Martial Arts Journey

After we finished the BJJ vs Judo sparring (BJJ blue belt vs Judo brown belt) we sat down to discuss our experience together with my BJJ coach.

In this episode I discuss with Matt Thornton - founder of SBG International about the importance of learning not only techniques, but also fundamentals. We also explore some of my personal challenges that I have in BJJ and it's solutions. This podcast is part of the YouTube episode "I Nearly Quit BJJ... But Then This Happened" which you can find here: https://youtu.be/KOtiyYOYeFs

Four people at the top of the questioning of Aikido game sit down to discuss what it would take for Aikido to have a bright future. How should it evolve? Why is it in a crises? Where does Aikido stop being Aikido and much more. Christopher Hein • https://www.youtube.com/user/ChuShinTani Francisco de los Cobos • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HupRx0zKdHk Nathanael Chawkin • https://www.youtube.com/user/IntegralMartialArts Rokas Leonavičius • https://www.youtube.com/MartialArtsJourney

What is it really like in UFC Fight Island? Join this talk with Nicolas Dalby live from UFC Fight Island as he talks about his latest fight with Alex "Cowboy" Oliveira, how life and training on UFC Fight Island is, his experience of training during Covid and much more. Watch the previous talk with Nicolas Dalby here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwDYIwPnbtA Watch the first talk with Nicolas Dalby here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcJFuIXAKC4

I was invited to try out the famous Wim Hof method created by "Iceman" who has multiple Guinness records related to extreme cold. I didn't have to go to "extreme cold" but going into water at 40°F/°4C was still not an easy feat. The seminar was lead by Zilvinas Gruodis with whom we later spoke about the Wim Hof method, beating your fears, martial arts and more. Learn more about him at the official Wim Hof method website: https://www.wimhofmethod.com/instructors/zilvinasgruodis

Couple of months ago I've experienced the hardest punch ever which was demonstrated to me by Peter Consterdine. This time we sat down with Peter to speak about some of the controversies the video generated among other important topics regarding self defense.

Listen to the full talk with my MMA teammate from SBG Ireland - Jay as we speak about the art of holding pads, going out of your comfort zone in training and much more.

In this video I talk with Daniel Woolhiser a 5th degree Taekwondo black belt and mixed martial artist. We discuss about the "McDojo" effect that many Taekwondo schools have and how it effects the martial art. Check the video version here: https://youtu.be/76ahC8L9iBc If you want to see the first video we did with Daniel check it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8sCP7_Z1iY

I've spent years being a devoted student and practitioner of spirituality only much later to learn about a destructive dark side that spirituality has. I was surprised to learn that Matt Thornton has gone through a similar path and that we shared many similar experiences and insights. I recommend to watch or listen to this full talk if you have any interest in spirituality to consider if your spiritual path may be leading to similar experiences. Video version: https://youtu.be/EsqDeGiiVn0

Stephen Whittier is a 3rd degree BJJ black belt, Muay Thai Kru who has also received the prestigious Red Mongkol in Sityodtong Muay Thai lineage. He is also the owner of SBG East Coast. In this talk with coach Stephen we touch a number of subjects, such as what makes a fighter excellent, how does meditation and the flow state influence training and more.

While many of us consider ourselves good critical thinkers in this talk with Peter Boghossian it becomes quickly clear that critical thinking is not as evident as it seems, be it in martial arts or any other field. Join me and Peter Boghossian in this talk on how to develop critical thinking, how to be honest with yourself, how to test your ideas against reality and much more. Follow Peter Boghossian on Twitter: @peterboghossian Check Peter Boghossian's website: http://peterboghossian.com/ Peter Boghossian is a philosophy instructor, activist, author, speaker, and atheism advocate. He is a full-time faculty member at Portland State University. Check Peter Boghossian's podcast at Joe Rogan's: 1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZvucbACmZQ&t 2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZZNvT1vaJg&t

The question of whether BJJ work in the street is a commonly asked question with a lot of misunderstanding, especially from traditional martial artists. To debunk this question I am joined by coach Matt Thornton, founder of Straight Blast Gym International with years of experience in both traditional and functional martial arts to help answer this question.

Amanda Loewen is a world level Brazilian Jiu Jitsu athlete who successfully competed in numerous world level BJJ tournaments. She has also reached the level of black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu in an astonishingly quick time. Join us in this Martial Arts Journey Podcast where I talk with coach Amanda of Straight Blast Gym Portland about what is the path to becoming a world class Jiu Jitsu athlete.

In this Martial Arts Journey Podcast I talk with Brian Walsh - an Olympic Boxing coach with decades of experience about the importance of always leaving your comfort zone when practicing martial arts, among other important, martial arts related subjects. Brian Walsh is the head coach of Boxing in Straight Blast Gym Portland.

What makes a martial arts instructor bad? If the student get's hurt in a self defense situation because of bad instruction, is that the responsibility of the martial arts instructor? These answers and more in the new Martial Arts Podcast - House of the Monkey. The House of the Monkey Podcast features four different martial arts youtubers: Santiago of Liquidcadmus, Sergio of Practical Combat Martial Arts, Sakan Lam (same channel as name) and Rokas Leonavicius of Martial Arts Journey. This also marks the first video in the newly created channel Martial Arts Journey Podcast, which is an extension of the original Martial Arts Journey YouTube channel. This channel will exclusively feature all future Martial Arts Journey podcasts, including some of House of the Monkey episodes. House of the Monkey podcast is the creation of Santiago and Sergio, where Rokas Leonavicius is occasionally a guest. Based on communal agreement, HOM episodes are published on each of the participated YouTubers channel.

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert Matt Thornton talked with me about the benefits of training smart vs hard in BJJ and MMA. Professor Matt Thornton is the founder of SBG International.

Meditation can enhance many attributes to our lives and martial arts training. In this talk Miles Kessler, a professional meditation teacher shares his knowledge about the subject. • For more, check out Miles’ free 3-part training on “Meditation For Aikidoka” here: https://store.theintegraldojo.com/a/10141/oBYFKXYG • Download the "Spectrum Of Consciousness" PDF here: https://store.theintegraldojo.com/p/mfa-spectrum-of-consciousness

Recently a friend of mine participated in Steven Seagal's seminar in Moscow and since he had some fascinating things to share, we've recorded a conversation together. We'll also be talking about the video I've made analyzing Steven Seagal's Aikido and what mistakes I've made in my assessment. To learn more about Alex Grant check these links: www.aikiflow.uk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGCXdENWWu2Dg8Ve_8_LMHA Footage from the seminar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3TIdX_zhrQ&feature=youtu.be Video in question about Steven Seagal's Aikido effectiveness: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v9u8aPbcV4g8j

A year after Aikido vs MMA I once more had a chance to talk with Roy Dean, a professional BJJ instructor who is also a Aikido, Judo and Japanese Jiu Jitsu black belt, who has made the transition from Aikido to BJJ. In the talk we look at what changed during this year in Aikido and also our professional lives.

In this interview I talk with Sergio Perez, founder of Practical Combat Martial Arts YouTube channel about moving from traditional martial arts to MMA.

There are many myths and legends around Aikido founders Morihei Ueshiba's, also known as O'Sensei's life. In this interview with leading Aikido figure Robert Nadeau Shihan, who personally knew Aikido's founder, we talk about how it is important to be grounded and simple in all aspects of life.

Failure is an essential part of any success. In this Martial Arts Journey Podcast I will be sharing something that I do on the side: share my ideas publicly as a speaker of the methods that I use in both my everyday and also work life.

In this Martial Arts Journey podcast episode I am joined by Nathanael Chawkin who is not only experienced in martial arts, yet has extensive knowledge and practice in leadership and coaching. In this interview he will be sharing how martial arts can be used as a tool to develop and better understand leadership and personal growth.

While personal growth in BJJ, MMA and martial arts is not always addressed, it is an important aspect that if approached in the right way can transform a persons life in the most positive ways. To understand better how personal growth works in these realms - I was lucky to once more have a chance to interview Matt Thonton, a martial arts legend - BJJ black belt, founder of SBG International. During the talk we will take a look at such questions as: what makes combat sports unique as a tool for personal growth, what values combat sports can enhance, how to make sure that your practice has a positive effect on your personal life, how to balance family life and your training, how to run a great gym and organization and how to be careful about not burning out.

4th degree Jujutsu black belt, 3rd degree Judo black belt, active police officer and SPEAR instructor Danny Tamblyn talks about some common misconceptions of self defense, the internet culture for addressing these issues and everything else related.

With digging deeper into self defense the question of how much combat sports will get you ready for a self defense situation kept coming up. To help find the answer this podcast features self defense expert, active police officer, BJJ black belt - Paul Sharp with his great, precise and simple answers.

It took me years to realize that what is self defense and what Aikido taught me are very different worlds. Yet this journey still continues as good answers need to be found to replace the old ones. In this journey Bruno Orozco a self defense expert, Aikido black belt will help me find answers to some initial main questions in understanding the differences between martial arts and self defense.

An amazing interview with martial arts legend Matt Thornton sharing how important is questioning your martial art and seeking the truth in it. Matt Thornton is a martial arts athlete, trainer, and founder of Straight Blast Gym International, an association of over 35 gyms worldwide engaged in training athletes in Brazilian jiu-jitsu (BJJ), boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA).

In this episode Bruno Orozco a self defense expert/ Aikido black belt will share how some Aikido schools often lack critical thinking and falsely believe that what they are practicing is self defense. He will also share how Aikido can be a great tool for personal development by sharing his own stories. In the next episode we will have Matt Thornton - a martial arts legend, BJJ black belt and founder of SBG International where we will talk about aliveness in martial arts.

In this episode of Martial Arts Journey Podcast a well known martial artist Daniel Theodore also known as Dan the Wolfman is also well known for his YouTube videos where he shows Aikido technique applications in a combat sports setting with resisting opponents. I've sat down to talk with Dan and to ask what made it possible to make Aikido techniques effective and what is his take on the place of Aikido in the modern world.

As I continued to search for answers in what one needs to do to become functional in martial arts I've met Marius Tubis - an experienced fighter/security person with a degree in sports science. We had a great 25 minute talk which includes exploring how traditional martial arts can limit a persons development and how MMA exposed a lot of myths that traditional martial arts were often based on.

After the Aikido vs MMA video I was contacted by many people and realized quite a few Aikido practitioners already went through a similar journey, just never made it as public. Two such great individuals were Nathanael Chawkin and Francisco de Los Cobos whom I've interview to learn more about their experience of walking the path of pressure testing their Aikido. The result - this amazing talk.

Welcome to the second episode of Martial Arts Journey Podcast. This was the second recorded talk after the "Aikido vs MMA" video exploring the dilemma of whether Aikido can work in the context of combat sports or particularly MMA. The talk is with Ray Butcher, head coach of Balance Ireland Dojo in Dublin. Ray is a first degree BJJ black belt, fourth degree Aikido black belt and also experienced in Karate, Judo and MMA.

Welcome to the first episode of Martial Arts Journey podcast! In this podcast I briefly share some details about the podcast and what to expect from it. Also I share the first talk I had soon after the Aikido vs MMA video where emotions and discoveries where fresh in finding out what it means to get disillusioned with traditional martial arts together with Roy Dean a Brazlian Jiu Jitsu and Aikido black belt.