I Did Boxing Every Day for 30 Days, Here's What Happened
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 ต.ค. 2022
- I tried boxing for 30 days during which time a 2x heavyweight boxing champion of the world Tim Witherspoon coach me and I had hard sparring at the end. Here's what happened...
Learn more about Terrible Tim Witherspoon and learn from him on his channel: / @timwitherspoon1378
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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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Lots of people view "aggression" as throwing lots of punches. Tim hit on something important: applying pressure to your opponent is more about defense than offense. I love watching this journey.
So do I!
Well said my dude! That's why learning defense is so important for creating opportunities to strike or counter.
If i remember correctly in one of your videos about open carry. you explained how open carry threatens violence in the form of retaliation like a snake baring its fangs. same principle here i think, when you hold your ground after you fire off your actually "ready" like a snake waiting, and your opponent has to be weary of the next possible threat.
Yeah when I get the too offensive I get my ass kicked the second I catch my breath
There's a dude at my gym who is half my size, every time I spar with him I can't seem to touch him, and every time I throw a punch he finds some opening. He's more intimidating than anyone else in the place. I would rather spar with the other guys my own size, they don't have the power to overwhelm like that guy does.
All these scrubs saying “you either have it or you don’t” don’t actually train, otherwise they would know that “it” is the result of years of intelligent planning come to fruition.
Tim Witherspoon rules!!! I love that guy. If you want a masterclass in aggressive defense, do a film study on his fight with Frank Bruno.
I'm a naturally "non-aggressive" guy as well, I get genuinely sad if I accidentally crush a snail. So this is genuinely inspiring. Been watching you some years now Rokas, your integrity and curiosity have taken you extremely far, and will take you to even greater heights.
Much love and appreciation from New Zealand 🥝.
Same here. But 2 consenting adults fighting is a very different thing.
@@TheMylittletony I'm not against martial arts in any sense, I've been loosely a kickboxer for some years now. I'm talking about my own lack of aggression.
@@TheMylittletony It is a different thing, but it still translates. I myself struggle with pulling back too much during sparring and apologizing for choking or hitting my opponent. The latter isnt that much of a problem, but pulling back too much robs your sparring partner of a challenging training experience and hinders your own progress.
Don't worry, you'll get over it, there's a ton of pro fighters that wouldn't hurt a fly outside the ring.
Same here, I always worry too much about the safety of other people and hold back during sparring.
boxing is my absolute favourite thing in the world atm
I'm so proud of you! Just remember, the enemy is not the one in front of you! Conquer him, and you conquer all that holds you back! Can you believe I've been following you for years! Never give up! I'm cheering you on everyday!
Strong opponents taking you seriously is a sign of growth. Yeah, it's nice when someone holds back and lets you work, but that also means you aren't a threat.
Nothing wrong with that
Such an honest story. I loved watching it. I'm a former amateur boxer, and I can tell you that the single-most important variable in boxing is experience. So what you did in 30 days is absolutely astonishing.
Thanks Anthony! That's really encouraging to hear that experience is the equalizer in boxing. I guess I sometimes want to get ahead of myself and become good as fast as possible and don't always have realistic expectations. On the other hand maybe that also drives more progress. All in all I guess a balance between realizing your limitations, allowing yourself to gain experience and doing your best in the meantime, what matters.
Second that. You became fairly decent in a very short space of time. In 30 days your brain simply isn't trained to recognise a lot of the combinations and to react to them. I watched a fascinating programme called pros vs Joes and they had Roy Jones box a beginner. Basically Roy reacted before the guy even threw the punches, he could read him like a book. They also did studies in football and chess and found that the best players recognized plays earlier and so could react earlier.
Dude! That is so amazing Tim reached out to you, wow. And as always, you are fucking incredible, not just in your heart and determination, but your editing honesty, all of it, a real inspiration. I'm disabled now after a surgery caused me to lose my intestines but your videos make we want to still see what I can do.
Always keep challenging yourself Justin and enjoy the experience while it lasts.
Stay in the fight Champ!! Terrible Tim Witherspoon is in your corner!!!
That's awesome to hear Justin! Keep owning Your journey!!
I'm frankly amazed that so far very few people have commented on the fact that not only was your opponent far more experienced at boxing than you, but he was also a southpaw. People coming from a traditional martial arts background often underestimate how much everyone (regardless of style) favors one stance over another, and dealing with a proficient southpaw boxer is no small feat. In the course of this video, I saw immense improvement on your part. We all love you, Rokas! Keep kicking ass with your martial arts! You are the man for being honest with yourself and the world! Few have your dedication to the craft.
Thanks man! That's true that no one here yet pointed out he's a South paw 😄 I'm definitely not used to working against the opposite stance yet
The most humble and open minded martial arts journey. Always inspiring
I've been following you for awhile now, and I have to say that I'm proud of the progress that you've made. You are willing to put in the work and take the punishment, that takes a lot of heart. Though it may not seem like it right now, you are developing a level of physical and mental toughness that will carry over into everything else that you do. That is the true gift of boxing. Keep it up Rokas!
and cte
There is an exercise you can do to help with this, draw a circle 3 feet in all directions, (some people prefer boxes) in the ring (use tape or something non permanent, please!) and basically spar very lightly, the goal for you is not to step out of the circle. You define your ground and stand it. You can slip, parry, cut the angle, simply block and fire back all within the circle. Also helps keep foot work tight when cornered.
One of your best videos. The story, and the way that you told it with real humility.
I can relate to that feeling of "hopelessness" you described after the later sparring session, and I think a lot of guys at my gym feel the same way. It can be really tough to put in weeks or months worth of work and feel like youre just spinning your wheels. Like you will never "catch up" to that one guy in the gym, or like no real progress has been made etc.
Recently, I was personally able to get over this issue by realizing that comparing myself to the others in the gym and using that to grade myself isnt exactly the most accurate method, because they are also improving all the time. Instead I have to focus on the small things to see growth. For example, maybe im now utilizing angles better and as such my offense opens up a lot more than it used to, or im able to land more clean shots on targets i didnt have before. Or defensively, maybe i dont get caught with head kicks nearly as often/at all. When i look at it that way i better appreciate how far ive come.
It can be tricky not to compare yourself to those around you, especially when we want to base our progress off the end result i.e "who won".
Man I've been training boxing for 17 years. 10 years straight, then on and off for the last 7. I still get my ass handed to me here and there. Its part of the sport. At the 30 day mark, it is a miracle if a fighter can even hold a boxing stance. Sti k with it. There are levels. You will be a wholly different fighter for each year that passes.
One of the things I learned in judo. People will go easy on you and once they notice you getting the better of them they turn up their game. I've come to see it as a checkpoint in my skill and zi'm thinking maybe the same thing happened here for you
Yes I second this. Although people also go less easy on you if they're preparing for an upcoming fight, so there might be other reasons too.
Amazing, Rokas! As always, your sincerity and truthfulness towards your path is something to be admired! You've reached "beast" lvl on my book! I think I can say I'm here since the very beginning (or close to it) and makes me happy to see and to accompany your journey! And since I'm here for so long it's kinda hard not to repeat myself... 😅 Keep owning your journey, man!
Thanks Wagner! I always really appreciate your comments and support
I have that same innate temperament that’s not the best for combat sports and it makes me so happy to watch your video and learn that it’s a skill that can be leatned
Awesome 👊
Excellent work! Yes, it takes longer than a month to reach where you are striving to go. You will see a big difference after 6 months if you stick with it.
And you don't need to enjoy damaging an opponent. You just have to want to win...really bad! It isn't about sadistic pleasure. Excess anger will throw you off your game and make you sloppy.
I can definitely see the improvement, and I love how you went in against a youth champion determined to push forward. I actually have a similar story though on a much smaller scale. When I first started training in boxing (and I’m still a rank amateur by any standard), the guy who coached our club had a visitor, another boxer he’d trained and who had gone into Golden Gloves if I remember right. He invited us to spar with him. He outweighed me by a good 15-20 lbs and he was way more muscular but what really got me was his speed. He got me on the defensive at one point and with my gloves in front of my face threw a left hook and caught me square on the chin, snapped my head around like a top, and I fell back a bit from the loss of balance. As I tried to recover I was so dizzy from the rotational speed I fell back against the wall and realized I was done lol. It was definitely a frustrating experience because it always hurts to have to call it quits, but as the saying goes, it’s not about whether you get knocked down, it’s about getting back up. I didn’t get a second round with him but it definitely taught me a few lessons, and that’s what you always have to take from your losses. Keep up the good work!
Great job Rokas! As someone who struggles with this skill it gives me hope that I can improve too, hopefully as much as you 😁
Aggression really isn't necessary for boxing and whoever told you that was wrong. You just need to be able to press any opportunities you can see.
Aggression is probably one of the things a lot of beginners struggle with the most. Not taking opportunities due to worry of being caught or just being too nice to hit you. Whenever I spar somebody new I let them hit me and encourage them to continue so they know They won’t get in trouble or cause me to get annoyed and go harder. Frustrates me so much when I spar somebody who’s too hesistant to throw 😅
Joe Calzaghe and the Kiltschko's are evidence of this, like joe said "why take risks if you don't need to".
Pressing those opportunities is aggression
I truly love your humility and open minded approach to learn something that is both new and hard to learn.
Wow man, I'm really glad to be a part of the journey as a viewer. I really love your attitude and you're looking tough these days! Your ability to stay strong and positive against the grain is fantastic.
That's so cool Terrible Tim reached out to you! Great video as always dude, you're a big inspiration.
i appreciate your attitude to keep moving forward (both literally and spiritually). With that you will definitely get there. Best of luck!
you are a poet! Love how honest you are! Thank you for sharing the journey!
One of my favorite videos so far you done. I will never forget the lesson about standing your gound.. I am starting MMA again and struggled for years wanting not to hurt someone or get hurt. But the while standing your ground and push forward no matter what is just what I needed to hear. Thank you.
After just 30 days, I am impressed. Too much aggression will cause one to make mistakes. Being calm under pressure is a positive attribute.
Great job. Totally different than when I first saw you a few years back. You are on the path.
You're a brave and honest person, Rokas. Keep going!
Love it!
Seeing this as an amateur boxer just starting my career, I can really understand how u feel, keep owning your journey!
I don't even have words. Everyone else said it already. This was amazing. I think at this point getting a striking lesson from you would be up there on my bucket list items.
Thank you for the great content. I have been doing muay thai for 3 years now, and your journey has been inspiring during that time. Keep it going!
This is the most honest and informative martial arts channel! The thing is that everyone feels the way you feel Rokus there just not presenting the truth they hind behind false confidence. But let me tell you something I been teaching boxing for years and everyone goes though what you are going through there just not tough enough to admit it!
Your videos are the best and a constant inspiration for martial artists and everyone that watches. Can't wait to see how your journey progresses
Amazing video.
Makes me so happy to see people helping each other to be better.
You really are owning your journey.
Thanks a lot for the video.
Thanks! 🙏
massive props for putting yourself out there... the good and the bad... it takes courage and humility ;) Those last 2 skills are gold in my book !
Fantastic video.
Your journey is awesome to witness and your performance against a champion was quite admirable.
Kudos on Tim. Kudos on you. Great work glad you got that feeling at the end of the first fight. Good thing to build off of.
Great story and video. That was awesome of Tim to assist. Nice progress for only 30 days.
Wow. Great work. Your journey is truly inspiring. You have improved so much as fighter. Rokus of a few years (aikido guy) would have crumbled like a crouton… Rokus today goes in for another round. Good work fella
amazing and motivational as always!
Extremely inspiring! Ty.
Love too see a video of how each of the martial arts your dabbling in has improved your overall martial arts .
Man, I can tell you my admiration for your work keeps growing. You are a true example of humbleness, hard work and kindness, you are really an inspiration. And if you end up wanting to visit Brazil someday, I can help you with accommodation, info, and other stuffs.
Keep yout brilliant work, my friend
Thank you man!
Lots of respect to you Rokas
It’s so easy to stay at home playing video games or doing what’s easy and feels safe
But if you go the hard and uncomfortable - in a healthy way gradually
You evolve and grow just like you did
As someone who recently picked up boxing with zero martial art background, I feel very inspired! Keep going and good luck! Cheering for ya
So how’s it going?
respect! 👍great improvement within such a short (almost nothing) period of training! 👏
Brother! Fantastic video! I have a lot of students with these problems!
I love it. Great work man. I'm so proud of you for trying this out. If you ever get a chance, travel to Mexico to practice boxing too.
You're always working on your weaknesses. Man, I love your content, you're an absolute inspiration.
Thank you 😊🙏
Couldn’t have said it better myself. I still regret not wrestling in high school and I finally started judo & grappling in college.
Now I’m fascinated with learning boxing and have always been a fan. Good luck man. 🥊✌🏾
wow! that was great progress in a short time - & lol on the sparing (like seriously you're a good fighter & there's always a a learning curve trying out new styles but lmao that guy has like magnets in his gloves looking for you) - super congratz & great message - one of your best videos tnx - S
Thank you!
I occasionally train boxing at the local mma gym, I don't agree with the "aggression" thing if you look at someone like Joe Calzaghe or the Kitschko's for instance they are quite happy to stand there handing out jabs to win on points. It does lead to a "boring" fighting style but it shows that it can work.
Amazing improvement man! You can clearly see your movement and technique improved a ton
Well done brother, keep pushing forward 💪😎
Excellent improvement. Keep doing this!!!
Keep up your training. Your journey is just beginning. You have a lot of potential.
Keep it up sir. Great content as always, very motivational ur a true martial artist
Love your stuff. Keep at it.
I am one of those who said you need to get aggresive. Maybe you interpreted wrong. I did not advocate rushing forward for the sake of rushing. If you pressure your opponent and stay close, basically you minimize the damage (his arms do not have the space to accelerate to full speed and deliver optimal power.
Biomechanically your most destructive at 90% of the motion range of a punch (your elbow is ALMOST but not quite, your torso finished a full rotation, and you have leant forward, putting your body weight behind the shot). Also your fist need to be aligned with the wrist and forearm bones.
Now stepping in his face, you force him to deliver suboptimal shots, thus reducing the damage you receive. The hand has not extended fully. Torso has no space to rotate so freely. Etc. Also you have shortend the time it takes from launching a strike to landing that strike on the target, so his mind needs to worry about that too.
The other option is a much harder but more effective way. You need WAY out of the ordinary cardio and skill. This is why Muhamad Ali was realistically unbeatable. He zoomed OUTSIDE, but JUUUST outside the striking range of the opponent, zig zaging and the very limit of avoiding a hit and then closing juuust enough to deliver a devastating punch (he was a very tall and nimble guy). This floating at JUUUST enough distance, the very limit takes skill very few people posses.. Striking from the very end of his reach but still enough to hit made sure that his punch reaches the above described biomechanically optimal combo.
You could go this route too, your body type (tall, lean) would make it a good option. You are a bit too muscular though for that, the BJJ / MMA training takes it's toll. Muscles have multiple types, Ali was very flexiblle, almost like a gymnast.
This was great. And tim witherspoon what a good guy giving you his time. I will continue to watch your journey.👍
bro that improvement is insane !!!!!!!! sheeeeeesh
I'm proud of you! Keep going!
Aggression isn't the answer. Targeting strikes, leading opponent strikes is. Philly shell defense may be for you! Your Akido background has given you quick upper body movement. Let them come into your trap. Mayweather style!
Yeah I was gonna suggest that myself - use what you've got - long arms, so more of a Klitschko style long guard that flips into philly shell to keep opponent at bay.
@@Erime It would protect his liver as well and take advantage of his upper body speed!
Rokas what can I say... Just thank you for putting yourself out there and keeping yourself honest through all the hard work. I know many of us haven't met you in real life, but I personally felt a sense of pride when I saw this video. Many of us who've followed you for a while are proud of you!
Don't listen to people who say you lack aggression. They probably don't understand much. I'd take a cool headed technical fighter over an aggressive mess every single day of the week.
Keep pushing!
Thank you 🙏
Awesome video!! The idea is same I've learned, keep the pocket, hold the line or split them....
My boxing, kickboxing, n karate instructors have pushed same principles... you have be able to move adjust within "pocket" without being too aggressive or OUT OF CONTROL...
You look much more confident in the hard sparring now. You are visibly progressing and after all what better feeling can there be in any sports than to feel you get better?
It was in one of your first videos in which you picked up boxing, where I commented that boxing will help your stamina, because it is a far more stamina centric sport than many other martial arts, like mma. Glad you realized that as well. Keep up your journey, it is super interesting to hear your thoughts and reflection on it.
Keep it up bud. Aggression can definitely be learned. It's a skill just like everything else in life!
Good move. I found boxing twice a week with heavy sparring helped my other martial arts a LOT. It’s a very underrated skill set with strong self-defence relevance for distance control and head movement.
wow im so impressed by the connections you are making
You are great Rokas! Inspiring
Thank you 🙏
From a fencing perspective I notice those that "lack aggression" can put more emphasis on tempo/distance traps, counters, and 2nd intention attacks. We call standing your ground, "cooling the blood". The sports are vastly different but I partake in boxing due to similarities in footwork and the jab/thrust. Always fun to mix it up and learn from a new angle.
Love your boxing journey wrote this before video even started hope you made the improvements you realistically wanted
Keep moving forward. 👍🫡
thanks for the reminder that it is OK to get our asses kicked as long as we use it to grow. I definitely needed that lesson.
Not only your boxing skill is increasing: great video! I found the choice of music made the video very captivating, motivating and uplifting (the message/story too, ofcourse). Time flew and I was surprised it was already over.
Never stop growing and improving! 😁
Awesome to hear that! Thanks!
Second time TH-cam didn't notify me, man.
Great video you really improve fast!
Thanks! Sorry to hear TH-cam didn't notify. Having the bell turned on helps sometimes, but often youtube can recommend a video much later or never unfortunately :/ I guess then we are forced to check our favorite channels manually
Much respect. Thank you for sharing your journey.
What I love about this video in particular is at the end you acknowledge the reality which is knowing your opponent's tendencies is also a huge part of boxing. Once your opponent realized your strategy of pressure and not moving backwards he let you come forward so he could time and counter your punches, which is why they hurt so much more than before, punches you move into hurt twice as much.
This chanel is gold
thas some awesome progress, makes me want to get back to martial arts
Great job!
Good video bro, you learned alot and it shows. Keep up the good work.
Thanks! Will do!
Looking sharp brother.
Keep going on. You are an inspiration.
Thank you 🙏
Very good Rokas. I think I came to a similar conclusion in the last boxing vid of yours I commented on. You can't be a tentative striker! I used to think of it and teach my students that it wasn't so much about aggression but more like imposing a strong spirit onto your opponent.
Very impressive sparring improvement. Against such a more experienced opponent you clearly would defend, respond, and move forward and keep that ground.
only a month, that was a big improvement. keep going, I believe in you.
Remember it takes awhile to master, you showed courage and a good attitude, don't give up
Boxing is a good martial art. It only teaches punches, but its focus and consistency on the techniques and movement is amazing. It is also a good one to introduce a person to martial arts. 🥊🥊
Good job Rokas! Keep at it mate. My advice would be to keep your feet moving. Especially when you're being backed up. when you're getting hit, don't just cover up. Switch your feet from where they were and change your head height. Then when you've dropped your head height, throw a punch. A body blow or an uppercut but also not just one strike. A 2 or 3 hit combo while you're readjusting your stance. It's amazing that Tim has reached out to you and is giving you good advice. Fighting (especially boxing) is about 90% technique and cardio and only about 10% aggression. When you lashed out at your opponent just before the end of your round, I don't think it would've worked out for you. He would've just slipped the punch like he did and because he was calm, would've landed more damage on you. What Icy Mike said below about pressure is spot on. Keep your feet moving and get comfortable hitting from the opposite stance as well. Peace... ✌
You're an inspiration, Roxas! I wish you'd stick with boxing. It really seemed like something that pushed you towards something, rather than merely exposed you to something new
I'm intending to focus on boxing for at least a year
Great Vid and full respect. It takes courage to get in the squared circle.
Really nice to see you still learning new things :) There's definitely a lot of improvement in terms of spacing and footwork. That being said I think your stamina is really bad and you still crunch under pressure when someone goes inside. The technique looks really good for someone who just started. How much do you spar normally? At my gym we spar light every training and hard once a week. I feel the light sparring is especially good for learning how to work with distance and also various tactics - the smaller guys will usually try to go in and you can practice punishing and getting away from them and the bigger guys will try to get away so then you can practice getting in. That being said, I think aggression in this environment is meant more as the willingness to take a hit and getting in range more - most of the time you can't hit someone unless you risk taking a hit. In my opinion you have a really good base, just spar more, get rid of your bad habits, get better stamina and everything will align :)
Great sparring bro! You’ll advance with more experience. I just wonder why you don’t wear headgears though?
I’m glad to hear about your transformation from martial art to fighting arts. Much respect.
You did great 👍👍👍. Losing to a youth champ was inevitable... But you definitely improved a lot... Keep going 👍👍👍
Just follow you dream lad. Pursue each goal as though it is your last day and persevere and you will be rewarded. God bless you and your lovely wife
Respect 💪🏽💯