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 - kzread.info/dash/bejne/Yn-JurZ8aMrFoM4.html Conversation with Roy Dean - kzread.info/dash/bejne/pZNszbyicdKdYqw.html Quitting the Aikido organization - kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZmuAt8WYoZqWoLw.html Conversation with Matt Thornton - kzread.info/dash/bejne/f4SapsqzipnFl9Y.html Aikido vs MMA second sparring - kzread.info/dash/bejne/mWd92dqLYqTYXaw.html

@Vlad-ud1pf

11 ай бұрын

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!

@trapperscout2046

11 ай бұрын

Blink twice if the Raid Shadow people are holding you hostage!

@Spinefistful

11 ай бұрын

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.

@Spinefistful

11 ай бұрын

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.

@nagyzoli

11 ай бұрын

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)

@PaMuShin

11 ай бұрын

Japanese culture is traditional yes, but japanese culture is practical too or else it would not have survived for so many centuries. Actually in Japan usually non-sense martial arts do not survive because of mentality.

@patmat7984

11 ай бұрын

😂😂😂😂 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.

@nagyzoli

11 ай бұрын

@@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

@notsoxtremegamers

11 ай бұрын

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.

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

@-whackd

11 ай бұрын

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 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.

@-whackd

11 ай бұрын

A gym of 30 losers who are literally afraid of getting hit in the face are called a flock of cowards and phags.

@notsoxtremegamers

11 ай бұрын

What's that abandon the martial arts and talk crap about it all over the internet?????

@judosailor610

11 ай бұрын

Yep. And it’s that culture of forced respect that gives them something to hide behind whenever they’re called out on their BS.

@judosailor610

11 ай бұрын

@@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.

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.

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 ! 🤝

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!!!!

@notsoxtremegamers

11 ай бұрын

Why did you despise it?

@acquiesce100

11 ай бұрын

@@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!

@prometheus9096

11 ай бұрын

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.

Probably my favorite youtuber in the martial arts community behind sensei seth and icy mike. Another banger has been released!

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!

@f.dmcintyre4666

11 ай бұрын

You aren't old, I am a tad older over Hawaii five O but still consider myself young..........Bless...........

@notsoxtremegamers

11 ай бұрын

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.

@DesCoutinho

11 ай бұрын

@@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

@rohitchaoji

10 ай бұрын

@@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.

@rohitchaoji

10 ай бұрын

@@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.

Love that you're retelling your stories in this format🎉

@ArnasLeo

11 ай бұрын

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!

Love watching your journey.

Love your honesty and spirit of exploration, trying, learning, improving.

You're an inspiration Rokas. It's been amazing to watch your journey!

@MartialArtsJourney

11 ай бұрын

Thank you

you are lucky to escape that cult alive! :)) very interesting and great episode, waiting for next!

Rokas, thank you for sharing your journey and your vulnerability. You are a great Martial artist, and a great content creator

You are the man brother. What you’re doing is amazing. Never stop! 🙏🏻

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

Rokas, I love your channel, your courage and truthfulness. Truth above all. Keep going.

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.

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.

@prometheus9096

11 ай бұрын

"take what works and leave what didn’t." Ironically that's the essence of Jeet Kune Do

Well this is a right cliff-hanger! Great editing, btw.

@MartialArtsJourney

11 ай бұрын

Thanks!

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. 👊

You're such an inspiration

Really amazing journey you have been on, and I am glad you could share it with all of us.

Much respect brother. What you're doing is very brave.

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 😄.

The real treasure is the friends and family you made along your journey.

This is an amazing journey, Rokas! You have such courage to question the group think. Inspirational!

@thefulcrum

11 ай бұрын

And your video editing is great too :)

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!

@1individeo

11 ай бұрын

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..

Rokas might be the most humble and introspective person on this planet. ❤ & Respect to you!

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 !!!

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. 🙏

@haydenford3794

11 ай бұрын

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

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.

You are such a great guy, Rokas. A really brave man.

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 🥋

I am loving these!

Dude you are awesome your journey is incredible.

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.

Rokas you are awesome brother!

Before watching I already give a Like! I keep following that amazing journey (could be a documentary some day?) Rokas, all luck and success to you. You deserve.

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.

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.

Laugh when you can, apologize when you should.

Super solid work!! Bravo

great backbone man, great for you. I love it. stick to what you think is right balls of steel

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 !!❤

@Jaidenlin

11 ай бұрын

​@@shalom-shalom Submission Is most useful for me .i'm not a fighter.

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.

Keep going, keep progressing.

really appreciate you insight and enjoy the journey

Your journey is fascinating ❤❤❤

Wow. Thanks so much for this video. You're vulnerability is amazing

@MartialArtsJourney

10 ай бұрын

🙏

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.

Rokas! You are quickly becoming the most interesting guy on youtube. Thanks for your dedication to this journey of finding the truth!

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.

@Ianmar1

10 ай бұрын

I train kendo where we spar constantly, and aiki is stupidly hard even with our technical orthodoxy and restrictive rule set.

You are making history, bro. Don't stop. You are showing the world the true meaning of martial arts.❤

The Journey of Rokas is truly a path to mastery.

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

@f.dmcintyre4666

11 ай бұрын

Mans going up in the world. Congrats on your first raid sponsor ship!

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.

You still got my respect. Once I start my KZread I wanna work with you

Sweet Rokas. 🤙

These are great. I have had to go through a similar journey.

Cool! Welcome to the club! In my case I was a black belt in judo and kárate as well...BTW, i agree with what Dan Inosanto said about Aikido when people compare it with other functional martial arts...and that is that Aikido is compared with something it was not created for....good luck! Dont look back. Improve yrself and don't expect anything from others...yr only responsability is with yrself.

I've said this before, but I've been with you since that first spar. I asked you about the friction with the Aikido world and you. It was about the time you quit, or were thinking about it, and you replied, which was awesome! It's it's crazy watching this video now

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 🙏🏽💎👍🏽

Impressive 👌

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.

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.

@asdf8asdf8asdf8asdf

11 ай бұрын

Definitely goes back to aikijutsu and Daito Ryu… very practical approach

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.

@definitlynotbenlente7671

11 ай бұрын

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

@Selrisitai

11 ай бұрын

@@definitlynotbenlente7671 Yeah, I want more of that!

So damn proud of you.

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.

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 😊😊😊

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.

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 ❤

I think you're just being honest to yourself, this is a great thing considering how many people in this world choose to believe some pleasant lies instead of accepting unpleasant facts. Your journey also requires a lot of bravery and patience, it seems you have both. Respect!

putting yourself out there step in the cage and looking at the weakness of your art background RESPECT

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.

Been there since virtually the beginning…. The way you carry yourself the way you look is allot more confident and unlike a dork

I don't know if you saw my previous message about this. But you should get in touch with coach Barry Robinson and talk to him about his swivel pivots, go steps, locche drills and different pivot systems and footwork systems. Definitely referencing his incredible knowledge. The footwork is incredibly similar to the irimi tenkan and tenkan movements of aikido, he did a series with Giga using simple karate tsabaki reinterpreting that into boxing and mma striking. A great video could be talking about how he interprets aikido footwork into incredibly effective footwork systems for striking.

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💪🏿

5:08 Was about to say, reminds me a lot of what I read in Deikman's The Wrong Way Home

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

banger content

While I do not agree with you in some parts about Aikido... I do still agree quite much with you. What you are doing is good and every Martial Artist should do the same and try to perfect his/hers Art. You got my respect... OSS!

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!!!

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.

You got it rough man.Our sensei says do whatever ur having fun with and leaves us alone and he also teaches us how to fight, like modding the aikido moves ex. And unlike normal aikido dojo, we spar sometimes. Anyways glad ure doing okay😊. And yes,the one with better reflexes and experince generally Wins.

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

At least you’re trying to fix Aikido image instead of embracing it’s bs like Steven Seagal

Rokas, you’re the man! It takes a lot of bravery to question your beliefs and traditions.

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.

You're great at snatching the single . You just need to position it between the legs and dump. I'm a former collegiate wrestler and a a BJJ white belt, I found Aikido to be every useful in establishing angles for takedowns during hand fighting under nogi grappling rules.

Riveting story telling and I did LOL at your advertisement setup.

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"