Maryland Systema Announces Plans for 3 New Training Locations

Proposed locations in Baltimore, Columbia, and Rockville would expand access to adult self-defense instruction.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Rockville, MD, July 29, 2026 — Maryland Systema announced plans to expand its adult self-defense training with new locations in Baltimore, Columbia, and Rockville, Maryland.

The school currently offers regular group classes in Rockville and Takoma Park. The proposed expansion would provide additional training options for adults throughout Central Maryland and the Washington, DC–Baltimore region.

Specific facilities, class schedules, and opening dates remain under evaluation. The announcement identifies planned service areas. Maryland Systema will publish confirmed addresses and scheduling details as agreements are completed.

“Our goal is to make practical self-defense training available to more adults without requiring previous martial arts experience, expensive equipment, or a long-term contract,” said Jim Eglin, founder and Chief Instructor of Maryland Systema. “The planned locations in Baltimore, Columbia, and Rockville will allow us to serve additional communities while maintaining the same careful, progressive approach to instruction.”

Three Proposed Maryland Systema Training Locations

The expansion plan addresses three areas, each offering a different opportunity to improve access to instruction.

1. Baltimore: Expanding Access to Adult Training

The proposed Baltimore location would serve adults in the city and nearby communities who want practical self-defense instruction.

Training would follow the approach used in existing classes, with breathing, movement, awareness, balance, and controlled contact introduced through progressive exercises.

Beginners would not need previous martial arts experience. Students with prior training would also have opportunities to examine how they respond when distance, resistance, timing, and position change.

A Baltimore facility and opening date have not been finalized. Interested adults can contact the school for updates as planning continues.

2. Columbia: A Proposed Howard County Location

The planned Columbia location would bring another training option to adults in Howard County and surrounding communities.

For someone balancing work, family responsibilities, and commuting, the location of a class affects whether regular attendance is practical. The expansion aims to give more adults an opportunity to train closer to the places they already travel.

Instruction would include individual movement exercises and supervised partner work. Students would practice recognizing pressure, maintaining balance, communicating clearly, and adjusting their movement as an exercise develops.

The proposed Columbia location remains in the planning stage. Facility details, class times, and an opening date will be announced after confirmation.

3. Rockville: An Additional Montgomery County Option

Maryland Systema already holds Tuesday evening classes at Woodley Gardens Park in Rockville.

The additional proposed Rockville location is intended to provide another geographic and scheduling option for Montgomery County students. It is an expansion proposal, not an announcement that the existing class is relocating.

An additional option would give students more ways to fit training around changing responsibilities. Its usefulness will depend on the final facility and schedule, which remain under review.

Prospective students should consult the school for confirmed class information before traveling to a new location.

A Consistent Approach Across Locations

The proposed locations would follow the same instructional principles used in current Maryland Systema classes.

Students learn to recognize what is happening, protect their balance, preserve movement, and make decisions as conditions change. Training connects physical skills with awareness, boundaries, distance, and opportunities to leave.

Subjects include:

• Recognizing changes in behavior, posture, and distance
• Establishing boundaries and noticing available exits
• Breathing during movement, effort, and controlled contact
• Maintaining and recovering balance
• Responding to pushing, pulling, grabs, strikes, and restraint
• Moving on the ground and returning to the feet
• Understanding risks involving weapons and multiple people
• Protecting another person while maintaining awareness
• Ending physical action when it is no longer needed

The work develops through practice with changing problems. A partner can alter direction, increase resistance, or move into a position that requires a different response.

Students learn to reassess instead of continuing with an action simply because it was their first choice.

Instruction Designed for Adult Beginners

Maryland Systema classes include adults with different levels of fitness, mobility, and martial arts experience.

Beginners start with manageable exercises. Early work includes breathing, posture, walking, turning, changing levels, and learning how to communicate during partner contact.

An instructor can adjust an exercise by changing its speed, range, resistance, repetition, or contact level. Students do not need to match the intensity used by someone with more experience.

For example, one student can work on a slow transition from the ground while another practices the same principle with additional movement. Both need to maintain control and understand the purpose of the exercise.

The school’s guide to Systema for beginners explains how introductory training develops and what adults can expect when starting.

Students should discuss injuries, movement restrictions, and other concerns with the instructor before participating. Clear communication helps keep the work appropriate to the person doing it.

Learning Through Controlled Partner Work

Partner training gives students information that solo movement cannot provide.

Another person introduces weight, timing, resistance, and changes in direction. Those elements help students notice how their breathing, posture, and attention respond to physical pressure.

An exercise begins with a clear task and a manageable level of contact. Partners communicate about pace and resistance throughout the work.

Students sometimes discover that they hold their breath, lean too far, focus on one point, or use excessive effort before understanding the problem. Recognizing these habits provides a specific starting point for improvement.

The instructor can reduce the difficulty, clarify the task, or give the student time to repeat the movement.

Greater difficulty follows better control. Progress does not require turning every exercise into a contest or increasing contact before both partners are ready.

Physical Practice Connected to Personal Safety

Self-defense instruction includes decisions made before physical contact begins.

Students examine distance, surroundings, obstacles, other people, and access to exits. They practice recognizing when movement or a clear boundary provides an opportunity to address a problem early.

Physical work remains connected to these decisions.

A response to a grab, for example, involves more than moving the held arm. Students also consider their balance, the direction of pressure, available space, and what happens after they move.

Training encourages continued observation. If the situation changes, the response needs to change with it.

This approach gives beginners and experienced students a shared purpose: remain aware, preserve useful movement, and make decisions that fit the circumstances.

Current Classes in Rockville and Takoma Park

While the expansion remains in development, Maryland Systema offers regular group training at its existing locations:

• Tuesday evenings at Woodley Gardens Park in Rockville
• Thursday evenings at Dance Exchange in Takoma Park
• Sunday afternoons from 1:30 to 3:00 at Dance Exchange in Takoma Park

Adults interested in beginning training can ask about these established classes without waiting for the proposed locations to open.

Students can attend either current location. As additional sites are confirmed, the school intends to continue offering participation across locations when schedules and space permit.

Working with different partners provides opportunities to experience varied movement, reach, timing, and resistance. The instructional principles remain consistent even when the training problem changes.

Flexible Participation Without a Long-Term Contract

Maryland Systema offers drop-in training without a long-term membership commitment.

This format allows adults to participate around work, travel, family responsibilities, and other demands. Students can begin with a realistic schedule and build consistency over time.

No uniform or specialized equipment is required to start. Comfortable clothing that allows movement is appropriate, with footwear requirements depending on the training location.

The first group class is free.

Adults comparing participation options can read about self-defense classes without contract commitments.

Private lessons are also available for people seeking individual instruction, specific training goals, or another scheduling option. Arrangements depend on instructor availability and a suitable location.

Opportunities for Potential Host Facilities

Maryland Systema is open to discussions with fitness facilities, movement studios, recreation centers, and community organizations interested in hosting adult self-defense classes.

Organizations in the proposed service areas can contact Jim Eglin to discuss their available space and scheduling options.

An initial conversation can help establish whether the setting suits the training. Space for movement, the type of floor, access arrangements, and availability all affect what can be offered.

No hosting agreement is implied by this announcement. Specific arrangements remain subject to discussion and confirmation.

For organizations considering broader community use of their facilities, the CDC’s Strategies for Access to Places for Physical Activity describes approaches involving recreation facilities, existing spaces, and shared-use arrangements. The resource offers general planning context for expanding access to physical activity. CDC

How to Follow Expansion Updates

Maryland Systema will announce new addresses, schedules, and opening dates as arrangements are completed.

Prospective students can contact the school with questions about Baltimore, Columbia, or the additional Rockville location. Inquiries should identify the area of interest so the discussion can focus on the relevant proposal.

Adults can also review what to look for in an adult Systema class while considering their training options.

A useful choice involves more than finding the closest address. Consider whether you can attend regularly, understand the instruction, communicate concerns, and work at a manageable pace.

When new locations are confirmed, those same questions will remain relevant. A convenient class provides access, while consistent instruction and appropriate progression give students a reason to continue.

The expansion is intended to connect those needs. Maryland Systema aims to offer more places to train while preserving an approach that gives beginners time to learn and experienced students room to develop. Until opening details are finalized, the existing Rockville and Takoma Park classes remain the available group training options described in this announcement.

About Maryland Systema

Maryland Systema provides practical adult self-defense training based on awareness, breathing, movement, balance, controlled contact, and responsible decision-making.

Founder and Chief Instructor Jim Eglin began training in Systema in 2013 and earned his Full Systema Instructor Certification in 2019 under Vladimir Vasiliev. He renewed his certification in 2022 and 2024.

His broader training includes more than five years of Krav Maga through Krav Maga Worldwide, Krav Maga Global, and Krav OZ. He has also trained in Judo, Knight Jiu-Jitsu®, and Boxing with three-time WBA middleweight champion William Joppy.

For current classes and expansion updates, visit Maryland Systema.

Press Contact

Jim Eglin
Founder and Chief Instructor
Maryland Systema
301-326-9146
jim@marylandsystema.com