144 - The Battle to Make Aikido Functional with Rokas Leonavicius

I really enjoyed this conversation with Rokas Leonavicius, the European Aikido instructor who became famous on Youtube trying to make his aikido functional against resisting opponents. Find out about his journey into Aikido, BJJ, Aikido and Boxing in this fascinating episode.

02:05 - Rokas's background in Aikido
04:21 - Wrestling in Eastern Europe
05:43 - What attracted him to Aikido?
14:20 - How long should you train before Aikido is applicable?
20:20 - Testing Aikido on Youtube
23:55 - The Aikido vs MMA video
26:23 - Functionalizing Aikido
38:18 - How did Aikido take off?
40:59 - Real life consequences of the Aikido vs MMA video
48:43 - Elements of Aikido that carry over into other arts
61:53 - Where can we find Rokas?

Check out Rokas's Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCazByhbmztoIg6ZKeI25PGw

and his website at http://rokasleo.com