Austin Systema & Tai Chi Chuan
Martial Arts, Breathwork & Natural Movement in North and South Austin
Austin Systema & Tai Chi Chuan
Martial Arts, Breathwork & Natural Movement in North and South Austin

Instructors

Gene Smithson, Head Instructor

gene

My name is Gene Smithson. I have been practicing martial arts in north Austin and elsewhere for 46 years. I hold black belts in several styles of karate.  And I have trained Chinese boxing, BJJ, JKD, Aikido and reality combatitives as well. In 2002 I traveled to China and studied Qigong with Prof Teng Ying Bo. Upon returning to the USA I began studying Tai Chi with Stan Rossi, who is greatly missed.

I first saw Vladimir Vasiliev, founder of Systema Headquarters in Toronto, Canada, on the internet and decided the Russian martial art of Systema needed to be experienced first hand. Upon meeting Vladimir in 2003, my life practice was set and I began practicing and in 2006 teaching Systema in Austin.

I train Systema combatives as a path towards health, wholeness, freedom and ultimate expression in martial art. I practice Tai Chi and Qigong as solo practices. For me, I have found a practice which feels like home. I continue to train and study under the direction of Vladimir Vasiliev and am deeply grateful to him for bringing Systema to North America.

Please feel free to email me with any questions regarding martial arts, Systema or Tai Chi & Qigong as I practice them. Or better yet, join us for 2 free trial classes our martial arts classes in north Austin as well as our Tai Chi and Qigong classes in Austin this week. My email address is waldosmithson@yahoo.com.

Spencer Moorman

I met and started training Systema with Gene in 2013.  I’ve been skateboarding since I was a teenager, and accumulated various injuries. I was looking for something to cross-train with to be able to keep skateboarding longer. I appreciated the freedom and adaptive quality of systema training. In skateboarding, when you fall, it might be completely unpredictable. A specific set of techniques on how to fall might be useless. Instead, by learning how to manage fear and tension I could fall, and spontaneously navigate how to get to the ground unscathed.

Systema is all about building a person up from where they are. Over time you become more stable, more calm, more creative. The training involves a lot of play, which is becoming a rare activity for many people. I think I’ve with stuck with Systema because the training is so enjoyable and rewarding in and of itself. It offers a lot of self-discovery.

I’ve had the opportunity to train consistently with Gene Smithson over the years, and with Vladimir Vasiliev on multiple occasions (including the week long camp in 2018). I’m currently certified as an instructor-in-training under Vladimir. There are a lot of aspects to Systema I am excited to share that I don’t think any other training has to offer.

I’m continually impressed with the quality of people we have that train here in Austin, I hope you’ll come check it out!

Matt Irvin

I am a native Texan and have called Austin my home since 1996. I began learning Tai Chi at the beginning of 2019 with Gene Smithson. I quickly fell in love with the art and found myself obsessed, learning and training everyday. Tai Chi is a practice that has infinite depth and I believe it has multiple gifts to give. My goal as an instructor is to give you the necessary base to build a practice that meets your specific goals and enriches your life in multiple ways.

 

Matt Brock

I met Vladimir Vasiliev in 2001 as a very young man, and was thoroughly impressed with his skill and character. I wasn’t able to train consistently until I met Gene in 2006. I enjoy the honesty of experience in martial arts, and accessible and simple instruction. Instructors like Vladimir and Gene are shining examples of dedication and hard work, and their passion is contagious. Systema is a means for me to explore my nature as a whole–breathing and movement as indistinguishable from an emotion or being hit hard. This is easier said than done. A BJJ white belt submitting me repeatedly or a trivial argument at work can expose tension resulting from attachment or neglect. I deeply enjoy this process of self-discovery through martial arts, and am grateful to be able to share and teach what I’ve picked up along the way! I’m currently a Systema instructor-in-training under Vladimir Vasiliev.