Episode 116: James Sommerville

Systema For Life

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.