday life and in training. Then on the self defence side of things, there are physical tactics which make clever use of angles. And so in training we sometimes practise working with these subtle plains of movement. These ‘cloaked tactics’ also involve what could be termed ‘meta movements’…which are movements that are barely noticeable but can be used for disruption or drawing an opponent in. Its quite interesting work but it requires the psyche and the nervous system to be calm and strong!

 

Combat: There’s one YouTube clip on your website, called Systema Counter Work. This was a very flowing clip on striking and some of the strikes seemed to just materialise out of no where! Were you showing cloaked tactics here?

 

Aran: This was just a short clip from one of our classes, but I think there are a couple of brief moments where these tactics were used.

 

Combat: In your column in Combat, you write about this concept the dynamic equilibrium which is about keeping inner balance when under pressure, when everything around you is chaotic. This was some great food for thought. Do you think that this concept is something that can be applied in everyday life or is it specifically for close quarter situations?

 

Aran: We can say both…by training in a way that helps you stay calm and functional in a hostile situation; it also sharpens you and hones you for those challenges that come into our everyday lives. I think that’s what appeals to people about Systema. And actually while some of the people who come to me for training are in interested in self defence; more and more are seeing the benefits of the relaxation work and training to counter stress. Some people’s work requires them to travel a lot; or they work very long hours so they use the training as a way to reenergise.

 

Combat: On a slightly different subject, today in Hollywood there is a big interest in the close quarter martial arts. In films such as The Bourne Identity, with Matt Damon, you only have to watch one of the Jason Bourne fight scenes to see this. Its not just Jason Bourne’s fighting style that uses this more edgy approach; it seems to be used in other films too. Aran, as someone teaching a highly effective close quarter art such as Systema, would you be interested in doing this type of fight choreography?

 

 

Aran: I have done some fight choreography style work in the past and it was fun. Now on the one hand, the art would be intriguing if captured in the right way. But bear in mind, based on what was said earlier; in Systema the movement is often subtle; even concealed. So the work would have to be exaggerated for camera- but then perhaps it becomes something else…. Whenever I get asked to do this type of work, I feel its right to be selective; as the art should be conveyed in the right way in the right medium. You know part of me feels this type of training is something deep and quite rare; maybe it is better if kept less mainstream. It is really about the right project for the art. I have experience in quite a few close quarter arts, and some of these could be visually very dynamic but the art or style of movement a character uses must suit their background; their mindset and their body type.

 

Combat: Aran thank you for your time and for sharing all these insights. Also, I know you are in the process of setting up a new Systema class in London so good luck with this and of course we look forward to reading more in your Negotiator column

 

Aran: Thank you. It’s good that people are interested in learning more about the Russian martial arts; not just the survival component; but also the parts that relate to life. I’m grateful for having had this knowledge passed on to me and I’m grateful for the warm people it allows me to keep meeting…

 

 

Aran conducts private one to one sessions and intensive training in Systema within Central London. Areas covered include: Kensington, Knightsbridge, Belgravia, and St Johns Wood. To book a private lessons contact:

07939 678 356 or email: aran@globalkick.com