Back by demand!

I have been asked to run a second Systema Camp this year.

The feedback from the Wiltshire Systema Camp that we ran on 10-12 July was overwhelmingly positive.

It was shorter than the normal camp, just 3 days, but what a difference 3 days made to people.

They came from all over the country, for all kinds of reasons, but all had one thing in common: It was their first time mixing with a group post lockdown.

If Carlsberg did easing out of lockdown weekends, this would probably have been it.

It was all done outdoors, in fields and woodland, no enclosed spaces, no physical contact, no other people (except the lovely landowners) but lots of social connection around the campfire.

All the training was focussed on the health and wellbeing aspects of Systema. There is so much that you can do that is holistic, energising, invigorating, immune system boosting and stress busting.

We lived, slept, trained, cooked and ate outdoors, explored breath work, massage, stretching, movement, awareness, bushcraft and survival skills.

We came away not only feeling great, but with improved skills in those key areas.

Several people have asked if I would do it again and numbers pending, I would.

The date would be 4-6 September.

The outdoors is perhaps the perfect place to have a socially distanced Training Camp.

We remain up to date with advice taken from a HSE and Risk Professional and the following measures will be in place:

• We will work in groups of 6 to ensure that we are in compliance with guidelines.
• All of the training on this camp will be no contact. (With the exception of Systema bodyweight massage using the feet).
• Everything is optional, so you can participate or not in each of the activities).
• There will be separate sleeping areas for everyone and plenty of space to ensure distancing.
• Food will be prepared and cooked individually using your own camp stoves, so there will be no sharing of equipment or utensils.

All of that said we will be able to come together to train, commune and connect in a gloriously beautiful and natural environment.

After a long period in lockdown with will provide a deep immersion in nature to push your reset button, boost your immune system and move your skills to the next level.

Click here to stay updated about the Camp.

Being healthy is not an accident, it is a skill that can be cultivated.

Systema has many practices that can bring remarkable improvements to your sense of vitality and wellbeing.

This camp will show how to access and unite your bodies systems to optimise your sense of health and wellbeing.

Click below to watch a Systema Camp Trailer (note that there will be no contact work on this camp):

Who can attend?
The course is suitable for men and women of all ages and skill levels.

Over the three days a range of topics will be covered by day and night in field, forest and water:

• Breath-work: for Comprehensive, diverse and adaptable breath training for optimising your health, and emotional state.
• Physical: Systema massage, strength and conditioning,  tension and release, balance and agility, sensory acuity
• Movement: Smooth, free, effortless movement in all terrains.
• Survivial: Map Reading, Shelter Building, Fire Lighting, Knife work, outdoor cooking, Hammock, Tarp and Sleeping set up, Kit Packing, Moving across ground,
• Awareness: The outdoors is the best place to open your senses & improve your level of awareness. Working at night, and with sensory impairments.

Living Systema. At the camp we are together 24-7. It is an ideal time to begin to understand and refine how we build the feeling of Systema into everyday life. For 3 days you will live, train and immerse yourself in a holistic approach to Systema and living.

Suitable for all levels: Due to the training methodology the training is suitable for all levels, complete beginners to advanced students. Everyone learns together. As such the camp is ideal for those who wish to experience the breadth and depth of Systema for the first time.

Accommodation: Accommodation is camping. You can bring your own tent, or basha (tarp). This is the ideal time to try sleeping in a hammock or bivvi-bag under a tarp with the forest as your walls and the stars as your roof.  A comprehensive training session is given to help you set up. Of course you can stick to a tent!

Packing List: A full packing list is provided.

Cooking. This year all cooking will be done individually using your own equipment to avoid any cross contamination issues. A full example food list will be provided.

Dates: This years camp will run for 3 days. Friday 4th to Sunday 6th Sept.

Cost: The cost is £200. See below for payment options. Places will be limited so it is advisable to get in early.

Payment Options:
Paypal: Click here
Go Cardless: Click here

Cancellation Policy:
At this late stage, as soon as the payment has been received, the registration is considered valid and binding. However, if you contract COVID-19 or if lockdown measures come back into place preventing a participant from attending a refund will be made.

Other than for the reasons stated above, participants who are absent from the camp, forfeit the entire amount of payment. There is no right to a refund of the seminar cost in this instance, but another person can take your place.

Places will be limited.

I look forward to welcoming you to another great training camp. Please email if you have any questions: matt@matthill.co.uk

My very best wishes for your health and training,

Matt.

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.” – Henry David Thoreau

Sign up to get links to join the classes:

Due to the events around COVID19 we have moved the classes at the Academy online for members and have also opened up options for non-members.

They have been a big hit!

We had over 100 members and non members attend the classes so far.

Here is some feedback that was echoed by all:

“Thank you for having the online class last night we really enjoyed it, great fun, good to feel that lovely familiar feeling, moving and breathing. We were amazed how good quality the picture and sound were. It was remarkably comforting to see so many familiar faces, almost as important as the movement itself.”

“I felt so calm and relaxed after the class, just what I needed after a very stressful day.”

The second daytime session was attended by people from all over the UK and Europe.

About the classes:

• Classes are 1 hour long.
• The classes are mixed ability and suitable for everyone.
• The main focus is on breathing, movement, relaxation and a range of activities to promote health and wellbeing. Some classes will have different focus areas ranging from:
• Core movement work to improve strength, flexibility, fluidity, recovery and endurance, self massage, partner massage, mobility, ground flow, guided breath walks, balance work, rolling and much more.

Current Class Schedule:

• Monday: 19.30-20.30
• Tuesday: 19.30-20.30
• Thursday 10.30-11.30am and 19.30-20.30
• Saturday: 09.00-10.30
• I will likely add more classes soon.

Family Members: 

Families members are also welcome to join in and have already been doing so!

Guest Payment options:

• There will be at least 5 sessions per week.
• Probably more as interest seems high.
• There are two payment options:
  • £8 per class or
  • £50 per month unlimited classes (If you do just 2 sessions per week this saves over £25.)

For guests please make the payment via PayPal or card below before you attend the class:

1 class (£8)

• Paypal
• Card Payment

Unlimited Monthly classes (£50 per month):

• Click here to easily set up payment (you can cancel at anytime).

Numbers are capped and details of classes will be sent out before each session by email.

If you would like to be notified please join the newsletter below:

‘Tensing up is like shutting the door, it keeps things out, but it also keeps things in, and some things can stay locked inside for years.’

Hi [FIRST NAME GOES HERE],

We have just finished the annual 5 day intensive seminar at the Academy.

The theme this year was, ‘Tension Removal’.

We focused on how to remove tension using breathing, movement and increasing sensitivity and awareness of tension in the body, mind and psyche.

Over 5 days and about 30 hours of training this was a deep experience for the group.

One of the participants remarked at the end that it was scary to truly relax. In a way you have to surrender yourself and open up.

Anyone who has had a Systema Massage will understand this concept. When pressure is applied you want to tense up against it to protect. This tension causes pain.

As the pressure is maintained, you then have a choice, live with the tension and resultant pain, or find the courage to relax the muscle, and then feel the pain recede. This not only cleans out the tension that you put in, but deeper and deeper layers of tension and self protection.

Tensing up is like shutting the door, it keeps things out, but it also keeps things in, and some things can stay locked inside for years. They can affect your physical movement and your emotional responses.

Unconscious tensions are coming into the body all the time, though our posture, thoughts, activities, lifestyle, interactions etc. To become competent in feeling and being aware of this process and being able to drop tension out is a skill well worth cultivating.

My very best wishes for your training and health as always,

Matt.

Plus, whenever you ready, here are a few ways I can help with our Systema journey:

1. Work with me 1on1 as your personal coach to improve aspects of your health, fitness or Systema Skills:

This is for people struggling to find the right coaching locally. Lots of people don’t have access to a regular instructor, or maybe you are an instructor and don’t have access to a regular mentor to help you improve. You may need to broaden or deepen your knowledge of Systema, get you over hurdles in your breath work, movement, tension or structure in solo or partner work.

The coaching will keep you accountable and progressing in your journey. If you’d like to discuss and see if it’s a fit for both of us, reply and put ‘personal coach’ in the subject line.

2. Come and Train at the Systema Academy in Wiltshire.

We regularly have visitors from all around the world to train at the Academy and they are always made very welcome. Whether you just want to train at the regular classes, take some 1-1 sessions or a bit of both, just reply with ‘visit’ in the subject line.

3. Systema on-line breathing course –an access anytime anywhere course ideal for those wanting to deepen their understanding of Systema Breathing, Instructors who want to broaden their knowledge of drills or for those who spend time practicing on their own. You can find out more here.

4. 28 Day Systema Challenge Course –The programme is ideal for complete beginners, people who want to hit the ‘reset’ button, or those who would like to undergo a structured programme that covers the key principles and movements in Systema.

You can find out more here.

Inhale calm, exhale tension.

We have been working for the past couple of weeks on both inhales and exhales.

In particular doing difficult work like delivering and receiving strikes, disarms or more strenuous physical movements whilst inhaling.

This is a progression. In the beginning you spend most of your time in Systema correcting the fact that you involuntarily hold your breath a lot when doing this work.

You then begin to learn to notice and correct this.

Basic work teaches you to then start to exhale on physical movements, when hit, when hitting or when pressure is applied to you in a physical or psychological form. This is because the exhale is the relaxation phase for the muscles.

A more advanced stage is to start evening this out and working on the inhale too.

This has several advantages:

• Your skill improves as your work becomes calmer and smoother. When you inhale you bring calm into your body and into your movements.
• You become softer. In order to inhale though physically intense work or fast work or psychological work such as knife work, you have to be very soft and relaxed in order to continue to move freely.
• It balances things out. There is a real sense of calm that pervades the room when we do this. I think that this is because we spend more time lengthening and softening the inhale or the ‘calm’ side of the coin.
• It gives you thinking time. When you inhale you calm the mind and allow thoughts to process.
• The concept of being able to work on inhales and exhales allows you to double the amount of work that you can do. If you can only work on exhales and recover on inhales then you reduce your output of functional work.

Warrior Endurance.

Imagine a warrior on a battlefield. They had to be able to attack, defend, parry, kill or escape on inhales and exhales, each breath becomes a functional stroke and cleans you from the last movement. This I believe is what allowed them to work constantly for hours at a time. This was one of the key eureka moments that I had with the Systema approach to breath work.

I had always puzzled over what would have allowed warriors to keep going past a few minutes of intense fighting. I knew how out of breath I felt after doing paired work, sparring or demonstrations. The focus on breath, efficiency and relaxation immediately made sense to me.

Take away.

My take away for everyone at the end of the class has been to try this in everyday life. Try to do everyday movements such as sit, stand, step off, lift etc on inhales notice the difference and start to make it feel like it does on an exhale.

This will make you more sensitive, controlled and aware as well as improving physical skills.

My very best wishes for your training and health as always,

Matt.

2020 Courses:

In the next few weeks I will be releasing course dates for 2020. These will include the staples:

• Details of the 2021 Jungle Expedition
• January breath work course
• 5 Day Summer Camp
• Canoe/Camp Trip
• 5 Day Intensive in November

Others will be added as they come in.

You can register interest for any of these by replying to this email.

Plus, whenever you ready, here are a few ways I can help with our Systema journey:

1. Complete your Systema Assessment:

The holistic assessment is designed to check your overall level of movement quality, range, tension, stress, stability, freedom of movement, coordination, strength and balance. Find out how you score across the 10 Functional Systema areas here.

2. Work with me 1on1 as your personal coach to improve aspects of your health, fitness or Systema Skills:

This is for people struggling to find the right coaching locally. Lots of people don’t have access to a regular instructor, or maybe you are an instructor and don’t have access to a regular mentor to help you improve. You may need to broaden or deepen your knowledge of Systema, get you over hurdles in your breath work, movement, tension or structure in solo or partner work.

The coaching will keep you accountable and progressing in your journey. I have space for 2 clients, so if you’d like to discuss and see if it’s a fit for both of us, reply and put ‘personal coach’ in the subject line.

3. Come and Train at the Systema Academy in Wiltshire.

We regularly have visitors from all around the world to train at the Academy and they are always made very welcome. Whether you just want to train at the regular classes, take some 1-1 sessions or a bit of both, just reply with ‘visit’ in the subject line.

4. Systema on-line breathing course –an access anytime anywhere course ideal for those wanting to deepen their understanding of Systema Breathing, Instructors who want to broaden their knowledge of drills or for those who spend time practicing on their own. You can find out more here.

5. 28 Day Systema Challenge Course –The programme is ideal for complete beginners, people who want to hit the ‘reset’ button, or those who would like to undergo a structured programme that covers the key principles and movements in Systema.

You can find out more here.

“Systema is a method for me to deal with these fears and so, hopefully, by the end of my life uncover the Michael I was meant to be in God’s plan.” – Testimonial from Michael Katzensteiner

After doing the 28 Day Programme and Breathing Exercises online I was curious to come into closer contact with Systema.

Matt kindly answered my questions per mail and invited me to skype with him about my further steps.

In that meeting he encouraged me to join the Living Systema Camp in Wiltshire. I was deeply impressed by his clear and calm manner, an impression that deepened during the camp. To get mindful seemed possible …

The step-by-step curriculum for learning helpful ways concerning breathing, relaxed and balanced movement, gaining flexibility, self-confidence in potentially dangerous situations and awareness (my aims for the camp) exceeded all my expectations.

To be allowed to do this together with outstanding, nice and supportive people who had great patience with a nearly 72-year old rookie touched me deeply.

The frame – living in the woods and learning some bush-craft skills – fitted perfectly into the general objectives. We had also enough time to talk to each other, to laugh (a lot!) or to have some rest to digest all we had learned.

What I discovered for myself was especially how restricted and permeated with fear I am.

Systema is a method for me to deal with these fears and so, hopefully, by the end of my life uncover the Michael I was meant to be in God’s plan.

Breathing, movement and the combat part of Systema began to unify in my experience. To do this in baby steps, in a way that is “nice and calm” as a new friend encouraged me, is my aim now.

I will find a Systema group in my region and follow this path. I feel deep gratitude towards Matt and each participant of the group and hope to be back soon!

Michael.

New downloadable courses coming soon!

• Stay tuned for two new video courses that will be coming out soon – A Stick mobility and conditioning sequence and a walking mobility sequence. Both can done on a walk and are fantastic all round mobility and conditioning programmes.

My thanks to Michael for sharing his testimonial and for his bravery on attending the course.

With respect and best wishes,

Matt.

This morning I embark on my annual 5 day Systema Immersion Camp. The theme for this years camp is, ‘Living Systema’. During the camp we will explore how to live the practices and principles of Systema on a moment to moment basis, to make you more relaxed, calmer and healthier.

We will focus on how to bring the principles to life in routine actions like how you sit, walk, stand, work and of course train, adding pressure to the skills.

It is of course easier in a camp environment, as the outdoors naturally makes you move more…. naturally.

My thought for you though comes from a podcast that I did on Sunday with Ryan Hartley from the Always better than yesterday Interview Sessions.

During the Interview we talked about Leadership and Sacrifice, Courage, Systema, self-management and other topics.

At the end of the podcast he asked me for a final thought and with camp on my mind, it was this phrase, which is not mine, but that I always say to those coming on camps and trips:

“Take your time and don’t rush through these next five days. Take the time to stop and smell the smells, taste the food and enjoy the relationships. Just sit and soak in a sunrise or sunset. Watch a kite circling. You will have some very special moments over the next five days, so Savour the moments, because if you miss the moments, you miss your life.

I hope that you all have a great week.

My very best wishes to you all,

Matt.

Plus, whenever you ready, here are a few ways I can help with our Systema journey:

1. Complete your Systema Assessment:

The holistic assessment is designed to check your overall level of movement quality, range, tension, stress, stability, freedom of movement, coordination, strength and balance. Find out how you score across the 10 Functional Systema areas here.

2. Work with me 1on1 as your personal coach to improve aspects of your health, fitness or Systema Skills:

This is for people struggling to find the right coaching locally. Lots of people don’t have access to a regular instructor, or maybe you are an instructor and don’t have access to a regular mentor to help you improve. You may need to broaden or deepen your knowledge of Systema, get you over hurdles in your breath work, movement, tension or structure in solo or partner work.

The coaching will keep you accountable and progressing in your journey. I have space for 3 or 4 clients, so if you’d like to discuss and see if it’s a fit for both of us, reply and put ‘personal coach’ in the subject line.

3. Come and Train at the Systema Academy in Wiltshire.

We regularly have visitors from all around the world to train at the Academy and they are always made very welcome. Whether you just want to train at the regular classes, take some 1-1 sessions or a bit of both, just reply with ‘visit’ in the subject line.

4. Systema on-line breathing course – an access anytime anywhere course ideal for those wanting to deepen their understanding of Systema Breathing, Instructors who want to broaden their knowledge of drills or for those who spend time practicing on their own. You can find out more here.

5. 28 Day Systema Course – The programme is ideal for complete beginners, people who want to hit the ‘reset’ button, or those who would like to undergo a structured programme that covers the key principles and movements in Systema.

You can find out more here.

Below is an email that a received from Systema Student Tim after a recent trip to China: