Head Instructors & Founders
Every Systema school has its own character. Every instructor develops their own way of teaching. Yet throughout the international Systema community there is a common thread.
For East Anglia Systema, that thread runs through two men: Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. Their work has influenced generations of students and instructors around the world, including Gareth Ashby and Andy Cefai. Everything taught in this school is rooted in principles passed down through their teaching.
Mikhail Ryabko.
Mikhail Ryabko devoted his life to studying and teaching the principles that became known internationally as Systema. Drawing on martial traditions, military experience, Orthodox Christian values and a deep interest in human health and development, he created a training approach unlike any other martial art.
His teaching was never limited to fighting. Students came to him seeking solutions to fear, stress, illness, injury, conflict and personal challenges. His answer was always remarkably consistent: breathe, relax, move, understand yourself.
Throughout decades of teaching, Mikhail emphasised that true strength does not come from tension or aggression. It comes from freedom, awareness and a healthy body, mind and spirit working together.
Before his repose in the Lord in 2023, he had taught students from around the world through Systema Headquarters Moscow and at countless international seminars. His influence continues through the instructors and schools he helped shape.
Vladimir Vasiliev.
Vladimir Vasiliev trained under Mikhail Ryabko before moving to Canada in the early 1990s. In 1993 he established Systema Headquarters Toronto, becoming the first person to introduce the art to a global audience.
Over the following decades, thousands of students travelled to Toronto to train with him. Hundreds of instructors established schools under his guidance throughout Europe, North America, Asia and beyond.
Vladimir is widely respected not only for his skill, but for his ability to make complex ideas accessible. His teaching is characterised by calmness, generosity and simplicity. Rather than encouraging students to rely on techniques, he teaches principles that remain available under pressure.
Students often discover that the lessons extend far beyond self-defence and into every area of life. Today, Systema Headquarters Toronto remains one of the central meeting points for the international Systema community.
More than a martial art.
One of the reasons Systema has spread internationally is that its benefits extend beyond fighting. Students train to improve health, breathing, mobility, confidence, stress management, self-defence and personal resilience.
Mikhail and Vladimir consistently taught that training should strengthen the whole person. The objective is not simply to survive conflict. The objective is to live well. That philosophy continues to guide schools throughout the world, including East Anglia Systema.
The connection to East Anglia Systema.
Gareth Ashby has trained with both Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev and was certified to teach Systema by Vladimir Vasiliev in 2013.
Andy Cefai trained extensively with both founders over many years and was certified to teach Systema by both Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko. He later helped establish Systema Japan and spent more than two decades teaching and supporting Systema communities across Asia.
Today, East Anglia Systema continues that work through weekly classes, seminars and regular contact with the wider international community. The goal is not to preserve the practice as a museum piece. The goal is to continue learning, practising and sharing principles that remain relevant in modern life.
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