Mikhail Ryabko Seminar

[dtactics]

This is rare footage of the first time Vladimir brought his students to study with his master Mikhail. There's an official version from HQ but this one shows a less edited perspective. Enjoy!

[GrahamB]

I love watching his movement, but also well done to that last guy for not throwing himself on the ground like the others. He made him work a bit harder.

[Ian]

I didn't see anyone throwing themselves to the ground. the second guy is alex kostic, who is often well-received on this forum.

[GrahamB]

I guess it's all a matter of perspective.

[RobP2]

...or understanding

[GrahamB]

No two people have the same perspective or understanding. So, yes.

[RobP2]

The oddest one in those clips is the guy who shouts a lot - Mikhail explained it as fear coming out I think

[RobP2]

I should add my understanding of that particular work is that it isn't attack and defend or can I stop Mikhail taking me down, it's exploratory work on tension and structure and reaction. You'll see how when people later on use a lot of tension MR remains very soft and gentle. The focus is on what you do rather than Mikhail and what you gain from it. Trouble is without that understanding (even from people doing the drill sometimes) it can be taken as some sort of competition or struggle.

[GrahamB]

I think it would help to know what they are doing in that first clip. The only translation into English we get is something like "in general the way the person moves" then they start off.

What are the parameters of this drill? What is the 'attackers' instruction? What are the rules? Is it "now, try to move around and adapt to me throwing stuff in there" or is it "try to attack me" or is it what? There's not really any explanation of what they're doing.

In other news, I really liked this clip with the wrestler guy at the start:



To my non-educated eyes it looks like he's trying to 'get' M, but failing and then ends up on his ass. His explanation of what happens is helpful too. However, the vid then moves straight onto duck-walking man and I'm like wtf? Wtf is that all about? Excuse my bluntness, but to my (uneducated) eyes it looks like it's going from the sublime to the ridiculous

So go on, educate me - what exactly are the parameters they are working within? Because Duck Walking Man and Wrestler Man seem to be playing two completely different 'games' to me

[RobP2]

When you work with Mikhail like this there aren't really any parameters given as such - I guess that's why you see the two different games. Different people try different things, react in different ways and get different things from the work - it's a personal thing. It doesn't always make it easy to understand and in many ways Vladimir etc's approach is more accesible. But it's always interesting when you experience it. Some people take it as "attack defend" but then you can also see / experience this as body manipulation/correction work too, so it's healing work in that sense

[GrahamB]

Ok.....................



So, only Duck Walkting Man really knows what Duck Walking Man is doing and why he is walking like a duck? I'm not trying to take the piss here, I just have no idea what he is doing.

[dtactics]

Duck walking man is doing a drill which will prevent him falling over as easily as Wrestling man. Wrestling man is John Giduck the author of "Terror at Beslan". He is counter terrorist expert and highly regarded in our LE community in the US. He's had a falling out with Vlad and is now doing his own thing.

MR is giving students instructions on removing their tensions and maintaining structure so as to be more effective and mobile attackers. Otherwise, he'll handily know them over.

Screamer annoys me as he's just like all those stupid ukes who feel a need to exaggerate their master's skills. MR hardly needs parlor clowns like these in his entourage. His skills are for real!

[RobP2]

Lol, well how would I know, you'd have to ask him I guess. Looks to me like he's trying to maintain a straight spine, so is going into the squat to keep his form. Perhaps for him that's the most important aspect of what's going on. For you or me it may be something else

[RobP2]

Ok.....................



So, only Duck Walkting Man really knows what Duck Walking Man is doing and why he is walking like a duck? I'm not trying to take the piss here, I just have no idea what he is doing.

Lol, well how would I know, you'd have to ask him I guess. Looks to me like he's trying to maintain a straight spine, so is going into the squat to keep his form. Perhaps for him that's the most important aspect of what's going on. For you or me it may be something else

[GrahamB]

Duck walking man is doing a drill which will prevent him falling over as easily as Wrestling man. Wrestling man is John Giduck the author of "Terror at Beslan". He is counter terrorist expert and highly regarded in our LE community in the US. He's had a falling out with Vlad and is now doing his own thing.

MR is giving students instructions on removing their tensions and maintaining structure so as to be more effective and mobile attackers. Otherwise, he'll handily know them over.

Screamer annoys me as he's just like all those stupid ukes who feel a need to exaggerate their master's skills. MR hardly needs parlor clowns like these in his entourage. His skills are for real!

Yes, you can see that when he handles John Giduck so easily. He does seem to attract a lot of other interesting psychological types though...