I Proved that Aikido Works in Self-Defense 

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This dude went from Aikido teacher to Aikido hater to "Actually Aikido can work if you know what you're doing." True character development.

The UFDC was and is one of the best things I've ever seen on RU-vid. Congratulations Rokas. Stunning content.

That guy throwing the helmet at you was the most pure martial arts thing I have ever seen.

Aikido may be focused on joint locks and seems very unlikely to work in most moments but there are times it can work like a charm. I love that Rokas keeps trying to make his original style work in different situations. If Rokas didn’t notice that he used aikido moves, he was in the mindset of Mushin (mind of no mind); aka he was in the zone and acted on instincts

It’s priceless to see you admitting aikido works. “Ineffective “ can be said about any martial art depending on what you expect from it. You blocked the knife attack on the self-defense episode even when “ professional “ karate, Bjj and self-defense experts had no chance.

thanks for the caption around 3:25, I really thought this was real footage of you fighting

For the record: when the two guys wanted to fight me, they probably would have kicked my ass, because I was then training only Aikido and without cross training it, I believe Aikido has very little effectiveness in self-defense. "Luckily" I then thought that Aikido works and that gave me enough false confidence you deter them from attacking. Yet as it's clear from the video if you know how to fight and have grappling fundamentals, you can use Aikido principles when attacked.

The best Aikido and martial arts Channel

Before I joined the military, I studied Aikido and Karate. While I learned early on that Aikido does not work in most situations, I learned that the philosophy of Aikido worked most of the time. Much like you did in your real world experience, I would use words to talk my way out of fighting, and ending the conflict without fighting. My Aikido Sensei would always talk about that philosophy all the time and it is still something that I practice to this day... Not that I am in any fights now that I am out of the military.

Amazing video. I am happy that you are re-appreciating Aikido. There isn't a single geometry, and there shouldn't be a single martial art

MY BOY USED KENICHI FOOTAGE FOR AN ILLUSTRATION?!?! Glad to see you noticing Aikido in your movements. Mainly, glad to see a future where Rokas is accepting of his Aikido roots AND benefitting from it here and there. This is the best timeline. Aside from the timeline where Rokas learned how to Aikido throw people with his mind. That's the timeline where Rokas fought Thanos. He didn't win... But he tried!

Hey Rokas I think you should make a video were Aikido practitioners will try taking you down using "their" Aikido technique. There were multiple messages over the year proclaiming that "your" Aikido was the problem so now after years of training other fighting styles it would be great seeing how their style would work out in a real life scenario against some that now has the experience fighting back

I've been following your journey for about a year now, and you have greatly inspired me on my journey as well! The USDC is one of the greatest things ive seen on youtube to date! Cannot wait for season 2! Much Love and respect from Australia, Rokas!

Awesome video! Please note: I've once seen a guy suckerpunch someone in a streetfight after offering a handshake to his opponent to 'end the fight". Instead he used the handshake to hold the guy in place and punched him in the face really hard. It cut his lip open. Lessons learned: be wary of accepting handshakes in a self defense situation. Maybe just keep distance and do a 'namaste/namaskar" or other 'greeting' sign from a safe distance (without touch and without losing sight of your opponent). If they insist on coming close for a handshake anyways they might be setting up an attack. Something to think about.

Amazing. I'm not a martial artist but I was just reading a bio on Ueshiba and your journey makes perfect sense with that. Aikido as a more philosophical art FOR WARRIORS. I think even Seagal said that one should learn Aikido only after having trained in various other arts. The icing of the cake and not the cake itself

The principles and core concepts of Aikido are absolutely valid. But as you've said numerous times, without pressure testing those will only take you so far. You had the muscle memory of the moves, but also the combat experience to leverage them in a real fight. Well done, sir! Now...when does Season 2 of UFDC start?!?! 😁

As far as I know, Jigoro Kano, the founder of Judo, was very impressed by Aikido and tried to bring it into Judo. Yoseikan Budo, for example, has something of this combination and appears to work very well.

Win a fight without fighting. Thank you Rokas for that great story. You give me some hope that people are peaceful

I think most of the Aikido techniques are designed for natural reaction. One time my Dad told me that he neutralize an attacker carrying a butcher knife. When I asked him to show the technique I was surprised that it was an Ikkyo Pin the first technique of Aikido. What surprises me more is that my Dad wasn't even trained in Aikido. But he said when that moment happened his body just react that way.

1:10 It was good to see this mentioned as Jerry from 'Fight Commentary Breakdown' said this was very Aikido like. And, I will admit it did seem like it was instinctual Aikido action used. It's pretty impressive how it really came back to him so instincual. I've heard that about martial arts training.

3:20 thank you for the clarification. I wouldn't have been able to tell without that footnote

Rokas, you may end up modifying Aikido or returning it to it's Aikijujitsu and Jujitsu roots. I personally did use Aikido in a street situation, it involved a triangle choke and my opponent passed out and started convulsing, we had to revive him. From my experience, if you apply jujitsu or Aikido realistically and with respect to how people really scuffle with you personally, you develop your own curriculum and mastery.

You did indeed! Brilliant job! 🥋

You continue to inspire, Rokas. And these rash guards are the best I’ve ever seen.

Bro I love your content, just an amazing journey your having.

The mechanics of the human body don't change. And the laws of physics don't change. So all grappling techniques are fundamentally the same. And I would pay good money to go through that self-defence challenge. It looks amazing.

Cool Video Rokas! Yeah man! Aikido helped you again! You've become a VERY capable fighter!

I am so excited to see how Jesse Encamp will do...

What a journey

The wonderful thing of the day is that after you have been training in so many styles in martial art. You don't discard Aikido completely out of your arsenal as I predicted a couple years ago. I do believe that Aikido and Tai Chi aren't completely non-sense martial art. This video, other related videos and your journey enforce my belief in the very purpose which let me started martial art. Thank you !!!

Amasing video. Good eye to see the Aikido technique been applied and how that did helps you.

Rokas stay awesomely good my lad!

Great realizations. ;)

Bravo to you. I learnt a long time ago, its the practitioner more so than the art.

great video with a great lesson at the end

This is one of the best channels on RU-vid all around! I love your analytical style. I used Judo in a real self-defense situation once. A guy sucker punched me in the face, once. He was going to try it again but he didn't get the chance. I tell my students that their brains are their most powerful weapons in any given situation.

Full circle. Well done! I hope you keep cross training. You’ll continue to be a better martial art for it, and your aikido will get better too. They work together and have strengths in areas the other art doesn’t. 👏

I’m glad you told us that was not actual footage of the incident.

Excellent stuff, Rokas. The fundamental principles and movements of Aikido are sound. The training methods that are common to much of the Aikido world work against that, unfortunately. Now that you're training in more legitmate ways, the real possibilities and strengths of Aikido are emerging.

Im currently studying Aikido coming from a karate background and keep finding new meaning to k Karate kata from Aikido so its no surprise it goes both ways

Man. You are progressing well. Very cool to see

Sweet! You found ways to make Aikido useful! That is awesome!

So what basically happened during your journey, is that you started with aikido and movement skills, but no understanding of combat, and you have learned, and made a transition into a person who understands it. yes you have learned additional skills, since fighting is always more than one set of skills. combat is not about the style, it is about principles and sate of mind. your aikido was never the problem, but the lack of fighting understanding, that is common in many traditional martial arts (I come from Chinese martial arts, lot of combat misunderstanding there).

Amazing video Rokas

Amazing having watched your progress since that very first vid where you tried your aikido vs an mma guy and got wrecked. Makes perfect sense how some of that is now coming full circle and after so much training against actually resisting opponents you’ve found you didn’t simply waste your efforts.

Haha I loved the Kenishi demonstration! Awesome video

I´m glad to see you're seeing the good of aikido instead of comparing it to other martial arts, which also have their flaws and won´t apply to ALL situations. I took my black belt in aikido from aikikai and started learning Tomiki aikido. This might come in handy together with my judo , in which I also got the black belt recently.

I love how the usdc proved that while some styles maybe less effective they do have their practical applications

Wow. This is so interesting. I would love to write you. Absolutely wild !

Very nice, the last story is the best story. Throughly enjoyed this.

Nice, man. That was all great.

I'm SO glad to see you discovering the value in what you invested so much of your life into. I trained more of a "jitsu" version of the art from a sensei who trained in Japan and used it many times in security work successfully. We were always encouraged to pressure test our techniques after becoming familiar with them. I'm glad to see some of the self doubt you had going away because as Mr. Miyagi said, "No such thing as bad student...only bad teacher." That's where I feel you were let down...I feel like Jesse ALSO knew the value of what you'd learned and I believe that's why he has encouraged you as much as he has. Your art, like you said, is actually training how best NOT TO FIGHT and its techniques are proven and time tested.

Shoutout to that clip of Master Akisame Koetsuji lmao

This is amazing that you have applied aikido skill and it's technical physics shifting gravity and shattering it with striking.

aikido is okay. Cool video

Love your videos and the honesty, openness and sense of exploration, testing and learning. When people say “least or most effective” martial art, there is something missing- least or most effective for what. Sure, if you’re only looking at what you can use in a formal fighting ring (MMA or whatever) then I’d guess you’d want a range of techniques to use. But most people who do martial arts aren’t doing because they are in regular MMA competitions. I haven’t had to use “fighting” techniques against someone since I was a teenager. However, I have had to de-escalate situations and intervened once to take a spare away from someone who was attaching someone else. The mindset that I learned in aikido (and which can be learned in other “arts” such as zhan zhuang) was invaluable as I didn’t immediately escalate into uncontrolled aggression. The increase in awareness that I got through aikido also helped me avoid situations that were potentially risky. If I ended up being attacked by someone with a knife I’d like to think I’d do what was most sensible for the situation but I have no idea. What I do know is that in numerous occasions the ability to connect, blend, redirect and defuse that I learned through aikido has been invaluable. A “conflict” typically starts before any physical contact and the principles I’ve learned through aikido have been useable for verbal “conflict” as well as in other settings. Having said that I didn’t take up aikido in order to beat up other people or as a means of self defence. I took it up to improve my ability in other activities, to have fun, to get fit. It’s also been very effective for mediation, mindfulness and cultivation.

Excellent video, I think the way you applied aikido in these situations very effective and no doubt you were able to do this due to the skills you have built throughout your martial arts journey. Also, how you dealt with the real life application is exactly the outcome a real martial artist would hope you achieve. Congratulations

Watching this reminds me of so many fond memories of my Aikido Dojo, my Sensei was always super honest and fair about his perspective of aikido saying: If you wanna be able to beat someone up, you better go and train somewhere else, you will not learn to be able to defend yourself. But that was never the reason I fell in love with it, I fell in love with it because of the movement and flow + calmness it brought into my life. And if I‘m honest there are other things in Aikido that will save ones life 2000% more times than a practical martial art will do. Which is, drum rolls, rolling and falling. I have never seen a martial being so complete and complex when it comes to rolling and falling from any position at any moment from any height. To me it is the single most complete system when it comes to how will I contact the ground without dieing. And ever since I started skate boarding or other dayly hick up, knowing how to fall and roll have saved me more from injury than knowing how to fight will ever do. To say it in the words of Thors, I have no enemy, in my soon to be 30 years of living there wasn‘t even a single time where knowing how to fight would have saved me.

Kenichi, my favourite anime of all time.

This man is an inspiration

Cool shirts bro 👊 I really like them 💪

Awesome video and glad to see it being used effective in semi-realistic scenarios! Hopefully this moves toward removing the stigma surrounding Aikido that it was "ineffective".

Out of all the moves to avoid a fight with an Aikido-ka that guy chose a handshake, lmao. Ol' Shioda would have snapped his elbow clean in half.

I once used a tenkan to 'score' a point in a kendo competition. A way bigger dude charged me while I was already close to the line. Instinctually, I just thought: 'nope' and let his energy pass, crossing the line. :)

Even if Aikido doesn't works, you are making it work! I see a lot of perseverance and commitment there! 💪👍

I love the big smile Rokas learned from aikido

So you indeed absorbed what's useful. Cool!

I LOVE YOU ROKAS

That is awesome. You are unknowingly becoming a true Master of aikido. Mastering the techniques, well enough, to administer them against, several world class athletes. Through experience, you have learned to adapt the techniques. It is awesome to watch your journey.. It is very unfortunate that every time someone who has practical experience figures out ways to implement the aikido techniques the real aikidokas come out of the woodwork and label what they are doing not real aikido. I guess if it’s not beautiful and flowey it doesn’t qualify Lol Great job much respect for you

"Not real footage of the event" 😂😂😂

Excellent, I knew that will happen, Aïkido can't be just crap. I say that but I'm coming from Judo / Hung Gar Kung Fu / Muay Thaï. Really happy for you. I think you're going to be the guy who will make aïkido working for street fights cause no matter what, street fights happen for oneself or to defend another person, that's all.

Hey Rokas, have you considered opening an Aikido Dojo again? I would love to attend it if you ever do. All of this self-discovery and learning on your part could lead to a new school of Aikido, a revival if you will. Would be so cool to see you do that.

Finger lock - I wonder would that have been good from a disadvantaged position like that. Hard to do under pressure without hurting Jeff though I'm loving the coverage and cross pollination from my fav RU-vidrs martial artists. I'll be getting your T-shirt framed soon from the self defense championships ❤

"Greatest goal of Aikido is to win a fight without fighting." I agree 100% like what's in the lyrics of the song: kaleidoscope world by francis magalona "You can't talk peace and have a gun"

Awesome video and great examples! From what I have read and experienced Aikido training is not meant to teach you how to fight but how to recognize these principles in everything that you do. It is philosophy but intertwined and expressed through physics. I think since you transitioned into training to become a fighter your Aikido shows in that as well as it show in the work of dancer, musician or athlete that trains it. I know this might read kind of “hippieish” but like Bruce Lee said like water it takes the shape of the vessel that contains it. I see Aikido in a single or double leg take down, it is basically an Irimi Nage, just expressed differently. When Lyoto Machida launches a Mae Geri (front kick) as a faint and to drag him closer and generate forward momentum to land an Oi tsuki (lunge punch) that is also Aiki, in essence Atemi waza unbalancing the opponent before a technique.

This is an excellent video, it reveals the power of a martial art in real life situation, and the most useful weapon ever you can use which is DOUBT. This single sentence : "Are your sure you want to fight ?" Is a life saver in many situations. These can be physical or mental, harassment, bullying, etc... When someone is doing something wrong or bad, don't just blame or defend, but interrogate on the purpose, the meaning, the stakes, the risks, the issue, etc. This is self-defense most effective move. Question. It can go further than de-escalation, disarm. Deserves a video on its own.

Something I noticed over the years watching your channel trying to make Aikido work is that you are typically the aggressor. To me, if I were using Aikido (as you learned it) it would be strictly defensive in nature. Attacker grabs for YOU while you are neutral or trying to create distance, not you chasing them around trying to get a wrist lock or something else. That you've just started to make it work for you as the aggressor by training in other styles is good. I think your most effective use is someone is attacking you and you are giving space and when they grab you, do your Aikido. That is something you really haven't tried as far as I can tell. You might see if you can set up a video with a guy who doesn't know you or your background and see if it's something you can show. I'd be interested to see if my theory is correct. And by the way, with everything going on near your country, I hope for your safety and nothing escalates into your country.

I train in a hard style school with lots of striking, clinching, and weapons techniques, but we also train a lot of aikido principles: redirect instead of resist, use the opponent’s force against them, use avoidance, escape, or diplomacy prior to fighting. It really gives the best of both worlds. I can survive a bad scrap, but I can also defuse and avoid needing to. We also live by the philosophy that a bigger, badder weapon at distance is a NECESSARY part of good martial practice. I am trained to use and carry a knife, stick, or gun anywhere I go, since these are proven to make the fight easier and safer for me to win.

good description of aikido techniques in fighting. love it. Also your last street fight was aikido in the shin shin tradition with Tohei.leading their mind and confusing them with "are you sure you want to fight./" Followign the flow is true aikido.:)

In your street self-defense situation, you handled it brilliantly. The best fight is the fight avoided. I once demonstrated some of the principles of Aikido to a friend who was a brown belt in Okinawan Karate. The next day, he excitedly told me how he had out sparred the blackbelts in his class by redirecting their attacks past him and counter attacking from the side or rear. So, the principles underlying all martial arts transend the arts themselves. If it works, make it work for you, whatever your style...

Last part of it is a beautiful anecdote after all ❤😂

Good stuff! I understand this is a simulation, but if you’ve ever been hit by a bare knuckle, it really changes a lot of this demonstration!

My dad taught me an arm grab push on their elbow. Ive won 3 fights with that one move.

"Are you sure you want to fight?" sounds me more like Clint Eastwood's "Go ahead, make my day" more than Master Ueshiba's teachings 😂

The Kenichi footage was cool, great anime

Let's see more kumite videos!

Aikido are not the joint locks only. These are named gyaku waza and are part of the original Jujutsu/Taijutsu curriculum. Aiki is the principle of meeting and blending with an incoming force, irrelevant of its form, in such a way that is is neutralised. Aikido is the path of this principle. It is a skill based on this principle, as well as a tactic and a strategy. Any mma fighter who learnes this principle of blending with incoming force would develop very advanced skill.

It bears repeating that all martial arts have roots in actual combat and therefore the basics can be applied in a real fight. This is the journey.

Nice to see both throws and joint locks in the mix here! Ueshiba did do a lot of Sumo along with Daito-Ryu. Many believe that Sumo is the pathway “back to the future” for Aikido!

Aikido is such a beautiful and graceful martial art

My partner and I like to refer to situations like the last as "verbal judo", where you're taking a potential or impending conflict and turning it on its head with control and grace (or, as the situation may demand, timing and decisive action).

at 0:40, in real life strike the throat first, you will see how well the wrist lock works. Simple sequence, strike, break throw.

I've seen Aikido work in the prison system. A correctional officer used it to send three guys attacking him flying and then he got out of the area behind a locked door. I have a black belt in Kenpo and I had training that would have taught me to utterly and brutally destroy the greatest threat. The problem is that takes time and a narrow focus. It isn't food for crowd survival. Aikido does work.

Nice Founding the real aikido. Not only the dojo ballet.

The real life story was him using the real aikido 👏👏👏

wow I havent watched your channel in a long time and wasn't so keen on many of your very harsh takes on styles like aikido etc. But, I've been binge watching many of your videos today and my respect for you has increased infinitely with your recent views on the practice of these controversial and unconventional systems

I'm glad to see you regaining some level of confidence in your Aikido. I was subscribed to you years ago, but when you started claiming Aikido to be useless, I unsubscribed. Just to be clear, I'm not an Aikido practicioner, but I do have some experience in martial arts. Nonetheless, from what I've seen at least, a martial art is very rarely truly "bad"; it's the martial artist or teaching methods that are the problem. "There are no bad martial arts, only bad martial artists", so-to-speak. With Aikido's case, it was not trained with real fights in mind, and did not include the pressure testing or conditioning required to make it work in those cases, and thus failed you. That said, you've made up for those shortcomings by doing sparring, pressuretesting yourself, and working on your conditioning through other mediums. Now that you have those pieces, I believe you are starting to see that the years you spent working on Aikido were not a waste afterall. Anyway, the recent videos and changes have convinced me to resubscribe. Stick with it, and I hope to see you continue your martial journey much further.

Nicely done, the most effective martial art is the one you don't have to use.

Awesome