Systema Manual by Major Komarov

First of all before you decide to buy this book you need to understand (in my opinion) it's not for beginners, not for someone who never had contact with Systema, but rather for people who have some experience and/or like to become instructors. I'm not sure if this was the idea behind the book, but having some experience would definitely help, as some basic concepts are not explained in this book.Also, you have to understand, Systema is not for everyone. You need to be open minded. Get rid of your pride, ego, ambition and prejudice. The aim of Systema is not to be the best competition fighter that ever walk the earth, but to become as good person as possible. To discover yourself. To get to know yourself and overcome your shortcomings.By no means, don't get me wrong. It is a fantastic supplement to your training. Full of great drills. How to structure training on different levels of progression. How to work with different kinds of people, how to help them to overcome their fears. Full of advice on how to understand and correct most common mistakes. Exercises that will help you develop necessary skills.Really great element of this book, is part, in which Dr Komarov explains how to learn from training videos. He also puts great emphasis on "following the right path", in which I completely agree with him. You can do a lot of work by yourself, but being able to attend seminars, camps and workshops with qualified and experienced instructors, training with different people, is crucial in making sure we are going in the right direction.Don't get put off by negative reviews of this book made by people who clearly have no idea what this book is about. Reviews made by people who think Systema is like Krav Maga and this book will teach them secret techniques ;) Once you see the contents, you will realise, there is no pictures or drawings just solid and competent source of information.This is not a book you read once, it is a book you keep coming back to. Every time learning something new.

I have yet to find a Systema book that explains the methodology of the Art like Aikido's The Dynamic Sphere. It's not the worst book... it's not a "let every breath" (which IMO is the weakest)... I'd buy this book or Giuseppe's and supplement it the KGB handbook just to have some pictoral reference. Or, if you want (and it wouldn't be a bad purchase), go seek out Kadichova (sp?) Systema's site, and buy a couple of their packages. They do a lot with pdf pictorals that explain and connect the ideological, technical and spiritual aspects to a physical reference to help the student make the connection.

This is an extremely well organized and detailed manual of Systema as practiced at the Systema Headquarters in Toronto, Canada.I personally found Chapter Two, "Psychological Work as a part of Mastering Systema" to be particularly valuable. Major Komorov, by the way, has a PhD in Combat Psychology.The use of breath training as a key component of Systema training is clearly explained.I anticipate that some readers will be upset by the absence of photos and drawings. My personal response would be that these are not essential if you read carefully and/or find a good training group. It also keeps the price of the book down.There are some personal anecdotes and testimonials in the book, a practice I personally don't like, but these seem to be fewer and more restrained, than in some other martial arts books I've read.

Book is excellent, especially for those that do not know anything about Systema. Has good ways to get started, even on your own. I have been to a few special seminars that came locally and this helps it make more sense.

Written by a master of the "Russian System" in his own right Komarov's Systema Manual is an awesome read on its own. Filled with insight, profound wisdom for the craft and many many little kernels of lessons learnt from his many years of experience as a practitioner. This is a must have for anyone embarking on the journey to master themselves through Systema.