Mikhail Ryabko

Mikhail Ryabko is one of the foremost authorities on Systema—the Russian martial art rooted in the combat system of the Russian Special Forces. A colonel in the Russian military and close-protection specialist, Ryabko began training in Systema as a child under a personal instructor appointed by the Soviet government and has spent decades refining and teaching the art. Together with Vladimir Vasiliev—who brought Systema to North America and founded Systema HQ in Toronto in 1993—Ryabko is responsible for the international spread of Systema as a martial art accessible to civilian practitioners worldwide.