Recently I was introduced to a friend of a friend. Somehow we got to talking about self defense, which led to me showing him my knife collection. After admiring my blades, he took out my Regulator and asked me to attack him with it. He told me to keep the cardboard on it so that I wouldn't get hurt. Thinking that I knew how to defend myself with a knife, I went for a kill move that I knew. Before I knew it, I had been taken down and the knife that I was holding was pointed at the side of my neck; I was powerless to defend myself. This is how I was introduced to Systema, a form of Russian martial arts.

He spent about an hour teaching me the basics. He demonstrated holds and takedowns that, when executed properly, would disarm any attacker. He showed me how to defend myself against knife and gun attacks. He asked me to point my pellet gun at his chest and pull the trigger. In the time that it took me to pull the trigger, the gun was pointed at my head.

Since then, he has given me a few lessons and I am currently seeking out an instructor, but am having a hard time finding one.

I encourage anyone who is interested in self defense to read up on Systema and maybe consider trying to find an instructor. Watch some videos on YouTube and other sites to see what it's all about. If anyone has any experience with Systema, I'd love to hear about it.

From Wikipedia:
Systema (...;, literally meaning The System) is a Russian martial art.[1] Training includes but not limited to: hand to hand combat, grappling, knife fighting and fire arms training as well. Training involves drills and sparring without set kata. It focuses mainly on controlling the six body levers (elbows, neck, knees, waist, ankles, and shoulders) through pressure point application, striking and weapon applications. Systema is often advertised as being a martial art employed by some Russian Spetsnaz units[1][2] however, Systema teachers would say that that is a small portion of Systema. Instead of viewing Systema as a martial art, they say that Systema as a lifestyle, or a "system" which extends beyond hand-to-hand combat and covers all aspects of life.