Search

Home > Systema For Life > Episode 116: James Sommerville
Podcast: Systema For Life
Episode:

Episode 116: James Sommerville

Category: Sports & Recreation
Duration: 01:02:38
Publish Date: 2020-10-16 10:00:00
Description:

This week we talk with James Somerville - Toronto-based Systema student, academic, and author of Meditations on a Russian Martial Art. James has a PhD in History from Queens University, and wrote his thesis on the dictum Know Thyself, as popularized during the Italian Renaissance era. As such, the book presents an interesting - if somehwat critical - take on the origins, practice, and historical context of Systema. Here, we discuss several core themes from the book, including:

  • What motivated him to write the book
  • Systema as a modern military art (vs an ancient / medieval one)
  • Martial arts as performance arts
  • The mixed implications of Systema philosophy


You may not agree with everything the James has to say here, or in the book itself. But at the very least, it is a thought-provoking account of his very personal quest to understand and contextualize the art.

Total Play: 0

Some more Podcasts by Glenn Murphy, NC SYSTEMA

100+ Episodes