Meet the instructors
East Anglia Systema is led by Gareth Ashby and Andy Cefai. Both instructors have trained directly under Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev, and share a commitment to practical training, continuous learning and helping students develop at their own pace.
Weekly classes are taught across East Anglia, while international seminars bring senior instructors from the wider Systema community to Cambridge.
Gareth Ashby
Certified to teach Systema by Vladimir Vasiliev in 2013. Gareth has trained in martial arts for more than 25 years and in Systema since 2005.
Having trained with Vladimir Vasiliev, Mikhail Ryabko and Robert Poyton, he has developed a reputation for calm, practical and breath-led teaching.
For many years Gareth has carried the weekly practice of Systema across East Anglia, teaching regular classes in Wrestlingworth, Cambridge and Stevenage while helping students of all backgrounds develop confidence, health and practical skills.
His students include professionals, tradespeople, military personnel, police officers, prison officers and complete beginners. Regardless of background, the emphasis remains the same: breathing, relaxation, movement and practical application.
Gareth's teaching style reflects the principles of Systema itself. Calm rather than aggressive. Patient rather than rushed. Focused on long-term development rather than short-term results.
Andy Cefai
Certified to teach Systema by both Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhail Ryabko. Andy has trained in martial arts since childhood and has more than 25 years of Systema experience.
He is a co-founder of Systema Japan, one of the longest-running Systema organisations outside Russia and Canada, and has trained extensively at both Systema Headquarters Toronto and Systema Headquarters Moscow.
Over the past two decades, he has taught and hosted seminars throughout Japan and Singapore, helping to grow Systema communities across Asia.
After more than twenty-five years overseas, he returned to the UK and now teaches alongside Gareth Ashby while helping to connect East Anglia students with the wider international Systema community.
His particular interests include breathing, movement, health, recovery and helping students understand how Systema principles apply beyond the training hall and into everyday life.
One approach, two teachers.
Although Gareth and Andy bring different experiences and perspectives to the school, they share the same fundamental approach to training. Relaxation is a source of strength. Good breathing changes everything. Training should support health, not damage it.
Practical skill develops through understanding, not force. Students should be built up, not broken down. Learning never stops. These principles shape every class, seminar and conversation within the school.
Learning from the wider community.
Systema has always been an international community. East Anglia Systema regularly welcomes visiting instructors from the wider Systema community, giving students the opportunity to experience different perspectives while remaining connected to the same underlying principles.
Ryo Onishi
A direct student of Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev, Ryo Onishi is widely respected throughout the international Systema community for his depth of understanding, precision and ability to teach students of all experience levels simultaneously.
His seminars are known for their focus on breathing, relaxation, structure and natural movement under pressure.
Vladimir Vasiliev
Vladimir Vasiliev founded Systema Headquarters Toronto in 1993 and has played a central role in introducing Systema to the world outside Russia.
Through decades of teaching, seminars and instructor development, he has influenced generations of Systema practitioners across more than forty countries. His seminars are known for their depth, simplicity and practical insight.
For many students, training with Vladimir provides a direct connection to the roots of the modern Systema tradition.
The best way to understand Systema is to experience it directly.
Whether you are completely new to Systema or have years of martial arts experience, your first class is free.