Slovak
Czech
Spanish
Chinese
On the Internet, there are a lot of videos featuring ‘non-contact masters’. Some of them use magical poses, and their bodies are often rigid. No wonder that many of these ‘non-contact masters’ beat someone not nicely.
However, there is also another category of ‘non-contact masters’. They don’t rely on non-contact techniques—they are great warriors in real physical fights. And you don’t find any video where they would be beaten. If they used the non-contact concept, probably just in specific moments of physical fight to tilt the scales in their favour.
We tend to consider everything we don’t understand to be ‘magic’. However, behind some ‘magic’ often lies just knowledge and a high awareness…
This article aims to bring light into this ‘magic’ and effectively breaks down into four understandable concepts, which I have personal experience with:
1. Instinct to Move Away
2. Synchronisation with Flow of Balance
3. Manipulation with Attention
4. Work with Intention
Michael Ryabko is playing with Tibi…
I describe a personal experience with the master Michael Ryabko (Systema). He demonstrated a non-contact fight with a couple of guys. It looked impressive, but they collaborated too much with him and jumped to the ground without obvious reason. So when he asked who would like to feel it, I stepped forward!
Firstly, he did something, but I don’t need to move! Everybody was shocked, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Vladimir’s Vasiliev (Systema) facepalming.
Then Michael frowned, and I realised a fist was flying toward my face. Fortunately, I instinctively moved away at the last moment! I finished displaced from balance. But before I could recover, another strike was coming for my ribs! Again, I moved away at the very last instant. I found myself bending in front of Michael with only one option to avoid the third strike: to jump to the ground!
He took me down literally without touching me!
He was laughing. I realised that he had just played with me and could probably hit me with any of these strikes, but he purposely gave me the chance to move away, step by step, consciously breaking down my structure. That demands a very high level of mastery!
However, it was good to show the concept to a ‘Doubting Thomas’ like me because others saw that his techniques work even against someone who isn’t cooperating.
Somebody may say I had the option to stay; however, trust me, you do not want to be punched by Michael! And even if I wanted to, it would be very hard to suppress an instinct of self-preservation.
So, the first method is just a natural subconscious reaction to visual impulses.
Our posture is a dynamic structure, constantly adjusting to maintain balance – Flow of Balance*.
We start to work with it tactually—touch the other body. When we are synchronised with the Flow of Balance, we can gently lead it and extend it in the direction we want.
As a doorman, I used this technique regularly. It was an effective way to move someone with minimal effort.
I synced with the troublemakers before touch—visually for a long distance when I approached them. This allowed me to read their movements better and quicker, which improved my reaction time.
Surprisingly, this technique works even without touch! If the other person sees us, they could follow us and move according to our intentions.
Why do we subconsciously imitate somebody who is synchronised with us?
We probably developed this program when our ancestors hunted; they needed to synchronise to succeed. After hundreds of thousands of years, it has become a subconscious reflex which can be used against us in the fight.
Now comes ‘the magic’: we can do it even with closed eyes! However, you need to synchronise with strong attention so another person feels it even without eyes! It sounds unbelievable, but if you ever feel somebody behind you staring at you, you know what kind of connection I am talking about.
These not-contact manipulations are limited; you still need to keep a connection. If you break it, you lose this subtle control.
The second method is based on subconscious reciprocal synchronisation with others.
* Read more about the Flow of Balance:
Example: Someone wants to punch your nose. His attention sticks to your nose, and he sends the punch. You attract his attention to your hand, which is in the same direction. So, you sneakily change his target from your nose to your hand. Then, you move your hand away at the right moment, and his strike subconsciously follows the hand.
You can also gently ‘invite him’ deeper and move your arm backwards… Then, he stretched the strike more than planned and jumped into your trap.
Before you take any action, your mind usually creates a picture of the intention of movement.
Intention is an energy of attention which radiates from the creator.
People can sense the intentions of others even with closed eyes.
Sergey, Tibi and master Georgy Funtikov
Once, my Cossack master Georgy Funtikov (Cossak’s ‘Na Ljubky‘ and Aikido) squatted down and told me: ‘Kick me to the chest’. So, I load a kick, and my leg flows to his chest. Suddenly, my body stopped. No, as if it hit something solid, but my body refused to obey my mind! It is probably a similar feeling to a jockey when they give the horse an order to jump over an obstacle, but the horse stops at the last moment. I was shocked; my body had never before refused to obey my mind! When I asked Georgy what’s happened, he explained: ‘I created a picture of the intention and occupied the space in time, so your picture of the intention cannot flow there. Then, I stopped my body to follow the picture. Therefore, the movement didn’t happen on the physical layout of reality.’
I know it’s hard to believe, but I would hardly believe it if I didn’t feel it in my skin.
Vladimir Vasiliev, my Systema master, told us a story…
During an army mission, the first was usually shooted beginners who didn’t control their attention and created the strong intention ‘to shoot enemy soldiers’.
Veterans create a peaceful picture of intention, e.g., visualising themselves fishing at home with friends. Their picture of intention doesn’t attract the attention of enemies, so enemies don’t notice them until it’s too late.
Some are in the fight; if you have an intention, your opponent can sense it. Therefore, a skilled warrior could be in the present and fight without projecting a picture of intention.
If I simplify it, it happens on the intentional level before the fight happens on the physical level. It usually happens deeply in our subconsciousness. However, we can work more consciously with our intention.
Vladimir Vasiliev, Tibi & his students London ’24
Train hard, think, analyse, experiment, observe, and feel what is happening inside yourself—Know Thyself. After decades, you may realise things that other people won’t understand.
But don’t be silly to try to manage a subtle level of reality without a deep understanding of the coarse level!
PS: If you have some experience with non-contact fights, please write to me about it.