RMA Systema Bonn e.V.

The video from the class this week.
Ask Norbert, and here is the insight from him.

- Tunnel-vision -

Many people have encountered it—often without realizing it—when finding themselves in a situation they perceived as dangerous or chaotic. This phenomenon is known as "tunnel vision," a mechanism that likely served as a tool for early humans to detect threats during the dawn of our species.
In the face of imminent danger, tunnel vision compels a person to focus their sensory input almost entirely on the identified source of the threat; essentially, the body’s sensory organs—particularly the eyes and ears—lock onto what appears to be the most significant danger. While this ability was highly advantageous in the relatively straightforward environment of prehistoric times—where threats (such as wild animals) were clearly defined—it often acts as a hindrance rather than a help when it comes to identifying or dealing with dangers in our complex modern world.
Threats today are no longer limited to a single saber-toothed tiger; in our urban environments, which are saturated with sensory stimuli and complex threat scenarios, the danger our system prioritizes—and consequently focuses on via tunnel vision—is often not the greatest (or only) threat present during a conflict. For instance, one might spot and fixate on an active assailant wielding a club or a knife, yet fail to notice two other individuals standing slightly to the side—individuals who could well be accomplices to the attacker.
Therefore, it is crucial for professionals who deal with hazardous situations—such as military and police personnel, as well as firefighters and emergency responders—to break free from this "tunnel vision" when confronted with a potential threat. Naturally, the same applies to ordinary citizens who are about to become victims of an unlawful attack or who witness one involving others without being directly involved themselves.
This specific scenario was among the topics we addressed in our training this week.
The focus was on helping trainees "break the tunnel" of their perception.
To achieve this, we conducted short role-playing exercises featuring changing scenarios; participants had only a very brief window (approximately five seconds) to assess the situation and were required to report their observations once the scenario concluded.
Exercises like these compel participants to rapidly gain a comprehensive overview of the situation, as focusing solely on the primary action (tunnel vision) often causes them to overlook other critical details—such as the presence of a second, armed individual nearby.
With the help of such exercises, trainees can learn to gain a general overview of the situation at hand and avoid falling into the dangerous state of tunnel vision in the first place.
The videos provide a brief glimpse into the exercises we conducted.

Since August is a bit quiet month at Systema Bonn, we have decided to have “Ask Norbert August”. We can bring our questions, themes we would like to cover, also the materials we see online, so on.
This week, we asked Norbert “searching for the tension, and destabilisation”

Here is insight from Norbert after the class.

Participant question: How do you influence the "form" of the person you are interacting with?

When watching videos of Mikhail — or having learned from him personally—one frequently observes that he could throw attacker off balance and bring them down seemingly without effort, using movements that were often imperceptible, almost as if by magic.

No one argued more vehemently against the idea that this was "magic" than Mikhail himself; he never ceased to emphasise that everything he did consisted of natural movements — albeit movements executed at a level of perfection.
It is therefore beneficial to study the concept of breaking an opponent's balance—or, more accurately, influencing their "form"—to gain control over the situation.
It is not without reason that "form" is one of the fundamental principles of Systema; mastering and understanding it is essential for surviving a real-world confrontation.

Influencing an attacker's balance—and thus their form—does not involve the use of brute force. Instead, it relies on a subtle interplay between analysing tension in the attacker’s body and executing an extremely precise change of direction—one that often goes unnoticed by the attacker. The key lies in the subtlety of this influence; the attacker does not perceive it as a threat.

Changes in direction are often initiated via the fingers, moving in multiple directions
simultaneously (for example, laterally combined with upward or downward motion). This makes it difficult for the attacker to pinpoint a specific direction or to offer resistance against the movement.
During training, it is important to start slowly, ideally with a partner who offers no initial resistance. One must learn which simultaneous directional movements are required to effectively disrupt the opponent's form. Later, this can be practiced against an opponent who is actively resisting; by bypassing the line of force created by their tension, one can actually turn that force to one's own advantage. The videos offer a few glimpses into our training, addressing a participant's question about influencing the other person's form and how to go about it.

Dear Friends,

already a third of the available spots are booked. So, don't wait too long for your reservation.
Registration: https://cmcontao.systema-bonn.de/startseite.html

Here is another brief excerpt from the training session held during the seminar in Greenville, USA.
When spectators watch Mikhail—seemingly effortlessly and without any visible movement—throw attackers off balance or to the ground, two thoughts often cross their minds. Either it is some kind of metaphysical force, or it is "Bullshido"—that is, simply not real or functional.
In my estimation, both assumptions are incorrect.
During our training in Moscow, Mikhail frequently emphasized to us that while the *source* of his ability lies in his (Christian Orthodox) faith, everything he demonstrates and teaches is of purely physical origin.
Naturally, we did not fully grasp this at the time, as our level of training simply did not allow for it. However, I never forgot those words (as was the case with so many others he spoke); and now—with the passage of time and the evolution of my own training—I am able to better understand certain concepts Mikhail explained (though, unfortunately, by no means all of them).
One such example involves the absorption, redirection, and channelling back of the physical force that an attacker attempts to exert upon a defender.
To achieve this, it is necessary (as can be seen in the video) to precisely identify the direction of the incoming force and—through one's own body mechanics—redirect it in such a way that the attacker loses their structural integrity as a result of their *own* applied force, while the defender simultaneously restores their own structure in the process of executing the movement.
It is crucial, particularly in the initial stages, to execute this movement in a broad yet precise manner in order to properly identify and perform the various directional shifts required.
Through the continuous refinement and reduction of this movement over the course of one's training, one eventually becomes capable of achieving this effect in a way that—to an outside observer—appears as though no movement whatsoever has taken place. This, however, is not the case; rather, the movement is simply extremely subtle—yet absolutely precise—a true hallmark of Mikhail's work.
In short: no magic—merely the result of many long years of *correct* training, for which, unfortunately, there is no substitute or shortcut.

The registration already started. Get your ticket and all necessary information about the seminar:
https://cmcontao.systema-bonn.de/startseite.html

If you need to contact us:
[email protected]

We hope to see you all in Bonn!