Our School
Western New York Systema was founded in the summer of 2012 by Kevin Juliano. Our school's aim and purpose is to teach Systema as faithfully as possible to how it is taught by Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko. These two men are exceptional teachers and martial artists, and their way of training is efficient, honest, and leaves one feeling healthy and invigorated, instead of beat up and worn down. We hope to reproduce to the best of our abilities stimulating training that will benefit our students, not only in the realm of self-defence and combat, but in everyday life. Training Systema has a brutal honesty to it that forces us to look inside to understand ourselves and our progress in the work. It is not success and failure that tells us how we are progressing, but instead how faithful we can remain to keeping a calm mind and psyche, a loose and relaxed body and a steady and even breath.About the Instructor
While studying Chinese medicine in Toronto, one of Kevin's classmates and friends introduced him to Sifu McCaughey at the Rising Sun School. The focus on breath, relaxation, and proper mechanics of the body taught in Taijiquan classes opened another dimension to both the martial arts work and the study of Chinese medicine. The study of breath, posture, and form shared the same basic philosophy and understanding as Chinese medicine. The practie of Taijiquan added a tangible aspect of Chinese philosophy and science that would be difficult to experience from academic work alone. Later in 2004, Sifu McCaughey introduced Systema through a series of cross-training seminars designed to approach Taiji boxing from a different perspective. These seminars opened up another new dimension to the martial arts work. Much like Taijiquan, these seminars focused on breath, relaxation and proper mechanics, but unlike the formal study of form and movement in Taijiquan, the Systema work came from a place of spontaneous reaction to other participants and the physical environment through both contact and evasion. Later, Sifu McCaughey introduced Kevin to Vladimir Vasiliev at the Systema Headquarters school in Toronto, where he started to train regularly.
Training Systema was like finding a final piece to complete the complex puzzle of studying movement, breath, and relaxation. Over time, Kevin could feel all of his work shifting to a new place. This training is unparalleled at allowing one to experience all different manners of physical and psychological stress through challenging situations. By breathing through these moments, one comes out the other end changed for the better. It has a subtle influence over everything including treating patients in the clinic, interacting with family and friends, and dealing with day to day stresses like driving in heavy traffic or navigating a busy train station. The training also awakens a need for spiritual growth, as our focus is often pushed deep inside ourselves during the work. Although Systema has a profound healing effect, the most amazing affect Systema has is fostering new found love of life and all that is around us.