Matt Lowes is the chief instructor for Eugene Systema, which meets at Best Martial Arts Institute. He is a certified Systema Instructor under Vladimir Vasiliev and holds the rank of Shodan (1st degree black belt) in Aikido.
Matt began his martial arts training in Aikido in 1990 and has extensive practice in a wide variety of aikido styles. Before moving to Eugene in 2004, he studied under Bob Felt of the University of Wisconsin Aikido Club (under Akira Tohei Shihan in the United States Aikido Federation); John Stone (6th dan) and Robin Cooper (6th dan) of Aikido of Madison; and Leslie Libbie (4th dan) of Chisai Aikikai (under Mitsugi Saotome Shihan in the Aikido Schools of Ueshiba).
Matt has been training in Systema since 2005. His primary instructors have been Kaizen Taki and Brian King of Systema Northwest and I-90 Systema in Seattle, both Certified Instructors under two of the world’s most prominent Systema masters – Mikhail Ryabko and Vladimir Vasiliev. Matt has had the privilege to receive direct instruction from many of the top Systema instructors in the world, including Vladimir Vasiliev and Konstantin Komarov. Matt has been offering classes in Systema at BMAI since 2009.