Two days with one of the most respected senior Systema instructors active today.
Why come to this weekend.
Ryo Onishi is one of the small number of senior Systema instructors whose teaching travels well across language and culture. His seminars are known for depth on breath, for slow work under pressure, and for the way he can take a complete beginner and a thirty-year practitioner through the same material at the same time.
Two days is the right length. Long enough that the material settles into the body, short enough that it does not become a holiday. Cambridge in October is dry, cool, and well-suited to long training days.
The room is the basketball gym at Netherhall School: bright, sprung floor, generous ceiling, room for eighty to a hundred practitioners with space to move. The food is sorted. The hotels are within walking distance. Your job is to arrive rested and to train.
Ryo Onishi.
black and white, 4:5
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Ryo Onishi is a senior international Systema instructor with decades of practice and teaching in the art. His lineage runs through Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev at Systema HQ in Toronto. He teaches across Japan, the United States, and Europe, and his work is held in high regard by senior practitioners across the global community.
His class style is calm, precise, and patient. The work is built around breath. Students familiar with his teaching describe the same phrase, in different words: he gives you exactly the right amount of pressure, exactly when you need it.
Full attributed biography to be added before seminar opens for sale.
The material.
Two full days, six hours per day of training. The exact curriculum is set by Ryo on the weekend, but you can expect the following areas covered:
- Breath under load: long, calm breath through movement, contact, and effort.
- Structure work: posture and alignment that holds together under pressure without becoming stiff.
- Slow work: the cornerstone of Systema, partnered and paced.
- Strikes: how to deliver force without losing breath, and how to absorb force without losing structure.
- Control and takedowns: soft handling of an opponent without contest.
- Falling and recovery: how to land, breathe, and stand back up.
- Multiple-opponent work: spacing, breath, and decision-making under load.
The material is built up day to day. Day one establishes the foundations. Day two layers, pressures, and integrates them.
Open to all levels.
The seminar is welcoming to first-time seminar attendees. Three groups in particular will benefit:
- Beginners with six months or more of weekly practice, who want to deepen their breath and structure work in a longer format.
- Intermediate and advanced Systema practitioners from other schools and cities, who want time on the mat with a senior international instructor.
- Experienced martial artists from other arts (karate, judo, BJJ, boxing, the Chinese internal arts) who are curious about the depth Systema offers.
If you are not yet training weekly, you are welcome to come to a free trial class before deciding.
Netherhall School, Cambridge.
Venue
Netherhall School is a state-of-the-art secondary school in Cambridge with a large basketball gym (around 420 square metres), sprung floor, natural light, and generous ceiling height. The room comfortably holds the full seminar with space to move freely. Full venue address is sent in your registration confirmation email.
Travel to Cambridge
Cambridge is 50 minutes by direct train from London King's Cross. Stansted Airport is 35 minutes by car or train. London Heathrow is 90 minutes by direct coach. Cambridge has a small but well-connected railway station, a short taxi or bus ride from Netherhall.
Accommodation
Three hotels within walking distance of the venue, listed in price order. Book early. October weekends in Cambridge fill.
- Premier Inn Cambridge (good value, ten minutes by taxi)
- Hilton Cambridge City Centre (city centre, twelve minutes by taxi)
- The University Arms Hotel (city centre, premium)
No partnership deals for v1. We list these because they are the practical options nearest the venue.
Live map embeds once tickets open for sale.
Three tiers, one weekend.
Early bird pricing runs until mid-July 2026. After that, standard pricing applies. Last-minute pricing may apply in the final two weeks if space remains.
Until mid-July 2026
- Both days of training
- Coffee, tea, and water through the day
- Lunch included on both days
- Seminar prep guide by email
From mid-July 2026
- Both days of training
- Coffee, tea, and water through the day
- Lunch included on both days
Saturday or Sunday
- One day of training
- Coffee, tea, and water
- Lunch included
Prices are confirmed once the venue contract and instructor terms lock. Final tiers will be filled in here before the seminar opens for sale. Stripe checkout will be enabled at that point.
What past attendees say.
Testimonial placeholders for v1, to be replaced with attributed quotes from past Onishi seminar attendees and from senior practitioners who have trained with him.
Exactly the right amount of pressure, exactly when you need it. The breathwork alone is worth the travel. Placeholder, attributed quote pending
I went home a better instructor and a quieter person. Placeholder, attributed quote pending
Ryo gives you the work in a way you can take home and use the following Tuesday. Placeholder, attributed quote pending
FAQ.
What is your refund policy?
Full refund up to 60 days before the seminar. Fifty percent refund between 60 and 30 days. No refund inside 30 days, but tickets are transferable to another attendee at your discretion.
What level do I need to be?
Open to all levels. Six months of weekly practice is a comfortable minimum. Complete beginners are welcome but will need to expect a stretching weekend.
What should I bring?
Loose training clothes, ideally long sleeves and trousers. Soft indoor training shoes or bare feet. A water bottle. A small towel. A change of clothes for lunch.
Is food included?
Yes. Coffee, tea, and water are available throughout each day. Lunch is included on both days, served on site by a Cambridge caterer. Dietary requirements are collected during registration.
Will the seminar be photographed?
Yes, a small number of photographs and short video clips may be captured for the school's record and future seminar marketing. Attendees opt in or out at registration. Photographs of opt-outs will not be published.
I cannot make Sunday. Can I attend Saturday only?
Yes, single-day tickets are available, but the work builds across the weekend. The two-day pass is the recommended option.
I am travelling from overseas. Anything I should know?
Cambridge is a small, walkable city. Most overseas attendees arrive into London Stansted or London Heathrow. Both are a comfortable train or coach ride from Cambridge. Book accommodation early. Email us if you want help with travel logistics.
Reserve your place.
Stripe checkout opens once final pricing and tiers lock, before the early bird deadline. Until then, join the seminar list and you will be first to hear.
Questions about the seminar? Email us. We answer within a working day.
Ticket terms, refund policy, photo and video consent, and martial arts liability waiver are linked below.