Least Effective Martial Art Put in the Cage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 24 ส.ค. 2024
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Links to original videos mentioned in this episode:
Aikido vs MMA - • Aikido vs MMA - REAL ...
Conversation with Roy Dean - • Disillusionment of Aik...
Quitting the Aikido organization - • WHY I QUIT MY AIKIDO O...
Conversation with Matt Thornton - • Questioning Your Marti...
Aikido vs MMA second sparring - • Aikido vs MMA - Rematc...
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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
SUBSCRIBE to see when the next videos will come out:
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Check the video "Aikido vs MMA" which started this whole Martial Arts Journey:
► • Aikido vs MMA - REAL ...
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► / rokasleo
Install Raid for Free ✅ IOS/ANDROID/PC: clcr.me/MartialArtsJourney and get a special starter pack with an Epic champion ⚡Drake⚡ Available only for new players
Links to original videos mentioned in this episode:
Aikido vs MMA - th-cam.com/video/0KUXTC8g_pk/w-d-xo.html
Conversation with Roy Dean - th-cam.com/video/s_8kZiAo72I/w-d-xo.html
Quitting the Aikido organization - th-cam.com/video/47LUc_q70pY/w-d-xo.html
Conversation with Matt Thornton - th-cam.com/video/MPfDhzZ6_gs/w-d-xo.html
Aikido vs MMA second sparring - th-cam.com/video/g3IwxR2Ar-I/w-d-xo.html
I really can understand what you are experiencing since i was a little kid i trained Karate and while some people karate works for self defence its a complete bullshit i trained every single day since like 10 to 17 years old i gave my life for it i used to train in home, in my school in my dojo i was always watching stuff and experiencing new techniques, and while sure against a guy that has no idea of how to fight i have really good chances but still against other marcial arts like kick boxing muay thai mma etc i had no chance i have been in 3 diferent dojos and the last one qas really good but i still felt the flaws in karate especialy because we dont spare we fight imaginary oponents, im 18 now and i decided to quit karate and explore other marcial arts but much like to you when i sended a mesage to my sensei explaining that i was leaving becaus3 i didnt had no more motivation to continue i felt empty training karate and i couldnt stand that i couldnt make karate work ina real fight but he didnt even bothered responding, no one of my friends that trained there akesed me why i left no one cared, now im training Muay thai and i will start training bjj and judo since i cant find mma gyms in Portugal..well i wish you good luck in your journey, im a huge fan!
Blink twice if the Raid Shadow people are holding you hostage!
Promoting Raid really waters down your credibility. Many of the mobile games are extremely predatory towards vulnerable people, something I think fundamentally goes against everything martial arts would stand for. Consider it like this: what ever they paid you for the add, a few handful of extra people go play the game and a couple of those get addicted and end up paying the same amount you got from this add. If they have the money to burn, so be it, but there is a very real chance they get into financial troubles. So by proxy, you choose to accept a load of money from some poor goy who needed the money for literally anything else.
Even if this just goes on deaf ears again, I feel like I have to keep commenting this. I don't know much about martial arts, but I do know something about the gaming sphere. If a mobile game has money to burn on an add on a martial arts channel you can be sure the money is dirty af.
You don't even realize the amount of admiration you have earned from countless people, regardless of the "hate" from the traditionalists you're getting away from. Kudos.
Nah, most traditional practitioners actually love sparring and trying moves out, those berating Rokas are a very minor minority(just very vocal).. I practiced aikido, krav maga and ninjutsu and shocking.. we did plenty of sparring, mouth piece and gloves and all.. Like one in every 4 sessions was sparring. In case of aikido it was very similar to regular judo grappling play. Me and all others I know have no qualms admiting "I suck at ground, so-so at grappling and somewhat successful in striking" (or whatever the case for every individual)
😂😂😂😂 iv never seen so many absolutely ignorant of martial arts you think sparring is the answer to everything that's the problem with a lot of people. Do you think any of what rokus is of value? There is training in martial arts and there is using it for real in real life situations the key question is this ARE YOU ANY GOOD AT WHAT YOU DO? GOOD AT DEFENDING YOURSELF? GOOD AT DEPLOYING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED IN A REAL LIFE SITUATION? RATHER THAN BLAMING THE MARTIAL ART IS WHAT MANY HAVE DONE RATHER THAN LOOK AT YOURSELVES AND ASKED SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT YOURSELVES. is what Bruce Lee asked in one of his interviews...so many years ago.
@@patmat7984 You can not do anything without sparring. Sparring is not the answer, it is the bare minimum. You add whatever else ON TOP of it, not instead of it
I remember this going down. I think all it takes is to look at how healthy you look now and how happy you seem/are. I was an aikidoka for years and i also had deep insecurity around it. Since stwrting a concretely pressure tested style (bjj) even though i lose ALL the time i don't feel insecure... I feel .. like I'm getting what i want out lf my training
Aikido is not a competition martial arts. How did you expect it to fair well against competition? You clearly did not understand the role of Aikido.
Respect to Tadas for continuing to be willing to be a part of your journey and a target for you to aim for. Sharing knowledge and supporting one another in each's individual growth and learning is the spirit of martial arts.
I always find it ironic when TMA schools preach respect and talk about leaving your ego behind, but then they demonstrate a lack of respect for others and show their massive ego when it is hurt. What you're doing is what all of those Aikido masters should ideally be doing if they actually have respect for their craft.
A gym of 30 losers who are literally afraid of getting hit in the face are called a flock of cowards and phags.
What's that abandon the martial arts and talk crap about it all over the internet?????
Yep. And it’s that culture of forced respect that gives them something to hide behind whenever they’re called out on their BS.
@@notsoxtremegamers. I see you’re triggered. But he didn’t “abandon martial arts.“ He abandon aikido. He abandoned ineffective martial arts. But he still practices martial arts. Boxing, wrestling, kickboxing, Judo, Brazilian jiujitsu, etc. are all martial arts. They just work.
Honestly this martial arts journey is essential in the next evolution of self defence. Not many people are brave enough to take the steps to do so. Good for you man
Everyone who walks into a real gym is brave enough dude. Lol. It's only scary to learn real martial arts to old white guy aikidokus. Being scared of losing is complete phaggotry. You have to lose thousands of times to win.
I am glad that you are sharing this. This helps a lot of people shake their bad experiences in their dojos and try to move on with their own martial arts journey.
Very similar story to me Rokas. I couldn't bear teaching Aikido, it got to the point where I despised putting the hakama on. Best thing I ever did was simply QUIT and WALK AWAY from it 9 years ago and I haven't looked back. Fantastic!!!!
Why did you despise it?
@@notsoxtremegamers Personal reasons to me. You must follow your own path and make your own discoveries. There is no point me listing those reasons.
Dude, your journey is admirable!
You basically tried to apply a scientific approach to martial arts, and you arrived at a conclusion based on results, not ego. It is super honest from an intellectual standpoint.
Kudos, +1 sub!
This and i want to add my personal note, that techniques and styles are highly overrated while training you body is highly underrated.
There is only so much "techniques" that make sense from a mere economic of movements point (How you effectively throw a punch, kick, etc.). How much that might be is up to discussion sure, but lets say 32 base movement (just for example). Learn those, then practice them for the rest of your life. More important once you mastered that base techniques (effective movment) is to focus on physical exercies, get stronger, faster, more flexible even train your reflexes etc.
Daily Jump the rope dose more for you movement ability's in actual fights than doing the "expressive dance" each day...
I compare it to fencing and the sword you use in fencing. A skilled fencer can slice you to peaces with a sharp sword. A skilled fencer with a spoon, is still a skilled fencer but would be ludicrous in an actual fight.
Now what is your sword? Your body is your sword. You can get all the skill, its useless if you are a spoon ;)
Maximum respect and love to you Rokkas, not easy to make massive changes in things you've always done but walking away is sometimes the only way for you to grow.
Rokas, you have been terrificly inspiring to me. As a forty five year old Sensei with a son who questioned my organization's teaching style after fighting with styles that pressure test in basic training, I want to thank you for leading an old man on a journey in your footsteps. My youngest is training very differently than my oldest. Much appreciation to you, Sir! God bless!
You aren't old, I am a tad older over Hawaii five O but still consider myself young..........Bless...........
Aikido is no longer a competitive martial art. Aikido occupied a very niche part of Bushido, which is not active anymore. Therefore, to think that Aikido is something else is on you.
@@notsoxtremegamers Not sure if you'll see this. But can you say more about the niche. My kids are tiny four year olds. One is persisting with karate, competition dojo but at this stage just learning any style I feel helps them focus keep fit. The other twin just refused so I gave up after six months with her and she does music therapy instead. But when they are seven years old I'll try them on Kalaripayattu which is traditionally taught to kids here two five year cycles no belts or gradings you move on when you are ready to the next cycle. We have a WAY aikido an Australian sensei who combined Yoga and Aikido together so clearly not a martial art per se. I like the attitude and spirituality. Once they have a grounding in the other styles if they choose I think it would be a beautiful crown. Just really want them not to get bullied whether at school home friends's homes and work or just walking about in Bangalore. So I know nothing. I don't think this chap is as anti-Aikido as you feel. He hasn't put me off it for my kids. But I chose the dojo by how good their reputation was teaching kids and how close they were to us. Every weekday after school if its too far away gets wearing. Sorry for a long response and question
@@DesCoutinho As long as you know why youre choosing certain martial arts and the purpose for learning them, it's all good. Eventually, for people who won't be getting into competitions, any martial art would be suitable, as long as you find the right coach. That is THE most important part, bar none. If you have a bad coach who is exploitative, it won't be worth learning even the most tried and tested martial arts.
@@DesCoutinho Also, going by personal experience, martial arts will **probably** not stop bullying. Especially if the bullies learn that your kids "learn martial arts", they'll be more likely to pick on them to try and test them, and in such cases, if they're learning something like aikido or wing chun or something, the outcome would be quite the opposite of what you'd hope. Even Kalaripayattu's modern form is based on demonstrations and choreography than it is based on fighting.
Bro. U just became my fav aikido martial artist thoroughout my life. I respect u so much for ur honesty and open mind . Btw, I m a karateka. Osu ! 🤝
Probably my favorite youtuber in the martial arts community behind sensei seth and icy mike. Another banger has been released!
I attended a couple weeks of aikido about ten years ago and the amount of malignant narcissism from the sensei drove me away.
These guys are not really the holders of the key. Just posers who really believe their own stuff.
But it’s not just Aikido.
Even BJJ and other modern systems can still fall prey to this.
When I stopped worrying about belts and becoming “a master”, I realized I could take what works and leave what didn’t.
Rokas chronicled his own discovery and I wish I had as well.
Good on him for looking hard at his masters and realizing it was a cult.
"take what works and leave what didn’t."
Ironically that's the essence of Jeet Kune Do
Love that you're retelling your stories in this format🎉
Me too, also love links to mentioned old videos, saves me time from looking for them :))
I’ve been following your journey for several years now and I have to say I’m very proud of you. One of the hardest things any martial artist had to do is test themselves. Most of us start out pretty simple, competing in tournaments, sparring and even promotion testing with our colleagues. You had the guts to test yourself outside of your own realm where you were clearly at a disadvantage but you used your experience, IMO, to not debunk Aikido but to learn more about yourself. Our arts are only a small extension of ourselves. The competitor inside is what matters most. Keep fighting and learning from your journeys!
you are lucky to escape that cult alive! :)) very interesting and great episode, waiting for next!
The real treasure is the friends and family you made along your journey.
Nice video - sadly the Aikikai is very divisive. This explains why so many senseis have broken away from Aikikai. Sadly the Aikido as practiced today has been watered down. The original Aiki-Jujitsu was more functional according to my research. Many of the original Aikijujutsu practitioners came from Judo, which gives one of how effective O Sensei's martial art was in the 1930s. BTW Bruce Lee had a very negative view of Aikido (and a very positive view on Judo). Without real randori and training with real resistance, any martial art will quickly become little more than a series of kata exercises.
The liberation of having walked away from Aikido may ever-so-ironically be the very thing that makes those moves fling people around for real.
The attachment to it and the "make it work" mentality might be bogging it down. May be less anything you need to physically do different and more a change of mindset. Just a thought.
BTW you're amazing! Been watching your journey for years. Massive respect for challenging yourself like this. 🙏
by walking away from aikido he stops focusing on aikido and focuses on what techniques he has experience with and essentially give him a starter pack for some martial arts
Laugh when you can, apologize when you should.
The long way you took to make aikido work and faced the music in a way that’s humble but honest. You did great and found ways to make it work in a combative way like when you did in the seminar
Thank you for sharing your journey and insight. "Cult mentality" is pervasive not just in martial arts but in many other industries such as healthcare, military, finance, etc. People are indoctrinated into a way of thinking and taught not to challenge or question their superiors or mentors or the way things have always been done. Reality always wins and shines a spotlight on their BS. You haven't lost any "friends" by leaving; only those who need you to stoke their ego by blindly following their BS. Keep up the good work and follow your passion and truth seeking. Love, peace and happiness to you sensei. 👊
Well this is a right cliff-hanger! Great editing, btw.
Thanks!
Tons of respect for making such a difficult decision. I grew up in Aikido and Hapkido. So I fully understand where you're coming from.
Aikido is essentially just Jedi LARPing without knowing that you're investing in a fantasy. At least Hapkido has a well rounded focus beyond the momentum manipulation and joint manipulation.
I train kendo where we spar constantly, and aiki is stupidly hard even with our technical orthodoxy and restrictive rule set.
Out of hundreds of channels on YT that I'm subscribed to, this is the only one I have the notification bell turned on for when new videos drop.
You did a great job.
Although I am also a student of Aikido.But I'm also skeptical about practicality in combat.
So my three years of aikido experience.Will follow me to the next Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Dojo
I want to grow my fighting style too !!❤
@@shalom-shalom Submission Is most useful for me .i'm not a fighter.
Love watching your journey.
You should meet Steven Segal as a part of all of this. The internet has of course had a feild day with him. That said, it would be wise to see what he has to offer in regards to Aikido.
Definitely goes back to aikijutsu and Daito Ryu… very practical approach
You're such an inspiration
You're an inspiration Rokas. It's been amazing to watch your journey!
Thank you
Rokas this is a great story! Thank you for sharing it. My journey was similar to yours but I am nowhere near as dedicated lol. I think there are 3 kinds of people that take martial arts: fighters/straight pragmatic; esoterics/here for the vibe; hybrids/mix of both. Certain martial arts attract the different people. I went to a school that stressed sparring, and pressure testing, but also had a heavy dose of eastern philosophy, so we had all 3 types. I have always tended toward the pragmatist end of spectrum and I noticed early on that even as a white belt if it came to a fight I would destroy some of the esoterics, no matter their rank. They just had no fighting spirit. That’s not a jab at them because that wasn’t why they were there. I respected their commitment, knowledge, and obvious hard work to get so technically proficient but I knew in a fight they were in trouble if the opponent had any sort of skill. The conflict comes in when folks won’t stop to consider the other person’s view. It seems to be mostly the esoterics that feel threatened by an open mind, but I know there is value beyond pragmatism in the martial arts as well. It doesn’t just have to be about fighting/self-defense. Anyway sorry for rambling, I just wanted to say you aren’t alone in your journey, and that I really enjoy your content. Keep it up brother!
Exactly. They say it is not about the size of the dog in a fight. It is about the size of the fight in the dog..
The Journey of Rokas is truly a path to mastery.
Love your honesty and spirit of exploration, trying, learning, improving.
From an Aikidoka and Aikido lover : Keep pushing your journey forward and publicizing it ! You are already improving Aikido. Aikidokas will follow at their own pace. Good job !!!
At least you’re trying to fix Aikido image instead of embracing it’s bs like Steven Seagal
It's a great journey I am watching. I started as a teenager in Tang Soo Do but realized by the time I got my black belt that while I excelled at the techniques and tournament fighting, it was far from real self defense and fighting skill. I eventually quit and moved to a Karate/BJJ dojo that a friend studied at. Felt a lot more confidence with my hands and low kicks with Karate and started to dabble in BJJ during their free rolls. Also took classes at college in Judo and other martial arts. I feel like they all added to my repertoire, created my own MMA before I really understood what that even was. Hopefully that is the same with you, while you can still study or teach pure Aikido, just knowing that it's a means to an end as you learn other striking and grappling arts. Tradition is fine as long as like what you are mentioning, that in the end you are truthful to yourself and others about what it is.
Man I remember these videos like they were yesterday, you did so much and now you got so much better in fighting even with aikido.
Maybe one day in your next mma fight you might actually pull off a aikido technique,
That would be awesome 😄.
Rokas might be the most humble and introspective person on this planet. ❤ & Respect to you!
Rokas, I appreciate your making this public. It's not easy coming to the realization that what you've been taught and believed to be "true" is no longer the reality you held it to. Many martial arts styles unintentionally become like that, especially when you have "purists" who never question the sensei. I walked away from the traditional Shotokan Karate school I was attending and teaching when I realized, after watching UFC 1 (yes, I'm that old), that what I had learned was incomplete. I enjoyed most of the "traditional style" because I felt connected to it, but stayed hungry to add more. Leaving Karate I started to search for a BJJ school, which was quite rare at the time. I found an instructor and had been with him for almost 25 years until is untimely death last year. I decided to open a BJJ school last year, but had a really bad motorcycle accident that left me amputated on one leg. I will finally be opening the school in August this year, prosthetic leg and all. You are of course invited to attend if you are ever in Montreal Canada. Thank you for your videos, I do truly enjoy them! Karl
Have you ever considered re-opening your Aikido school if you figure out a style of Aikido that works in a fight? I think your knowledge, experience, and voice in the discord would be invaluable to future generations who might otherwise go down a similar road or unfortunately give up on Aikido altogether because of the close-minded politics and cult behavior
thats very mature and intelligent, being so self aware and being able to give up on things that were dear to you to learn and grow. Im sure most people couldnt do that.
Rokas, I love your channel, your courage and truthfulness. Truth above all. Keep going.
Rokas you are awesome brother!
You have helped many of us in your journey.
I also follow and train in a traditionally ran dojo for a karate style, I have been watching your videos for a long time now. I went in the marines when I was a young black belt (like 6 years of karate training) and learned A LOT about what I lacked as a fighter. You gave me the courage to try out some MMA and BJJ schools and work on and test my fighting and abilities. I still train Uechi Ryu as we do pressure test and fight, but I learned that I was a much weaker fighter than I though I was, and I learned how to fill in those gaps. Again, thank you.
What I do think you need to do, is have an Aikido student go against an untrained aggressor in a match. That would let you know if Aikido can work at all on the street against someone who is untrained as that is what almost all street fights are. I don't know who you will find to volunteer for that, but that would be a good working test of Aikido in my opinion. This could be a whole mini series where you pressure test students of martial arts schools with untrained aggressors. It reminds me of Hard2Hurt, he did some Korean style for years before becoming a cop, and while he will tell you now that it wasn't a good style, it was good enough to get him out of most situations while he was a cop.
The question isn't 'does Aikido work against a trained, strong, professional fighter?' Of coarse it doesn't! The question should be "will a trained Aikido student (maybe of 4ish years) be able to control an untrained attacker?" That to me is the question. Anyone with any sense knows that training in an MMA gym with pads on and fighting is better fighting training than any martial art; but I don't see 70 year olds still training MMA, I do see 70 year olds still training karate. The low impact, mobility focused, soft sparing of many martial arts is good for the body; and can help keep you healthy active and mobile into your old age. I personally think a mix of the two is best; you train a martial art that has pressure testing and fighting, and compliment it with MMA style fights and training once in a while. As you get older you fight less and less hard and keep your reflexes sharp with light sparring.
I am loving these!
great backbone man, great for you. I love it. stick to what you think is right
balls of steel
Much respect brother. What you're doing is very brave.
Man, you have courage 👏🏼👏🏼
I'm a goju-ryu karateka from Brazil that trains judo and boxing all my entire life to make my fighting style more effective, and because of things like these my karate master kicks me off from the dojo, and all that sh!π gives me more strenght to create my own style and open my new dojo.
Life stories like yours are inspiring... Keep doing your work, you're a true martial artist 🥋
From what I understand aikido is meant to be used against armed and armored opponents as a last line of defense on a battlefield. It's not meant for modern self defense situations or sport fighting. Wrestling, Muay Thai, Boxing, and Jiu Jitsu.
You know, finding another advocate of Aikido to compete in a future Ultimate Self Defense championship would be a really great way of testing in a neutral environment if it truly is viable compared to MMA, boxing, karate etc.
Keep up the great videos!!!
You are making history, bro. Don't stop. You are showing the world the true meaning of martial arts.❤
It takes a lot of courage and maturity to leave a path one has walked and loved for a long time. After many years of walking a path (that could be religion, political view, anything really) we develop an emotional attachment, a sense of 'clan' belonging and a sense of security, and all those things have a very strong grip on human beings. This is also why cults are often so difficult to abandon.
The search for enlightenment has never been an easy choice. Keep going.
Rokas, thank you for sharing your journey and your vulnerability. You are a great Martial artist, and a great content creator
This is an amazing journey, Rokas! You have such courage to question the group think. Inspirational!
And your video editing is great too :)
Been there since virtually the beginning…. The way you carry yourself the way you look is allot more confident and unlike a dork
Wow they seem like great, honest, unselfish, open minded seekers at Aikido gyms.
Undying respect for you Rokas. Leaving a cult isn't easy, neither is striving to improve yourself. You have the heart of a lion you are an inspiration to so many of your viewers.
Love and respect the sharing of your story Brother 🙏🏽🏆It’s courageous to exit cult systems and walk the path of testing the reality of truth 🙏🏽💎👍🏽
Mans going up in the world. Congrats on your first raid sponsor ship!
putting yourself out there
step in the cage
and looking at the weakness of your art background
RESPECT
I think your videos are very important (if not the most) in modern martial arts developement. The fact that you stayed true to yourself and made such a huge step and cut off from your aikido past is so admirable. Most people would rather stay in their bubble reassuring themselves that their non-working martial art is special and almost magical.
I have trained karate and after i transitioned to muay thai i saw how much of a bullshito it is, and that it also had many similiarities to a cult (older karatekas made fun of other martial arts, stating that they're brutal and not that effective).
I think that it is you who brought the "pressure testing" term to martial arts world. Thanks to you, I could show some people that not everything works, and some martial arts are pure waste of time.
Thank you for your work.
I was really hoping you'd continue the "make aikido effective" path. It's immensely entertaining, it's fascinating, and it could be a boon to people whose love of martial arts comes from the idea of the diverse styles and techniques.
He allready showed some techniques from aikido being made efecctive most likely he would need to find people doeing martial arts with similar techniqeus and rearn those and then presurre test and refine for each technique
@@definitlynotbenlente7671 Yeah, I want more of that!
Rokas! You are quickly becoming the most interesting guy on youtube. Thanks for your dedication to this journey of finding the truth!
You are the man brother. What you’re doing is amazing. Never stop! 🙏🏻
I’ve taught Tai Chi for years, and I try to teach my students what the movements COULD be used for, but I make it very clear that in order to actually use them you have to train speed, power, stamina, pain control, and spar with a lot of different people of different sizes and backgrounds. The potential application is useful in understanding the movements of the form but don’t be fooled into thinking you could use it without years of proper training.
Dude you are awesome your journey is incredible.
I posted this on your previous video, but I think it's important that you see it:
Not sure if this every came up, but have you every looked into the history of aikido? It's parent art, Daito Ryu Aikijutsu, was actually quite ruthless and brutal. From my surface understanding, Aikido was meant to be more of a meditative/religious practice more than a true self-defense system, similar to how Tai Chi is with the Chinese martial arts. It took a lot of the nasty techniques from Daito Ryu and essentially nerfed them in order to make it more passive in nature. So I think if you were to really make "aikido techniques" work, you need to look at it's roots for the answers.
I would suggest possibly making a video checking out a legit Daito Ryu Aikijutusu school and comparing it to Aikido. I personally did Hapkido (a korean derivative of Daito Ryu) for many years and we did full contact sparring, drilling and other forms of pressure. Our sparring sessions essentially boiled down to MMA in a dobak; you saw armbars, triangles, and double leg takedowns on the reg, and black eyes and broken noses were not uncommon.
Or you could check out a legit Hapkido school 😁; just make sure it's close to it's Korean lineage as possible, some of the stuff that strays too far from that can definitely be considered bullshito lol
I'm personally 100% sure, that martial arts journey should look like this: boxing, kickboxing, karate - and i cannot stress it enough KARATE (within half a year of kickboxing - some grappling), grecoroman wrestling or judo, bjj (while still improving on kickboxing), then applying more advanced techniques, and yes i mean aikido techniques. After that, You are experienced enough to decide if You will focuse more on grappling or more on striking.
Impressive 👌
You are such a great guy, Rokas. A really brave man.
Immensely proud of you, Rokas. As someone who fought for years to break away from a cult he was raised in, I know how difficult breaking away from old habits and those we felt were friends and family. Your channel could not be more aptly named.
I'm not even a martial art specialist and I've seen the flaws in Aikido for many years. It is beautiful to watch and is a very disciplined art, but has lost it's martial/fighting edge even against an average boxer.
It's refreshing to watch someone being honest about the martial art that they love and to see them possibly rediscover and add back the fighting edge of Aikido, or to bring it back under a new banner as an aspect of a broader martial art.
Well done Rokas.
Speaking as someone who has incorporated Aikido into a useful ways of subdue individuals, I have taken several aspects of Aikido work.
For years I worked as both as a bouncer at night clubs and as a loss prevention manager in retail stores. I was able make aspects of Aikido work to subdue individuals, be they rowdy bar goers or people trying to steal from the store I worked.
But, I agree that in a MMA setting Aikido may not work well, but there are times in which it does work.
really appreciate you insight and enjoy the journey
Awesome, good for you! I attained 1st degree BB in Hapkido, the Dojo started doing things more "commercial" and changing in other ways I did not like. Decided to start studying BJJ. First training session I learned that this is full speed and you learn immediately what works and what does not. Two sessions later I said to myself, "I am home!" I loved loved loved it.
Sadly I have a shoulder that dislocates (Old injury). I used to be able to put it back in myself but it got to the point that I could no longer reset it and an ER was needed. I had to stop training BJJ. Fuck, I miss it!
I wish I could go back in time and start BJJ sooner.
Anyone who reads this, this video is a wake up call.
Wow. Thanks so much for this video. You're vulnerability is amazing
🙏
Keep going, keep progressing.
Hi Rokas. Thank you very much for this series. You speak for a lot of us. Aikido is beautiful and totally worth to spend years training it. I spent 10 years and when I came to a MMA dojo i realized I simply didn't know how to defend myself. But it comes the time when you just need to move forward. You inspire me to keep on going into MMA. Looking forward for the next chapter.
So damn proud of you.
Funnily enough your journey actually helped inspire me to go back and reconsider my roots in wing chun. I don't associate with the WC community and you'll never catch me claiming a lineage. But now that I've done boxing and have been looking into muay thai, I've been able to see WC through a different lens that... I think I'll probably disagree with just about every other WC guy out there, but it's my honest interpretation that Wing Chun is meant for finding a dominant position in the clinch, not "hand trapping"
Super solid work!! Bravo
plot twist, you'll train martial arts that "work" for a couple of years and you'll still lose because the other guy had more experience.
Aikido works great when your opponent is cooperative. I was taught some in the police academy decades ago and it worked when people were compliant, but was of no use if they were combative.
I think aikido has it's place, I really do. I'm a Gracie Jiu-jitsu practitioner and I love jiu-jitsu. Aikido, I believe, is a good art and skills to know if you have an opponent who is significantly weaker and/ or smaller or someone who's intoxicated who's not being really physically aggressive in an extreme way but being a persistent bully or problem with you. Someone that needs to get the point but isn't someone that you need to hurt and as well, making it seem like you're not the bad guy in the situation or not being presumed to be the aggressor. Aikido is a little gentler than a lot of other arts. I wouldn't rely on just knowing Aikido but it's something that I would also like to know a little about to have in my tool box.
Others want to stop you before they themselves are out to the test. They understand perfectly what you are doing, they fear of doing the same. Keep finding your Truth💪🏿
I remember watching all these videos as they were posted😅 time sure does fly.
I was also practicing aikido before all this happened and I remember my sensei always saying tht we need more than just aikido. So he told me to try boxing 🤷 basically.
. Who's gonna try and hold your arm and then you perform something... Nah, learn to strike, after that, if someone does grab you, well aikido might work.
Rokas, if you are reading this, I would like to share my experience. I am an aikido practitioner myself and some of my family members have strong religious beliefs.
The behavior that you have been describing regarding you former colleagues and sensei are textbook cult mentality. Maybe that's not so bad, since it helps you go your way. Now, aikido and other martial arts, at least how they are practiced today, will not help you win a fight. They provide mobility and body awareness, as well as social skills and bonding, which are essential for everyone, specially nowadays. However, if your goal is to become a truly great fighter, the only way to get there is by fighting.
I hope you continue to find your way as an honest and humble martial artist, just like you have been doing! Do not regret your time spent in aikido, since it provided you critical information and experience that led you to where you are today. It is a crucial part of you story. 🙂
A lot of my journey is similar to yours. I love your commitment to the truth, even if it means the consequence of leaving behind a whole community.
Really amazing journey you have been on, and I am glad you could share it with all of us.
Your journey is fascinating ❤❤❤
The only way to improve in martial arts is to Train, Question, Test, and experiment. Keep what works and throw out what doesn’t.
You need to check Leo Tamaki for Aikido ....
Love your transparency Rokas. I too was so obsessed with kung fu in my teen years. My sifu use to paint the narrative that kung fu was unstoppable and that boxing stood no chance against it. However, we never sparred. I walked around with more confidence than anyone thinking I was untouchable. But one day my cousin who is a boxer asked to spar me. I didn’t hesitate thinking he wouldn’t be able to touch me. However after one round of sparring him, I was converted 😂
He told me many times leading up to the spar that kung fu doesn’t work. I didn’t believe him. After we sparred I took up boxing and quit kung fu. Did boxing for ten years and then did BJJ for ten years.
I finally understand your mindset. I’m NOT an Ikidoka and I’m not a fan, BUT, looking at the bright side, Ikido should be experienced as a complimentary martial art. It has:
1) Great breakfall
2) Great balance
3) Nice sense of tatami location
4) And a forgiving attitude
I think you shouldn’t beet yourself for learning and teaching it.
I think you should make your own style of aikido I'm myself not martial arts practitioner but I love your content about your journey anyway its just my suggestion 😊😊😊
I think you should continue trying to make aikido work, because if you don’t do it, noone will ever do it. But if you decide to quit, I totaly respect you. Btw I love your videos ❤
When I quit my Original Karate Dojo I felt the power of the cult. I trained for about 16 years. I was able to use the Goju Karate system but the Dojo was dysfunctional.
Best to leave life is too short. However remember what you learned that was helpful.
You remind me a little of that MMA guy in china debunking all the "martial arts" they practice, but in reverse! While traditionalists may start to hate you, you are working toward a greater truth, which is a noble thing to do