China: Zhang Zhilei (张志磊) – Professional Heavyweight Boxer! (16.4.2023)

His punching combinations are fast, fluid, well-timed and accurate – whilst his evasive upper body movement and lower body footwork is both precise and compact! He skilfully makes the opponent miss whilst always staying in range to counter continuously. His fast (combination) hitting is reminiscent of that seen within advanced Chinese gongfu practice – particularly when Zhang Zhilei initiates exchanges! I suspect that somewhere in his training background lies the Internal Martial Arts of China! As he progresses through the ranks, he stoically faces the racist disdain he encounters in the West – and lets his ability and ever-growing tally of victories speak for themselves! Indeed, although 39 years old at the writing of this article – this might work for him in a sport that is usually merciless in its treatment of older competitors! Chinese martial tradition and culture possesses an entirely different approach to interpreting the ageing process!

Email: Socialist Martial Arts – ‘Systema’ (система)! (8.6.2022)

The cultural and religious baggage within Asian cultures generally means that it takes decades to finally arrive at the ability that Systema teaches from the first day of training (and only then, if the practitioner of the Asian arts has found a competent Master). This signifies the ‘Socialist’ egalitarian nature of ‘Systema’ where there were no coloured belts representing a fascistic and hierarchical grading system – as is common within Japanese culture. In the original Soviet – (and now ‘Russian’) – martial system (Systema), the highest form of inner and outer awareness, body-alignment, organisation and movement, as well as advanced technical manifestation – is taught first without any hesitation, whilst an individual’s psychological and emotional (spiritual) understanding of what a practitioner is physically experiencing has to catch-up over the many years of training.

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