The Socratic School of Martial Arts

Mark Hord, 25 August 2005

In Plato's Dialogs he describes the philosopher Socrates leading a young slave boy named Meno to describe the Pythagorean theorem of mathematics in his own words. Socrates uses a technique of teaching that has become known as "the Socratic method" or "learning by discovery." He leads Meno by asking a series of questions for which he knows Meno has answers. In the process of answering the questions, Meno "discovers" that the knowledge of this theorem was present in his mind all along though he never had any formal instruction on the subject. Plato was using this dialog to describe a theory that knowledge was a priori - that the mind is not an empty slate but has knowledge already present just waiting to be discovered.

This idea has some very interesting implications about the way we learn. And it is not limited to mathematics but impacts how we learn and teach every subject, including martial arts.

Vladimir Vasiliev, the primary instructor of Systema in the west, often refers to this a priori knowledge of self defense when teaching. He teaches his students that all of us have the instinctive ability to defend ourselves from the time we are children. As we grow older, we begin to forget or ignore those instinctive abilities and lose them. The teaching method of Systema is intended, therefore, to draw out those inherent but dormant instincts. Mr. Vasiliev gives the illustration sometimes of his military training where the instructor would surprise a trainee by suddenly attacking him. When the trainee reacted with the first reflexive move that came to him, the instructor would help him see how he might use that instinctive behaviour as a foundation for an effective response to the attack. In this way, the student discovers and builds their own style or interpretation of self defense.

This learning method of discovering one's own interpretation of self defense or martial art leads to some interesting results.

"[Systema is] not a martial art you learn, it's a martial art you've forgotten." Martin Wheeler

1. Since every person reacts in unique ways to threats and then builds on that unique foundation in kind, it leads to interpretations of Systema that are as varied as the individuals. Every student, in a sense, creates his/her own martial art.
2. The resulting unique interpretation is difficult to predict since no one could predict or define it's creation except the individual who created it.
3. Since Systema is the art you already know and forgot and it takes a different form with you than it does with anyone else, it is impossible to catagorize Systema in terms of any other art. It is not just one art but an innumerable collection of somewhat similar arts that cannot be compared by any techniques that are common to all.
4. Based on the belief that the knowledge is already present in the student and just needs release implies an accelerated learning curve. And, indeed, this often is the case as students typically gain a level of proficiency more rapidly than they do in other arts.
5. Rediscoverying a lost childhood skill necessitates losing our grownup ego and acting very much like a child at play. The good thing is, this often happens without the student forcing it to happen. It seems to be a natural outcome of the training methods that as you become more comfortable experimenting in play you become less inhibited in front of the group. It is not at all unusual for students to end up laughing at things they discovered in themselves. Unlike the serious atmosphere of many traditional arts, smiles and laughter are common in the typical Systema class. It is serious study and hard work (especially physically) but it is study through play.
6. The rediscovery of something forgotten gives the student an honest self-awareness and esteem, "I can do this." In many martial arts, the acrobatic moves and striving for perfection are ever reminders of things that the student may never have had the ability to do and may never do. Perfectionism is not a tool for humility as is so often assumed. Rather, perfectionism is an arrogant assertion that one can attain something that no human being will ever attain, it is self-delusion. Perfectionism is a denial of the value of self-honesty, discovery, and humility. It is incompatible with the philosophy of learning as a child.
7. It could be said that you can rediscover the martial art you have forgotten as easily as Meno could rediscover the trigonometry he had forgotten. Learning the two subjects are not so disimilar as they might seem.

Find a Systema training partners group and learn by the Socratic method to find the child warrior you thought was lost. "Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 18:4, KJV

You can learn more about Systema and Vladimir Vasiliev at the Russian Martial Art website. In addition, you can find there information on a training partners group or instructor near you.