There is a very complex world of “martial arts” on YouTube. Most of it is a dark world to stay away from. But there are a handful of really great teachers. Ando Mierzwa above is one of those. Another is the 3 guys they have at Aikido Flow. A guy with an infectious personality and really diverse in “root” knowledge is Jesse Enkamp. Another guy with a really great aura is at the Martial Arts Journey channel. These 4 have something the others don’t, you know what it is when you see it. Just hard to describe. The rest of the channels are like those guys you see on UFC or MMA bouts where they get a guy on the ground unconscious and just start psychotically pounding the other guys head. Its terrifying. That’s not a sport.

These guys I list generally have the old school humility and decency you’d expect from a “Karate Master”. They don’t go through life with a chip on their shoulder, just waiting for a chance to prove themselves. Another trait they have is a desire to explore other forms of martial arts. Looking to find strengths and weaknesses. They will also be on the receiving end of the training from time to time. Most channels are the head guy who just happens to be a head taller and 20 pounds heavier then the practice dummy they beat up on every time, who just also happens to be a human being. Its like, “If you’re such a damn good instructor, how come your student doesn’t know anything?“

And while all this is fun and entertaining, its good to remember 1 thing. If you are a young person that happens to think this is a good lifelong fitness regimen, great, it makes as much sense as giving your money to Planet Fitness to stay fit. But if you are like 90% of guys and just want a basic understanding of self-defense and will never be in organized competition, I discovered all you need then is to spend a half hour a couple times a year. 15 minutes in the ring and 15 minutes on the mat.

“Sure Aikido might be worthless, but they do have some killer dance moves”