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.