Russian Martial Art

Fedor Emelianenko – the most dangerous man in Russia

At 6 am, the old train station covered with rust and dirt in the small Russian town of Stariy Oskol (population 221,000) seems empty and forgotten. But not for Fedor Emelianenko, who has been starting his day here with a 5 mile run his whole life. “I like it here,” said Emelianenko. “I have a family, friends and my gym. Why should I change it?”

Emelianenko isn’t interested in the creature comforts of a nicer gym or a more comfortable apartment. In his rusty gym with sewed-up punching bags and old-fashioned weights, he looks happy and at home. Emelianenko finds comfort in the simple, but effective habits he established more than 10 years ago. Hard work is the cornerstone of his training regime. Emelianenko’s workout includes exercises such as running, push-ups and – the most spectacular one –  hitting an old truck tire with a sledgehammer . What makes Emelianenko different from other athletes? He trains longer and harder.

Emelianenko’s family moved to Stariy Oskol two years after his birth in 1976 in Rubizhne, Ukraine. After graduating with honors from a professional trade school in 1994, he served in the Russian army, where he became accustomed to discipline and everyday work. Being a European Sambo Champion and winning a lot of Championships in Judo, he moved to MMA in 2000. It was the beginning of a legend.

While Emelianenko is an all-around strong fighter with good striking ability, good submissions as well as good guard, he is praised for his “ground-and-pound” technique: striking the opponent on the ground with vicious strikes. His main fighting techniques are the Russian martial art Sambo and Japanese Judo. Neither combat sport is popular in MMA, where most fighters train in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai.

Emelianenko’s MMA career began in the Japanese promotion fighting network RINGS. After three impressive victories, Emelianenko suffered his first loss, but it was a technical one: His opponent,  Tsuyoshi Kohsaka , struck Emelianenko's head with his elbow and reopened an old cut. In the RINGS system, this meant instant defeat for Emelianenko. For two years, Emelianenko worked his way to the top of the RINGS promotion and became the RINGS Absolute Class Tournament winner in 2002.

Building on his success in RINGS, Emelianenko moved to the Japanese PRIDE network and instantly gained a victory over Heath Herring, who was considered as one of the best fighters in the promotion. This victory made way for a real challenge: a bout with the heavily favored Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira. After a hard, 20-minute-long fight, Emelianenko won the title of PRIDE Heavyweight Champion, a title he would never lose. He was the biggest star in PRIDE for years before the organization was purchased by American businessmen Lorenzo Fertitta and Emelianenko's contract expired.

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@CNCTEMATIC When the body is placed into a stance that is un-natural, and then something is moved into a “supportive” position, the subconscious tendency is to not let go of the thing that is keeping you upright, even if that thing (in this example, the stick) is what’s also keeping you in the un-natural position.

The lesson to be learned here, if you are in that student’s position, is that sometimes self-control is in letting go in your mind first, so you can let go in the physical state.

@CNCTEMATIC In that specific instance, the student is still being placed into position that is a counterpoint to how he would naturally hold the stick.

It may not be about balance as previously described, but the principle is still the same. It feels more “natural” subconsciously to maintain position than potentially place yourself in harm’s way, even if it is falsely perceived to be harmful in the first place.

That is the mindset Mikhail exploits by diverting the student’s focus to the stick.

Russian Martial Arts, Sambo, Russian Fist Fighting, Ryabko's Systema, Prb Vkz, Retuinskih's System Ross, Kadochnikov's Systema

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