Rokas from Martial Arts Journey. You're wrong but You're Right. Part 2

#Rokas #aikido #martialarts
This video follows on from the last one I made, about Aikido. I received loads of comments, every one of them great! Some of them opened my eyes about a few things, causing me to readdress some of my opinions. I hope you enjoy the video!
References:
Don’t Call Yourself “Sensei” in Karate
Jesse Enkamp
• Don't Call Yourself "S...
Aikiweb
Aikido for Older Beginners
www.aikiweb.com...
Aikido and Randori: Reconciliation of two Opposing Forces
by Scott Allbright
Crowood Press 2002

[@MikeWiest]

Even traditional aikido training does incorporate resistance when the student is higher level. "Sparring" is not the only form of "pressure testing." Senior students are instructed to provide as much resistance as will help the junior student to understand the appropriate way to move. In many cases the seated kokyu ho exercise ends up being like ne-waza--that is, people try to push each other over for real. During jiyu-waza and randori practice you don't know how your opponents will attack. During partner weapons practice there is a real threat of getting your knuckles or face smashed if your concentration flickers. When OSensei developed the loving interpretation of aikido he did not renounce its need to be martially effective. However, the reason for emphasizing training without full resistance at the beginning (and for a long time), is to develop the unbalancing technique of "aiki" which depends on a kind of relaxation and sensitivity (as well as proper structure and correct movement) that is hard to develop when you're focused on struggling with someone. So the loving philosophical part is really intimately tied up with the martial "technique" or principle of aiki. This is how he can say that aikido is the "principle of nonresistance" while maintaining martial effectiveness; like tai chi uses the principle of "yielding"--in reality these are both far from the cartoon idea of getting out of the way of an overcommitted attack so that your opponent falls down due to "their own force." They instead refer to using a subtle grounded rotation around the point of contact to avoid direct confrontation without giving up space. Regarding the idea that aikido is simple martially ineffective because the full techniques don't apply in MMA, Hein's Approach to Aikido (on KZbin) does a good job of explaining the appropriate context for aikido: when people are armed or potentially armed, and when there are potentially multiple attackers. You hinted at this in your first video when you mentioned the historical context for the wrist grabs, and in the current video in the part about Tomiki-style competition. Moreover, Hein clarifies aikido's goal as surviving and escaping rather than trying to dominate the opponent (as in MMA and other sports contexts). With this context one can make a case for aikido as a completely appropriate and legitimate art for self-defense in the modern world where anyone could have a knife and/or a buddy. The bonus is that the intensity of practice can be dialed back as you get older (but you can continue to develop "aiki"), and you get to practice with all sorts of people. Sorry this comment got a bit long. I wrote it because you seem to sincerely consider your comments!

[@martialartsaddict9966]

Thanks for the great comment!!!

[@michealpuckett8856]

Another point on non resistance is in upper levels if you are moving properly there is nothing to resist against. Also if you are in a compromised position to resist leaves you open to counter attacks. Hien is one off the best you tube Aikido channels but I think he is bit off on the have a conversation and it doesn't dominate thing.. Sir I think your post is indeed one off the best I've read. Nice to see people with understanding.

[@MikeWiest]

@@michealpuckett8856 Hey thanks! I think I agree with you that Hein's definition of aiki as "having a conversation" with no physical aspect is missing the real meaning of aiki. On the other hand his channel sort of shows that even if you only learn the "shell" of aikido without the aiki, it's not useless! Or maybe he is also developing aiki in himself and his students but just doesn't talk about it that way...it's not clear to me if merely "doing the movement properly" can reach the level of "nonresistance" that you are talking about...cheers

[@Darkhorse12022]

The big difference with Shioda and Tomiki is that they started when the art was still Aikijujutsu. This was when Ueshiba was still using techniques closer to the precursor Daito-Ryu. That is why their techniques have so much more weight to them. In regards to Rokas, 3-5 years to open a dojo is pretty fast. His techniques are nice and clean, so there was probably no question about whether he could replicate that in students, but he is still too young to understand the difference in balance and weight of enough people to do well using the techniques in a combative situation. In regard to Budo, yes Aikido is a Budo and is recognized by the Japanese government as Budo. Your definition of what the purpose of Budo should be is very different than how the Japanese want to define it. Is a martial art because it is a child of Daito-Ryu, just like Hapkido, but in order for it to be a Budo it needs to have the ability to refine and enrich the individual so that they can contribute in a positive way to society, not if they can effectively destroy someone.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

You've given some really interesting points here. Thanks for the insight🙏🏾

[@gedeyogam9096]

I wanna ask questions then to you? According to rokas when he felt his lack in aikido as far as i know rokas always always ask this to his master but even his master can't answer, give, or shown the correct way to rokas...from that point i would say you cant just blame rokas for everything...but you have to admit that there is something wrong or lack of it in rokas old aikido organization...

[@martialartsaddict9966]

@@gedeyogam9096 I think he's Aikido instructor was an absolutist, in regards to Aikido. It was all about doing Aikido and never needing anything else. It's not only Rokas' instructor or even that particular Aikido organisation that hold these views. I know of other clubs from different styles and organisations that try and keep their students away from training in other combat sport arts like BJJ, MMA and Judo, for fear that the students will question the reality of what they are currently learning. At the end of the day, martial arts clubs and organisations are businesses. If they lose members, they lose income. If you're an Aikido instructor and want your students to believe that they are learning all they need for self-defence from you, you'll be worried if they tell you that they're gonna try a BJJ or MMA class. You'll be worried because they might see that there are styles that are more easily applicable to combat, than what you are teaching them. It's not about not having answers... it's about the fear of losing your students, which equates to losing money. That's just one way to look at it. The other way is that if the student experiences another art that they feel is a lot more realistic, they will lose respect for the current instructor. A lot of these instructors want their students to aspire to be like them. So, even if Rokas had stayed with his Aikido instructor, whilst continuing to learn BJJ, for example, the instructor would've felt threatened, in regards to how Rokas would feel about him. He'd know that Rokas is now also looking up to another instructor and practitioners. I've experienced this myself. So have many other people. Some people I know are experiencing this right now but don't realise it. Bottom line, it's about ego and money.

[@Darkhorse12022]

@@gedeyogam9096 Probably because his teacher was happy training in just Aikido and that is all he knew. Rokas kind of shot himself in the foot because he has only been training for about 5 years. This is usually in the time frame where one is searching for "one style to rule them all" which is not how the martial arts work. In addition, he made the mistake of how he classified a martial art, in that it must be strong enough to hold up to MMA, or BJJ. So does Kendo hold up, what about Iaido?? If you are competing just to pin someone then no they don't, and they are older martial arts than all of the ones being compared. He took a martial art that, in its current form, no longer has techniques used for competition and wanted validity based on a completely different set of rules - and he did it publically.

[@MVK_GS]

@@Darkhorse12022 True, but there is a certain honesty in the question he was asking himself. It depends on a person's goals. I spent two decades in the military and the last 17 of those years I spent them in Special Forces. That absolutely does not make me a master of any "martial" art (ironic only because of what "martial" conveys). But, it did make me a strict pragmatist, particularly because I served my entire career in a time of war. If someone wanted to survive a violent physical confrontation within the next year, and they were starting from zero, aikido might be the last thing I'd recommend (unless I'm their insurance beneficiary). If we are honest with ourselves, and recognizing all of the benefits inherent in the aikido philosophy, it is not the most effective physical self-defense art. It is beautiful and it can help in character development.

[@raymondsetiawan7892]

I'm doing Iwama style Aikido with lots of atemi and 'resistance' from the uke and less big rounded movements. We still call the 3rd dan as Senpai and only the 4th dan as sensei. With all due respect, Rokas is a 2nd dan and I think his personal opinion and his Aikido doesn't represent Aikido as a 'whole'. Unfortunately, his videos may influence the viewers to see Aikido as a soft and not martials..

[@TjamVideoMan]

Sensei: Words change in meaning and usage from place to place - certainly around the world. I understand Japanese and Chinese cultures and students of them are usually uncomfortable with this but that’s life!

[@TjamVideoMan]

Tomiko competition with a baton/tanto is still lacking - the weapon is eventually lead with, extending the arm so the opponent can do traditional techniques. A good knife fighter will often conceal his weapon close distance to grab/wrestle and surreptitiously stab while fighting. They will stab and slash legs and ass, fast and repeatedly, recoiling not extending - especially in the beginning stages of the encounter. Usually the LAST knife strike they do will be a full thrust or slash at full strength - when you are open or beaten down. Here the FIRST knife strike is the typical full thrust leaving the arm extended for the technique to be done - the typical MA training problem!

[@martialartsaddict9966]

That's a good point to raise. It's true that a Shodokan/Tomiki Aikido randori bout does not reflect a true knife attack scenario. The way in which a knife wielder, in a real life situation, might attack is completely unpredictable. In addition, I can imagine that the ferocity, brutality and aggression of a real life knife attack is a completely different experience to that of a round of tanto randori in the dojo. They are not the same thing at all, whatsoever. When I used to do Tomiki Aikido, the idea of Tanto (the knife wielding randori partner), during randori, was that they were to see each strike that they gave as the only shot allowed. Therefore, they couldn't feint a shot - each attack with the tanto needed to be a fully committed attempt at striking toshu (the unarmed randori partner) in the torso. So, that's not reflective of a real knife attack - as in a real scenario, the armed attacker can feint and stab anywhere and however many times they want. To be honest, it seems to me that the real reason for a knife (well, a piece of foam representing a knife) being involved is merely to ensure that one person can apply the Aikido defensive techniques, without the practitioners eventually having to revert to Judo type grappling. The tanto/knife merely ensures that one practitioner (toshu) tries to maintain the correct distance between them and their opponent. It also ensures that the other practitioner only closes the distance in order to land a strike on the opponent, rather than to get grips and engage in grappling. If this is unrealistic, what is the point? The point of tanto randori in Tomiki Aikido is really to give the practitioner the 'feel' and experience of attempting Aikido techniques on a resisting training partner. It also gave a sporting format for students to compete in, as Tomiki, like Jigoro Kano, felt that this was important - especially, for young people. It's a good point though, especially for people who think that this type of training will provide them with the ability to defend themselves in a real life knife attack. It might give them better reactive skills than if they didn't train. However, those reactive skills are best kept in the dojo and practiced in order to improve your Aikido, not for trying to take on a knife armed attacker. That's my opinion on it, anyway. Cheers for the comment.

[@huget00n]

Rokas might seem candid or even immature to some but ultimately he does a great service to the Aikido community. I am certain that he will come back and become a much better Aikido sensei he ever was. But it will take time, few years at least.

[@TjamVideoMan]

He’s an excellent practitioner and it’s good he’s developing his combat skills. I just don’t see him as having the bellicosity of a fighter and I think that was part of the problem of Aikido not working for him. I think aikido training can take the fight out of you! You got to fight when fighting is needed - somewhere in there you can find aikido applications…

[@markdaniels4178]

I believe so too, he's caught up in the whole mma and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fever.

[@thunderousooner527]

Rokas did Aikido a disservice.

[@thunderousooner527]

Rokas made a lot of people think Aikido a joke when he did Aikido vs MMA videos. Rokus didn’t do Aikido any justice when he did those videos. But Rokas is doing a lot better with his videos.

[@Tr1s]

Tbf idm his way of putting it at the end of the day He had the balls to admit that the martal art he had trained for 14 odd years was not great for a fight against a trained opponent At the end of the day tho aikido against someone who has never trained in a martal art or combat sport its still better than nothing and ukemi are infinitely useful. But then again multiple martal arts are always better when added together that's just a no brainer I do muay thai and aikido at the moment very different but I'm working on blending them together

[@bryantharris5914]

If your goal is self defense or combat effectiveness train Judo or BJJ. If you like Aikido because you like Aikido then do whatever you want with your time, but there's no evidence that Aikido when trained alone, results in effective combat skills. It works against other people in on the 'game', it doesn't work against people who aren't playing the game.

[@bene9472]

That's demonstrably nonsense. Aikido is used by police and armed forces worldwide. Judo is a competition art - worth doing for learning about body movement and posture but I wouldn't recommend it for self defence: a good boxer will take your head off. I could do as you have about aikido and make equally spurious claims about the effectiveness of BJJ by citing the ludic fallacy, but as I haven't spent any serious time training in it and have never seen it used successfully or unsuccessfully I would talking out my hat. Most martial arts take a lot of time and discipline to get good at - there are very few that are good for self-defence straight away. The martial art with the best training time to effectiveness ratio is Krav Maga, but that's because it was designed that way. It becomes less effective as the skill of your opponent increases, but the fact is that most casual attackers are not martial artists. A good martial artist will see useful things in other arts (I find Martin Wheeler's systema work eye-openingly brilliant) and learn from them. To dismiss aikido so easily unless you've spent any serious time training in it is just proof of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The fact is that Rokas's aikido is very poor - his posture is all over the place, he doesn't use atemi, and he allows his attacker to control the narrative - faults that he carries into his BJJ. If he'd had any sense he would have sought another teacher but that wouldn't have racked up enough KZbin likes to make a career from it.

[@bryantharris5914]

@@bene9472 We know what works in combat situations by looking at MMA. Self defense is mostly things like de-escalation tactics, situational awareness, threat assessment, etc. Most of which can be taught over a weekend seminar. If a self defense situation turns combative then the requisite skill for survival is combat training (like MMA). Wrestling, Muy Thai, Submission Grappling are the basis of effective fighting when trained against resisting opponents at full intensity. Aikido's lack of demonstrable success in a combat situation proves its ineffectiveness for sport or self defense situations except against an impossibly inexperienced and foolish attacker. It basically defends against unwanted handshakes.

[@bene9472]

​@@bryantharris5914 MMA is a poor guide to real-life (i.e. sudden and spontaneous) combat situations, primarily because of the ludic fallacy (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludic_fallacy). But even a cursory examination of the skill difference between MMA fighters in the various competitions, never mind between leagues (Cage Warriors vs UFC) shows how an otherwise competent practitioner with a string of black belts can be vastly outclassed by a better opponent. It takes either arrogance or expert knowledge to so easily dismiss the widespread use of aikido (or any martial art) in law enforcement and military - your comment about unwanted handshakes makes me think it's more the former. It's no more a magic bullet than BJJ, Muy Thai, boxing, etc - but far too many people working in jobs where they come up against actual physical threat practice aikido for it to be so easily dismissed as ineffective. Obviously if you have evidence of a controlled study that validates the efficacy of the various systems then I'd love to hear about it, but otherwise I think I'd get a more informed analysis from Master Ken.

[@bryantharris5914]

@@bene9472 There is no question that a sport's competition differs greatly from a self defense situation, which differs from a battlefield situation, which differs from a law enforcement situation, which differs from a bouncer/body guard situation, etc. What doesn't change is effective training methodologies. What the early UFCs showed was that many (if not most) Martial Arts were lacking in terms of real world application. This was a direct result of failed training methodologies. Some Martial Arts leaned into this being exposed and began pressure testing and improving their arts. Other arts retreated into abstract arguments about being more suited to 'self defense' or 'too lethal for sport fighting' (all bull crap arguments btw). If you don't like Rokus, why not Google the video of the other Aikido guy who challenged an MMA fighter to pressure test his Aikido? kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZOThZRqbtura9E After years of training Aikido it might work against an untrained drunk person who isn't very physically imposing, I think that's probably the ceiling. But if you enjoy it, there's nothing wrong with enjoying what you do. Archery is a Martial Art. It takes skill, mastery takes time. It's useless in a fight except under the most contrived of situations, but I wouldn't discourage someone from taking up archery it's fun and that alone is enough, you don't have to justify liking archery. Just like you don't have to justifying liking Aikido. I see it as sort of the inverse of Capoeira. If Capoeira is a Martial Art disguised to look like a dance, Aikido is a dance disguised to look like a Martial Art.

[@bene9472]

​@@bryantharris5914 not sure what that video is meant to prove - it looks like someone with no martial arts skills getting slapped about by someone who understands controlled aggression intercut with a context-free opinion. There's lots of those on KZbin, some even have more clickbaity titles.

[@paulwilson5450]

Good context!

[@VenturaIT]

Mostly true statements, but some stereotypes... old man O-Sensei was photographed with a closed fist performing atemi/striking... the old-man Aikido didn't change Aikido, he just got much better so his technique was imperceptible to most people and his ki power got so strong he was using more ki than earlier and less muscle... his younge self wasn't as skilled... that's all that happened... what gave aikido a bad name was the split between Tohei (the heir to aikido) when O-Sensei died and the family (who run the Aikikai now)... the family wasn't really interested in aikido and not good at it... and all the black belts who sided with the Aikikai were the 2nd and 3rd rate uchi deshi, students of Tohei and well behind Tohei... so the real aikido went with Tohei, the Aikikai has been doing fake aikido without ki and with different techniques since 1969... this style of aikido simply doesn't work because these people weren't given the full transmission of the martial art, only Tohei got that. I've trained Aikikai extensively so I know this first hand. You can usually tell an Aikikai style by the way they do their iriminage, it looks more violent and rough, but it actually just doesn't work because it's easy to counter, like many Aikikai techniques... few people know this. I studied with the chief aikido historian for 3 years online remotely before his death so I have some inside information. You simply can't do aikido without ki and on top of that many of the Aikikai techniques just don't work. Nobody doubted if aikido worked because Tohei and Shioda allowed people to just come and attack them, unlike modern day aikido "masters" who would usually be taken out by a good blue belt in BJJ.... And I've used aikido and ki in BJJ training and sparing at a good BJJ school, and it works perfectly, BJJ and aikido are essentially the same thing in my opinion... most martial arts are basically the same when you see a high level person doing them. But real aikido is meant to end fighting and wars and to create cooperative and harmonious people... it can do that while also being an effective martial art, but there are HUGE differences among aikido teachers, some are jokes and some are amazing. I can see Rokas needs to improve his BASE as they call it in BJJ, in aikido they call it weight underside... in Chinese martial arts they call it rooting... his center is too high so he falls over easily and has no power. And 3-5 years is too young to be teaching aikido, there are 10,,000+ aikido techniques... I would say minimum 10 years to be a black belt and then you can be a jr. instructor. He's basically new to aikido that's why he struggles with it... but mostly he's trolling the Internet for clicks and money.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

Thanks for your comment! You've brought up some interesting stuff. I'm curious to know what you mean by 'ki' exactly. Can you explain your understanding of what 'ki' is?

[@MatrixCobretti]

Good video once again my friend! I love Aikido more than I can express here, so I very much appreciate you discussing the subject from a fair level. I very strongly agree with your conclusion of using cross-training to enhance your arts. People often want to ignore the fact that O-Sensei and his original group of students were experts in other arts before training Aikido. How can you defend against strikes if you have limited knowledge of anatomy, geometry, and the mechanics of striking? Regardless of which style you train, if you are not sparring or pressure testing YOU ARE NOT MARTIAL! It is a hard thing to leave your comfort zone and try new things but it must be done if you want to make your techniques dynamic and scientific. When training in Aikido, one must ask the question: If I do not understand how I am being attacked or where the openings are for me to strike should I choose, am I really training Aikido at all? The concept of compassion in Aikido is not about being ignorant in the ways of violence, but rather, being able to choose to show compassion when you don't have to.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

Nice one! I especially like what you said at the end about choosing to show compassion, when you don't need to. That's a nice touch!

[@MatrixCobretti]

@@martialartsaddict9966 🙏

[@michealpuckett8856]

As far as age, have known several people in their 50s when they started some of them did well, much better than Rokas. If your body can't at sometime experience the full throws you will probably be lacking in the actual understanding of the art. This is part of the problem with the rote training like Rokas. This is beginner practice for Learning basic movements and good exercise. If you have reached a certain level in your understanding you can continue to improve in older age. Teaching and receiving hard attackers. It is not just for older people though. There are alot of bad teachers in Aikido. Much i believe is in the misunderstanding of terms. Although Ueshiba looked at Aikido training as away to expand peace he never meant for it to be soft. The harmony was with the universes laws, which aren't always kind. The not hurting your opponent was in training. Real conflict your opponent may be injured but it was due to his own actions. You didn't create bad karma he hurt himself.. As he got older his abilities became better, so he could defend himself easily, think it was a goal for his followers not away he expected from the start, he knew they would go through stages.. His goal of what became Aikido was there from the start. Given to him by his spiritual mentor, so not something that developed in older years.

[@yeu535]

Thanks for providing a deeper insight into Aikido. Does Aikido require the same amount of weekly training as say BJJ?

[@martialartsaddict9966]

When I trained in Aikido, I only trained twice a week. That was all the club I was training at offered and I think that's pretty much how it is for most Aikido clubs. The progress was slow but, because there's a curriculum, your always developing at a steady pace. In contast, the BJJ club that I train at offers classes every day of the week. So, it's something you take advantage of. There isn't really a rigid curriculum in BJJ, so training 4 or 5 times a week helps improve at a decent rate. I guess, if you have the opportunity to train in Aikido 4 or 5 times a week your progress would be much quicker, as with any martial art. Whether that's required, it really depends on the individual and what they want out of the art they are practicing. If it's just for a recreational hobby, twice a week is good. Thanks for commenting and putting forward a really good question. I've actually found it difficult to answer. I'm gonna go and think about it a bit more. Nice one!

[@nickyshaw2592]

@@martialartsaddict9966 Twice a week may be ok for Kyu grades. 3+ and weapons for Dan grades.

[@TjamVideoMan]

In America I often see this. But in dedicated schools there are many classes you can attend - daily and multiple times each day. You can burn yourself out if you like!

[@TjamVideoMan]

Mainly it’s the market. In the working world you often only get enough students to float your school from 6-9pm in ALL MA schools as students and teachers have 9-5s! . In Japan and other areas there are classes all day long, every day - from 6am!

[@Dillon1099]

Had to leave two comments because of how much perspective you manage to share in this video. One point I've heard you successfully make a good dozen or so times now is, just because something is "this" doesn't mean it isn't "that" and vice versa. Surprising how rare that point of view is, especially in martial arts where we really have the opportunity to prove or disprove ourselves so quickly. Keep it up man. This a refreshing take on an issue that has really descended into trolling on all sides. It's uplifting to be able to interact seriously without taking oneself seriously if that makes sense. These "comedians" aren't capable of having a serious conversation about this as they clearly take themselves way too seriously. Ends up painfully one sided. I may agree with the argument as I can't help but disrespect the person making it lol.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

Thanks for your comments!!! It's very much appreciated!!!

[@johnhills3085]

Their latest videos are demonstrations because the guy said it was too hot to spar at this time of the year + Leny Sly, Dan the Wolfman pressure test plus traditional Aikido is all about katai waza (Kata) there's no oyo waza (practical application). You need sparring and you can have it as the people mentioned above have shown on countless occasions.

[@sirpibble]

Just as a matter of formal japanese vs colloquial japanese The word for teacher as a profession is kyoushi but nobody actually uses that in normal conversation It's totally acceptable to call yourself a sensei as a job title Like if you're a university professor and someone asks your job it's no problem to say you're a daigaku no sensei Same would go for a professional instructor of any kind Self appointing yourself as an Aikido no sensei is no problem if that's your job 👌

[@IbrahimKhalil-bt9yh]

What I find strange is that you haven't noticed the similarities between aikido and wing chun. Do some contemplating on the covers, entries and hand traps, I'll give you start uke nagashi = bon sao. I heard Ueshiba said aikido is 90% atemi, look at aikido from pugilist perspective and you will understand more of the forms from aikido.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

What makes you think that I haven't noticed the similarities? I also train and have competed in BJJ. I've also trained in MMA and have competed in Kickboxing. A lot of martial arts actually share the same concepts, it's just that the way they are expressed is different. I think BJJ and Judo have given me a greater insight into Wing Chun than anything else. However, that's my experience. Someone else could find that Aikido gives them a better insight. It's all good, in my opinion.

[@IbrahimKhalil-bt9yh]

@@martialartsaddict9966 since your conclusion that Aikido is not a budo, so what similarities of forms and hand traps you found between wing chun and aikido? It would be very interesting if you made a video on it and it would contribute a lot I think. Yes all martial arts are expressions of fighting and a pixel in the big picture, judo and bjj has its place no doubt as well as the other arts. I see what you're saying how bjj and judo have given insight and to make your wing chun more effective since once you know more about grappling you will be able to stabilize your wing chun not to get easily clinched and taken down. But my emphasis was not on wing chun but rather to decode aikido, I'm not even an aikidoka I'm just trying to help out the aikido community, because I believe aikido can be used purely and solely against mma but first they need to understand the basics of striking, grappling and distancing and the meaning of stances and kata. If a person is able to pull off a boston crab in the octagon then surely any style is possible.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

@@IbrahimKhalil-bt9yh Wow! That's an interesting comment. In regards to my conclusion on Aikido not being a budo. I do think it is a form of budo. However, my interpretation of budo is probably very different to what others believe. I do still categorise Aikido as a martial art. However, really, budo should signify a 'Martial Way'. For me that's an art form that has its roots in martial traditions but is no longer practised as a tool for war. In regards to the use of Aikido being able to beat an MMA fighter... that's a hard push. The training is just not geared for that whatsoever. However, if the emphasis was shifted to that, then Aikido would have to evolve. You'd probably end up with an Aikido that looks more like MMA or BJJ. You might as well just go and train in MMA. Aikido is absolutely fine as a philosophical martial practice. Maybe, it is possible to get some form of self-defence from it. But, it's not a style suitable for MMA. To be honest, though, I would love it if you proved me wrong! Let me know how you get on with making Aikido work against MMA. It sounds like a really interesting project and I wish you good luck with it🙏🏾

[@martialartsaddict9966]

@@IbrahimKhalil-bt9yh just on another note. Wing Chun, like a lot of Chinese martial arts, has an aspect of techniques called Chin Na. These are joint locking techniques, quite similar to Aikido wrist locks, to a certain extent. Having some knowledge of Aikido could benefit a Wing Chun practitioner when learning this. Wing Chun could help with the atemi side of Aikido. There is that possibility.

[@IbrahimKhalil-bt9yh]

@@martialartsaddict9966 as for your interpretation of budo I agree with it some what, but I believe those forms of budo can be taken down the shelf and brushed off the dust, as with how I understand your concept of budo it's like a fragile scroll that will break when it's taken off the shelf. Really why do you think it's a push? Have you seen wake gatame pulled off in a mma fight? Search it on youtube, he broke his elbow and the fight was over, I think you have too much of the Rokas flower power in mind when you think of aikido which has nothing to do with aikido and more with ballet, if you added that vibe to any martial art it would be ineffective against basic brutality. Look up how the old one arm aikidoka used his aikido against a young mma guy on youtube and you'll see a great difference. And am I NOT saying that a nerd that eats cheese doodles and never ever been in a fight will beat up a roided top notch elite mma fighter using ballet type aikido. You're saying the training is not geared for that? Exactly my point, is that I would look at all drills and techniques in aikido and amp up the training and still keeping it within the limits of aikido with Randori and everything, just amp up the reality and intensity. No I don't believe it has to evolved, I repeat, I believe aikido can be used purely against mma fighter, by using only aikido curriculum. First foundation would have to be tai sabaki and ma-ai, secondly irimi, atemi and addressing the 4 lines of defense and heavy analysis of every type of hold and positioning from kata, and from those holds which are the quickest options to deliver atemi and break kuzushi or get some type of elbow lock or similar, it would not be trying to chase a wrist and get punched in the face. No it would look as aikido, just as wrestling in mma look like wrestling, boxing look like boxing and bjj look like bjj and judo look like judo and so on, don't forget mma means mixed martial art. As for me aikido is probably the martial art I know the least of, but I've used a couple of times in altercations as well as grappling. If tai sabaki and ma-ai is spot on there's no mma technique that can be used, since the first line of defense is distance, so the rest lines of defense and offense has to be covered and drilled hard. Also have you ever seen a neck chop k.o? Thanks, it takes a lot of research and all since most the aikidokas won't be useful they're too much on the flower power thing and don't understand the art themselves. But I guess you have a lot of those practitioners in wing chun that take certain concepts of centerline and drive it to the extreme and make wing chun all about centerline, but yeah I believe even wing chun could be purely used against mma as well. But aikido is in more dire need than any other martial art.

[@michealpuckett8856]

As far as Rokas, I don't think he is a fraud. I think he is just a very poor practitioner that was only taught rote techniques with no advancement or understanding of what he was actually doing. As far as the Sensei thing I personally think thats a petty complaint against him. It does urk me to see him called a master. Which here again I don't think he himself has claimed but maybe he has. Much of his techniques are sloppy and when trying to see if it can work he gives no guidance to the people trying . To prove it doesn't work you should at least be doing it correctly. Iriminage, ikkyo and sankyo are often totally off base. Although there is much bad martial arts, including in Aikido, he has damaged the art , even good teaching in his way off going about it. His ignorance and lack off understanding and ego that what he did was what it was. Shows his , and others lack of understanding, when they try to prove Aikido works by trying to use a certain technique. As soon as you start struggling or trying to force a technique, go against the harmony of the attack , you aren't doing Aikido.

[@johnhills3085]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2Kwn3yPa8t2l5Y this is Hattenkai the only sparring based aikido style and Yosheikan budo from Minoru Mochizuki, the rest is just kata based aikido.

[@martialartsaddict9966]

Cheers for the link! I'll definitely check this out! Nice one!

[@johnhills3085]

@@martialartsaddict9966 kzbin.info/www/bejne/bKfUl5uYbpiomck Here the Yoseikan budo of Minoru MOCHIZUKI who studied judo 10th DAN aikido and 8th in judo then his son included savate sparring

[@Dillon1099]

Rokas has really done the Aikido world a favor. The amount of times some fool has aggressively demanded I yank on his wrist till he can't use it, when I am in no way an expert, would be alarming if it wasn't so hilarious. Tough guys are genuinely, 100% of the time shocked and offended to find out their fingers don't like bending backwards and their logic has always been "but Aikido fake!" As though small joint manipulation isn't fully banned from MMA due to how effective it can be. A well fed athlete could rip another man's fingers off otherwise. Rokas has actually done more to prove aikido is legitimate than anyone promoting it, while simultaneously giving us the opportunity to hold the cult leaders accountable for the brain washing that has gone unchecked for decades. If they call him heretic? I'd say that makes him our saviour.

[@MrSamurai137]

I think you have a point the real favor would be to remove the racism from Japan because they have funding but they see the rest of the world as round eyes and we don’t understand! This has destroyed the golden bridge that Osensei wanted you would think that with tech Communication would be higher this is the best think Rokas has pointed out! As for he aikido training Ukes job is not to fall to soon or to fall to late as he will get hurt so nage should be hurting uke if he does not get it right. If he is falling too soon or to easy I would be offended as they are fucking up my training and theirs!