Systema Instructors Train Military Personnel

Rockville, MD — March 25, 2023 —

Maryland Systema instructors train military personnel who independently seek additional practice in movement, breathing, situational awareness, and control under physical pressure.

The training was not conducted through an official partnership with the United States military. Participating service members sought out Maryland Systema independently as an additional form of martial arts and self-defense practice.

Practical Training for Demanding Conditions

Military service can require people to work while tired, carrying equipment, operating in restricted spaces, or responding to conditions that change quickly. Maryland Systema training examines how breathing, movement, posture, balance, and awareness affect performance during physical pressure.

Depending on the needs and experience of the participants, training may include:

• Breathing during effort, fatigue, and physical contact
• Maintaining balance while pushing, pulling, carrying, or being restrained
• Moving efficiently in confined or crowded spaces
• Recognizing changes in distance, posture, and movement
• Responding to strikes, grabs, and close physical pressure
• Ground movement and returning to the feet
• Awareness around weapons and multiple people
• Protecting another person while preserving mobility

The exercises use controlled contact and progressive resistance. Participants begin with manageable pressure before adding changes in speed, direction, timing, and uncertainty.

This training gives participants time to study recovery after mistakes. A missed step, loss of balance, delayed reaction, or unexpected change does not end the exercise. Instead, participants practice regaining posture, restoring breathing, creating space, and continuing to assess what is happening around them.

This approach helps reinforce the idea that performance depends on adjustment rather than perfection. It also allows participants to notice how fatigue, tension, narrowed attention, and rushed movement can affect judgment. By working through these problems at a controlled pace, participants can develop a clearer understanding of their habits under pressure and identify areas for improvement.

“Service members often bring valuable experience, discipline, and physical ability into training,” said Jim Eglin, founder and Chief Instructor of Maryland Systema. “Our work gives them another opportunity to examine how breathing, balance, movement, and decision-making function when conditions become less predictable.”

Principles Rather Than Fixed Responses

Maryland Systema does not teach one prescribed answer for every possible threat. Participants learn to recognize the direction of pressure, protect their structure, change position, and continue moving when a planned response no longer fits the situation.

Breathing is used to manage effort and identify unnecessary tension. Movement drills help participants adjust their position, preserve balance, and avoid becoming fixed on one person or one point of contact.

The purpose is not to imitate military operations or replace official training. It is to provide additional practice in movement, awareness, self-defense, and control under pressure.

Informal and Independent Training

Maryland Systema’s work with military personnel has involved individual service members participating independently. It should not be interpreted as an endorsement, contract, partnership, or official training relationship with the United States military or any specific branch, unit, or government agency.

Maryland Systema also provides group classes, private lessons, workshops, and specialized instruction for adults with different professional backgrounds and levels of experience.

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 Krav Maga, Judo, Knight Jiu-Jitsu®, and Boxing.

Maryland Systema offers adult group classes in Rockville and Takoma Park, Maryland. Private lessons and specialized training are available throughout the Washington, DC area. Maryland Systema instructors train military personnel as well as adults seeking practical training in movement, awareness, breathing, and self-defense.

For additional information, visit marylandsystema.com or contact:

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