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NC Systema

4603 Hillsborough Road
Durham, NC, 27705
919-885-4058
Martial Arts with Integrity

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NC Systema

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SFL Episode 122: Best of the Podcast 2020

January 1, 2021 Guest User

Well here we are - we made it to the end of 2020 - some of us limping to the finish, but across the line, nonetheless.

Among all the challenges and problems we faced this year, I was grateful for the enjoyable and thought-provoking conversations that the Systema For Life podcast provided, and grateful for the opportunity to slow down, think more deeply, and reach out to guests I otherwise may never have considered.

This year, we had a wider range of guests and topics on the show, ranging from the collected wisdom of expert Systema Instructors like Vladimir Vasiliev and Emmanuel Manolakakis, to the musings of scientists and academics on fields relating to Systema practice. We had doctors, historians, philosophers, one professor of indigenous knowledge, and - entirely coincidentally -two former British Commandos. All waxing lyrical on what it means to breathe, move, think, train, stay healthy, stay prepared, and thrive in an uncertain world.

I hope you enjoy this selection of conversations from the last 12 months of podcasts, and that it might inspire you to go back and listen to any that you may have missed, or perhaps mine some of these episodes for hidden gems of wisdom. This selection includes:

  • Tyson Yonkaporta on the necessity of understanding violence

  • Emmanuel Manolakakis on finding renewed creativity and focus through solo training

  • Joe Gehr on threat and risk assessment during the pandemic

  • Alberto Nacif on concrete lifestyle measures you can take to ensure robust health

  • Vladimir and Valerie Vasiliev on not waiting for superheroes to rescue you

Once again, I’d like to thank all our listeners for staying with us, and especially our supporters and patrons, who have kept the podcast afloat through the last year, and continue to do so with monthly donations via Patreon or PayPal.

If you have enjoyed the show this year, you can spare a few bucks each month, and you would like to help to ensure its survival of the show into 2021, please visit ncsystema.com/support today, and become a Systema For Life supporter today.

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SFL Episode 121: Rafe Kelley

December 25, 2020 Guest User
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Merry Christmas, to all who celebrate it!

This week, an energetic conversation with Rafe Kelley - martial artist, movement expert, natural parkour pioneer, and founder of Evolve.Move.Play. Rafe is legendary in natural movement circles, and seemed a great person to banter with about aspects of movement development, exercise, and play.

Here, we touch upon:

  • Rafe's path from anthropology to gymnastics and parkour

  • The connection between movement, meaning, and well-being

  • The limits of machine metaphors, as applied to human bodies

  • The value of constraint-based teaching and learning

  • Why efficiency is more important than novelty in training

...and a great deal more.

Hope you enjoy this chat as much as we did. 

Find out more about Rafe's work - and start your own explorations of natural parkour - at https://courses.evolvemoveplay.com/foundations

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SFL Episode 120: Ben Ford

December 11, 2020 Guest User
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This week, a profound exploration of abstract strategy - and specfically Colonel John Boyd's OODA loop concept - with former Commando and professional technology strategist Ben Ford. If you are interested in any aspect of good decision-making under pressure, this is one you won't want to miss.

Boyd's OODA (Observe, Orient, Decide, Act) loop, is a powerful concept that describes how individuals and groups (and even entire armies or organizations) make and optimize decisions. Boyd, a US military fighter pilot, developed the concept over many decades of research, reflection, and practical experience. Ben Ford has studied Boyd's theory and its implciations extensively, drawing on threads from mathematics, evolutionary biology, manufacturing, and military command structures to provide a deeper context for his work.

  • the origins and central concept of the OODA loop

  • using OODA in combat to disorientate and destroy decision-making structures

  • how expectation shapes observation (and leads to dangerous biases)

  • implicit guidance as applied to everything from martial arts and military combat to motorcycles and manufacturing

Many thanks to Ben for such a fascinating and powerful discussion.

Find out more about John Boyd and the OODA loop in his biography, Boyd: The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War

Find out more about Ben's work at https://commando.dev, or follow him on Twitter at @commandodev




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NC Systema is an official school of Systema Vasiliev, its instructors certified annually by  Systema Headquarters, Toronto. For more information about training at Systema HQ, visit http://www.russianmartialart.com

For more information about training at NC Systema, contact pas@ncsystema.com.