EDGE: Secrets of the Russian Blade Masters

Not really a knife combatives book and more of a metaphysical conceptual mumbo jumbo fairy tale. Lots of weird stories and mystical Russian weirdness. Topics include “The shape of your knife is the shape of your psyche”, “place the sensation of your entire body into the knife tip”, “sword feeling and sword healing”, “Fighting is like swimming” and “Miracle disarms only Vlad can do” among others. Not being a systema adept I can’t get where the author is trying to say, but as a FMA instructor and US Army combat veteran all the drills seem quite ineffective. Format is large print with few pictures. There are much better knife combatives available. Not really worth the price.

Highly recommend all his products.

Vlad is the GOAT

Bad book.Look somewhere else.

no real instruction

Luckily we have another book that provides the spirit and guidelines for serious martial art study.The books does an excellent job conveying the message of Systema philosophy and psychology with regards to knife work.The ultimate purpose of martial art is to honestly express yourself. The book convey these principles with the knife in your handand or against the knife. This narrative does a great job of teaching freedom of expression with the regards to knife survival on both ends, attack and defense. In Systema things are studied by not accumulating techniques but on the contrary by removing the unnecessary. Unnecessary prohibitions, moves, tensions, stereotypes which often linked to fear and pride. The principles covered in the book include:--Perception and Sensitivity. The lack of sensitivity to possible danger will not lead to survival. The story from Walter Scott novel well illustrates the point what happens when one can not read the signs of danger.--Mental Training. The tiger does not train and he is a tiger 100% of the time. The martial mindset is a good helper in any life situation.Do what is necessary not any more with light heart and cheerful spirit.--Methodology. Knife has its own ‘science and temper’. The science means technical skills, knowledge of the situation and technical opportunities.--Mastery: Knife can be a tool for overall refinement of mobility, emotional control, sensitivity, responsibility and higher order of perception.--Drill Mechanics. Such as taking the knife out, rolling the knife over your hand, taking the knife and stabbing as one motion ...--Levels of Fear. To understand the parasitic tension in your body.--Freedom of mind and motion. For example the concept of continuity comes from freedom. The end of one move should be the beginning of another. Therefore there is no stoppage and return to some fixed position. In knife attack or defense there is no stoppage, the move continues in space and in psyche. Here immediately we get the work with the emotional state transfer. From continuity followed the concept of blending. Blending naturally flows into the concept of preemptive defense. The psychological side of preemptive defense is preemption on the level of intention. Here we go to perception issue: in real Systema the speed of reaction is much greater than the speed of the attack, which also is covered in the book.For me the most important aspect of this book is the spirit. From page 1, reading of the book is a martial art training. It empowers,humbles and elevates the reader. What is important, it makes you better as a human being. The book is a reflection of the author life motto: always seeking a greater power and deeper learning to get to the edge to create new ways of fighting, teaching and understanding the life.

I am on my second reading of this gem of wisdom. I know what the title says but please do not make the mistake of thinking this book is only about knife fighting. This book is about movement and direction through day in and day out life. An example is page 121 where Vladimir talks about the knife coming toward you should be likened to wind. When wind hits the sail, the boat moves BECAUSE of the wind. The wind allowed the boat to move. How much more smoothly would we walk through life with that kind of attitude? Adopting this practice has taken my life from one stress and tension to one of calm and breath. Yes, calming, tension erasing breath. A true life changing practice. Breathing is at the center of this teaching. The unique aspect of Systema is that you learn to stay calm through breathing while inside stressful situations. Anyone can be relaxed alone in a recliner. This book teaches that kind of relaxation 'while the punches are being thrown'. Or in this case while the knife is coming at you. If you are interested in self defense, this book is for you. If you never intend to study a single martial arts class, this book is for you!!! Trust me, just buy it and read it. You'll be glad you did!!!

I was surprised to find that this book contained so much more than knife defense. Edge presents information that I have never seen in print. In a simple, straightforward, easy to follow way, Vladimir Vasiliev leads you in the direction of true mastery of your environment. In the real world, profound awareness trumps complicated knife disarms every single time. Working with or against knives, cuts through our civilized mask and reveals the true nature of our selves; this book utilizes this primal scenario to deliver simple, easy to follow instructions for expanding your awareness in every facet of life. I could not believe how clearly Mr.Vasiliev was able to describe and teach a subject that here to for was only mentioned in murky metaphor. Vladimir is quite simply a genius and part of his genius is his ability to communicate complex and ephemeral concepts in very easily understood language. I LOVE this book. You will too.

The 3 sections in this book: Knife in Your Hand, At Knife Point, and Signs of Danger, complete all that is needed to develop intuition, awareness, swift dexterity, smooth evasions, and invincible freedom of movement.Vladimir Vasiliev, one of the founding masters of Systema, teaches you how to disarm a blade at any stage of attack. His unique training program triggers the perceptual revolution for you to sense the threat long before your life is on the line and gives you the only real chance to survive.

...hat vielleicht nur eine Sorge, nämlich die, über kurz oder lang von Spinnern überlaufen zu werden. Und das gilt insbesondere für die Messertechniken, die manchmal geradezu selbstmörderisch wirken.Systema-Ryabko mit Vasiliev und anderen Meistern bietet für die KK eine ganz neue Sichtweise auf die Machbarkeiten. Für Neulingen oder auch Vertreter anderer Schulen wirken diese Techniken oft wenig effizient, da man häufig ohne große, dynamische Bewegungen auskommt. Man kann sich aber sehr schnell von der Wirksamkeit überzeugen (lassen). Daher empfehle ich dieses Buch als Hilfsmittel zusätzlich zum Besuch einer Systema-Schule, um die gebotenen Informationen aufeinander abstimmen zu können.Die Systema-Messertechniken sind ohne Partner nicht erlernbar. Das gilt zwar grundsätzlich für alle KK, doch noch einmal mehr für diese Schule.

I understand the principle lessons from this book and believe that it is important to know. However the book was rather repetitive in the concepts being presented saying pretty much the same thing but using different scenarios and titled headings.Also, there were too many plugs for the authors other books and videos which should be listed in an appendix at the end of the book and not within the general content. The sales pitch throughout is rather unbecoming.I have great respect for Vladimir, his style and incredible capabilities, but this book should have more direct content from him and not the second writer, writing as a student not as a teacher.

Ich bin mit dem Inhalt des e-books sehr zufrieden. Das Thema wird mal aus einem anderen Blickwinkel beschrieben wie in anderen Publikationen, die ich bisher gelesen habe.