I Was an Aikido Sensei And Got DESTROYED
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.พ. 2021
- I was an Aikido black belt for years and then one day I got destroyed by a BJJ blue belt. Little did I know where this experience will take me next...
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Welcome to the Martial Arts Journey TH-cam channel!
My name is Rokas. I'm a Lithuanian guy who trained Aikido for 14 years, 7 of them running a professional Aikido Dojo until eventually I realized that Aikido does not live up to what it promises.
Lead by this realization I decided to make a daring step to close my Aikido Dojo and move to Portland, Oregon for six months to start training MMA at the famous Straight Blast Gym Headquarters under head coach Matt Thornton.
After six months intensive training I had my first amateur MMA fight after which I moved back to Lithuania. During all of this time I am documenting my experience through my TH-cam channel called "Martial Arts Journey".
Now I am slowly setting up plans to continue training MMA under quality guidance and getting ready for my next MMA fight as I further document and share my journey and discoveries.
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If you want to support my journey, you can make a donation to my PayPal at info@rokasleo.com
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► • Aikido vs MMA - REAL ...
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#Aikido #MartialArts #BJJ - กีฬา
"My life really changed when I lost my Stevie Seagull ponytail".
🤣🤣
😆
Seagull... 😂🤣😂
ponytail is the final belt in Aikido
@@vincev268 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
It sounds like your friend wasn’t “letting” you win. He knew what he was doing. He set a bar. When you could eventually submit him, he raised the bar, pushing you to do more. But not going all out every time so as to discourage you.
This. It is definitely the primary way for someone to vastly Superior skill to help people catch up. I got to train for several years under a manhood done martial arts for more than 50 years with a couple of decades of that being in japan. He competed on the US Olympic judo team one year, and had an eighth degree black belt in the particular style of karate he was teaching. Those are just a couple highlights among a ridiculous amount of qualifications that he had, and that weren't that hard to go verify. I learned a lot under him but if he had only ever sparred with us full force we would only ever have lost. I remember the first time I got to see him fight a black belt, and it wasn't until then that I realized that I wasn't even capable of comprehending the skill level someone can develop in 50 years of dedicated training. When he opened a school in our area, I started training from as soon as it opened, so there weren't black belts yet except for the one who was teaching us. I always wondered what it would be like for him as an old man to go up against one of the black belts who surely hadn't been training nearly as long, but was perhaps younger and faster and more athletic. when I finally got to see him spar one of the black belts, it looked exactly the same as when he starred with a white belt. his opponent had more skill, but the amount of effort he had to exert in order to win didn't look any different. If he didn't set us a low bar when grappling with us he could have just pinned us indefinitely. He could submit us at will. he could probably literally have killed us with strikes had he wanted to. Martial arts strikes don't kill nearly as easy as easily has a lot of martial artists believe or want other people to believe, but I got to see this man do plenty of things I would have thought were impossible beforehand. The point is, setting a bar for you to rise to, and then letting you actually achieve that bar every now and then before moving it again is by far the best way to bring you from knowing nothing to being an expert. It's still a slow process, obviously, but it sounds like that original training partner did very much the right thing.
@Chris Hoenshell Aikido doesn't shine in any competition. It shines on the stage, and it's also pretty good practice if you're badly out of shape, have horrible coordination, that stuff. Which is also important.
When I first tried Hapkido competition training, I got injured in the first session. After a few years of Aikido training, I tried BJJ, and while I did get injured again, it only happened after almost a year this time, and healed a lot faster, and without medical intervention.
That's usually what a lot of more experienced BJJ people do. They do just enough to destroy you and the better you get, the more they raise the bar. Eventually new people join the gym and you then see how much your jiu jitsu works against unstrained people. It's a beautiful thing
That's exactly how you teach BJJ.
Exactly
I respect this man so much for actually facing reality and putting in the work.
Same
He did not face reality, as he didn’t realize, that’s not the black belt and not Aikido are the problems, but the fact, that he’s not there yet and he lacks of self-reflection to realize that.
@@Memorixt ok bro. Sure 🙄.
@@Memorixt Someone need to eat a slap back to reality
@@akirosensei :)
I practiced Aikido for two years, and I will say the most practical and useful thing I learned was how to tumble out of a fall. In Aikido I must have flipped or tumbled out of falls thousands of times. I never used it for fighting but I used it several times learning how to ride a skateboard, inline skating, roller skating and even running.
Essential skiing skills. Hit the slopes buddy!
My dad trained in aikido for 30 plus years and taught me as well for about 10 and he always said the most important thing about aikido was learning to fall and roll. He fell off motorcycles, bikes, etc and rolling helped minimize the damage.
That is fine, and it may be true for you. But just because you and this guy were terrible, it doesn’t mean anything. I have see people suck in all martial arts; just as I have taken out many BJJ/MMA people that believed Aikido was BS because they don’t get it (like these idiots that put out these videos.)
Funny thing is that this guy in this video continues to be a terrible
Martial Artist in every sense, and he doesn’t even grasp that BJJ is a sport (per its creators.)
@@user-ww2mb3lk6z Better to be a sport than utter BS.
@@user-ww2mb3lk6z Who pissed in your corn flakes?
A simple rule of thumb is this: If your goal is to be able to actually apply your art in combat and the style you practice only contains cooperative training, it's time to start looking elsewhere.
This! I took aikido when I was a kid and every "art" I was taught required the cooperation of the attacker in order to work. Never made any sense to me since if I decided not to "play along" i would never end up on the mat.
@@NateO123 yea but thats when your learning it as a kid, later you practice it on ppl throwing punches
@Ayeato that so? Pretty much all of the footage I see of adults practicing it still look like the attacker is cooperating, dude basically confirmed as much in this video too lol. Truth is time is way better spent learning boxing, bjj, or muai thai, or just good ol mma if you've got time.
@@iatsd I pretty much agree with everything that you just said, and that's just it, aikido generally presents itself as a legitimate self defense system, as do so many of its practitioners. And at least from what I've seen they never break their own illusion because they claim their philosophy forbids them from using their techniques in any situation other than one where its legitimate self defense. I absolutely encourage anyone that wants to train the philosophy and the lifestyle while also getting some safe and healthy exercise while they're at it to pursue aikido to their hearts content. But I do think most people choose to train martial arts out of a desire to learn how to defend themselves, and its pretty clear that virtually any other martial art is more practically applied to such a purpose than aikido.
@@Ayeato You're talking out of your ass. I wasted 4 years on aikido. Realism is and never will be a part of aikido. And if you want health benefits, take up yoga or pilates.
Very humbling. Not many people are so honest with themselves.
I’ve been training BJJ for 16 years, your story is interesting to hear. The examination you put your own martial art thru “Aikido” is impressive. Most people would never go out of their comfort zone to learn something new. I have a feeling you made a lot of friends along the way I bet, learned a lot about yourself, about others, about life. Sounds like a true martial artist, well done, congrats to you!
there is no such thing as BJJ, its JJ
@@gregoryeverson741 useless input from someone who doesn't understand basic martial arts history 👍.
@@JM.MEL_ I understand that JJ didnt come from fucking Brazil
@@gregoryeverson741 Jiu Jitsu originated in Japan in like the year 800 and incorporated so much more than any modern form of Jiu Jitsu. Than, guns were invented, and the military need for the art was lost. It eventually devolved into sport, devolving into judo, karate and modern japanese jiu jitsu as well as aikido for older more injury prone martial artists. Helio Gracie, a Brazillian, traveled to Japan and learned a much more combat focused jiu jitsu that was rooted deeper in older combat jiu jitsu. He refined the art and took only what worked universally. He went back to Brazil and started "vale tudo", which means "anything goes" in english. The Gracies were undefeated and became legends and that was where the term Brazilian Jiu Jitsu came from. In fact, he was so successful, they came to the USA and started UFC and was undefeated until other fighters learned BJJ.
Why dont we refer to things as Sumerian, Ancient Egyptian, or Mesopotamian, even if it originated there? That's because things are taken and evolved on. Maybe you read this entire comment, maybe not. If you did I hoped you learned a thing or two about the history of Jiu Jitsu and maybe wont make such a misinformed comment next time.
@@gregoryeverson741if youre gonna troll at least be creative 💀
Rokas you are so humble. The "Martial Arts journey" is about a person, NOT about a style.
Thank you Shane
You rolled with and submitted your ego - the toughest opponent of all. Thank you for sharing!
There is a huge difference between being a great martial artist and being a fighter.
That's so true. The founder of Aikido wanted Aikido to express something different to fighting. So, he didn't intend it to be a method of combat. I made a video about Aikido on my channel. Please check it out and let me know what you think 🙏🏾
This guy trained 10ys of Aiki-DO and never understood what was doing.
yea both dont exist .... and are faked ... cman mate show me some chi power lmfao .. fk off mate its all bullshit , any good boxer will destroy a kung flu flog fighter .. period !!
@@martialartsaddict9966 no its not true at all ... aikido is fake martial arts .. period and you sir are fake aswell
@@craigwatson4413 You are just a sheep. I bet that you have never had a fight in your life. You just speak out of your a**. The real application of most martial arts was war; therefore, they were meant to disable/kill the opponent. The real application of martial arts is illegal in an idiots sport. See, boxing and MMA were meant to continue gladiators, but with a different name. They were made to see others destroying each other for the pleasure of a brainless audience. Those boxers and MMA fighters, or idiots, are slowly getting permanent damage of their brain and body for no reason other than stupidity.
I trained multiple martial arts, mainly Karate. I also gave Aikido a try, but not for long. To me it was clear pretty fast that the training style there does not really teach you to fight cause the "opponent" lets you beat him and then you do the same for them, exactly as you stated. But the training was not useless, you learn to fall and roll and how to move in a lock or throw so that you dont get hurt easily. If you are able to win a fight against someone by Aikido you would probably be able to do so by any other mean.
I was told on my first night of training Aikido that it’s not for winning fights, it’s for quickly subduing an attacker and then getting the hell out of there before they get back up
So it takes years to teach you stuff you'll learn in your few weeks of training any actual martial art? Lol just teasing you but as someone who trained aikido as a teen and went to train BJJ at uni when I was 18, the intensity and speed of learning in BJJ classes was seriously like 100 times quicker than aikido which was more like a very weird dance class for the elderly and little children and completely, and I mean COMPLETELY useless.
To me, it seems like Aikido is something that is intended as a supplemental art to whatever ones you practice rather than a complete art to use. It doesn't teach you any real offensive techniques for example, and is fully focused on defense. This then becomes an issue when some guy gets his black belt in Aikido and begins to teach people Aikido that doesn't work because he himself doesn't know all of the parts he should've already known by the time he started it.
you did not truly practice Aikido and to say it is useless shows your lack of knowledge @@aw2584
The algorithm brought me here, and I gotta say I really enjoy hearing about your journey and though you could have made this a tale of regret, your infectiously positive spirit and drive to move forward is exactly what progression is all about. I love to see it.
I trained nearly all my life in TSD with a few years of TKD at one point (I'm a bit older at 48) and was fortunate to have a blast and study under some really great instructors. On a parallel, I've always been a skateboarder, and I believe if you remove the combat element of "martial arts," it may very well be one as well. I've been considering joining a local Gracie BJJ studio near me, as age and injuries have and will have some effect on striking, but they never change leverage.
Awesome stuff man. I let my journey seep more into the skateboarding world, and in that I can relate to the need/compulsion to elevate yourself in a way that feels legitimate internally (a term used in many professions is "imposter syndrome").
Respect to you. Keep crushing ahead.
The journey is the destination. Great video Rokas!
Thank you Ramsey! Really glad to know you liked the video. Also, very well placed quote on the journey and destination 😊
Every journy has a destination. With martial arts, there is no destination
Ohh! I'm glad to see my two favorite "Martial Arts TH-camrs" interacting hahah. I love you both, dudes!
you should have gone to brazil....to a jiu jitsu academy and not to a mma studio, you would notice a great difference, with a focus on self defense rather than a competion based, or try the torrance gracie academy or the rickson gracie...
@@MartialArtsJourney Hi Rokas. Please, Check out Don's channel "CatchJitsu.com" here on TH-cam. I think he can show you how understanding body mechanics can make work any martial art, including Aikido. He applies Aikido techniques in Grappling, BJJ and MMA real sparring and matches. He might have some answers of what your looking for. :) /watch?v=n6BaK-huDRU
Very candid reflection
Wat up my Asian brother
No way ofcourse I find you there
Of course youd be here lol, keep doing more of these debunking womens self defence techniques. They're amazing
I spent my teenage years learning Chinese Kenpo Karate and, very much like you, I felt it offered little hands-on training. I wasn't the least bit surprised to find out it wasn't a useful technique when MMA became more a part of mainstream culture.
Kenpo should be useful if it was taught correctly. I haven’t personally trained in Kenpo, but seeing it, I think there are transferable skills.
This was very interesting. I trained Judo in an organized gym and with my uncle who is a black belt and while I was only a yellow belt (first grade after white), I was able to take down blue and even one brown belt once! Simply because I wasn't focusing on learning ALL the techniques, which you are required to if you want to gain higher graded belts. Instead I was focusing on a small array of techniques that were physically easy for me to do and master, and I wanted to really FEEL like I had mastered each technique before moving on. The results were enormous, and my uncle once said, and I quote: "For a minute there I really thought I was going to tap out to a yellow belt". I did not win that sparring duel, but it just goes to show that a coloured belt doesn't decide how good you are, in the end it's all about your willpower and determination.
My point here is: Don't ever doubt yourself or your opponent!
100% this. Specialization generally trumps generalization. I practice HEMA (Historical European Martial Arts), specifically Germanic Longsword with Celtic Shortsword as a side focus. There are so many people that want to perfect every move at once who lose to beginners that only know the basic concept of weak/strong (The 'weak' of a blade is farther away from your grip, the 'strong' is closer, you have more leverage against an opponent with your 'strong') and some footwork. I'm not saying there's no point in striving for perfection, only that one should perfect that which works easiest first. All those niche techniques will only be useful .1% of the time, work on what works most.
That's what's the problem with today's MA practitioners. They all focus to get that belt instead of the technique done right. And then they all will self-doubt if they should go for another MA. I remember hearing Steven Seagal saying he practiced one technique for 2 years, 8-10 hours a day. Now that's what I call a dedication.
A colour belt just gives you a benchmark on what level they are supposed to be, as I do nogi a lot I always ask new people what belt they are so I know what I should be expecting and what effort i should exert, if it wasn't for the belt system each match would start off me asking them how long have you been training, what techniques you are comfortable with me using which would be tedious.
I practice taekwondo and my instructor takes a lot of care to focus on technique of skill. It isn’t enough to know a technique, but to do it with mastery before moving on. I’m old and just started back after 16 years of being out. Are my kicks high? No. But they are really good kicks for their height because I focus on proper technique.
*"I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I fear the man who has practiced 1 kick 10,000 times"* - Bruce Lee
INCREDIBLE!. Just incredible. No words for how amazing and inspirational this video was. 10/10 sir.
Thank you Martial Mind! Really cool to get a positive comment from you :)
This guy is fake and gay. No belts in aikido my friend. Only what are called
Dans, or levels. Inspirational, hahaha 😆 thats rich.
@@jackhammer7824 Aikido does have a belt system. 2nd degree black belt and 2nd Dan are the same thing moron.
@@captaincaveman8532 My nugget, MAYBE in jerk town USA you wear a G string . I don't know. My sensi is from Japan
Been here teaching for 50 years.
I was informed in Dogo no belts essistance I've only hear of. Dans .
So so sorry.....
Namasti
He scammed money from his students and u call him inspirational 😆 😂
Years and years ago I studied Aikido and got my brown belt. I still have it somewhere in my closet. I sort of knew right away that it wasn't a fighting art and that it wouldn't fair well against anyone with a combat mentality. Sure, you could pull off some moves against a belligerent but untrained person, but that's about it. Still, I loved all that time in the dojo. Aikido introduced me to Japanese culture and aesthetics. I always liked the phrase dynamic zen when applied to Aikido. The focus of a good Aikido student in my opinion is inner balance and having a peaceful, calm and confident energy. Those were the lessons that I took from Aikido.
Much later in life I got into boxing and as you can imagine the energy was very different. Here I was confronted with people who were legitimately dangerous and out to hurt you, even in training. For one of my first sparring sessions I was with a very violent young man who tried to knock me out (and almost did before the trainer saved me). I needed to find the other side of myself, the inner animal, the cold-hearted warrior ready to give as good as he gets. I got to be around and to know a lot of legitimate tough guys, ex-gang members, prison guards and cops. Over the years I've had doctors point out the permanent damage I've sustained by this sort of combat training and competition. My nose will never be the same. The chips in my teeth tell a story and there is still a grey mass that shows up on xrays where part of my lower left lung was crushed with a body shot. The ribs healed but that lung isn't coming back. So I understand when the community at large distrusts the inner city boxing gym. They look at boxing coaches as people putting weapons into the hands of the violent and uncontrolled. "You're playing with fire" they say. But a very wise boxing writer once wrote that boxing isn't the fire, it's the stove. It's the thing that contains and controls the fire and turns it into something useful. Ah ha, I heard an echo of my Aikido training there. Sure enough it became true. Proper training, even in the potentially violent atmosphere of a boxing gym, can lead you towards an inner balance and give you a calm and confident energy. Just as Aikido does with it's pacifist mentality.
People are always going on about one martial art being better then the other, yadda yadda yadda. And yes it's true, there are obvious advantages that some have. But let's not kid ourselves too much. The vast majority of people, even life long martial artists, will never have to test their skills in a real fight, especially after they've grown out of their 20's. Humans are hard wired against it and we have all kinds of safety valves to avoid the potential dangers of real combat. Sports, for example. Things like BJJ tournaments, football, hockey and even chess are all surrogates for combat. They allow us to get close to and explore our perceived talents without really risking anything. But what good is your closed guard or Philly shell when the other guy is willing to return late at night and burn your house down with your children still in it? How does your kick-boxing fair against a street gang with a long memory and all the time in the world to get it's revenge? Reality check, no MMA champion stands much of a chance against a 14 year old with a handgun when he's willing to use it (and some of them are).
I guess what I'm trying to say is, if you find yourself in actual combat then you've probably already failed as a martial artist. You were either looking for a fight or you were unable to see a fight coming from a mile away (and you can almost always see a fight coming from a mile away). So by all means lets all go through our martial arts journey. There will be times when we're destroyed and times when we're the destroyer. But for you, if I had to guess, I would say that years from now when you're in your 50's, 60's, 70's you'll circle back to where you began and the pinnacle of your warrior art will be deep breathing, a nice clean dojo, and a peace seeking demeanour.
The head of our akido federation used to say if someone really needs to defend themselves then they should buy a gun. It would be very odd indeed to spend years and years studying.
@@jeremymanson1781 bruh, not everyone lives in america
@@sw-gz9ps Thats true - I don't live in the USA.
As an alternative, another of my senior teachers told us boxing was the quickest way to gain some basic coordination, speed, strength and skills. A punch is uncomplicated and much faster than a kick.
Really effective aikido takes a very long time to learn compared to boxing and anyway, aikido is more focused on self development, rather than on street fighting and practical self-defence.
@@jeremymanson1781 boxing is useless if you end up on the ground, and since 90% of fights end up on the ground its best to know some striking (boxing is fine for this), grappling (like bjj), takedowns (like judo) and clinch work in case of close quarters (like muay thai) also might as well invest in some 100m dash in case you can just run away. you dont have to be a master in any of these, just decently proficient.
@@sw-gz9ps I agree. First don't be there. Second talk your way out. Third run like hell. Grappling experience is great. However that does add another level of complexity and time commitment. I was just looking at the quickest bit of fighting skill an individual could get a hold of.
I like your attitude of being totally honest with yourself and never giving up!
Mad respect for your humbleness, persistence and willingness to keep learning!!!
Humility*
As the saying goes, "It's not the goal that makes you who you are, it's the journey that does"
Ok miley cyrus 😂
Thank you Rokas for your video.
I am a black belt in Aikido. But I find it liberating to be a low rank belt in other martial art (in my case I'm a karate orange belt). I can go to a karate seminar and I don't have to prove anything to anyone. I'm just a beginner and I can concentrate just to learn new stuff. Partners in practice realise soon that I'm not a regular beginner, and I have experience in something. But I try to not to show off. If they ask, I tell them.
One thing I would like to point out to aikido folks: when someone from a different martial art starts in aikido, take that as an opportunity to learn. You can test how your aikido works on someone who doesn't move or behave like an aikidoka. Like Rokas did with his BJJ friend. Sadly I have seen a tendency in Aikido practitioners that when they meet someone they have difficulties to do a technique, they start avoiding these persons. They miss a great opportunity to learn.
I have had a pleasure to teach Aikido to "beginners", who are practitioners on Judo, BJJ, Kraw Maga, Muay Thai and Karate. One was a Russian war veteran, who taught me close combat techniques of Russian military. I think I learned more from them that what I teached them about Aikido, and I am really grateful for them.
Good comment. The issue for me though was that encountering those who had proficiency in other arts was kinda what opened my eyes to the illusion I was engaging in with regard to my Aikido. It's not that I wasn't open to the ideas or concepts they brought with them.....but rather.....that I found my aikido almost entirely ineffective against how a Karateka would throw a punch (strangely they did not leave their arm hanging in space waiting for my kotegaeshi) or that a Judoka would not do a wrist or collar grab and entirely surrender their center of balance so I could lead them in circles for iriminage. I found myself subtly pressuring them to "empty their cup of preconceptions" gathered from their former art so they could be present in the Aikido dojo and learn what Aikido had to offer. This was intended to sound like wise Japanese folk wisdom..... but a distant part of me understood I was basically asking them to stop being so realistic so I could do my Aikido techniques.
Once you see it, you can't un-see it and then you begin seeing the delusion everywhere. In your own day to day practice, in the practice of your kohai and sempai, and even in other dojos' you visit or in the seminars you attend. Kata and cooperation with nary an ounce of reality.
This did not stop my Aikido practice immediately however. I simply continued to train with the understanding that although Aikido was providing me with many things I valued and enjoyed, martial techniques with actual real world efficacy wasn't really among them. What stopped me was the reaction that came from my fellow Aikidoka whenever I touched on my new understanding in conversation. I got tired of being told it might be true of "some" aikido but certainly not theirs. I realized I could not continue to be a participant and thereby facilitate what I came to regard as durable and dangerous delusion.
I'm still friends with some of those people and their delusions endure despite a complete inability to apply aikido techniques to me anymore. They rationalize this by suggesting it's not "fair" because I know the techniques they are trying to apply and can thus counter them. It bounces right off their information bias filter when I explain I'm not doing anything other than offering a real world reaction to their attempt to grab my hand or lead me around in sweeping circles. I explain to them the same is true in my day to day practice in BJJ. I train with people on a daily basis who often know exactly what I'm trying to do and actively try to counter me and that training WITH that resistance present, as opposed to forbidding it, makes all the difference.
Sadly as Carl Sagan once said about delusions: That's the thing about being bamboozled. Once you been taken in you tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle....you lose interest in discovering the truth.....and it simply becomes too painful to admit to yourself that you've been bamboozled.
These preconceptions I blame for the misunderstanding of martial arts from film and the like. It has been a mixed blessing. Aikido is exactly what it is. Think of fencing as opposed to it's more aboriginal forms it developed from. It became specialized and sportorized to a degree that is truly is unrecognizable. Including the weapons themselves. Though still dangerous and people have died from broken sabres they are themselves sportorized and meant to diminish harm as much as possible. Their weight and balance and feel are totally different from the sabres and smallswords they came from.
What I am saying is that one shouldnt look to fencing to learn to kill with a sword. Also one shouldnt judge fencing because it isnt the old art taught by swordmasters. It is an art and a sport.
Ideally one should learn from the art to train to fight.
"You can test how your aikido works on someone who doesn't move or behave like an aikidoka"....exactly my point.....as that's just another way of saying "Someone who has not learned the Aikido choreography yet."
Thank you for posting this. So many ppl will delude even themselves, but instead of constructing a false narrative to save your self esteem/pride/years wasted, you had the balls to tell the truth.
Not alot of men could bring themselves to do that these days. You are a true martial artist.
Thank you for being so honest. It's a rare quality nowadays. Truly appreciated.
Thank you
I’ve been waiting for this; a condensed version that shows big steps in your journey, so that I can easily share it with my circles
Thanks! I'm happy to hear it will be useful for that!
I wanted to do BJJ, but I live in a place without BJJ classes and then my health failed. Now, I'm lucky to have the strength to take a walk every day. My journey now is just to walk around the yard.
And that's an awesome journey! We all work with what we have and that'd what matters 👊
I hope you feel better 🙏
Do judo or wrestling or boxing just do even if there is no gym you can roll with friends read books train at home
In that case even vs aikdo would help. sure you might not fight with It, but you'll still improve coordination, mental focus, Tendon strength. Anytbings better than nothing man.
and that situations blows.
@@thac0twenty377 Recently, much of my exercise has just been shoveling snow. I can usually only do it for three to seven minutes at a time before I become too tired and need to rest for an hour, but I do what I can. I have a five pound medicine ball that I lift while I"m sitting in the recliner watching videos. I shoot a PCP air rifle sometimes, and refilling the reservoir requires using a high pressure hand pump that looks like an old fashioned bicycle pump. That gives me some squats every few days. I'm sure that there's no aikido class in my area, and again, my problem is an inability to do much of anything for an hour at a time. I'm still trying to do whatever I can in small increments. I have a heavy bag leftover from when I was healthy. It's in an unheated shop, but when the shop is warm enough, I'll go hit it for three to five minutes. I don't have much power any longer, but I can at least throw a few punches, elbows, and even a kick or two.
Thank you a lot this is a very good lesson - perseverance in adversity actually builds your inner confidence, not despite but thanks to the losses. I also picked up one thing you sait in another purpose. "Make sure you opponent deserve his victory" looks like a good mental stance, as I'm always judging myself before a fight, letting fears coming and even during it when I feel like I'm loosing. It feels more comfortable this way to just give the best of myself without overthinking the result. Thank you !
Nice vid. Your search for confidence is very recognisable for me. I was a kyokushin brownbelt and 2nd grade wing chun technician with no confidence. Both of the arts didn't serve me well in real fights. Later I found my confidence because of experiences. Finding confidence is one of the most important things in martial arts. Thanks for sharing.
Kyokushin is pretty legit at least tho bro you guys spar hard, only downside is no punches on the face
This video is the definition of "never stop learning."
Loved it man
I had a similar journey with Hapkido. I trained Catch Wrestling after my Hapkido black belt. Smart move. You need constant resistance to submission attempts, otherwise training is wasteful.
👊
Worlds apart in comfort zone. Catch is mean. Good on you!
@@clydenolet736 So, be mean back.
same sort of experience..still study a more traditional style but did some training in catch and it changes everything. You need to at the very least, know your way off your back and how to finish someone quick from the top. I love catch's approach... maybe less technical and more whatever you can get and principle based.
bruce lee said grapplers and wrestlers are tge toughest opponents to face. that is why he always preached be good at striking and grappling, be good at everything . the striker's kryptonite is the grappler and wrestler. be water my friend, adapt to the situation by having the skills on every thing
That was nice to follow. I appreaciate the fact that you don't hold on your Aikido status despite the years of training and that you are capable of going further even if that implies going back to nearly 0. Your testimony made me wish I have pursued martial sports and going in it seriously.
He should hold to his aikido status. It is a lovely and noble art. It is inherently defensive and probably not the best choice if one wants to learn to fight in combat.
Now when you begin to learn a new sport or art you to let go of preconceptions developed from your former artform and unlearn any bad habits you might have developed before and after your previous studies.
But as you progress in your new discipline you can bring back what works from your past studies, finally divorced from the previous things I had mentioned and incorporate all the beauty and utility of the art you had studied before.
Throwing away any noble art is sad. It would be imo wrong to do so.
If you want to learn to fight in the streets, then forget the sports side. Real life fights have only one rule, SURVIVE, and by any means necessary. No mats, no rolling around on the ground and thinking you can fight. Sure BJJ is good for one on one, or in a controlled environment. Any more than one person though, your going to get your head kicked in. Stop believing the UFC hype, thats not real life, and is a very controlled environment, ON MATS. Impractical besides creat space and get back on your feet.
You’re a great storyteller and I enjoyed listening to your experience. Thanks for sharing it and best of luck on your BJJ journey.
Thank you! 🙏
You are the realest out... it takes a lot of courage to get over the sunken cost fallacy and go again after 10 years effort. Kudos.
"I went around the world submitting every Gracie I could find and after accomplishing that I reluctantly allowed them to give me my blue belt as there was still some Jiu jit su master in Brazil in the mountains I could not submit as I could not locate him!"
Haha 😂
Hey Kazushi Sakuraba. What’s up?
the gracie killer!
"After I finally found him, I took my two stripes off again prior to meeting him"
the Gracies were punks who lost most of their fights... they set absurd rules that heavily favored them and still got their ass kicked all the damn time...
Really enjoyed watching that, thank you. I started BJJ at 37 with very little previous martial arts experience.
I'm 5 months into my journey now, still a 0 stripe white belt and I couldn't be happier to have found this sport.
It's improved my life so much.
That's normal at good gyms that don't promote to fast . I been rolling for a 1.5 years and the last year I been rolling 5 days a week and I just recently got my 3rd stripe
That was very brave of you to go through and share. I think I'll have a brutal look at myself even at my old age and learn something or improve something about myself.
Awesome!
I feel that as well. I'm older, but want to believe that there is more I can still learn and apply.
Not everybody suffers through disillusionment so humbly. Thanks for being a good sport.
I've been watching this guy, saw his Aikido progression, proud of where his personal journey has come too...very cool guy...Bruce Lee was right, a belt holds your pants up lol.....
Haha, thanks Mike!
Did Bruce actually say it?. it would be hilarious if he did
@@trieulieuf9 I'm pretty sure it was a quote from Mr. Miyagi (Karate Kid) lol.......
@@trieulieuf9 if you trust google he actually said that. But its also a Karate Kid quote by mr. Myagi.
@@trieulieuf9 actually mr miyago was quoting bruce lee
Nice. Thank you. Your humility is a great strength and teacher. Respect for you from me.
Your humility and hunger to learn shines through so many of your videos. I don't know that many people could do what you have done, breaking free of a community to pursue real and valid questions, all while acknowledging the good things your martial art taught you but confronting its flaws. It's inspiring, thank you for making this content.
Aikido teaches you how to take a fall. I was once hit by a car and walked away unhurt because I knew to roll with the impact. Something I learned during years of Aikido training.
Just like Pro Wrestling.
That is good but I think Judo would offer you the same, plus some more applicable martial arts skills. I don't think Aikido is useless, but it's definitely not the most usable for combat.
Yes did Hapkido I have taken 3 hard falls onto concrete and walked away unhurt.
I have learned Aikido and I and my friends have similar accidents and it works. It's a long journey and many things to explore about Aikido.
@@nongluxzhao574 get a black belt after ten years to prepare you for a deadly fall 😂😂
I just watched 3 of your videos when I searched about Aikido in YT. YOU ARE AWESOME. Your humility is a gift that many people don't have. That is what will allow you to touch more people's lives. Good luck!
Thank you 😊🙏
Thanks for your honesty, man! And to share with us.
This is what a true martial artist is. Take in what works and discard what doesn't do not live in a bubble of self delusion that your martial arts is the solution to every hand-to-hand combat situation. I just started out my martial arts journey this year and joined an MMA gym sure I'm still a noob and get pretty rekt quickly but I am welcoming the long journey ahead. The channel title you picked is really true to your goal Rokas! I hope your journey takes you to newer and greater horizons.
man this guy is so humble most people in his place would just keep the stripes but he gave them away due to the fact he didn't think he earned it very inspirational
That's why he kept losing cause he didn't believe in himself and kept expecting way too much from his opponents. "I dont deserve it, I dont deserve it" to the point he believed it you should be confident not too humble.
Just go to Thailand and try learn Muay Thai and keep doing your bjj and mma practice..you are an amazing man, i'm sure one day you Will be a great martial artist
Thanks :) Thailand is on my list
@Rune Age Mage One of the many cool things about MT is that there is some grappling (clinches) in it already! I used to train in it and that was one of my favorite parts about it.
Just to be charitable, "one day you will be a great martial artist." I'd say a black belt makes him a great martial artist already. It's debatable how applicable it is in combat. But martial arts are so much wider than combat. There are martial arts in drawing a sword, martial arts in dance variations. No less "martial arts."... An art is an art, and I can respect anybody putting ten+ years into self-expression and study.
Just being kind here, without insulting him. Hard work and devotion to receive a black belt is a rare, top 1% of the population sort of thing.
@@scottrogers1493 True. And aikido is not a martial art that hands out black belts after just a couple years. I used to train in aikido for many years, at several different dojos, and I never saw or heard of anyone getting a black belt in under 5 years. It was usually much longer than that.
I’ve found both your videos and others to be very informative as to how I’ve wanted to pursue my martial arts career. I was lucky enough to start out with bjj. That gave me lots of confidence to be able to handle myself. But I still felt that something was missing. I added taekwondo and hapkido. Thinking that would be all and end all to add to my tool belt. But then I started watching these videos. Ive come to a realization it really isn’t the martial art, more how you use it. My tkd sparring may be foot-fencing as I’ve seen people so say. But the concept of the kicks working? That’s been proven. And it’s more how you apply that knowledge. Not how much you know. Just that little token has shifted my mindset and got me thinking a lot better. I wanna say thanks for that. I still have time to go before my name will mean anything in the world. But you my friend, remind me that it is possible at any point in time in your life to start doing what you want to do with it
I'll never forget my first ground fighting class. The instructor got me on the ground, got on top and crushed the air out of my lungs in a few seconds. It was an eye opener.
I never forget the faces of BJJ/MMA instructors that end you self injuring when they can’t accept that I took them out. It is priceless and has happened dozens of times.
Why would I let someone take me down and then play by their rules?
And, no; you can absolutely avoid being taken down.
And, why are you playing by their rules in their sports environment?
Last such pearl came to one of my Dojos and basically try to challenge me by force. Then he got mad that I almost pulled his left eye out of its socket! Got mad and rushed me, again, just to end you with his head in the drywall. He had already dropped one of his cards with some of my students so I billed him for fixing our wall, too.
@@user-ww2mb3lk6z Woah calm down Batman! But im sure gouging someones eye out is no good sport either, and the fact you talk with sooo much pride. Wow, this is truly amazing
@user-ww2mb3lk6z You spent a lot of time typing out these comments. You know no one believes you, right?
@@chrlpolk yea he has too much time on his hands.
@@user-ww2mb3lk6z
That's the new most cringe thing I ever read.
“I do not deserve my blue belt” says everyone ever... till they realize they do deserve it 🤙🤙
Haha, good point :)
I have respect for both Aikido and BJJ. But I've decided to train in Judo for the grappling part of martial arts.
Judo throw just feel so good :D
recently I got my brown belt
I’m a brown belt in judo. I personally think judo is under appreciated compared to wrestling and bjj. Very effective and beautiful martial art. Good on you. 👊🏼
@@rubituesday823 The Gracies did a great job marketing the SHIAT out of BJJ.
Aikido is sth I want to do after i retire in Judo because i can't do ramdori anymore
Awesome story - very inspiring. I don't do any martial arts, but love to watch people take part in them. I respect the dedication and discipline.
Watched your whole video. What a journey, thanks for sharing bro
I don't know why this video popped up on my feed when it did but as someone who has been struggling with motivation while training BJJ lately, I needed to hear this.
I've been having serious doubts about myself lately while training/rolling and I haven't been able to snap out of it. Hearing stories like yours reminds me the journey isn't easy but it's worth making because I'll find my footing eventually. Thank you for sharing.
This guy's speech should be shown in each and every Martial Arts Dojo
Working against pressure in training is extremely important. Great video!
As someone who learn aikido for around 12 years since i was 6, this feels so relateable. I struggle a lot with self confidence right now, and i know and realized that i always lacked confidence. Training aikido for as long as i can remember didn't expose me to any resistance nor struggle to get better or to compete. I didn't grew up with that and ends up growing like a spoiled brat who never taste the dust.. Your story about trying something new and struggle through defeats is really inspiring for me. Thank you very much.
But, that doesn't mean i dont love aikido. I love aikido and i'm sure someday i will get my own black belt and hakama. But not so soon, i will be back to aikido later after i learn more experience from my own martial arts journey
Aikido is useless in real life learn a real fighting art
@@EndingVisions well it saved me from bullies during my school years.. so im still grateful.. but yeah maybe if i live in a place like US where bullying could probably result in going to hospital or worse, actual fighting martial art would be more useful..
Respect to be able to humble yourself like that!
This makes a great point and emphasizes the importance of the journey. Belts, trophies, patches, medals, they are signposts along the way. They may provide a bit of historical knowledge, but after the moment of achievement, they have very little use beyond accessorizing your do-gi. Whatever martial art you study, it is important to realize the destination. If you realize this, it doesn't really matter where you begin as long as you begin. Once this is done, as long as you keep your eye on the destination, you will know when to turn, speed up, slow down, or stop and take a look around. So was Aikido really or mistake, or was it just the place you began that would eventually lead you to the artist and the person you are now? In martial arts and in life, making a deliberate and conscious effort to improve and become more is the secret I would think. 1000 victories, still a beginner.
I trained with a Korean master he wanted his black belts too be examples. He has a great personality. Went by to visit him the other day he's very old and retired now.
Damn straight bro 🤟! Nothing Of value comes easy!🙏
You are honest and after many years of training, i know it isn't easy.. respect
The realization that a loss can be an opportunity to learn more, is absolutely essential in any martial arts competition.
I remember an old TV show
where the villian said to the hero ,
"I'm WARNING you...
I've got a BLACK BELT !"
The hero replied,
"What are you gonna do ?
Beat me to death with it ?"...
Which shows brother?
Mr Miyagi got his belt at JC Pennys. $2.99!
@@empiremonkey XD
Thank you for this, I really needed it!
What a beautiful and humble story! Thank you for sharing it. Wishing you continued growth and success in your journey. Oss 🤜💥🤛!
respect man, inspires me to continue my own journey
This is a great tale of self knowledge, thanks for sharing, I appreciate a lot watching it. I've been training BJJ for the past 7 years and I remembered how grateful I was to acknowledge ny own development
Another great video! One of my favorites from when I first found your Channel! 🔥
Thank you for your humility and honesty.
You're such a decent bloke. Love listening to your videos.
Thank you 🙏
There's a saying that goes: achieving a goal is great, but after all it is the journey that was the most important.
Another saying I love goes: you can better count a journey in friends than in miles.
Definitely need resistance to train effectively. My base is karate, however, I’ve also trained extensively in jujitsu. As a corrections officer, I was in so many real life altercations / attacks that they blend together. The one thing I can say is that all the karate was good for was the footwork. It was the jujitsu that was actually effective.
15 years or more of traditional karate and the first year of bjj has been harder...
I do Okinawan GoJu Ryu karate with a Little Jujitsu and BJJ mixed in. The emphasis in my style is definitely self defense. I've never fought in a tournament so IDK how'd I'd do there. But I've sparred a lot of people, from various walks of life. Other people in my dojo, muay tai, Kick boxing, BJJ, MMA, and good ole boys off the street lol. Fighting against a variety of different folks has definitely improved my ability to fight! I'm not saying I'm the best, not even close, but I'm better than i was.
@@castleincorporated I took one year of BJJ after 8 years of Karate and I wouldn't say BJJ was harder. Just different. But my Karate Dojo was very focused on self defense. We had very few Kata's and more sets of self defense that we practiced at full contact (once we understood the technique of course) as well as open sparing matches. Both Point sparring and Full contact submission sparring. So BJJ was tough, but so was Karate. They were just different.
@Vaille32 What branch of Ju-jitsu did you train, Brazilian or Japanese? Also which would you recommend?
Amazing that you came forward and told the truth and spent the time to learn a totally different martial art exactly what I did at the age of 30 went into a kickboxing gym and got my ass beat stuck with you for 3 years and I thought I didn't deserve a beating every other lesson I walked out of there after 3 years and I thought myself screw the belt they gave me didn't mean nothing to me my knowledge and my dignity did and my training 25 years later I am accomplished Marshall artist I know art sometimes you've got to get down and dirty that's the only way to learn
I think he finally got it... Brazilian ju jitsu is a humble sport you most be humbled before you can grow...
Man, I've watched a few of these videos by Roka since he first started posting, but this is the first time watching in a long time. He sure has changed. Even his voice has changed. He still sounds quiet and gentle... but at the beginning, in the early videos he sounded, ....dunno ...kinda wimpy, now he sounds strong and confident. Anyway, I'm impressed.
Great Journey. Respect for that much work.
Love your honesty. May the road rise with you.
I've loved watching your journey!
Thanks!
After rolling and dominating your training partners:
- Did you just start recently?
- No, I trained for [x amount of time], why?
- Are you sure?
Great way of making friends on the mat :-)
Hahaha, just laughed my ass off 🤣🤣👊
Great video man! It gave me a lot to think about. Thanks for sharing and greetings from Brazil!
Very nice inspirational speech applicable to anybody, any field. Struggle is real and helpful. Congratulations to you in your journey.
superb telling of your story Rokas. the best and most admirable thing about it, is that you still keep your humility and your respect towards others.
Thank you Santiago!
Honesty is a rare quality these days.
I really appreciate your honesty and your integrity. Great job
Great journey. Great message.
"It's not the black belt, it's the journey to the black belt." A lot of people can't appreciate the journey because it is difficult to measure the journey. A black belt is different. It is concrete and tangible, not fluid and always changing as a journey is. That is wonderful that you were not looking for something concrete, but growth and experience.
Wonderful quote, but it should more accurately be "To black belt and beyond", because one's martial journey (if we were to use the old mountain climbing metaphor), going from white to black is simply taking the climbing survival course that gets you prepared to scale thr mountain. After your black belt, they show you the mountain and tell you to start climbing and here is some guides to help you along the way.
Grow up my friend, back in the day I saw Children and Elderly people getting their black belts from TKD and other big organizations if u merely put in ur time ,katas,tests,rinky dink sparring sessions etc and some tiny child or feeble senior citizen got a black belt
Honesty always prevails!
A Wonderful video! Truthful, Honest and Dripping with Integrity! Thanks for sharing!
Respect man you never give up ,you deserve it
I have a strong feeling that after you find what your looking for, your journey will lead you back to aikido and how it applies in real conflict.
Agreed
Show me one example of aikido in a *REAL* Situation
Did he not say in this video that he used aikido once? Maybe it was another of his videos where he talks about his mma training. Want example, Aikido flow - check them out. I'm more of an ic-I-do practitioner. Once the mind adapts to combat, energy flows differently. Having a skill does not make it useless, just might need to learn how to modify it to your needs.
@@johnnydominos I meant in a fight like street or mma
That would be a first.
"This black belt is useless' I was also a nidan in Aikido and moved on years ago to combative striking forms including submission grappling for the obvious reasons that aikido purely would not answer the realities of streetfighting. But I would never say that my aikido black belt is useless that would be disrespectful to all the great teachers and sempai through the years. For me aikido was a good base to move on to other forms. But I am confidant that I can use many of the aikido techniques I learned in a self defense situation (hip throws, joint locks but mixed with striking) if the opportunities presents itself. Most idiots on the streets who attack strangers usually are not very good at fighting. Lastly, don't be overly confidant in BJJ for self defense on the streets as BJJ purely does not answer someone pounding you in your guard while your trying to setup an attack or several attackers stomping the shit out of you or stabbing you on the ground. For self defense its best to be mobile on your feet.
Rokas is an ass. He's disrespectful to his teachers and ex students
This comment is a gem...
@John Trevolter Judo is superior for street fights bit BJJ is good
If the thing you learned from all those “great teachers” is useless in a real fight then your belt is useless. Your teachers took advantage of you, falsely advertised you were learning an effective martial art/defensive fighting form, when in reality you were learning choreographed dance moves you could perform with other dancers. They either ripped you off on purpose or drank their own koolaid and are as delusion as Frank Dux. Either way you don’t owe them your respect for wasting your time and money on something that gave you false confidence that could have really cost you if you ever got into a real fight. Gl
@brynnus nothing can help an unarmed person against swordsman.
Well told story. May your journey toward greatness continue.
Thanks Baron
Thank you so much for this video. Very refreshing. Definitely helps me too. 🙏🏼🙂
i loved akido because of Steven segual ,but when i started bjj it was alot different and opened my eyes ,glad you made the change
I met many people who got into Aikido because of Steven Seagal. Unfortunately it was a false promise 👊
Bro you love human pieces of shit?
@@trevorrogers95 well again I like his movies before he got into all that trouble, if you don't like him that's youre problem.
@@waytogrownfortoys962 I beg to differ. If you like him then that’s your problem
@@trevorrogers95 Actually, it is your personal problem you douchbag. If someone likes his movies, who cares, not everyone is hate filled like you. You're a bigger piece of shit than Steven Seagal could even try to be.
Having doubts about your skills is equal to having doubts about yourself, in my opinion.
nah, it's cause most of Aikido is just silly. There are some good moves and ideas to discover, but in regard to building an entire martial art (and especially a martial arts "career") from it, is just a bad idea. It absolutely does not hold up against other martial arts. Kinda like Wing Chun, or maybe Tai Chi. I dunno much about Tai Chi, personally, but I trained in Wing Chun for about a year while I was studying other martial arts. While there's some useful stuff there, it just does not hold up as a "complete" martial art.
My guess is that he understood, or had some understanding (even if it was perhaps subconsciously) that Aikido just doesn't compete with other martial arts.
Well, your opinion is wrong.
@@BobBob-oe9uf no. Confidence in paramount. Otherwise you suck.
If someone tells me ballet can be used for self defense and I at first believe him, but then are not sure if I really have defense skills, that is not doubting myself, that is being honest with myself.
@@DundG ah, but see you know that nobody in their right mind is going to say "I'm gonna dance you to death". Unless it's Patrick swayze!
That's awesome man. Love the Chanel
I had not visited your channel since 4 or 5 years ago, after you had your "wake-up call" after a MMA sparring. Glad to see that you're now enjoying BJJ !
I have several bb in several martial arts. But im olso a brown belt bjj and got my own big academy. What i know is that there is no shortcut in bjj. There is no "kata" etc. Is just a intense warming-up, 2 a 3 techniques and then 30 - 45+ min rolling. When your getting submitted then you know there is a lot of learning ahead. We you submit an other then you know there is still a damn lot to learn and even more than that hehehe. The only advice that i can give to people is that not every roll needs to go till death. I olso flowroll with people. This keeps me fit and olmost injury free. Listen to your body and if your asking a lot from your body then give olso a lot back.
But m8. Love to see your journey. The way you have gona true to come where you standing now. Keep it up and stay inspiring other people.
Bjj hug from the Netherlands. And when you someday in the Netherlands(emmeloord). Feel free to visite uss.
Frank Jongsma
Awesome video, I definitely know where you’re coming from. Keep up your training, there’s a lot more to learn. 👍🏽
Great video! I sincerely hope that you continue the journey.......
Inspiring story. As someone who started out with BJJ for my first martial art, it’s interesting how you see things as a black belt in another art. One thing, never give up your stripes!
I give up an entire black belt.....
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