(This is a follow-up to articles on striking posted earlier)

Vlad writes:
Question: When we work with a single strike it seems clear – exhale at the very moment that the strike makes contact with the body, and then, follow up with Burst Breathing if it is necessary to recover. But what happens when there are multiple strikes?

Vladimir: Multiple strikes give you multiple opportunities to take action by ways of: Breathing , Movement , Capturing the force. Let’s look at each one briefly.

1. Clearly, the importance of Breathing properly becomes even more important during multiple striking. No matter what, try to maintain exhaling upon every contact. If you are faced with quick consequent strikes, keep up by making your exhales very short. If two or more strikes land on you simultaneously, make a longer exhale. It becomes very apparent how to do that when you experience it yourself. Begin with pushing and practice by having two or three partners deliver pushes with their fists to various parts of your body. Start slowly and gradually increase the speed.

2. Breathing will help you avoid the tension and if tension is not holding you back, you will be able to move. The more mobile you are the less pain you will experience. In Systema, we often practice moving different body segments such as shoulders independent of the rest of the body. This drill will allow you to put forward less vulnerable body areas to meet the strikes. With multiple punches, you will also realize that preplanned and pre-rehearsed techniques will not work. Whereas, your breath patterns and your free movements can be adapted to any unpredictable attacks and challenging settings.

3. An additional alternative in dealing with multiple hitting is capturing the force. You would take the strike onto your body and redirect it towards your own fist to give your punch more power. You can transform the energy of each punch you receive to go into the force of your own strike. This training requires an experienced instructor and we do it in class and in seminars.

Vlad says, "We have received many questions on this topic. Some very good ones and some questions only show that people have not read LET EVERY BREATH book carefully, and that is a shame. The book contains many answers and most valuable information. It is entertaining and tremendously well put together by a skilled writer Professor Scott Meredith.
Life goes on so quickly and we should try not to miss the treasures on the way.

Please visit Vlad's website when you get a chance. And contribute to the forum there if you are able.