2011 Summer Camp

Details have now been finalised for this year's Summer Camp

It runs from  the afternoon of Friday 3rd through to afternoon of Sunday 5th of June. The campsite is on private land and you will need to bring a tent / tarpaulin, sleeping bag, drinks and snacks. Of course clothing should be suitable for outdoor training

This camp will include a wide variety of activites such as Systema training, stealth work, facing your fears, fitness training, survival applications and much more

People often ask what sort of training they can expect on the camps so I thought I'd outline a few of the ideas behind these weekends

The main aim is to assist you in discovering aspects of yourself. This  is generally done by working  in different environments, conditions and situations.  A weekend camp gives us both time and scope to expand beyond normal class drills into more challenging and rewarding areas of training.

This may take the form of team-based problem solving, scenario work, learning and applying new skills and undergoing various forms of pressure testing. While the work can be physically demanding,  this is not a boot camp where we run you ragged for an hour or two for the sake of it. Rather the physical training integrates into the training drills, so we hope you can see a continuity that runs throughout the training

Neither is it a camp where you have an hour for breakfast, do two hours training, then have two hours for lunch. Aside from time set aside for the Saturday night BBQ (and sleeping!), you will be immersed in the training for the whole weekend. We believe this gives a much richer and deeper experience than practicing standard "martial arts"  whilst stood in a field

Nor is the camp about playing soldiers (though we do have the assistance of some members of HMF).  The skills taught have a wide application as well as giving you an opportunity to think outside the box.

Previous Systema experience is an advantage as many aspects of training (eg breath control, good movement, etc) are taken as read. However if you have similar experience from another discipline that would be fine. If you have never done any type of training previously, you would be advised to get in at least a couple of months good class work in before attending camp.

People often ask about fitness levels and how intense the training will be. The answer to both is that while limits are tested, no-one is taken beyond a point they cannot handle. Every part of the training is strictly voluntary and closely supervised to ensure safety.  Age of participants ranges from late teens to 50+ 

Another question is - what we will be doing?  The short answer  - Systema! Half of the fun is not knowing and learning to deal with whatever situations arise during the training. You will be told in advance of any neccesary equipment you will need, which brings me to:

The Ready Bag / Bug Out Bag

At some point during  this camp you will be asked to  to put together a Ready Bag. The concept behind these types of bag is that in the event of an emergency you have a  bag that  holds key equipment to your survival. 

The bag that you put together should not be too bulky or uncomfortable to carry and should weigh around 8 - 12 kg. Remember you may need to run with this bag or be asked to climb, crawl or possibly go through water.

When putting together your bag ensure you have items, which will help and assist you sustain the key elements of survival.

• Water
• Fire
• Food
• Shelter
• Clothing

Below is a list of key essentials that you will need in your bag, the rest of the space in the bag is yours to fill or not to fill. Use your own creativity and individualism to use the space wisely.

• Sleeping Bag
• Tarpaulin
• Knife
• 2 Litres of Water
• Fire Lighting Tools
• Food
• First Aid Pack
• Personal Medication
• Torch

I hope that gives you some ideas about our training camps. Of course if you have any questions feel free to get in touch In the meantime here is a clip from last year's camp - not a lot of the training makes it onto camera (it's dark and also not always easy to film!) but it gives you a taste of what to expect. You can book a place here

Above all the camp is about enjoying yourself, rising to a challenge, learning what it means to be a strong individual and also to be part of a team. We hope to see you there!