Ryabko's Systema - History and Practitioners

History and Practitioners

Note: The Systema article describes history common to these arts.

The strongest influence of Ryabko's style is from traditional Russian martial arts, originally through a member of Sokoli Stalina (Russian: Соколы Сталина "Stalin's Falcons" - Joseph Stalin's personal bodyguards.)

Ryabko operates the Systema headquarters in Russia, and continues to train students and military personnel, and also acts as an advisor. Lastly, belonging to the military, he still performs those duties. Students of various kinds travel to Russia to train with him.

Vladimir Vasiliev is Ryabko's senior student, who emigrated from Russia and presently heads the official Russian Martial Art Systema Headquarters outside of Russia, located in Toronto Canada. He has regular classes, and some students travel from international locations to train with him. He travels, mostly in North America to host seminars.

Martin Wheeler is the Head Instructor of Systema in the United States and teaches in Beverly hills, California. He has also written several films and choreographed and stunt doubled in the recent Richard Gere film The Double.

Kevin Secours is a very popular and excellent teacher in Toronto who has produced several excellent videos.

Kwan Lee is another very senior US based instructor who has produced some very good training materials and travelled to Russia several times to train.

Emmanuel Manolakakis is one of Vasiliev's senior students who also operates Fight Club in Toronto Canada. He also hosts and guests in seminars throughout North America, and has had appearances on television and radio. He has also produced instructional videos. Manolakakis is also one of the first instructors with a youth class.

Valentin Vasiliev, Vladimir's brother teaches in Munster Germany http://www.rma-deutschland.de/

Systema is taught in Port Hope, Ontario, by Sascha Lutz, a student of Vladimir Vasiliev.

One of most senior instructors and Ryabko's representative in Europe is Andreas Weitzel http://www.rma-systema.de/

Edgar Tsakouls teaches Systema at Fighthouse in New York, New York. Seminars that Ryabko has taught in New York have been released on DVD.

Arend Dubbelboer is also an instructor, who gives systema in The Netherlands. He is trained by Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev.

In Belgium, Systema is taught by instructor Koen Vandersteene, also trained by Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko.

Although as of 2006 there are students who are three and four generations away from Ryabko, both Ryabko and Vasiliev remain the strongest influences and most capable practitioners.