The human body is a complex, highly articulated organism capable of incredible movement potential. As we age, however, it becomes more difficult to maintain the strength, agility and grace of youth. Daily conditions within the dominant contemporary culture create stress, anxiety, trauma and fear. This can lead to diminished health, decreased performance and increased risk of disease.

Many societies throughout history have developed systems for promoting health, preventing disease, and enhancing performance in activities. The Slavic people were no exception. Over the course of centuries methods were cultivated to counteract the disintegration of effortless movement, good posture and proper respiration, the product of which is abundant health. These methods were later covertly researched for decades in the laboratories of the former Soviet Union , and exploration continues today in modern Russia . The culmination of this research is a comprehensive health system. Fortunately, with the collapse of the Soviet Union came a willingness among the Russians to share with the world their culture, of which their health system and martial tradition are an integral part.

Zdorovye - The Russian Health System is one of the eight directions of training in the ROSS Training System. ROSS is the acronym for the Russian words Rossijskaya Otechestvennaya Sistema Samozashchity, which can be translated as “ Russian Native System of Self-defense”.

Zdorovye is a system of Somatic Engineering (or “bodywork therapy”) which utilizes a three step approach to development: Recovery, Coordination and Refinement. Recovery refers to reclaiming the full movement potential, or range of motion (ROM), of the joint systems in our bodies. Once recovered this full range of motion can be coordinated within a particular activity. Refinement of these reclaimed abilities within our environment can then occur allowing movement to be efficient and effortless at all times. Through a technology called “Errorless Learning,” exercises are broken down into component parts so that they can be explored and internalized by the practitioner at a comfortable pace.

As with all of the ROSS Training System, there are three main components to Zdorovye. The first is biomechanical movement called Dvizheniye. The human body can be thought of as having the capabilities of a system of levers, pulleys, screws and inclined planes. These are the four simple machines of mechanical efficiency. When we learn to utilize the principles of these simple machines as they apply to our bodies, the outcome is efficient movement that does not rely upon muscular development. Strength conditioning is certainly considered in ROSS, but it matters not what we can do when we are strong, alert, energetic and well-rested. What matters most is what we are capable of when we are fatigued, stressed or injured. Because it is under these conditions that martial artists are often required to perform, the practice of Zdorovye can afford immeasurable benefit to all styles of combat and to all aspects of physical culture.

Movement is characterized by the ROSS concept of “Plasticity” (or supple elasticity), yet stability in the joints and a fluidity in the spine allowing for full torso, shoulder and head mobility. When in conflict, flexibility in the spine and hips allows for evading strikes, moving around and collapsing over the vectors of applied or incoming force. Three dimensional figure eights, or hourglass-shaped movement patterns, in the upper body can be used to inoculate incoming force while simultaneously generating momentum for counterattacking strikes. Most movement occurs in three dimensions as opposed to along one plane. In order to facilitate ease of movement, as many joints as possible are recruited to reduce the effort required of any one particular joint. The more joints that are used, the more efficient the motion will be. For example, when moving into and out of a squatting position instead of the knees bending and the legs traveling along one plane, the knees can be moved in screwing motions during the descent. This removes stress from the knees and also preserves momentum which can be utilized to continue motion.

The second component of Zdorovye training is called Polozheniye and refers to the proper alignment of our structure, or musculo-skeletal system. Many exercises are designed to reclaim full spinal ROM by releasing tension accumulated in the muscle tissue. Poor posture can over time lead to a number of unhealthy conditions. However, it is not just alignment between crown and coccyx that is considered but also the most appropriate position of our structure through any motion. It can take only a moment of improper posture when lifting a heavy object or executing a throw, for example, to create a lifetime of pain. Through specialized exercises we learn proper structural alignment to increase the efficiency of our motion, to decrease dependence upon muscular strength, and to reduce risks of injury.

Too often a technique is taught without conveyance of the proper mechanics. Polozheniye helps practitioners understand the physiology of the techniques of their particular style of martial art, to enhance the structural efficiency of its execution. And without proper alignment the third component to Zdorovye cannot be fully developed.

Breathing is the essence of life and respiratory enhancement is the third focus of the Zdorovye Natural Health System. Through unique exercises, referred to as Dykhaniye, practitioners learn to expand lung capacity, expand the ROM of their movements, control anxiety level, manage energy expenditure and eventually recover energy and control heart rate. The exercises are broken down into three levels. These are clavical (upper respiratory), called Prav, inter-costal (middle), called Yav and diaphragmatic, called Nav (lower). These three levels are then integrated to gain the ability to process oxygen more efficiently. By helping maintain the proper ratio of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood these methods allow for respiration, and therefore energy expenditure, to be controlled. One of the quickest ways to succumb to the efforts of an adversary is through mismanagement of energy by poor or neglected respiration. Generally speaking, the focus of the breathing is a forceful exhale throughout a motion with the cessation of breath occurring at the termination of the motion.

Too often we see red-faced heavy-breathers in martial art, due to learned inefficient breathing patterns. Whenever the body detects effort, it resorts to its conditioned pattern of breath holding in order to recruit brute force. Technical savvy in all styles lies upon not only exhalation, but execution at the end of exhalation, called the “control pause.” Advanced Sports Science in Russia and the former Soviet Union conducted extensive research to determine that the control pause is the Optimal Performance Zone for ALL aspects of physical culture. Re-educating martial artists in this technology is the KEY to enhancing the execution and flow of their technical arsenal, and of course, their health improvement as well!

These three components of Zdorovye integrate to enhance performance and each is vital to the other. For example, one cannot reclaim full biomechanical movement potential if respiration and posture is not correct. Efficient movement and respiratory enhancement cannot occur without proper posture. These must be trained together for a synergistic effect.

A corollary process to the integration of biomechanical movement, structural alignment and enhanced respiration ROSS calls “Tempering.” Though not quite accurate in English translation, this refers to methods facilitating incremental adaptation to environmental and situational demands placed upon the organism. These include rituals such as cold-water dousing/immersion. This purports to have numerous benefits such as lowered susceptibility to and decreased recovery time from illness, a boost in energy levels, stimulation of the immune system, and development of spiritual and intestinal fortitude.

Zdorovye also considers human locomotion. Slavyanskiy Byeg, the Effortless Running Gait, is a form of endurance running designed to have a restorative effect upon the body by minimizing impact to the ankles, knees and hips. It is a form of trotting that utilizes a smooth, relaxed gait. The body carriage is raised or lowered depending upon the surface grading. The shoulders and upper body are kept relaxed. Stride is generated from the hips, followed by the knees which are rotated slightly through the motion to remove stress. The foot then strikes the earth on the outside of the heel and wraps around the outside of the foot. This is a natural stride that allows for constant feedback from the ground. Through reliance upon over-engineered running shoes we can lose awareness of and sensitivity to the ground. Use of this method can restore sensitivity so that the body can feel the way of running with the least impact. There is also no conscious focus upon inhalation. This occurs naturally when focus is shifted to a forceful exhalation every few steps.

Front line military CQC, rape prevention courses, street self defense courses and the like often need to be taught in an expedited manner. Techniques are intended to inflict maximum trauma in the shortest time possible. However, this type of training can be brutal to the body. In order for martial arts training to be sustainable over many years of practice, it must be health promoting. It is very rare to see active military combatives or other hard style fighting practitioners that are in their fifties, sixties, or seventies. That is not to say these systems are not effective. Indeed, they are. But we must realize that as we grow older we may not be able to continue training in certain fighting styles that appealed to us in our youth.

Contrarily, systems that promote health can be practiced throughout life. Tai chi is one familiar example of this. We have all seen images of elderly persons performing Tai chi forms with ease and grace. Likewise, Zdorovye and the other directions of training in the ROSS system are health promoting and can be practiced well into the twilight of our lives. Through continued use of ROSS methods we truly can be better with age.

The practice of Zdorovye is a process of self-exploration and is a practical and experiential study of the human body in general and our own bodies specifically. Inasmuch as Zdorovye is an integral part of Russian Martial Art as represented through the ROSS Training System, it is also a holistic system in itself that can be practiced for its benefit to daily living. For the warrior it represents the opportunity to continually improve performance, manage energy, increase adaptability and survivability, prevent injury and accelerate healing. A warrior’s general state of health can have tremendous impact upon performance. In a competitive situation, performance can mean the difference between winning and losing a match. In a combative engagement it can mean life or death. Zdorovye, and all of ROSS, provides the means to prepare ourselves to adapt to any conditions imposed upon us and to improvise the most appropriate response as any situation demands, in daily life or in human conflict resolution.