An Interview with Ivica Aleksovski, A Martial Artist

Hello, Tose. I am glad to be here. I also appreciate you as a professional and as a friend.

Ivica is a person who likes to explore life, learn new things each day, and enjoy each moment HERE and NOW. In other words, I want to get to know life through martial arts and the martial arts through life with all it offers.

I have been active in the world of martial arts for almost 33 years. Through this period, I have mastered many martial art techniques and systems. Today, I have a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, making me the first Macedonian with a BJJ black belt. I have also brought this martial art and sport to our country and founded the Macedonian BJJ Federation, the highest degree Jeet Kune Do, developed by the legendary Bruce Lee.

I have also founded the well-known martial arts center in our country, The Strongest, along with the specialized shop for sports equipment and supplements, “The Strongest Shop.” In addition, I have started the first BJJ club in Macedonia, named “The Strongest & ROOTS BJJ,” under the leadership of Prof. Robert Naumoski. Finally, I am the founder of the Muay Thai club “Ronin & Carnage Muay Thai” in Macedonia under the Serbian Muay Thai Champion and Trainer Misha Bauchulov.

Until now, I have hosted over 150 seminars in Macedonia, Albania, Germany, Serbia, etc. I have also held workshops in our special units, “Tigers,” “Wolfs,” Rapid Intervention Unit, the Army, Primary schools, high schools, and Security Agencies.

Ever since I was a kid, I have greatly desired to train in some mystical martial arts. Until then, the Jit Kun got the most attention and was the most interesting. Well, apart from the regular clubs for judo, boxing, and karate.

When I enrolled in the Police Academy, I finally encountered conditions for training every day. From that moment to today, the skills, the philosophy of martial arts, and the codes of conduct have been my life companion.

What keeps me going are my daughter and wife. We spend a lot of time together, as we also train together, either at the gym or at home. My family doesn’t have to “suffer” while I am at work, training, or in tournaments.

Every success takes years and years. Don’t get me wrong, that’s good because it’s the only way to learn and develop quality. The secret is not in the end result but in the process that gets you there.

The secret is… Work, work, and only work… Complete commitment, not improvisation… Taking risks…

Believe me when I say that half the job is done if you have a goal and believe in it.

I start each morning with breathing and meditation exercises. Then, I have my coffee and work on the computer for a while to finish the daily tasks regarding “The Strongest Shop” and the Center for Martial Arts & Bodybuilding “The Strongest.”

I have to go to the bank or accounting almost every day. When I finish the more technical aspects of my day, I head out to the gym for morning bodybuilding & fitness training.

I spend most of my afternoons at home resting a bit. Then, I go to the gym once again at around 6 PM to train together with my members from our martial arts groups (MMA, BJJ, Muay Thai, or Kickboxing).

Well, to start, the extensive experience working with people, including martial arts clubs, private training, and police work. The constant change and progression of my training programs also play a role. I advocate that everything is dynamic in nature, so I try to change from day to day in a positive direction.

Finally, learning martial arts, fitness, supplements, nutrition, and mental abilities (breathing techniques, meditation, things I have been learning since I was a child) are important to be a complete person from martial arts and sports.

It is terribly difficult for an average person to adhere to a strict diet. It would be best if everyone got enough information about proper nutrition (say on the Internet) and experimented on themselves to establish the best solution.

Not everything that the trainers write as a diet plan is easily applicable. After all, no one adhered to it for years. Each person should progress in all food, training, and rest to take care of the body and health.

In other words, it’s a process. When we, as humans, see a small result, we get more motivated to change our lifestyle.

With time, we come to the stage where we are “addicted” to training habits. At this point, we can quickly develop habits for proper nutrition. For instance, I have been a vegetarian for almost ten years, and I can say that I feel the best at the age of 46.

That idea is almost 20 years old. I started with my Jit Kin club. However, the idea was to further develop in many fields, including martial arts (Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai), bodybuilding, and fitness.

Today, two decades later, we have a Martial Arts & Bodybuilding and Fitness Center with a size of 450 m2 (250m2 part for martial arts, 200m2 gym), a unique opportunity to train in a martial arts hall during the day, to book private martial arts training, for bodybuilding or combined. Martial arts themselves are a part of the whole.

For me, the HOLY TRINITY is composed of martial arts, physical exercises (bodybuilding and fitness), and the deepening of mental abilities.

Our shop was a thing that had to happen in Macedonia. Unfortunately, several years back, we did not have a single specialized shop for martial arts equipment where you have world brands like VENUM and UFC, but only regular low-quality equipment. So, it was time to change.

I have to say, the oldest martial art, or rather my system, is Jit Kun Do. It’s a concept created by the legendary Bruce Lee that unites all martial arts into one. It was the starting point that inspired me to study Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, MMA, Thai Boxing, Kickboxing, Judo, Wrestling, etc., and made the idea complete.

Believe me when I say that you can build yourself as a quality coach and a person who transmits his knowledge to the younger generations only by studying each system in more detail. JKD is not a competitive skill, but it is a quality concept, philosophy, and learning method.

That’s why I have transferred these principles in training for BJJ, MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. I also always have “material” that I study and study at all times.

Enjoy the moment, do not live with yesterday’s problems, and do not wait for tomorrow to come to solve them. Enjoy here and now!