STRIKES: Soul Meets Body

by Vladimir Vasiliev, Scott Meredith

HIT DIFFERENT . With the light and simple movement of his fist alone, Vladimir Vasiliev is able to apply stealthy and shocking power of greater depth and freedom than professional heavyweight boxers can achieve with their entire focused mass, strength, torque, and momentum. Vladimir's spontaneous and intelligent strikes work against any target, from any position, for immediate resolution of armed or unarmed confrontations, for energizing a partner, and even for healing. These strikes are the culmination of precise movement, impeccable timing, exact contact calibration and extraordinary emotional clarity. This is the meaning of "Hit Different". In Soul Meets Body, chief Systema instructor Vladimir Vasiliev reveals the physical and psychological training regimen that underlies this unprecedented martial arts capability, rooted in centuries of Russian combative and spiritual tradition. From the depth of the soul to the edge of the knuckles, experience the truth and the power. Also available in hard-copy

Genres: Martial Arts

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 8, 2017

Reviews

[Thomas Frütel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read the book to get insights about the striking techniques used in Systema to supplement my own Krav Maga practice. Although I already knew that Systema places big effort on relaxation and emotional control, I wasn't aware how much this art differs from most traditional martial arts. While I don't think I'll be using most these insights in my own combat training anytime soon, the book was an inspiring read and gave me a impulses to watch out for harmful tension not only in combat, but in everyday life as well.

[Jet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book. The advanced breathing taught in chapters 2 & 10 are worth more than the price of the book.

[Anne Beardsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book...was incredible. I would recommend it to any serious martial artist, simply for the passages on combat mindset alone.

I felt like this book kept my eyebrows raised the entire time I read. Sometimes my thought was, "What a brilliant way to put this complex concept I've struggled with!" Many times it was, "Wow. I....have to make a note of this, right now." And occasionally it was, "Goodness gracious, those Systema people are hardcore."

This 300 page book took me six weeks to read, and I was reading diligently. This is because I have page after page of notes, and frequently stopped to reread a passage, or stare off into space and consider, or go back to my own practice and see how I had been doing things and where the gaps lay.

As the title says, it's about striking. How to hit. But to get there, Mr. Vasiliev and Mr. Meredith discuss:
-- How to maintain awareness in combat
-- How to free your body, so that it can make multiple strikes and adjust to openings and adverse situations (such as being grabbed, surrounded, or injured)
--How to learn to keep a cool heart in the heat of the moment
-- How to give all the damage to your opponent when you strike, instead of splitting it 70% - 30% with them
-- How to learn to stop being afraid of getting hit, losing, etc.
--How to breathe calmly and well while going through crazy situations
--How to have a relaxed, powerful, responsive body
--How to take a hit

They give drills to get you there (crazy, hardcore Systema drills).
This is one of those books that I will certainly reread. And be working on these things for years.