The problem is nothing is finally useless... It all depends on how you think about things. Without the useless, we cannot find the useful. Without the empty space inside the cup, the cup is useless. What seems useless, like empty space, can be very useful if you know how to encapsulate it. Without making mistakes, we cannot progress to knowing what works. Everything, then, one might say, hinges on making lots-a-mistakes...
"No limitation" meaning without boundary? No boundary of meaning means no meaning. Freedom without the responsibility of distinction or clarity is nonsensical. Duality, multi-parallel universes and/or unity are worth simultaneous consideration.
I have never understood how Aikido players and schools seem to ignore the actual life of Ueshiba. Before he developed Aikido he became highly skilled in jiu-jitsu, judo, sumo, several forms of karate. He submitted himself to freakish physical training on his farm and was renowned for being incredibly strong. AFTER all of this, he had his profound insights about Aikido. In my opinion, many people who practice martial arts for decades come to similar realizations. Things like: "do more with less." "Use technique, not brute force." These are principles Carlos Gracie would no doubt agree with. But these realizations are the crowning achievement of many years struggle and real application. Maybe we can't skip all of the steps Ueshiba took to get to enlightenment.
Hi I miss your post when submitted my opinion. Yes I also think Aikido was not intended to be a base martial art but an art to be trained once a person was an accomplished martial artist. In my country one of my classmates in Hung Gar had 4 years cross training in Aikido but had 8 years in Hungar and used to be an amateur boxer in this teen years. He could pull off the Aikido techiques in the middle of the fight but he already knew the dinamics of strike fighting and was aware of when to apply the techniques.
So aikido players would say - after he gained all that experience in those martial; arts, he put everything that he knew and made the "best" art - aikido. Why would he develop aikido if he thought it was worse than those arts he trained before?
@@basedpatriotLT I think you may have missed my point. Ueshiba was already transformed by all of the intense training he did prior. So, I'm not talking about the "techniques" of Aikido vs. some other style. I'm suggesting that the rigorous training he put himself through may be the reason HIS Aikido was incredible and a lot of other folks' Aikido is not.
I trained in Aikido for some years, moved on to other things that suited me better. I met a lot of Senseis and Aikido practitioners who were amazing in their own right, within Aikido. Rokas is by far the bravest I've seen, in the sense that he's not afraid to discover that what says or does might be wrong. He's not afraid of putting his name and reputation on the line, as long at it helps him and other people move one step closer to being better. His quest for finding the truth and improving himself is what martial arts and combat sports are really about; being the best version of you there is to be. I have nothing but respect and admiration for you Rokas, wish you the very best on this new stage of your life.
While I don't practice Aikido myself, I do respect this channel and the work you put behind it. I like how you put pride aside to acknowledge the flaws of the style and look for ways to improve upon it and modernize it. You have a smart head on your shoulders, so you have my respect!
Sir...i cannot believe how much we think alike.I am a first degree black belt under Kobayashi sensei , but did quit aikido for over 2 years now and started my Bjj training the past year.All the things you said about aikido and the stillness of the ideas and the cult mentality,its amazing to know that someone else has been through the same things i am going through.Its a tough path to doubt what you ve been loving for many years,but it is essential to our growth as human beings to evolve.Good luck to your Journey!
Exciting stuff Rokas. I'm lucky enough that my Sensei is cool with my exploration outside our club. I always say that I'm not an Aikidoka, I'm a Martial Artist. And as Martial Artists, we must never stop questioning and never stop exploring.
The more you all publicise your journey, the more people will see different options and maybe view an alternative. Thanks all for your honest videos, I’ll be watching as usual with open eyes.
Your world? Lenny aren't you one of those senseis that never trains with anyone outside of your own dojo? Aren't you one of those senseis that never spars? Your world is nothing Like Rokas.
This vid just popped up in my feed. It's kinda cool getting to visit your old videos and taking some bits of wisdom from them. Your change is quite astonishing from who you were then, to who you are now.
I think you made a great move. As someone who definitely struggles with balancing the old and the new, practical or choreography, in my aikido training, I envy your decision! I look forward to a time when aikidoka from around the globe see you and your peers actions as the necessary step to transcend beyond the limits of the aikido today. I wish you luck in the future, I'm sure there will be many roadblocks and bumps in the road, but I'm just as sure that you'll overcome those obstacles. I hope we get to train together someday!
One of the questions I've had is "Who's your Sensei, Rokas?" You've brought up some excellent questions when it comes to aspects of other arts in regards to Aikido, and I've often wondered about the answers you've gotten from your Sensei(s) with those questions. Looking forward to future videos, as they're kinda like mini chapters for a documentary on how a particular martial artist can grow and evolve.
Rokas, your gentleness, humility, and bravery is a gift to us all. Whatever you do, as a person and a fighter, please do not lose those qualities! Keep on seeking the truth! We are with you and it is an inspiration to us all to do the same in all walks of life!
What I admire the most is not the actual things you're doing but the way you're doing it. Keeping your head over your shoulders, not beeing arrogant or anything and true sincerity. That needs balls and character!
I love the way this guy left Aikido behind because of the delusions within the community, the cultishness, the amount of people who were so personally invested in it they couldn't handle any criticism of it... and then started doing BJJ. If anyone thinks Aikido is cultish, just wait until the OP gets a load of the cult of modern BJJ. I've done both and the BJJ cult is just about as loco as it gets. If this guy was hoping to leave all that behind, he's in for a rude awakening someday with BJJ.
Rokas-san, we were independent for a while. I think it’s a natural evolution as you move up in the ranks. The decision to go back into an org was very straight forward for us, in that you can not progress in rank or knowledge of Aikido without a teacher/promotional system. And it becomes very hard to promote your students, as a dojo owner, that is a hard sell for new students. Plus I have found a teacher I respect and keeps the politics minimal which I appreciate. You can always rank yourself, but that goes down a path you can never come back from. But some have done so. I have struck a balance for now on practicing a traditional system of Aikido 75% of the time and practicing my own martial expression 25% of the time. That 25% of time is carved out for me and my students to explore other martial arts, other methods and strategies, and I figure out how to adapt them WITH my students. Mostly fundamentals in BJJ, boxing, and kickboxing, but we’ll also bring in instructors to teach us FMA, Wing Chun, and JKD. The students like the balance between mastering a system, and learning about other systems they might not want to fully commit to. Watch Roy Harris, or hell, I really think you would enjoy Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. It’s fundamentally one of the best books on martial philosophy and favors no one style. It’s a very objective approach to martial arts. Explore the martial art landscape and come up with something to call your own. Doesn’t need to be MMA or TMA....it’s all about your ultimate goals.
Been loving your videos man... was keen to see how you reconciled traditional with pragmatic! I train in a traditional Chinese school that still has a focus on what works. It's an interesting balance... I like the traditional stuff (respect, greetings etc) but it's nice to know that we learn things for a practical reason too. If you ever want a holiday to Australia, come visit :)
Good job, Rodas. You have found your way. I myself have quit Aikido, after 15 years at it. I realised some things quite similar to yours. Now I have discovered new things, and more practical ones too. I am doing MMA, that is muay thai and BJJ. All the best to your future.
Thank you for sharing a very personal decision. I quit Aikido as well. Growing up in New York and been in a number of street fights, no choice when you are attacked and not a fast runner; this idea of trying not to harm an attacher may be good in theory; but when someone is trying to smash your head with a rock, not so much. I did an Aikido instructor once whose skill was to be reckoned with; but my job took elsewhere. I have watched your struggle for a year and appreciate all that you have shared. Also; I like MOBAT's comment as well as everyone else's.
Hello Rokas! I am an MMA practitioner who has always had a bizarre interest in aikido. I feel like there are practical skills to be learned from aikido. Because of the attitudes in the aikido community regarding cross-training in "modern" or "sport" martial arts, I feel reluctant to train at a dojo (also I am broke at the moment.) Would it be prudent to find open minded aikidoka to train with?
Yes, but find a black belt if you can. Aikido is difficult to master and the principles are easy to explain but hard to understand. I'm sure you can learn a lot about anticipation, evasion and "absorbing" attacks, also some grappling principles, but I don't know how much of the actual techniques can be translated in mma, as they are developed with samurais in mind
+Antonio Lonigro I'm not trying to adapt aikido for MMA (though I believe that is a worthy goal.) I have moved away from practicing for sport and now want to practice for self defence reasons (though, I still believe intensely in the utility of how people in so called "sport" arts train.) Also, thank you for your acknowledgment Sensei Chawkin! ;) I will probably take you up in your offer someday!
Hi Rokus. I admire your search for truth in the practicality and perfection of aikido in relation to its place in the martial arts and life. If your goal by separation is peace then you will continue to grow. Following the path God wants us all to follow. O sensei through prayer and hard work followed a path to peace. What a wonderful man and I believe you will exercise and follow the same path. May God bless you! I rank 1st Kyu Shotokan karate and not ranked yet in Aikido (3 summers practice). Dr. Schelb
You have my respect for questioning formal Akido and testing the practicalities of it and making the tough decision (and it is a tough decision) to start trail blazing, inspite of opposition, good luck with your adventures and keep pressure testing everything you think you know.
Aikido is something beyond just great martial art. It has this particle of greatness, however, it has boundaries which are so static. I respect your decision, and cheer you up to continue your magnificent "way of seeking answers". This is enlightenment. You are not alone. After aikido i started to experiment with Krav Maga and BJJ. There is so much that aikidoka is missing without cross training. Take care, don't stop!
What you've said is why I'm quitting the fitness industry. Thanks for your courage. It's never easy to go against the grain; but the end results are oh so rewarding.
Sensei Peter Shapiro in Switzerland once commented that Aikido teaches us to act from love rather than fear. Most of the time, this isn't a big challenge. It's the difficult times that test whether fear or love will step forward to guide our actions; it's the difficult times that offer an opportunity for growth. I appreciate that, in the midst of differences and power struggles, you are moving forward courageously from a place of integrity... that you are keeping centered and open to a higher direction, to a higher connection. It will appear.
I train in many different martial arts, and i am always blending them with my Aikido. Aikido must be open to new ideas to better the art itself. You are on the right track, please continue to share you ideas.
you have made the right decision !! people evolve we adjust to stand still is to go backwards good luck and keep looking ahead many greetings from Ekitai
I say do what you feel is best man. Your a free man. If you want to go on to bigger, better things than go for it. We only have so much time in our lives. I just hope you continue to make your TH-cam videos. I don't mind what you do for videos either. I am one of your fans, and I am totally here for you.
You are truly free, understand that everything is usful now.. I know that experience had to be hard for you.. Leaving an intimate thing like a Dojo, can make you feel very lonely... Almoast like you betrayed them.. I wish you well on your journey my friend One thing I will say... Remember how chaotic combat is. Test what you do against that.. What is uncontrolled* and you will see how to manipulate what is controlled better. Good luck with the system you create.
Good or bad is how it feels to you. It is your decision! But in my opinion, i think you made a great choice! I myself made a similar choice a year ago and am (what i call) an Aikido Ronin. And can develop my own Aikido as i see it without restrictions from any organisation what so ever! I welcome you as a fellow Ronin and wish you a great journey on this new way (Do)!
What you are going through is far from unique, to Aikido, to martial arts to anything. Anytime you push the boundries, anytime you venture into uncharted territory, virtually by deffinition it means you will be setting out on your own path. There are no teachers, no orginizations, no maps for these territories. But this is what drives innovation, you become the teacher, you create the organization, you draw the maps. If you're goal is to modernize Aikido, by necessity that means your time is to be spent training in modern martial arts, rather than continuing to train that which you are attempting to evolve beyond. It's really increadible to see the progress you've made and the reception it's gotten so far. I think a lot of people thought the direction you were going in was to eventually move away from Aikido entirely, realizing now that it doesn't work, confirming what they always believed to be the case. But now that you've been pressure testing the art, the same skeptics are now starting to question their original assumptions about Aikido, seeing it's potential and honestly wondering if this might actually work after all if trained right. Like I've said before I think more important than modern grappling arts, are modern striking arts to make Aikido works, as it is a stand up grappling art (obviously not negating the necessity of having a solid modern ground game). When you're ready I can't wait to see the rematch for your original viral sparring video, when the world will finally get to see true Aikido in action.
Well done, mate. I've been part of a traditional organisation for 13 years. Just managed to break free last year. It's not like I rejected everything I've learned, but rather I used my previous experience as a base, then I built upon it with things I learned cross-training with other disciplines modern or otherwise. The result may not be as beautiful but it's functional. Rough and imperfect but functional.... but then again, perfection in the martial arts is not a destination, it's an ongoing process. And if that journey of perfection is your goal, sometimes, tradition---- especially the ones that make no sense but no one has the guts to question---- do become a hindrance more than a support. I fully agree with your points. Growth will manifest itself in your life as you continue.
great points all around. this is a tough time for aikido -- lots of competition in the marketplace. And fresh approaches are necessary to keep it going.
Good on you brother. I watched your sparring videos and really appreciated that you analyzed it with real criticality. I am happy that you are realizing what you want and what you were not getting before. I believe there are good techniques in aikido that if combined properly with a solid well rounded game can become very practical. Looking forward to seeing you blaze that trail. Good luck!
My opinion is that depends on what someone's goals are. If you want to defend your life against random violence; one should definitely look for practical and realistic teaching. On the other side, martial arts give you graciouness, mind control, elegancy, it teaches you how to become a better self-sustained person, how to eat better, how to control your impulses and a whole lot of other benefits. Defending someone's life is something ugly, martial arts is something beautiful. They're totally different products; besides the fact that we use our bodies as instruments.
u dont need to be in a cult martial art to get "graciousness, mind control, mental strength" mma covers all of that AND also teaches u to fight sooo... try again buddy.. and wtf do u mean defending someones life is ugly. u know what ugly? being raped, kidnapped, robbed, killed and never being able to see ur family again. thats ugly. u know what beautiful? being able to use skills and techniques that can work against any human in the world regardless of size. doing some real life bruce lee shit. thats beauty
What I meant by 'ugly' is that a street fight in order to defend one's life is never a beautiful sight. We live in a wild world which is very violent and the martial arts concentrate on the beauty of human body coordinated movements. In my opinion MMA is more like a high impact sport, or possibly self-defense which is great and very practical. Aikido I would consider an actual art.
lol. this comment betrays an absolute lack of any appreciation for what elegance is when applied to the human body. anyone who is untrained, ungracious, unrefined can dance between two positions unobstructed. elegance in this context is when despite high speeds, or high powers, which really test the limits of human coordination someone can make an action look effortless. when I watch a faultless KO or choke, I see elegance. when i see aikido i see clumsy children
I dont see this as a rant but letting go of baggage and moving on. I really feel you are making the correct decisions which must on the one hand be difficult however you will end up a much stronger martial artist. I look forward to your next video and journey :)
Making the decision to go independent - or not - upon reaching some level of competence is intensely personal, and no one else is truly qualified to judge which way is best for you. I have seen or experienced it (as the case may be) in different contexts: martial arts, spiritual organizations, social clubs, political parties and movements, etc. In a way, it's traditional... while some choose to stay with organizations and teachers, some start a new group or line, especially when they have something different to contribute to their field. I wish you the very best in this development, and look forward to seeing what comes of it.
I applaud you for your pursuit of growth at the cost of comfort or security by leaving your dojo of 10 years. I wish you the best and keep up the great work.
Many good points! I would LOVE for you to come to a seminar with Shishiya sensei! He always say that "aikido is not magic, only logic" and always try to develop the techniques further, and if someone on the tatami comes up with a solution, sensei analyzes it and more often than not we incorporate it after a good constructive discussion. =)
Congrats your eyes have been opened. I broke away from my organization 18 years and it was the best thing I did for my academy. Always remember your martial art techniques needs to be pressure tested in real sparring. 👍wish you the best in your journey!
I left the national federation for much the same reasons. I am now under a teacher in the UK who encourages us to explore and inquire what aikido means to us. Because of that new found freedom we draw from Chinese and Russian martial arts to inform the aikido practice.As a result our classes are enjoyable and interesting. What a refreshing change from the stifling atmosphere of our previous dojo.
I think you made the right decision. Either you would have been pressured to dismiss what you are discovering and toe the line, or you would have been pushed out and smeared or "disappeared." Aikido has repeatedly done the latter to some of its most important proponents, essentially wiping them from the history of the art on the basis of differences in practice and personality.
Rokas I'm proud you found the courage to do what you felt you needed to do. This is why I created the Freestyle TKD Federation. TKD is a highly effective martial art, but only if it is properly practiced and applied. I could not stick with the current organizations that have ruined TKD.
I can imagine it was a tough decision. Sometimes you need to break with traditions to move on to the next step in evolution and adapt, especially when it turns out something doesn't work anymore because zeitgeist has changed. Looking forward to see your work. Wish you all the best!
I applaud your efforts my friend. I went from Tae Kwon do years ago to kickboxing & BJJ & wrestling. Having a questioning mind is the best way onto personal exploration. Get rid of the baggage & free your mind. If it doesn’t make sense get rid of it and move on.
best of luck ive studied under 2 senseiin my time and its been on and off props to u for following a vision. mold it as u see fit and hope to see where it takes u. i certainly hope to one day meet u and train with u
in Arabic there is a saying: "knowing your own wrong is the great honor" . I am glad you moved on, you are one courageous man, I like the direction you are taking, this will be a turning point. by the way, i think your camera mic was not muted when ever exported the video :D hence there two sound sources
It's all cool bro. You've already worked with Sensei Sly before. Man just keep going man. Sly Sensei will always be fair, tough, but fair. If you love Aikido, then keep practicing and growning the art.
I think you coming to this decision only means you are ready for the next level of martial training. "There are many paths up the mountain of Budo." Some paths you must walk alone in order to achieve a higher, more profound learning and understanding. One of the major goals of martial arts is to continuously seek the truth behind every technique. The journey to perfection is never-ending but continuously enlightening. Regardless of how many tests you have taken, or promotions you have earned... this next phase is true advancement. Congratulations.
Really cool decision my friend, not alot of people can see the light or just refuse too or just way too stubborn. Bruce Lee was in the same road before he said enough is enough and wanted to move beyond Wing Chun and into a more practical stance.
In one aikido training I had a guy from another dojo came and trained with us.. he did some technique a bit different and my trainer stopped him and asked him to do it OUR way, the other guy persisted to work his way and my trainer kicked him out... so much about change and being in harmony... I'm in BJJ now and couldn't be happier...
First of all you ask the right questions. At some point cross training und pressure testing your abilities is a good way to evolve. Leaving your teacher and your organisation may be a good idea when they have limited you and your tryouts. But it's a big mistake to train without a teacher. I think you are technical nor tactical developed enough to found your own stile, to fix Aikido nor to go on your own. To prevent you from frustration, I really recommend you to find yourself a good teacher. Someone who is really into weapons, someone who supports you development. Don't try to fix something. There is nothing wrong with Aikido, there is only something wrong with your way of training. Start training with weapons do Kumi Tachi or Kumi Jo as fast as possible. Find someone who is able to attack you with Bokken or Ken pretty seriously. And finally keep in mind Aikido is so much more then fighting MMA-Guys. It can be a solid base to lern how to fight but it don't need to be. I wish you all the best for your future Rokas.
you should look up Dan "The Wolfman" Theodore, he's an MMA coach who used to train Aikido and discovered how to use it effectively in full contact fighting.
Every martial art had developed from splitting off from their parent house or organization, much like how BJJ was a split from Kano Judo, how Mas Oyama split from Shotokan and Goju Ryu, after japanese had oringally considered his fighting too violent, and even Morihei Ueshiba himself split himself off from Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu.
It's a tough choice. One I made about ten years ago, for a few different reasons. There are a few challenges. Rank, recognition. Do you leave it behind, self promote (I never have). Lots of choices... and you do feel along a lot. Some times it's really difficult to be king. Good luck.
I've studied Aikido and I am now studying Ashihara Karate. There are many similarities between the two with the latter obviously emphasising atemi and kicks. I feel a lot more confident using my fists and feet now which would obviously be used in a practical environment. However I do think that Aikido has a lot going for it in terms of spatial awareness, centring and the use of locks, momentum and learning how to fall.
I saw your sparring video in May and also felt the following had some bearing on what you're discussing here: First of all props to you for getting in there and trying to spar and also making the decision to leave in order to pursue "the truth". The following comments are addressing the sparring experiment you did last May. How to put this. The main problem when looking at someone trying to do Aikido vs MMA, Jiu Jitsu, what have you is that more often then not the Aikido practitioner gets sucked into playing the MMA /JJ game. You can see this in several aspects: 1) Mai - your distance from your opponent is critical. Ideally, you should never be in that sparring range until the opening presents itself. This, when properly done frustrates the opponent into committing to a real attack. If you stay in that sparring distance and are protecting yourself with your hands up you inevitably end up boxing, etc. You are now playing their game. 2) If you focus on your opponent too much you create a connection that is very hard to practice your art in. By that, I mean it is very difficult to move in naturally when the opening presents itself and do - and this is of the utmost importance - what is there and only what is there. In my 24 years of practicing this art - my belief is that ultimately the principles are what is important. Techniques IMHO are just the "musical scales and sheet music", the format you use to start to learn how to play an instrument. True musicians stop using scales and playing from sheet music every time they play - they just play, period - without any thought or any contrivance. Being of no mind with no attachment to your opponent allows you to move naturally and do what is there (which can be a technique that occurs naturally) - nothing more nothing less. You can see this in O' Sensei's art in his last years - no technique or as O'Sensei said "it's all Ikkyo". This is very difficult to do but it is in my opinion what we should all strive for in our practice and what so many dojo's fail to train towards. This is the magic that really attracted me to the art - a magic that I didn't really start to experience until the last 4 years or so. My son took BJJ for seven years and became quite good. A few weeks ago he astounded me and my teacher who has been practicing for 44 years (teaching me privately for almost 18 years now - boy am I LUCKY!) by saying that BJJ does not work! He came to that conclusion when he tried to spar with us and was not able to do what he trained for. He couldn't get us into playing his "game". He has found Aikido quite effective in several street situations - and he didn't use technique. He moved where he needed to be and did what was there. He has picked it up so much faster than we did because of the way we are training. We practice a lot of oya waza - continuous free attacks - sparring etc trying to make it as real world as possible - I'm sure you agree that this is of ultimate importance. So I say good for you in deciding to pursue what works. Nice to see Aikido practitioners asking the right questions and trying to find what works.
Well said. One of my issues with this channels is the constant generalization made against Aikido because of him and few people (most are non-practitioners) personal experience. The defaming of Aikido is un-called for.
That is because it generally sucks, as do the vast majority of its practitioners when they are actually tested. The defaming of Aikido is self generated and self perpetuated by its dogmatic practitioners who simply cannot fight.
zaco21 everyone thinks BJJ is just pure ground game. The art came from Judo, then moulded into its effectiveness on the ground but unlike these traditional arts BJJ is always evolving and rediscovering old techniques. BJJ guys will not be afraid to cross train, learn from catch as can, wrestling, judo, sambo etc to make it work for them. Aikido on the other hand, has been stuck in the mud since the 1900s. It's 2018. Time to evolve.
The Gracies is not the be all of BJJ. Just because Royces says something doesn't mean that's a bible. I'm not here to hate on Aikido because I actually incorporate wrist locks from Aikido to my game but I just want to see it evolve into a realistic self defense than a demo of 20 guys running into an invisible force that seems to flip them around like a Jedi. Don't get me wrong I love star wars and jedis.. but come on now.
There may be a lot of paradoxes. You quitted as a response to a need of adaptation; that is ability to flow, and that is in full accordance to basic philosophies in traditional MA and the art of war applied to life and conflict... You're just doing it right, so glad to know.
Man you are SO RIGHT. So damn right. I have the luck, that my sensei also dropped all connections to ki-aikido organisations and started doing work for the truth. not only copying some ancient techniques all the time but question them, develop them and on them. In my aikido dojo we even dropped all that creepy ceremonie-stuff that always cost us about half an hour instead of going our aikido. we know that we deeply respect the ideas and what o sensei formed - so WHY CELEBRATING IT ALL THE FUCKING TIME OVER AND OVER AGAIN?? And we dropped ranks. No more ranks. What we also invented is full contact training with techniques from the "streets" that uke uses to attack us. And guess what: Aikido suddenly is no dance anymore but it hurts, it works and then again not and we try to find concepts to adapt our mind and our techniques to that. YES we are using fist punches, side kicks and we are supposed to attack for REAL as uke and not play a game or pretend to attack. That is what we're doing and I am so happy and I am so glad that I learned so much in the last years. Aikido works, yes, but usually not that way as it is teached in most dojos worldwide. Sending you greetings from germany and just wanna tell you, keep up the good work. We're with you!
YEEEESSS FINALLY, BRO U DONT UNDERSTAND HOW GOOD OF A DECISION U MADE. TIME TO START A REAL PATH TO LEARNING THE ARTS THAT TEACH YOU WHAT MARTAL ARTS ARE MEANT FOR. which is to teach u to fight and defend yourself simple as that. alot of people get brought into the ideology and cult like martial art like aikido. in aikido u get punished for questioning things and being skeptical. thats the first red flag and also any art that doesnt involve some sort of sparring isnt an effective martial art. and at the end of the day isnt that all we want? to find something effective. isnt that the golden question of fighting and martial arts? to find something that can save ur life in real world situations. theres other things that can teach "respect, confidence, mental strength" any practitioner that tells you their art may not be effective but it teaches u mental toughness, respect etc etc is a con artist, at the end of the day what do we do when we step into the dojo or gym everyday... we learn to fight. later youre gunna realize how good of a decision u made
imagine u were raised ur whole life (without looking at it)to belive the sky was purple, and 15 years later u started being told it was actually blue, how easy would it be to convince u the truth? nearly impossible its so hard to accept something different that what ur used to believing in. so its good to see this video by u
It depends what the goal of training is - practical self defense or spiritual development. If it's the former, the problem isn't so much organizations as styles; no style is good for every situation or is a good counter to every form of attack. There's also the issue, of course, of how good the person is within the style, but the assumptions and limitations of the style itself are also an issue - most people are best at countering the attacks of their own style because those are the attacks with which they have the most experience. If the goal is spiritual development, that can be done within or outside of martial arts and organizations. Organizations, by their very nature, are about boundaries - who we are as opposed to who we're not - so they can be limiting to either practical self defense or spiritual development if their limitations are allowed to become a person's own limitations.
Hello, I agree with the problems of organizations, Especially the " SENSEI said that".. "no question to sensei". I am an Aikidoka and a Jiu JItsu player too. I teach aikido and I explain is a traditional martial art, is like to learn Latin. I still in an organization I disagree with a lot of their stuff but i don't let this affect me. Just be careful if you create a new organization and you become the new sensei.
This seems to be a growing issue in the current affairs in the martial arts world at least here in an America. Martial Arts in their foundation did not have organizations and were taught from teacher to student till the student moved on and took it to new places. The rise of organizations to govern martial arts though had good intentions, in the beginning, has become more of an issue than a benefit nowadays. They seem to be very close to new expression or idea's and shun anyone who takes anything to new places. I spent years with a couple organizations as a student and then after 30 years of study in multiple martial arts opened my own school. I started something new based on what I studied and learn. My own expression of those arts and ran into issues with the organizations. So much like you, I stepped away from them. The organization doesn't make the art, and if you find your own way through your experience and knowledge they seem to get really upset. I formed Koga Nihon Jujitsu based on my 30+ years of experience and study of Japanese Jujutsu, Karate, and Judo. Anytime you do something new you will face an uphill battle of building that foundation. Naysayers will feel the need to attack everything you say or do. But you have to keep moving forward because much like the samurai who learned by their experience in battle and passed in on to students, you are doing the same and creating something beautiful to share with your students and the world. Walk forward with pride and bravery my friend. fear not your on the right path.
I love your videos! I also love Lenny Sly Sensei’s videos! If your organization was holding you back then good riddance! It’s their loss! #AlwaysForward
The only "minus" for leaving is the organization is that IF your modernizing experiment actually succedes, and you develop a system of it (aka grouping and organizing the new "Rokas Aikijutsu" in a teachable manner, meaning tehnique x,y,z is for begginner, a,b,c for more advanced etc) it would be hard to spread the "virus" into your former organization
Hi, take a look on Iwama shin shin aikishurenkai - Iwama style - in fact the only Aikido thats working for me. Morihiro Saito often spoke on effectiveness - so does his son......our headmaster....BJJ is strong! I do practise self defence too - and my understanding in aikido is growing therefor....
The time when a student outgrows their instruction can be difficult and unsettling. Neither the teacher nor the student is any the lesser when the student decides that it is time to seek new avenues of learning and exploration. Tradition and renewal are always at an impasse to each other to some degree yet both are needed in good measure to avoid stagnation and irrelevance. Tradition gives those who adhere to it safety and predictability while renewal is unknown and more often than not feared, making it the least chosen of the two. Perhaps it is wise to consider yourself as a seed that has fallen from a tree, you'll drift a bit before you take root somewhere else. You'll grow into another tree that is similar to the tree that begat you yet have your own unique differences inspired by your growth and experience. That in itself is progress. Neither the tree from which you came nor the tree that you become are any the lesser. Best wishes Sensei and Happy Lunar New Year. :-)
This video shed light into why are you doing what you're doing more than any other video you've done. I'm a long time Aikidoka and I can read between the lines, bro and I hear you. Sounds to me that you have been disappointed by your Sensei. He/She let you down. And I know how that feels. What are you? Nidan, Sandan? You're young and I wonder if you ever gave yourself the chance to find another Sensei, one that would've healed you from the bad experiences you've had. Please realize it was a human problem and don't turn your back on Aikido because of someone. Don't turn your Sensei's failure into Aikido's failures. And more importantly, don't blame Aikido for your Sensei's failures. Maybe your Sensei and your organization had that cult mentality, etc. But they're not all like that. And now you have the responsibility to stand on their shoulders and do better. A few questions you should ask your self as a self assessment exercise is 1)am I qualify to lead this moment? 2) what do I offer that nobody else does? 3) why would anyone believe anything I say? 4) and how is what am doing still Aikido in its core?. Tough decision and all the best moving forward alone. It won't be easy.
Hi Luis Luna, Great comment! Thank you. I really hear you. At the same time, I want to share with you, that while I considered that it's all just a "human" thing, through my worldwide connections I learned that it's an epidemic! And I have a reason to believe that the way Aikido is structured actually encourages such "human behavior". That's what I am standing up against. This is actually the second time I leave my instructor, the first one was for similar reasons, so I did give another try :) Since no one else is trying to do what I am trying to do on the same level, I am giving myself permission to do it. Will I succeed? One best way to know it is to... try ;) Thanks again for your words and comment.
Well, we sure have very different perceptions of Aikido's culture and it's based on our own personal experiences. Certainly disagree on your epidemic conclusion and I'm sure the many hundreds of thousands of Aikido practitioners around the world do too. You keep bringing up your "worldwide" reach because of TH-cam and that's a concern on how accurate your perception is. I can only judge by the comments on your videos and is not good. And that's TH-cam in general. Now, if you say I've traveled and trained at several dojos in Europe, the US and Japan and learned from many Shihans both Japanese and non-Japanese, men and women, old and young, for many years, then we could raise questions about the overall culture of Aikido truly worldwide.
Why is it necessary for Aikido to change it's path now, just in the last 20 years? Is there something magical that has taken place in the world that changes Aikido's mission and goal? What you're saying is that the path of Aikido needs to be changed because of the popularity of MMA and combat sports. Not just changed, but a drastic re-writing of it to appease a modern trend of physical violence. Which goes against the founding principles of Aikido. I am sure Aikido can be turned into a very effective combat art, but it's not designed for it and it goes against every fundamental principle. Combat sports have always existed, just never as organized as the UFC. There is always balance to everything we do, you will give up something to gain another. I practice Hapkido, we have more striking and submissions and we spar, but it's effective because we stay on the path. If you stay on your path of Aikido, you will eventually let go o the desire to be combative. Combat arts are undeniably attractive to young able bodied men and women. It play's on the ego and our animal desires. However, this is the path you need to take to either become a combat artist, or find another art that suits your temperament, or in some time, come back to traditional Aikido. I like your videos (up until now), but wish you nothing but the best in your journey!
You have expressed very well what I intended to say, NIK. Martial Arts is a general term which encompasses all forms of combativeness (hence, we have the modern terms, UFC, MMA, and a combined concoction of martial foolishness that takes techniques, style and moves from different traditional arts. What I see in these competitive bouts is street fighting. In short, the traditional arts are losing their identity. Everyone is encouraged to "express oneself" and find their own identity, exploring other paths. I agree that the politics in organizations force you to conform without question but why forsake the art itself? I am a rogue (or ronin, if you will) Aikido is unique because the philosophy upon which it was founded upon is different. No, it is not meant for combat nor competition. The focus is on personal development of uniting mind, body and spirit; conveying that principle to the person you blend with. I believe it was lumped in with the popularity of the martial arts explosion in the 60s and 70s. I do not consider Aikido a MARTIAL Art. Martial is warlike, Aikido is rooted in peace- you cannot mix the two. (oil and water do not blend) My journey began in 1970. I grew up on the streets in the city and already knew how to handle myself. Aikido IS effective on the street. Nothing, however, is effective against a gun. If you seek to spread this peace to the world, you must first be at peace yourself. I sense a restlessness in Rokas Sensei. I think the pressure, politics have caused him to doubt himself and seek another path. I fear yet another westerner will corrupt the teachings of a beautiful discipline.
Using that japanese saying: organization is just a finger pointing to the moon, the goal is looking towards the moon not the finger. The question about effectiveness in martial arts is truly a question about didacticism: some (rare, at my point of view) can grasp the goal through that rigid frame of repetition of the same techniques years and years ( an example: the great work of Jesse Enkamp Sensei _ an open minded and sincere Karate black belt), others work around principles and are detached from frozen forms of fight ( here I think about guys like Geoff Thompson and Nick Drossos, former bouncers that through their struggles with the problems of their profession as well of their life got a deep glimpse into the problem of violence). Well, finding the path or the balance that will provide the real learning concerns to all of us. I admire your loyalty to your conscience. And I think it won't fail you.
Rokas, as a taijiquan pratictioner I can say: don't forget what your art is taught for. You made a video about the history of "martial arts", you surely know how they born and developed. Maybe I'm misreading your words, but don't think that the sport competition is the truth. The truth can be that some organisation only aims to make more believers, but this happens either in aikido and mma. Anyway, all the best, I did something similar when I quit muay boran 'cause I realised it was not what I was looking for.
If your organization and you are working toward different goals and you are unwilling to dedicate yourself to the goals of that organization, a respectful thing to do is to leave that organization. That part is easy. The focus on what works is much harder. You have to develop a very precise sense of what the goal is before you can know if something is actually working. In my 20 or so years in aikido across various organizations and dojos, I have been taught that aikido is about polishing the self so that you can connect with your partner and eventually the workings of the universe. That starts with learning how to NOT fight and so we work in the form of fights to bring up that feeling and clear it. With that goal in mind, what "works" is anything that registers for you as conflict and tends to bring up the fighting mind. If traditional forms don't do that for you, and you are probably not alone, then exploring other forms is a great way to work toward your goal. If you goal is some sort of effective act against attacker(s) then you are really recreating some sort of jujitsu, that seems more regressive than modernizing since jujitsu predates aikido by hundreds of years.
I understand your plight. Aikido is a very exacting art, to the point that there actually is a very fine line between what is aikido and what is not. A organization is supposed to share the inner workings of the art with every member with very defined ranks and attainments being declared before hand! So you should know what your doing and what is next and what you need to be working on at each level. An art like aikido should only take about 20 years to master if you take the long way with a organization behind you I'd say 6. From your flustration level it seems like they were lining there pockets instead of preaching the gospel. Sorry for your loss.
I've previously had a conversation with the Sensai who runs our dojo around our specific organization, and how it came into being over 26 years ago. If I remember correctly from the conversation, the regional Shihan who originally brought Aikido to this part of the world from Japan, along with my Sensei and a few other of his students split from the people who initially over saw things overall regionally (for specific reason's I won't get into, as it would be out of place) way back when. Now from there, if I take our own club as a basis based on my perception, it has survived over 26 years as stated, it's had some ups and down's over that period (our earthquakes in 2011 reduced the overall martial art community in my home city by about 1/2 from what I was told), but is now at a point where we have some 200 persons on the books at our club alone between 5 and mid 70's, a healthy and open environment sans all the 'pay homage and kiss my ass' BS some martial art clubs have a culture, yet it is a place where the historic ways are respected just as much as newer options that have proved themselves, as the people behind the club are open to new ideas based on what i have seen. Hell, they even attend events with other martial art's in the region showing what we do with Aikido, yet also looking at what and how other arts do things. I guess where I am going with this, is that going by their results since they are specific to Aikido, you can achieve a hell of a lot on a long term basis by not forgetting where you have come from, all while at the same time looking forward to what it is you want to achieve and where you want to go, and then just doing it. So best of luck which ever way you go!!
As a martial artist we need to evolve to get better. To create a system that deals with real wolrd situations. street Fighting these days aren't like in the 50, let alone 80s. Fighting has evolved too. With UFC and other fighting organizations people are mimicking the fighters. They may not be proficient but there's a evolution in the fighting. So for you to quit your organization to seek your fighting style is not a bad thing. Great example is Bruce Lee.
Rokas, with any org it will be the same... I loved the Tomiki aikido which I practised with the British Aikido Association until I left it in 1992 and became independent... I hated the politics and the wrong kind of "elitism" that went on inside of the org... Some of it was to do with money. Some of it was to do with the standards of grading that varied, AND varied greatly in standard, and in truth, made a mockery of even having yudansha level. Some of it was to do with certain controlling people. Some of it was to do with silly pathetic jealousies.some of it to do with the tanto randori which i always thought was ridiculous as I always prefered the randori kyogi or toshu randori as I knew it .. The freedom I felt after leaving and just running my club as being free and independent was to be able to experiment with ways of doing free play and randori, much the same way you are now experimenting, the only difference being was that we were already doing aikido against resistance and experimenting with protective head and some body gear so that we could experiment with full on atemi and to see how our technique worked against punching, kicking, grappling etc... The Tomiki aikido system put me in great stead to handle those that came from other martial arts and wanted to test me, and believe me I was!! But somehow I was able to beat all comers without seriously injuring them, albeit with a few fat lips, black eyes, bruises and a few sprained wrists and elbows!! I ran my club up until 2007, when I just couldn't afford to pay for the ever increasing cost just to do aikido, and all the other hassles of running a club, so I reluctantly gave up and retired from active teaching and now train myself just to keep my fitness levels up... I'm quite happy to go along and do a bit of teaching for anyone who asks and all I would ask is that they take care of my travelling costs and accommodation... Maybe that will happen, I dont know... Even though I am now 64 I can still teach, albeit it I am now a little slower on my feet, and my knees are not so good but that is expected at my time of life!! habatakukaimartialarts.simplesite.com/
Why are some schools against cross training entirely? Also, really enjoy watching your videos. Keep it up, this is a topic I have always been interested in. This is a topic a lot of modern martial artists are interested in as well.
Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own. ~Bruce Lee
The problem is nothing is finally useless... It all depends on how you think about things. Without the useless, we cannot find the useful. Without the empty space inside the cup, the cup is useless. What seems useless, like empty space, can be very useful if you know how to encapsulate it. Without making mistakes, we cannot progress to knowing what works. Everything, then, one might say, hinges on making lots-a-mistakes...
Troy Timmer reject simply typing Bruce Lee quotes on fighting videos for likes and add your own thoughts
Keni Lynch first step to success is failure. Without failure you cannot learn.
You are right in what you say
@@ianmcabee8036 on the contrary if the quote is useful then it is useful, doesnt matter where it comes from... (Paraphrase) b. lee
Now you have no limitation, what a fantastic place to be in, We are really looking forward to seeing what you can do
Thank you! Yes, Aikido has too limitations in itself, I am sure without limitations we will do amazing things all together!
You guys should do a seminar together
I'll tell you a secret... We will, in April in Lithuania :) Planning to announce it in the next two weeks!
AikidoSiauliai bro.... badass. :)
"No limitation" meaning without boundary? No boundary of meaning means no meaning. Freedom without the responsibility of distinction or clarity is nonsensical. Duality, multi-parallel universes and/or unity are worth simultaneous consideration.
I have never understood how Aikido players and schools seem to ignore the actual life of Ueshiba. Before he developed Aikido he became highly skilled in jiu-jitsu, judo, sumo, several forms of karate. He submitted himself to freakish physical training on his farm and was renowned for being incredibly strong. AFTER all of this, he had his profound insights about Aikido.
In my opinion, many people who practice martial arts for decades come to similar realizations. Things like: "do more with less." "Use technique, not brute force." These are principles Carlos Gracie would no doubt agree with. But these realizations are the crowning achievement of many years struggle and real application. Maybe we can't skip all of the steps Ueshiba took to get to enlightenment.
Hi I miss your post when submitted my opinion. Yes I also think Aikido was not intended to be a base martial art but an art to be trained once a person was an accomplished martial artist. In my country one of my classmates in Hung Gar had 4 years cross training in Aikido but had 8 years in Hungar and used to be an amateur boxer in this teen years. He could pull off the Aikido techiques in the middle of the fight but he already knew the dinamics of strike fighting and was aware of when to apply the techniques.
@@algomez8563 so it's an advanced martial art that ones learns only after mastering the arts of violence?
@@jonathanthompson592 , Ueshiba became enamored with the omoto religion and got sick of fighting(as all young men do the older they get)
So aikido players would say - after he gained all that experience in those martial; arts, he put everything that he knew and made the "best" art - aikido. Why would he develop aikido if he thought it was worse than those arts he trained before?
@@basedpatriotLT I think you may have missed my point. Ueshiba was already transformed by all of the intense training he did prior. So, I'm not talking about the "techniques" of Aikido vs. some other style. I'm suggesting that the rigorous training he put himself through may be the reason HIS Aikido was incredible and a lot of other folks' Aikido is not.
I hear you. We did the same thing a while ago. We need the freedom to explore.
Thank you Azu! It does seem the path that people who really want the answer take eventually
I trained in Aikido for some years, moved on to other things that suited me better. I met a lot of Senseis and Aikido practitioners who were amazing in their own right, within Aikido.
Rokas is by far the bravest I've seen, in the sense that he's not afraid to discover that what says or does might be wrong. He's not afraid of putting his name and reputation on the line, as long at it helps him and other people move one step closer to being better.
His quest for finding the truth and improving himself is what martial arts and combat sports are really about; being the best version of you there is to be.
I have nothing but respect and admiration for you Rokas, wish you the very best on this new stage of your life.
Man. I like how honest this guy is.
While I don't practice Aikido myself, I do respect this channel and the work you put behind it. I like how you put pride aside to acknowledge the flaws of the style and look for ways to improve upon it and modernize it. You have a smart head on your shoulders, so you have my respect!
Sir...i cannot believe how much we think alike.I am a first degree black belt under Kobayashi sensei , but did quit aikido for over 2 years now and started my Bjj training the past year.All the things you said about aikido and the stillness of the ideas and the cult mentality,its amazing to know that someone else has been through the same things i am going through.Its a tough path to doubt what you ve been loving for many years,but it is essential to our growth as human beings to evolve.Good luck to your Journey!
Thanks. As scary as it is, it seems to be the experience of many people, that's why it's time to do something about it :) Glad to hear from you.
Great job with those videos,thanks for your work and for your reply.Oss
Exciting stuff Rokas. I'm lucky enough that my Sensei is cool with my exploration outside our club. I always say that I'm not an Aikidoka, I'm a Martial Artist. And as Martial Artists, we must never stop questioning and never stop exploring.
Congratulations, welcome to my world Rokus.
Lenny~
THE ROGUE WARRIORS - Where Warriors are FORGED great to hear from you Lenny.
The more you all publicise your journey, the more people will see different options and maybe view an alternative. Thanks all for your honest videos, I’ll be watching as usual with open eyes.
Thank you Lenny! And yes, this world of ours is growing!
Oh shit, it's Lenny!
Your world? Lenny aren't you one of those senseis that never trains with anyone outside of your own dojo? Aren't you one of those senseis that never spars? Your world is nothing Like Rokas.
This vid just popped up in my feed. It's kinda cool getting to visit your old videos and taking some bits of wisdom from them. Your change is quite astonishing from who you were then, to who you are now.
I think you made a great move. As someone who definitely struggles with balancing the old and the new, practical or choreography, in my aikido training, I envy your decision! I look forward to a time when aikidoka from around the globe see you and your peers actions as the necessary step to transcend beyond the limits of the aikido today. I wish you luck in the future, I'm sure there will be many roadblocks and bumps in the road, but I'm just as sure that you'll overcome those obstacles. I hope we get to train together someday!
One of the questions I've had is "Who's your Sensei, Rokas?" You've brought up some excellent questions when it comes to aspects of other arts in regards to Aikido, and I've often wondered about the answers you've gotten from your Sensei(s) with those questions. Looking forward to future videos, as they're kinda like mini chapters for a documentary on how a particular martial artist can grow and evolve.
Rokas, your gentleness, humility, and bravery is a gift to us all. Whatever you do, as a person and a fighter, please do not lose those qualities!
Keep on seeking the truth! We are with you and it is an inspiration to us all to do the same in all walks of life!
I see you’ve picked Batman as your new sensei! Good choice!
Nah he got to learn from the best aikido master: steven seagal
Lol :D Yes, I agree!
Ah, you think darkness is your ally?
What I admire the most is not the actual things you're doing but the way you're doing it. Keeping your head over your shoulders, not beeing arrogant or anything and true sincerity. That needs balls and character!
I love the way this guy left Aikido behind because of the delusions within the community, the cultishness, the amount of people who were so personally invested in it they couldn't handle any criticism of it... and then started doing BJJ. If anyone thinks Aikido is cultish, just wait until the OP gets a load of the cult of modern BJJ. I've done both and the BJJ cult is just about as loco as it gets. If this guy was hoping to leave all that behind, he's in for a rude awakening someday with BJJ.
Thank You for your honesty. I find all of your videos very helpful and being an older student of Aikido your explanations of techniques are helpful.
Rokas-san, we were independent for a while. I think it’s a natural evolution as you move up in the ranks. The decision to go back into an org was very straight forward for us, in that you can not progress in rank or knowledge of Aikido without a teacher/promotional system. And it becomes very hard to promote your students, as a dojo owner, that is a hard sell for new students. Plus I have found a teacher I respect and keeps the politics minimal which I appreciate.
You can always rank yourself, but that goes down a path you can never come back from. But some have done so. I have struck a balance for now on practicing a traditional system of Aikido 75% of the time and practicing my own martial expression 25% of the time. That 25% of time is carved out for me and my students to explore other martial arts, other methods and strategies, and I figure out how to adapt them WITH my students. Mostly fundamentals in BJJ, boxing, and kickboxing, but we’ll also bring in instructors to teach us FMA, Wing Chun, and JKD.
The students like the balance between mastering a system, and learning about other systems they might not want to fully commit to. Watch Roy Harris, or hell, I really think you would enjoy Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. It’s fundamentally one of the best books on martial philosophy and favors no one style. It’s a very objective approach to martial arts. Explore the martial art landscape and come up with something to call your own. Doesn’t need to be MMA or TMA....it’s all about your ultimate goals.
I have had the same journey. Returning to the source after many years.
Been loving your videos man... was keen to see how you reconciled traditional with pragmatic! I train in a traditional Chinese school that still has a focus on what works. It's an interesting balance... I like the traditional stuff (respect, greetings etc) but it's nice to know that we learn things for a practical reason too. If you ever want a holiday to Australia, come visit :)
Good job, Rodas. You have found your way. I myself have quit Aikido, after 15 years at it.
I realised some things quite similar to yours. Now I have discovered new things, and more practical ones too. I am doing MMA, that is muay thai and BJJ. All the best to your future.
Thank you for sharing a very personal decision. I quit Aikido as well. Growing up in New York and been in a number of street fights, no choice when you are attacked and not a fast runner; this idea of trying not to harm an attacher may be good in theory; but when someone is trying to smash your head with a rock, not so much. I did an Aikido instructor once whose skill was to be reckoned with; but my job took elsewhere. I have watched your struggle for a year and appreciate all that you have shared. Also; I like MOBAT's comment as well as everyone else's.
Bravo Rocas!!!Go on like this !!This is a matter of being a warrior in this world or not!God bless you.You are not alone in this path.
Hello Rokas! I am an MMA practitioner who has always had a bizarre interest in aikido. I feel like there are practical skills to be learned from aikido. Because of the attitudes in the aikido community regarding cross-training in "modern" or "sport" martial arts, I feel reluctant to train at a dojo (also I am broke at the moment.) Would it be prudent to find open minded aikidoka to train with?
That is s good initiative, where do you live?
Canada, in Calgary.
For what it's worth, you are welcome in Santa Barbara any time. I appreciate your support through the years!
Yes, but find a black belt if you can. Aikido is difficult to master and the principles are easy to explain but hard to understand. I'm sure you can learn a lot about anticipation, evasion and "absorbing" attacks, also some grappling principles, but I don't know how much of the actual techniques can be translated in mma, as they are developed with samurais in mind
+Antonio Lonigro I'm not trying to adapt aikido for MMA (though I believe that is a worthy goal.) I have moved away from practicing for sport and now want to practice for self defence reasons (though, I still believe intensely in the utility of how people in so called "sport" arts train.)
Also, thank you for your acknowledgment Sensei Chawkin! ;)
I will probably take you up in your offer someday!
Hi Rokus. I admire your search for truth in the practicality and perfection of aikido in relation to its place in the martial arts and life. If your goal by separation is peace then you will continue to grow. Following the path God wants us all to follow. O sensei through prayer and hard work followed a path to peace. What a wonderful man and I believe you will exercise and follow the same path. May God bless you! I rank 1st Kyu Shotokan karate and not ranked yet in Aikido (3 summers practice). Dr. Schelb
You have my respect for questioning formal Akido and testing the practicalities of it and making the tough decision (and it is a tough decision) to start trail blazing, inspite of opposition, good luck with your adventures and keep pressure testing everything you think you know.
Aikido is something beyond just great martial art. It has this particle of greatness, however, it has boundaries which are so static. I respect your decision, and cheer you up to continue your magnificent "way of seeking answers". This is enlightenment. You are not alone. After aikido i started to experiment with Krav Maga and BJJ. There is so much that aikidoka is missing without cross training. Take care, don't stop!
What you've said is why I'm quitting the fitness industry. Thanks for your courage. It's never easy to go against the grain; but the end results are oh so rewarding.
I totally understand why you are quitting the fitness industry. I can see the similar patterns
Sensei Peter Shapiro in Switzerland once commented that Aikido teaches us to act from love rather than fear. Most of the time, this isn't a big challenge. It's the difficult times that test whether fear or love will step forward to guide our actions; it's the difficult times that offer an opportunity for growth. I appreciate that, in the midst of differences and power struggles, you are moving forward courageously from a place of integrity... that you are keeping centered and open to a higher direction, to a higher connection. It will appear.
I train in many different martial arts, and i am always blending them with my Aikido. Aikido must be open to new ideas to better the art itself. You are on the right track, please continue to share you ideas.
you have made the right decision !!
people evolve we adjust to stand still is to go backwards
good luck and keep looking ahead
many greetings from Ekitai
Congratulations on your new season of life! Much respect for your drive to find what works and your humble honesty in doing so.
I say do what you feel is best man. Your a free man. If you want to go on to bigger, better things than go for it. We only have so much time in our lives. I just hope you continue to make your TH-cam videos. I don't mind what you do for videos either. I am one of your fans, and I am totally here for you.
I have been watching your videos for about 6 months. The title of this video comes as no surprise :) Job well done all on your videos too.
You are an impressive dude. Keep pushing the limits of knowledge, and bring us on your journey :D
Thank you!
You are truly free, understand that everything is usful now.. I know that experience had to be hard for you.. Leaving an intimate thing like a Dojo, can make you feel very lonely... Almoast like you betrayed them.. I wish you well on your journey my friend
One thing I will say... Remember how chaotic combat is. Test what you do against that.. What is uncontrolled* and you will see how to manipulate what is controlled better. Good luck with the system you create.
Good or bad is how it feels to you.
It is your decision! But in my opinion, i think you made a great choice!
I myself made a similar choice a year ago and am (what i call) an Aikido Ronin. And can develop my own Aikido as i see it without restrictions from any organisation what so ever!
I welcome you as a fellow Ronin and wish you a great journey on this new way (Do)!
Great vid Roka. I'm excited to see where your path takes you. Be sure to keep us updated on your progress.
What you are going through is far from unique, to Aikido, to martial arts to anything. Anytime you push the boundries, anytime you venture into uncharted territory, virtually by deffinition it means you will be setting out on your own path. There are no teachers, no orginizations, no maps for these territories. But this is what drives innovation, you become the teacher, you create the organization, you draw the maps. If you're goal is to modernize Aikido, by necessity that means your time is to be spent training in modern martial arts, rather than continuing to train that which you are attempting to evolve beyond.
It's really increadible to see the progress you've made and the reception it's gotten so far. I think a lot of people thought the direction you were going in was to eventually move away from Aikido entirely, realizing now that it doesn't work, confirming what they always believed to be the case. But now that you've been pressure testing the art, the same skeptics are now starting to question their original assumptions about Aikido, seeing it's potential and honestly wondering if this might actually work after all if trained right.
Like I've said before I think more important than modern grappling arts, are modern striking arts to make Aikido works, as it is a stand up grappling art (obviously not negating the necessity of having a solid modern ground game). When you're ready I can't wait to see the rematch for your original viral sparring video, when the world will finally get to see true Aikido in action.
Well done, mate. I've been part of a traditional organisation for 13 years. Just managed to break free last year. It's not like I rejected everything I've learned, but rather I used my previous experience as a base, then I built upon it with things I learned cross-training with other disciplines modern or otherwise. The result may not be as beautiful but it's functional. Rough and imperfect but functional.... but then again, perfection in the martial arts is not a destination, it's an ongoing process. And if that journey of perfection is your goal, sometimes, tradition---- especially the ones that make no sense but no one has the guts to question---- do become a hindrance more than a support. I fully agree with your points. Growth will manifest itself in your life as you continue.
great points all around. this is a tough time for aikido -- lots of competition in the marketplace. And fresh approaches are necessary to keep it going.
Good on you brother. I watched your sparring videos and really appreciated that you analyzed it with real criticality. I am happy that you are realizing what you want and what you were not getting before. I believe there are good techniques in aikido that if combined properly with a solid well rounded game can become very practical. Looking forward to seeing you blaze that trail. Good luck!
My opinion is that depends on what someone's goals are. If you want to defend your life against random violence; one should definitely look for practical and realistic teaching. On the other side, martial arts give you graciouness, mind control, elegancy, it teaches you how to become a better self-sustained person, how to eat better, how to control your impulses and a whole lot of other benefits. Defending someone's life is something ugly, martial arts is something beautiful. They're totally different products; besides the fact that we use our bodies as instruments.
Jack McDouglas,
MMA covered everything that you have just said. Of course, there is also others as well.
u dont need to be in a cult martial art to get "graciousness, mind control, mental strength" mma covers all of that AND also teaches u to fight sooo... try again buddy.. and wtf do u mean defending someones life is ugly. u know what ugly? being raped, kidnapped, robbed, killed and never being able to see ur family again. thats ugly. u know what beautiful? being able to use skills and techniques that can work against any human in the world regardless of size. doing some real life bruce lee shit. thats beauty
What I meant by 'ugly' is that a street fight in order to defend one's life is never a beautiful sight. We live in a wild world which is very violent and the martial arts concentrate on the beauty of human body coordinated movements. In my opinion MMA is more like a high impact sport, or possibly self-defense which is great and very practical. Aikido I would consider an actual art.
Jack McDouglas,
Aikido is an art. Not martial. Just an art. That i agree with you.
lol. this comment betrays an absolute lack of any appreciation for what elegance is when applied to the human body.
anyone who is untrained, ungracious, unrefined can dance between two positions unobstructed.
elegance in this context is when despite high speeds, or high powers, which really test the limits of human coordination someone can make an action look effortless.
when I watch a faultless KO or choke, I see elegance. when i see aikido i see clumsy children
I dont see this as a rant but letting go of baggage and moving on. I really feel you are making the correct decisions which must on the one hand be difficult however you will end up a much stronger martial artist. I look forward to your next video and journey :)
Making the decision to go independent - or not - upon reaching some level of competence is intensely personal, and no one else is truly qualified to judge which way is best for you. I have seen or experienced it (as the case may be) in different contexts: martial arts, spiritual organizations, social clubs, political parties and movements, etc. In a way, it's traditional... while some choose to stay with organizations and teachers, some start a new group or line, especially when they have something different to contribute to their field.
I wish you the very best in this development, and look forward to seeing what comes of it.
I really respect your free and responsible search for truth and meaning.
I applaud you for your pursuit of growth at the cost of comfort or security by leaving your dojo of 10 years. I wish you the best and keep up the great work.
Congrats, big step. I have been following you since your first sparring with the mma guy. I am impressed by your journey.
Many good points! I would LOVE for you to come to a seminar with Shishiya sensei! He always say that "aikido is not magic, only logic" and always try to develop the techniques further, and if someone on the tatami comes up with a solution, sensei analyzes it and more often than not we incorporate it after a good constructive discussion. =)
Best of luck bro, scary feeling leaving an organization. You'll do great and follow what you think is best.
Congrats your eyes have been opened. I broke away from my organization 18 years and it was the best thing I did for my academy. Always remember your martial art techniques needs to be pressure tested in real sparring. 👍wish you the best in your journey!
You will always be a great master and highly respected. Wish you the best.
I left the national federation for much the same reasons. I am now under a teacher in the UK who encourages us to explore and inquire what aikido means to us. Because of that new found freedom we draw from Chinese and Russian martial arts to inform the aikido practice.As a result our classes are enjoyable and interesting. What a refreshing change from the stifling atmosphere of our previous dojo.
I think you made the right decision. Either you would have been pressured to dismiss what you are discovering and toe the line, or you would have been pushed out and smeared or "disappeared." Aikido has repeatedly done the latter to some of its most important proponents, essentially wiping them from the history of the art on the basis of differences in practice and personality.
Rokas I'm proud you found the courage to do what you felt you needed to do. This is why I created the Freestyle TKD Federation. TKD is a highly effective martial art, but only if it is properly practiced and applied. I could not stick with the current organizations that have ruined TKD.
I can imagine it was a tough decision. Sometimes you need to break with traditions to move on to the next step in evolution and adapt, especially when it turns out something doesn't work anymore because zeitgeist has changed. Looking forward to see your work. Wish you all the best!
I applaud your efforts my friend. I went from Tae Kwon do years ago to kickboxing & BJJ & wrestling. Having a questioning mind is the best way onto personal exploration. Get rid of the baggage & free your mind. If it doesn’t make sense get rid of it and move on.
Rokus, you did the best thing you could have done! Now you can make your Aikido fly and soar like an eagle 🦅 Congratulations 🎉🎈🎊🍾
Thank you
best of luck ive studied under 2 senseiin my time and its been on and off props to u for following a vision. mold it as u see fit and hope to see where it takes u. i certainly hope to one day meet u and train with u
I'm so curious about what's next for you!
in Arabic there is a saying: "knowing your own wrong is the great honor" . I am glad you moved on, you are one courageous man, I like the direction you are taking, this will be a turning point. by the way, i think your camera mic was not muted when ever exported the video :D hence there two sound sources
Your a honest, and courageous individual .
It's all cool bro. You've already worked with Sensei Sly before. Man just keep going man. Sly Sensei will always be fair, tough, but fair. If you love Aikido, then keep practicing and growning the art.
I think you coming to this decision only means you are ready for the next level of martial training. "There are many paths up the mountain of Budo." Some paths you must walk alone in order to achieve a higher, more profound learning and understanding. One of the major goals of martial arts is to continuously seek the truth behind every technique. The journey to perfection is never-ending but continuously enlightening. Regardless of how many tests you have taken, or promotions you have earned... this next phase is true advancement. Congratulations.
Really cool decision my friend, not alot of people can see the light or just refuse too or just way too stubborn. Bruce Lee was in the same road before he said enough is enough and wanted to move beyond Wing Chun and into a more practical stance.
Nice one brother. No worries, we have your back.
In one aikido training I had a guy from another dojo came and trained with us.. he did some technique a bit different and my trainer stopped him and asked him to do it OUR way, the other guy persisted to work his way and my trainer kicked him out... so much about change and being in harmony... I'm in BJJ now and couldn't be happier...
Now Aikido can grow and show its true potential. Congratulations on your new journey. The Rabbit Hole is endless.
very brave. I like your videos and I appreciate your frank honesty.
Congratulatios on your big move. Keep exploring
First of all you ask the right questions. At some point cross training und pressure testing your abilities is a good way to evolve. Leaving your teacher and your organisation may be a good idea when they have limited you and your tryouts.
But it's a big mistake to train without a teacher. I think you are technical nor tactical developed enough to found your own stile, to fix Aikido nor to go on your own. To prevent you from frustration, I really recommend you to find yourself a good teacher. Someone who is really into weapons, someone who supports you development.
Don't try to fix something. There is nothing wrong with Aikido, there is only something wrong with your way of training. Start training with weapons do Kumi Tachi or Kumi Jo as fast as possible. Find someone who is able to attack you with Bokken or Ken pretty seriously.
And finally keep in mind Aikido is so much more then fighting MMA-Guys. It can be a solid base to lern how to fight but it don't need to be.
I wish you all the best for your future Rokas.
you should look up Dan "The Wolfman" Theodore, he's an MMA coach who used to train Aikido and discovered how to use it effectively in full contact fighting.
Every martial art had developed from splitting off from their parent house or organization, much like how BJJ was a split from Kano Judo, how Mas Oyama split from Shotokan and Goju Ryu, after japanese had oringally considered his fighting too violent, and even Morihei Ueshiba himself split himself off from Daito Ryu Aikijujutsu.
Take a look at Yoshinkan and Shodokan for some ideas.
It's a tough choice. One I made about ten years ago, for a few different reasons. There are a few challenges. Rank, recognition. Do you leave it behind, self promote (I never have). Lots of choices... and you do feel along a lot. Some times it's really difficult to be king. Good luck.
I've studied Aikido and I am now studying Ashihara Karate. There are many similarities between the two with the latter obviously emphasising atemi and kicks. I feel a lot more confident using my fists and feet now which would obviously be used in a practical environment. However I do think that Aikido has a lot going for it in terms of spatial awareness, centring and the use of locks, momentum and learning how to fall.
I saw your sparring video in May and also felt the following had some bearing on what you're discussing here:
First of all props to you for getting in there and trying to spar and also making the decision to leave in order to pursue "the truth". The following comments are addressing the sparring experiment you did last May. How to put this.
The main problem when looking at someone trying to do Aikido vs MMA, Jiu Jitsu, what have you is that more often then not the Aikido practitioner gets sucked into playing the MMA /JJ game. You can see this in several aspects:
1) Mai - your distance from your opponent is critical. Ideally, you should never be in that sparring range until the opening presents itself. This, when properly done frustrates the opponent into committing to a real attack. If you stay in that sparring distance and are protecting yourself with your hands up you inevitably end up boxing, etc. You are now playing their game.
2) If you focus on your opponent too much you create a connection that is very hard to practice your art in. By that, I mean it is very difficult to move in naturally when the opening presents itself and do - and this is of the utmost importance - what is there and only what is there. In my 24 years of practicing this art - my belief is that ultimately the principles are what is important. Techniques IMHO are just the "musical scales and sheet music", the format you use to start to learn how to play an instrument. True musicians stop using scales and playing from sheet music every time they play - they just play, period - without any thought or any contrivance. Being of no mind with no attachment to your opponent allows you to move naturally and do what is there (which can be a technique that occurs naturally) - nothing more nothing less. You can see this in O' Sensei's art in his last years - no technique or as O'Sensei said "it's all Ikkyo". This is very difficult to do but it is in my opinion what we should all strive for in our practice and what so many dojo's fail to train towards. This is the magic that really attracted me to the art - a magic that I didn't really start to experience until the last 4 years or so.
My son took BJJ for seven years and became quite good. A few weeks ago he astounded me and my teacher who has been practicing for 44 years (teaching me privately for almost 18 years now - boy am I LUCKY!) by saying that BJJ does not work! He came to that conclusion when he tried to spar with us and was not able to do what he trained for. He couldn't get us into playing his "game". He has found Aikido quite effective in several street situations - and he didn't use technique. He moved where he needed to be and did what was there. He has picked it up so much faster than we did because of the way we are training.
We practice a lot of oya waza - continuous free attacks - sparring etc trying to make it as real world as possible - I'm sure you agree that this is of ultimate importance.
So I say good for you in deciding to pursue what works. Nice to see Aikido practitioners asking the right questions and trying to find what works.
Well said. One of my issues with this channels is the constant generalization made against Aikido because of him and few people (most are non-practitioners) personal experience. The defaming of Aikido is un-called for.
That is because it generally sucks, as do the vast majority of its practitioners when they are actually tested. The defaming of Aikido is self generated and self perpetuated by its dogmatic practitioners who simply cannot fight.
zaco21 everyone thinks BJJ is just pure ground game. The art came from Judo, then moulded into its effectiveness on the ground but unlike these traditional arts BJJ is always evolving and rediscovering old techniques. BJJ guys will not be afraid to cross train, learn from catch as can, wrestling, judo, sambo etc to make it work for them.
Aikido on the other hand, has been stuck in the mud since the 1900s.
It's 2018. Time to evolve.
zaco21 BJJ is not useless - I never meant to say or imply that. My son certainly gained something from his study of BJJ. Nothing is wasted.
The Gracies is not the be all of BJJ. Just because Royces says something doesn't mean that's a bible.
I'm not here to hate on Aikido because I actually incorporate wrist locks from Aikido to my game but I just want to see it evolve into a realistic self defense than a demo of 20 guys running into an invisible force that seems to flip them around like a Jedi. Don't get me wrong I love star wars and jedis.. but come on now.
There may be a lot of paradoxes. You quitted as a response to a need of adaptation; that is ability to flow, and that is in full accordance to basic philosophies in traditional MA and the art of war applied to life and conflict... You're just doing it right, so glad to know.
Man you are SO RIGHT. So damn right. I have the luck, that my sensei also dropped all connections to ki-aikido organisations and started doing work for the truth. not only copying some ancient techniques all the time but question them, develop them and on them. In my aikido dojo we even dropped all that creepy ceremonie-stuff that always cost us about half an hour instead of going our aikido. we know that we deeply respect the ideas and what o sensei formed - so WHY CELEBRATING IT ALL THE FUCKING TIME OVER AND OVER AGAIN?? And we dropped ranks. No more ranks. What we also invented is full contact training with techniques from the "streets" that uke uses to attack us. And guess what: Aikido suddenly is no dance anymore but it hurts, it works and then again not and we try to find concepts to adapt our mind and our techniques to that. YES we are using fist punches, side kicks and we are supposed to attack for REAL as uke and not play a game or pretend to attack. That is what we're doing and I am so happy and I am so glad that I learned so much in the last years. Aikido works, yes, but usually not that way as it is teached in most dojos worldwide. Sending you greetings from germany and just wanna tell you, keep up the good work. We're with you!
YEEEESSS FINALLY, BRO U DONT UNDERSTAND HOW GOOD OF A DECISION U MADE. TIME TO START A REAL PATH TO LEARNING THE ARTS THAT TEACH YOU WHAT MARTAL ARTS ARE MEANT FOR. which is to teach u to fight and defend yourself simple as that. alot of people get brought into the ideology and cult like martial art like aikido. in aikido u get punished for questioning things and being skeptical. thats the first red flag and also any art that doesnt involve some sort of sparring isnt an effective martial art. and at the end of the day isnt that all we want? to find something effective. isnt that the golden question of fighting and martial arts? to find something that can save ur life in real world situations. theres other things that can teach "respect, confidence, mental strength" any practitioner that tells you their art may not be effective but it teaches u mental toughness, respect etc etc is a con artist, at the end of the day what do we do when we step into the dojo or gym everyday... we learn to fight. later youre gunna realize how good of a decision u made
imagine u were raised ur whole life (without looking at it)to belive the sky was purple, and 15 years later u started being told it was actually blue, how easy would it be to convince u the truth? nearly impossible its so hard to accept something different that what ur used to believing in. so its good to see this video by u
It depends what the goal of training is - practical self defense or spiritual development. If it's the former, the problem isn't so much organizations as styles; no style is good for every situation or is a good counter to every form of attack. There's also the issue, of course, of how good the person is within the style, but the assumptions and limitations of the style itself are also an issue - most people are best at countering the attacks of their own style because those are the attacks with which they have the most experience. If the goal is spiritual development, that can be done within or outside of martial arts and organizations. Organizations, by their very nature, are about boundaries - who we are as opposed to who we're not - so they can be limiting to either practical self defense or spiritual development if their limitations are allowed to become a person's own limitations.
Hello, I agree with the problems of organizations, Especially the " SENSEI said that".. "no question to sensei". I am an Aikidoka and a Jiu JItsu player too. I teach aikido and I explain is a traditional martial art, is like to learn Latin. I still in an organization I disagree with a lot of their stuff but i don't let this affect me. Just be careful if you create a new organization and you become the new sensei.
Good points. Thanks
This seems to be a growing issue in the current affairs in the martial arts world at least here in an America. Martial Arts in their foundation did not have organizations and were taught from teacher to student till the student moved on and took it to new places. The rise of organizations to govern martial arts though had good intentions, in the beginning, has become more of an issue than a benefit nowadays. They seem to be very close to new expression or idea's and shun anyone who takes anything to new places. I spent years with a couple organizations as a student and then after 30 years of study in multiple martial arts opened my own school. I started something new based on what I studied and learn. My own expression of those arts and ran into issues with the organizations. So much like you, I stepped away from them. The organization doesn't make the art, and if you find your own way through your experience and knowledge they seem to get really upset. I formed Koga Nihon Jujitsu based on my 30+ years of experience and study of Japanese Jujutsu, Karate, and Judo. Anytime you do something new you will face an uphill battle of building that foundation. Naysayers will feel the need to attack everything you say or do. But you have to keep moving forward because much like the samurai who learned by their experience in battle and passed in on to students, you are doing the same and creating something beautiful to share with your students and the world. Walk forward with pride and bravery my friend. fear not your on the right path.
I love your videos! I also love Lenny Sly Sensei’s videos! If your organization was holding you back then good riddance! It’s their loss! #AlwaysForward
The only "minus" for leaving is the organization is that IF your modernizing experiment actually succedes, and you develop a system of it (aka grouping and organizing the new "Rokas Aikijutsu" in a teachable manner, meaning tehnique x,y,z is for begginner, a,b,c for more advanced etc) it would be hard to spread the "virus" into your former organization
Hi,
take a look on Iwama shin shin aikishurenkai - Iwama style - in fact the only Aikido thats working for me.
Morihiro Saito often spoke on effectiveness - so does his son......our headmaster....BJJ is strong!
I do practise self defence too - and my understanding in aikido is growing therefor....
I like you bro, you have good energy and good heart. If I can help, I'm here, we do all reality training with roots in MMA
This guy seems super humble and nice
The time when a student outgrows their instruction can be difficult and unsettling. Neither the teacher nor the student is any the lesser when the student decides that it is time to seek new avenues of learning and exploration. Tradition and renewal are always at an impasse to each other to some degree yet both are needed in good measure to avoid stagnation and irrelevance. Tradition gives those who adhere to it safety and predictability while renewal is unknown and more often than not feared, making it the least chosen of the two. Perhaps it is wise to consider yourself as a seed that has fallen from a tree, you'll drift a bit before you take root somewhere else. You'll grow into another tree that is similar to the tree that begat you yet have your own unique differences inspired by your growth and experience. That in itself is progress. Neither the tree from which you came nor the tree that you become are any the lesser. Best wishes Sensei and Happy Lunar New Year. :-)
As a practitioner of Aikijujitsu, I too left the federation I was a member of. Now I have the freedom to teach what I know will work.
This video shed light into why are you doing what you're doing more than any other video you've done. I'm a long time Aikidoka and I can read between the lines, bro and I hear you. Sounds to me that you have been disappointed by your Sensei. He/She let you down. And I know how that feels. What are you? Nidan, Sandan? You're young and I wonder if you ever gave yourself the chance to find another Sensei, one that would've healed you from the bad experiences you've had. Please realize it was a human problem and don't turn your back on Aikido because of someone. Don't turn your Sensei's failure into Aikido's failures. And more importantly, don't blame Aikido for your Sensei's failures. Maybe your Sensei and your organization had that cult mentality, etc. But they're not all like that. And now you have the responsibility to stand on their shoulders and do better. A few questions you should ask your self as a self assessment exercise is 1)am I qualify to lead this moment? 2) what do I offer that nobody else does? 3) why would anyone believe anything I say? 4) and how is what am doing still Aikido in its core?. Tough decision and all the best moving forward alone. It won't be easy.
Luis Luna,
He just quit the organization. Not Aikido. He wanted to mordenize Aikido. That is all.
Hi Luis Luna,
Great comment! Thank you. I really hear you. At the same time, I want to share with you, that while I considered that it's all just a "human" thing, through my worldwide connections I learned that it's an epidemic! And I have a reason to believe that the way Aikido is structured actually encourages such "human behavior". That's what I am standing up against. This is actually the second time I leave my instructor, the first one was for similar reasons, so I did give another try :) Since no one else is trying to do what I am trying to do on the same level, I am giving myself permission to do it. Will I succeed? One best way to know it is to... try ;) Thanks again for your words and comment.
Well, we sure have very different perceptions of Aikido's culture and it's based on our own personal experiences. Certainly disagree on your epidemic conclusion and I'm sure the many hundreds of thousands of Aikido practitioners around the world do too. You keep bringing up your "worldwide" reach because of TH-cam and that's a concern on how accurate your perception is. I can only judge by the comments on your videos and is not good. And that's TH-cam in general. Now, if you say I've traveled and trained at several dojos in Europe, the US and Japan and learned from many Shihans both Japanese and non-Japanese, men and women, old and young, for many years, then we could raise questions about the overall culture of Aikido truly worldwide.
Why is it necessary for Aikido to change it's path now, just in the last 20 years? Is there something magical that has taken place in the world that changes Aikido's mission and goal?
What you're saying is that the path of Aikido needs to be changed because of the popularity of MMA and combat sports. Not just changed, but a drastic re-writing of it to appease a modern trend of physical violence. Which goes against the founding principles of Aikido. I am sure Aikido can be turned into a very effective combat art, but it's not designed for it and it goes against every fundamental principle.
Combat sports have always existed, just never as organized as the UFC. There is always balance to everything we do, you will give up something to gain another.
I practice Hapkido, we have more striking and submissions and we spar, but it's effective because we stay on the path. If you stay on your path of Aikido, you will eventually let go o the desire to be combative. Combat arts are undeniably attractive to young able bodied men and women. It play's on the ego and our animal desires. However, this is the path you need to take to either become a combat artist, or find another art that suits your temperament, or in some time, come back to traditional Aikido. I like your videos (up until now), but wish you nothing but the best in your journey!
You have expressed very well what I intended to say, NIK. Martial Arts is a general term which encompasses all forms of combativeness (hence, we have the modern terms, UFC, MMA, and a combined concoction of martial foolishness that takes techniques, style and moves from different traditional arts. What I see in these competitive bouts is street fighting. In short, the traditional arts are losing their identity. Everyone is encouraged to "express oneself" and find their own identity, exploring other paths. I agree that the politics in organizations force you to conform without question but why forsake the art itself? I am a rogue (or ronin, if you will) Aikido is unique because the philosophy upon which it was founded upon is different. No, it is not meant for combat nor competition. The focus is on personal development of uniting mind, body and spirit; conveying that principle to the person you blend with. I believe it was lumped in with the popularity of the martial arts explosion in the 60s and 70s. I do not consider Aikido a MARTIAL Art. Martial is warlike, Aikido is rooted in peace- you cannot mix the two. (oil and water do not blend) My journey began in 1970. I grew up on the streets in the city and already knew how to handle myself. Aikido IS effective on the street. Nothing, however, is effective against a gun. If you seek to spread this peace to the world, you must first be at peace yourself. I sense a restlessness in Rokas Sensei. I think the pressure, politics have caused him to doubt himself and seek another path. I fear yet another westerner will corrupt the teachings of a beautiful discipline.
Using that japanese saying: organization is just a finger pointing to the moon, the goal is looking towards the moon not the finger. The question about effectiveness in martial arts is truly a question about didacticism: some (rare, at my point of view) can grasp the goal through that rigid frame of repetition of the same techniques years and years ( an example: the great work of Jesse Enkamp Sensei _ an open minded and sincere Karate black belt), others work around principles and are detached from frozen forms of fight ( here I think about guys like Geoff Thompson and Nick Drossos, former bouncers that through their struggles with the problems of their profession as well of their life got a deep glimpse into the problem of violence). Well, finding the path or the balance that will provide the real learning concerns to all of us. I admire your loyalty to your conscience. And I think it won't fail you.
Rokas, as a taijiquan pratictioner I can say: don't forget what your art is taught for. You made a video about the history of "martial arts", you surely know how they born and developed. Maybe I'm misreading your words, but don't think that the sport competition is the truth. The truth can be that some organisation only aims to make more believers, but this happens either in aikido and mma. Anyway, all the best, I did something similar when I quit muay boran 'cause I realised it was not what I was looking for.
You’re not alone on this journey
If your organization and you are working toward different goals and you are unwilling to dedicate yourself to the goals of that organization, a respectful thing to do is to leave that organization. That part is easy. The focus on what works is much harder. You have to develop a very precise sense of what the goal is before you can know if something is actually working. In my 20 or so years in aikido across various organizations and dojos, I have been taught that aikido is about polishing the self so that you can connect with your partner and eventually the workings of the universe. That starts with learning how to NOT fight and so we work in the form of fights to bring up that feeling and clear it. With that goal in mind, what "works" is anything that registers for you as conflict and tends to bring up the fighting mind. If traditional forms don't do that for you, and you are probably not alone, then exploring other forms is a great way to work toward your goal. If you goal is some sort of effective act against attacker(s) then you are really recreating some sort of jujitsu, that seems more regressive than modernizing since jujitsu predates aikido by hundreds of years.
John Stone well said
I understand your plight. Aikido is a very exacting art, to the point that there actually is a very fine line between what is aikido and what is not. A organization is supposed to share the inner workings of the art with every member with very defined ranks and attainments being declared before hand! So you should know what your doing and what is next and what you need to be working on at each level. An art like aikido should only take about 20 years to master if you take the long way with a organization behind you I'd say 6. From your flustration level it seems like they were lining there pockets instead of preaching the gospel. Sorry for your loss.
I've previously had a conversation with the Sensai who runs our dojo around our specific organization, and how it came into being over 26 years ago.
If I remember correctly from the conversation, the regional Shihan who originally brought Aikido to this part of the world from Japan, along with my Sensei and a few other of his students split from the people who initially over saw things overall regionally (for specific reason's I won't get into, as it would be out of place) way back when.
Now from there, if I take our own club as a basis based on my perception, it has survived over 26 years as stated, it's had some ups and down's over that period (our earthquakes in 2011 reduced the overall martial art community in my home city by about 1/2 from what I was told), but is now at a point where we have some 200 persons on the books at our club alone between 5 and mid 70's, a healthy and open environment sans all the 'pay homage and kiss my ass' BS some martial art clubs have a culture, yet it is a place where the historic ways are respected just as much as newer options that have proved themselves, as the people behind the club are open to new ideas based on what i have seen. Hell, they even attend events with other martial art's in the region showing what we do with Aikido, yet also looking at what and how other arts do things.
I guess where I am going with this, is that going by their results since they are specific to Aikido, you can achieve a hell of a lot on a long term basis by not forgetting where you have come from, all while at the same time looking forward to what it is you want to achieve and where you want to go, and then just doing it. So best of luck which ever way you go!!
As a martial artist we need to evolve to get better. To create a system that deals with real wolrd situations. street Fighting these days aren't like in the 50, let alone 80s. Fighting has evolved too. With UFC and other fighting organizations people are mimicking the fighters. They may not be proficient but there's a evolution in the fighting. So for you to quit your organization to seek your fighting style is not a bad thing. Great example is Bruce Lee.
Rokas, with any org it will be the same... I loved the Tomiki aikido which I practised with the British Aikido Association until I left it in 1992 and became independent... I hated the politics and the wrong kind of "elitism" that went on inside of the org... Some of it was to do with money. Some of it was to do with the standards of grading that varied, AND varied greatly in standard, and in truth, made a mockery of even having yudansha level. Some of it was to do with certain controlling people. Some of it was to do with silly pathetic jealousies.some of it to do with the tanto randori which i always thought was ridiculous as I always prefered the randori kyogi or toshu randori as I knew it .. The freedom I felt after leaving and just running my club as being free and independent was to be able to experiment with ways of doing free play and randori, much the same way you are now experimenting, the only difference being was that we were already doing aikido against resistance and experimenting with protective head and some body gear so that we could experiment with full on atemi and to see how our technique worked against punching, kicking, grappling etc... The Tomiki aikido system put me in great stead to handle those that came from other martial arts and wanted to test me, and believe me I was!! But somehow I was able to beat all comers without seriously injuring them, albeit with a few fat lips, black eyes, bruises and a few sprained wrists and elbows!! I ran my club up until 2007, when I just couldn't afford to pay for the ever increasing cost just to do aikido, and all the other hassles of running a club, so I reluctantly gave up and retired from active teaching and now train myself just to keep my fitness levels up... I'm quite happy to go along and do a bit of teaching for anyone who asks and all I would ask is that they take care of my travelling costs and accommodation... Maybe that will happen, I dont know... Even though I am now 64 I can still teach, albeit it I am now a little slower on my feet, and my knees are not so good but that is expected at my time of life!! habatakukaimartialarts.simplesite.com/
Why are some schools against cross training entirely?
Also, really enjoy watching your videos. Keep it up, this is a topic I have always been interested in. This is a topic a lot of modern martial artists are interested in as well.