The Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD is an instructional that simply put, teaches beginners how to do heel hooks. There is no safe or legal way mentioned, just the best, most optimal way to finish the submission while not risking losing your position or ending up leg-locked yourself.

Key Takeaways

• A No-Gi BJJ instructional with 2 hours of material spread over 4 parts.
• Simplifies how to attach, hold, and submit people using heel hooks for students of all levels.     
• It is particularly useful for beginners or leg lock newbies and is proven to work at the ADCC Trials level. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 9 out of 10.

HEATH PEDIGO AND JACOB COUCH HEEL HOOK DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

The Great Equalizer

People tend to award the title of the “great equalizer” to plenty of things in BJJ, but I think it was leg locks that really made it stick. However, while many people assume this refers to all leg looks, the reality is somewhat different. If you see a 115 lb female grappler attempt a kneebar against a 240 lb male partner, you’ll see exactly what I mean.

Now, place the same pair of imaginary grapplers in a heel hook situation, with the female going for the sub, and you get that great equalizer at the price of painful grimaces on the giant male grappler’s face. That is where leg locks excel.

We could change the roles of the grapplers in this example to fit many different narratives – differences in belts, age, and body type are all factors that can be negated using a well-placed heel hook.

The issue is that many gyms still shy away from teaching new students heel hooks, which turns them into useless higher belts. For those who have a shred of common sense and want their students to succeed outside the “these moves are too advanced for beginners” bubble, the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD offers a great blueprint to teach newbies how to heel hook properly.

The Daisy Fresh Crew

Heath Pedigo, a BJJ black belt under Rodrigo Vaghi from the Rickson Gracie lineage, is the man behind the crazy project known as Dasisy Fresh that spread like wildfire through the BJJ World during the pandemic. Heath put together a team of very talented grapplers who lived together, training all day long, and ended up with some incredible performances on the world stage!

Jacob Couch is one of Heath’s students and a prominent member of the Daisy Fresh squad.  ‘The Hillbilly Hammer” as he is known, got his black belt from Heath Pedigo in 2022, after becoming a staple name on the No-Gi scene representing the Daisy Fresh team which is actually called the Pedigo Submission Fighting team.

In the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD, both these grappling characters come together to show a curriculum of sorts that they use to teach heel hooks to complete beginners.

Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD Review

The Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD is a No-Gi installation with 4 volumes, each lasting around the 30-minute mark. This brings the entire running time of the DVD to about 2 hours. There is also a third member of the team, BJJ beginner Casey Marshall who directly demonstrates how easy it is for beginners to understand Heath and Jacob’s way of doing heel hooks.

Part 1 – Attachment

If you’ve ever seen a Daisy Fresh team training session you probably have an idea what you’re in for. There won’t be any long-winded philosophical explanations in this one, as Heath and Jacob cover exactly what you need to get through ADCC open brackets using heel hooks.

The very first volume of the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD covers best practices on attaching yourself to the legs of your opponent. A lot of information goes into explaining the nature of lower body connections and how to ensure your leg entanglement position does not turn into a pass from the opponent.

The direction of sweeps, which is an integral part of every Ashi Garami game also features in this instructional, with Couch and Petigo covering when to opt out of heel hooks and get top position.

Part 2 – Keeping the Ashi 

With no heel hook finishes in the first part of the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD, I hoped for some in the following volume. No luck, but I was not disappointed as this part covers what I find to be the most difficult aspect of heel hooking – heel exposure.

The Daisy Fresh crew demonstrates exactly how they do it, which is, safe to say, quite different from the Danaher way. That doesn’t make it less effective, though, it is just easier to master. Chapters include keeping tight control of the legs and never losing the knee line while you’re digging for those heel hook grips.

Part 3 – Submission Combinations

In part 3, the heel hooks come out, but not before the usual gateway leg lock, the ankle lock, makes an all-important appearance. The first submission in the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook DVD is not a heel hook per se, as the trio of Heth, Jacob, and Casey demonstrate how to use ankle locks to set up really deep heel hooks without having to dig for them directly.

As finishing details for the submission emerge, the focus is on keeping the knee line and ensuring the opponent doesn’t roll. Since rolling out is not just a common, but also an intuitive way out of a heel hook (for those who know what they’re doing), the information provided in this DVD is extremely useful in preventing such actions.

Part 4 – Switching Heel Hooks

As we reach the final portion of the short but exceedingly enjoyable Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD, it is all about finishing. My favorite adjustment in terms of highly reliable finishes plays a key role in this volume – heel hook grips.

Nothing is going to skyrocket your success with hell hooks as much as switching grips while finishing. In that regard, Pedigo, COuch, and Marshall go very far in demonstrating the prowess of the butterfly grip, as well as a few more that really make a difference.

They also look at the relationship between outside and sindie heel hooks, and how you can switch without having to change the control you have with the legs too much. WRaping up in style, they show how you set everything they show up when you’re dealing with a standing opponent.

Heel Hooks For Beginners

During my review of the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD, I had to restart this section several times as I went on needless “why aren’t we teaching beginners everything” rants, rather than exploring the practical applications of the material presented in the instructional.

One reason why this instructional stands head and shoulders above others is that Heath and Jacobactaulyl have a beginner doing all the work in this DVD – teammate Casey Marshall, WHile they are demonstrating, explaining, and guiding, it is Casey who does most of the work, directly demonstrating that the material is extremely easy to use for beginners.

On top of that, Heath himself explains that while the material is really  “dumbed down” to fit the needs of white and blue belts primarily, even seasoned black belts who have a clunky understanding of heel hooks will find useful information in it. I agree completely with him.

FULL DOWNLOAD: HEATH PEDIGO AND JACOB COUCH HEEL HOOK DVD

Heel Hook The World! 

It is easy to start collecting taps on a regular basis from everyone in the gym when you’re armed with a foolproof way of heel-hooking them. With strength and size playing no role at all when heel hooks are concerned the smart and efficient positioning and brutal finishes demonstrated in the Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD are all you need to turn into a high-levle leg locker in a matter of months.

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The post Heath Pedigo and Jacob Couch Heel Hook The World DVD Review appeared first on BJJ World.

The Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle has the potential to change all that, for the select few that will prove to be patient enough to go through it. This is a compliment, as not many DVD collections pick one BJJ move and go so deep into it that it takes more than 20 hours to just watch the material.

Key Takeaways

• A four-part instructional bundle with 4 different Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo DVDs.
• Features Mikey’s complete Berimbolo game with the Gi, covering positioning, attacks, defenses, and counters.
• 25 hours of incredible details on how to set up Mikey’s dreaded Berimbolo.  
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 10 out of 10.

MIKEY MUSUMECI BERIMBOLO SYSTEM DVD BUNDLE IS HERE!!!

Darth Rigatoni

Mikey Musumeci, ak. a. Darth Rigatoni is one of the most popular characters in Jiu-Jitsu, for all the right reasons. The 28-year-old American is the current ONE FC Flyweight Submission World Champion with a flawless record of 6 wins and no losses, just two of which Mikey did not wrap up with a submission.

Prior to his undisputed reign in ONE FC, Mikey already secured a lasting legacy, with 4 IBJJF World Titles, an IBJJF Pans title, a couple of IBJJF European and American Nationals gold medals (each), the Abu Dhabi World Pro title, and one No-Gi World title for good measure. On top of that, he became famous with his crazy pizza and pasta fasting diet that nobody in the BJJ world had heard of before.

Mikey’s charisma and positive character can only be rivaled by his crazy technical prowess in Jiu-Jitsu which involves a highly versatile game that all smaller-framed grapplers attempt to emulate. Well, good news on that front – now you can try to mimic his Bolo game with the help of the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle.

Components Of The Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle

The Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle is a DVD collection featuring four parts that act as Breimbol instructional on their own. With nearly 25 hours of material covering the subject, Mieky has provided the world’s utmost resource for studying this polarizing BJJ move:

Berimbolo System – The Foundation DVD – DOWNLOAD HERE!

Subject Matter: The very first instructionals featured in the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle outline the principles of his inversion-based game, focusing on the flawless execution of the Berimbolo.

Key Points Covered: Over 8 long volumes Musumeci covers the crucial aspects of executing Breimbolos with the Gi, starting from the history of the move and ending with how you can use it from top positions.

Mikey spends a huge portion of this DVD discussing how to invert not just safely, but also effectively, as well as going in-depth about arm and leg placement throughout the motion. Given the prevalent use of the Berimbol from the bottom there are lots of guard details and transitions, including how to pull a Berimbolo from standing.

Technical DVD specifications: This first member of the Mikey Musumeci DVD Bundle has eight parts, each lasting a different amount of time, but all amassing to around 6 hours of material.

Berimbolo System: Crab Ride & Leg Drag DVD – AVAILABLE HERE

Subject Matter: With the fundamentals out of the way, Mieky includes the next stage in the development of his Berimbolo game which is leg dragging and making the most out of the crab ride for effective back exposure and attacks.

Key Points Covered: Just like the first instructional in the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle, this DVD offers 8 volumes of highly detailed material on the Bolo, this time focusing a lot more on offense.

The first half of this instructional is all about the leg drag pass, and how you can use it to set up rolling Berimbolos from the top. The second half ties in beautifully offering the natural follow-up to the leg drag, which utilizes leg hooks (a.k.a. crab ride) to finish the Berimbolo by getting the back.

Musumeci includes crab rides from all directions and the highly effective inverted leg drag, as well.

Technical DVD specifications: Once again, this Gi DVD instructional features lots of material, spread over 8 volumes and featuring a running length of 4 and half hours.

Berimbolo System: Wedges & Hooks DVD – GET IT HERE

Subject Matter: With a ton of material already covered by Mikey, the next section of his Berimbolo game plan covers intricate positioning that makes it unstoppable even when opponents know it is coming. This instructional goes over hook placement and how to use wedges to maximize your Bolo efforts.

Key Points Covered: Mikey starts this DVD by focusing on some reactive aspects of the Berimbolo, covering common counters and defenses that opponents attempt and how to deal with them.

The shin wedge plays a pivotal role, as it allows for passing and sweeping while exposing the back, followed by the knee wedge, which, as expected, offers a lot more offensive potential.

A real gem in this entire bundle is the Mikey hooks and wedges, which are Darth Rigatoni’s ways of attaching to the opponent for Berimbolos, leaving them no hope of surviving. Once again, top and bottom use features, with cameo appearances of principles on arm posting and the inevitable crab rides.

Technical DVD specifications: The third installment in the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle offers 6 more hours of GI Berimbolo magic, once again organized neatly in eight different volumes.

Berimbolo System: Defending Gi Leg Locks DVD – GRAB HERE

Subject Matter: As we reach the final instrucitonal in the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle it is safe to say there is more than enough material for a lifetime in it. This final portion covers a defensive aspect of playing a Berimbolo game which includes leg lock awareness and counters.

Key Points Covered: Musumeci begins by deconstructing the single leg X ankle lock and goes on to explore all the different ways that leg locks can scupper the Berimbolo and how to deal with them. Mieky relies heavily on wedges and hooks to enter into crab rides and leg dregs while avoiding the common pitfalls of leg entanglements.

While it may seem that Mikey only covers Gi legal leg locks (which he does) his system works against all types of Ashi Garami leg lock finishes as it works during the early stages of attacks, thus opening lots of countering options, some of which involve the infamous Mikey lock ankle lock.

Technical DVD specifications: Once again, eight full volumes of nothing but super high-end instructions by Mikey Musumeci in a Gi. The material in this DVD totals over 6 hours of BJJ skill and technique demonstrations.

Spinning Like Mikey 

Well okay, nobody can spin like Mikey. except for Mikey, but you can get pretty close to what he does using his Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle. The Berimbolo is a very useful move in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as long as you do what Mikey does and you don’t abuse it.

The more you spin without a purpose, the funnier it is to watch, and the easier it is for whoever is against you to quickly wrap you up. While it may seem that Mikey relies on the Berimbolo for everything, he only uses it strategically, always identifying the perfect timing to launch it and change the course of the exchange in an instant.

Building a game that features the Berimbolo successfully against tall types of opponents, including those much larger than you is going to require time. The amount of material offered by Mikey is staggering and is more than most of your reading will be willing to go through to master the Bolo. Those that do, however, can begin spinning like Mikey. Well, almost like Mikey.

MIKEY MUSUMECI BERIMBOLO DVD BUNDLE DOWNLOAD

Bolos All Around!

Time to start inverting and tangling people up with the infamous Bolo as can now let your inner Musumeci loose, thanks to the Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle. This collection is the one single resource that anyone needs to master the Berimbolo. It also happens to be a resource that is riches with material and contains more practical details than any other attempt at deconstructing everyone’s beloved/hated BJJ move.

Berimbolo: The Best DVD And Digital Courses

Advanced Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Techniques: The Berimbolo

Kron Gracie: The Berimbolo is a Mess, it’s a Way to Cheat

The post 2024 Mikey Musumeci Berimbolo System DVD Bundle Review appeared first on BJJ World.

I’d dismiss such a DVD as ineffective and a waste of time and money in an instant if it wasn’t for the underlying concept shared by the young Aussie BJJ black belt. To be honest, while there’s a lot of fluff, this instructional does deliver a powerful idea on how to combine guards for an ultra-effective bottom game in Jiu-Jitsu.

Key Takeaways

• A heavily Gi-based BJJ DVD with 6 volumes, lasting just under 4 hours.
• Offers the concept of dividing guards into upper and lower body dominant and creating hybrids.     
• Features sweeps, a few submissions, and plenty of leg entanglement entries. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 6 out of 10.

ARIEL TABAK HYBRID GUARDS DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Navigating BJJ Guards

What is your favorite guard? Depending on how long you’ve been involved in BJJ, this answer has changed for you multiple times. If it hasn’t you’re either crazy good about playing one guard, or you’ve just started the Gentle Art.

I really have no idea how many different guards BJJ has, but I doubt I’d be wrong if I claimed they’re more than a hundred. That just means you can’t really understand all of them even if all you did was play guards throughout your BJJ career. Luckily, you don’t have to know them all.

The best way to think about guards is in terms of defensive and offensive ones. Some are awesome at helping you stay connected to the top player, while others offer plenty of sweeps and submissions. But what happens when you have a guard, such as the half guard, that’s great for both?

The ideas outlined in the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD about dividing guards into lower and upper body dominant and blending them together is definitely one worth exploring further.

BJJ Guard Virtuoso Ariel Tabak

Ariel Tabak is a BJJ black belt under Cicero Costha and is famous for having one of the best guards in the game. Tabak has been training since 2009 when he was a teenager. The Australian spent his colored belt days under the tutelage of Daniel Keane and Daniel Shaw, getting his black belt in 2019.

Since then, young Tabak has conquered the IBJJF Pan Pacific championships twice, as well as grabbing third place at the ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials in 2022. Still not in his prime, Ariel has already spent a lot of time sharpening his skills with regular trips to Brazil so there is still a lot to come from him in the future.

While he is comfortable in all BJJ settings, Tabak has so far excelled in Gi Jiu-Jitsu more than No-Gi, and the guard is his main playground. Some snippets of his prowess with Gi guards can be seen in the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD, demonstrating his impressive teaching capabilities.

Detailed Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD Review

If you are a fan of modern Gi-based guards, you’re really going to enjoy this Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD. While in my opinion not overly practical, his iteration of hybridizing upper and lower body guards and combining them with lege entanglements does have a lot to offer in terms of potential:

Part 1 – Key Concepts And Principles

As the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD kicks off it becomes immediately apparent that there are going to be lots of inverting, spinning, and Gi gripping in this one. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Ariel begins by introducing his key concepts of merging different guards together. He uses

It has been a while since I’ve seen an elaborate Gi-guard DVD that features all the stuff that was a buzz in the BJJ world circa 2012. Inversions, Berimbolos, heavy use of different Gi grips and elaborate attacking schemes all feature in the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD.

I’d dismiss such a DVD as ineffective and a waste of time and money in an instant if it wasn’t for the underlying concept shared by the young Aussie BJJ black belt. To be honest, while there’s a lot of fluff, this instructional does deliver a powerful idea on how to combine guards for an ultra-effective bottom game in Jiu-Jitsu.

Key Takeaways

• A heavily Gi-based BJJ DVD with 6 volumes, lasting just under 4 hours.
• Offers the concept of dividing guards into upper and lower body dominant and creating hybrids.     
• Features sweeps, a few submissions, and plenty of leg entanglement entries. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 6 out of 10.

ARIEL TABAK HYBRID GUARDS DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Navigating BJJ Guards

What is your favorite guard? Depending on how long you’ve been involved in BJJ, this answer has changed for you multiple times. If it hasn’t you’re either crazy good about playing one guard, or you’ve just started the Gentle Art.

I really have no idea how many different guards BJJ has, but I doubt I’d be wrong if I claimed they’re more than a hundred. That just means you can’t really understand all of them even if all you did was play guards throughout your BJJ career. Luckily, you don’t have to know them all.

The best way to think about guards is in terms of defensive and offensive ones. Some are awesome at helping you stay connected to the top player, while others offer plenty of sweeps and submissions. But what happens when you have a guard, such as the half guard, that’s great for both?

The ideas outlined in the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD about dividing guards into lower and upper body dominant and blending them together is definitely one worth exploring further.

BJJ Guard Virtuoso Ariel Tabak

Ariel Tabak is a BJJ black belt under Cicero Costha and is famous for having one of the best guards in the game. Tabak has been training since 2009 when he was a teenager. The Australian spent his colored belt days under the tutelage of Daniel Keane and Daniel Shaw, getting his black belt in 2019.

Since then, young Tabak has conquered the IBJJF Pan Pacific championships twice, as well as grabbing third place at the ADCC Asia and Oceania Trials in 2022. Still not in his prime, Ariel has already spent a lot of time sharpening his skills with regular trips to Brazil so there is still a lot to come from him in the future.

While he is comfortable in all BJJ settings, Tabak has so far excelled in Gi Jiu-Jitsu more than No-Gi, and the guard is his main playground. Some snippets of his prowess with Gi guards can be seen in the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD, demonstrating his impressive teaching capabilities.

Detailed Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD Review

If you are a fan of modern Gi-based guards, you’re really going to enjoy this Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD. While in my opinion not overly practical, his iteration of hybridizing upper and lower body guards and combining them with lege entanglements does have a lot to offer in terms of potential:

Part 1 – Key Concepts And Principles

As the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD kicks off it becomes immediately apparent that there are going to be lots of inverting, spinning, and Gi gripping in this one. Not necessarily a bad thing.

Ariel begins by introducing his key concepts of merging different guards together. He uses Leandro Lo’s spider guard and De la Riva combo as an example, demonstrating the principle of combining upper and lower bodyguards for the ultimate bottom control.

The entire first volume explores this connection, looking at ways to off-balance the top person and win the essential grip fight. There is also some useful information on how to precisely remove and re-attach your upper and lower body posts to make the opponent stuck at all times.

Part 2 – De la Riva Guards

The De la Riva guard, both regular and reverse plays a huge role in this entire instructional. The first mention of the sleeve and pants DLR guard is in the second volume of the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD, where lots of the focus is on keeping the position and attacking with elaborate sweeps.

In my opinion, most of the stuff is overly elaborate, taking away from the efficiency of Jiu-jitsu for the sake of connecting more and more stuff together. The few finishing chapters that cover the high knee shield are actually the most useful part of this 45-minute-long part of the DVD.

Part 3 –  Hybrid Spider-Single X Guard

The third volume of this Ariel Tabak guard DVD goes on to explore the knee shield further, offering leg lock entries with the knee bar as the main finish. The way Tabak hybridizes the half guard is by exploring the use of a spider guard hook with the free leg, essentially guiding the opponent to a spider-RDLR hybrid or a combination of X-guards and spider-inspired biceps control.

There is a lot of emphasis here on pants control, combined with biceps spider control which are very useful and innovative, opening a lot of opportunities for Gi guard players and leg lockers. The hybrid Spider X guard emerges from all this chaos, and I am left pretty unconvinced by its practical application against seasoned grapplers.

Part 4 – The Whip

As far as somewhat useful aspects of the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD are concerned, the fourth volume is as useful as things get. All usual overcomplication aside, Ariel Tabak explains his Whip concept here, which is essentially a play on the leg lever sweep.

He uses a drawstring grip to control one end of the leg, and a pants grip on the other, allowing him to effectively sweep from all the hybrid guard positions he shares in this DVD. The spider hook makes it easier for Ariel to open up entries into inverted and spinning attacks using the Whip.

Part 5 – Lasso RDLR Guard Hybrids

I spent a lot of time doing inverted Gi-based guards, lasso stuff, and RDLR in my time on the mats, and I avoid them for a reason – they’re not necessary. With plenty of easier ways to weep or get back, I find no allure in this type of guard play, but since others might like it, I’ll try to be impartial about it.

The penultimate part of the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD focuses on connecting the lass guard as the upper body control with the RDLR hook as the lower body one. Looming brutal leg lock threats aside, the position is a solid one to retain guard and attack.

Tabak does provide a different dimension to the game, building up the arsenal of attacks to include more than spinning sweeps and Omoplatas by integrating the Ashi Garami game into his system.

Part 6 – Lasso DLR Guard Hybrids

As we near the conclusion of the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD, the final half hour or so is about the deep lasso guard and how it relates to the Berimbolo. Yeah, just when you thought you found a Gi guard instructional with no Berimbolos, it had to crash the party.

Some of the stuff sections of the instructional are really good, such as the hip post hybrid and the R guard combo that opens up leg locks. The rest, I’d recommend skipping if you want to learn BJJ instead of break dancing.

How To Combine BJJ Guards 

The art of combining guards is a crucial one if you want to have a successful bottom game in BJJ. Gi or No-Gi, your guard has to have layers that target the main distances that top players use to pass. Understandably, you need different guard configurations for different distances and passing threats.

What I love the most about the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD is the underlying concept behind the material Tabak shows, which is combining upper and lower body guards in a way that makes you as sticky as possible from the bottom. This is widely applicable to any type of guard game in BJJ, all kinds of guards, and is the smartest way of building a very difficult-to-beat guard game.

It was also refreshing to see leg locks feature as part of guard attacks, especially in a Gi-only insturctional. Introducing this threat to the mix of hybrid guards literally covers every base you need to easily create your guard, and stay offensively dangerous at any point during exchanges. I’d just skip over all the spinning and self-stacking.

FULL DOWNLOAD: ARIEL TABAK HYBRID GUARDS DVD

Hybrid Guard Tactics

At the end of the day, the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD is going to teach you how to play guard better, as long as you can look past the crazy sand overcomplicated technical directions it contains. While all the techniques, including the spinning stuff, are delivered with super-high technical proficiency, I remain doubtful that any of those things will work in a competitive setting.

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Roger Gracie talks berimbolos, 50-50 & learning BJJ from YouTube

The post Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD 2024 Review appeared first on BJJ World.

While not the Holy Grail of back defense, this Ethan Crelinsten instructional does offer a lot of value in terms of understanding threats and addressing them using the most optimal methods for the job. The best part is that he shows stuff that won’t get you in more trouble from a different position, once again emphasizing defensive awareness over bunching up random techniques.

Key Takeaways

• A No-Gi BJJ DVD with 7 volumes, lasting just under 5 hours.
• Contains a detailed and organized approach to defending and escaping the back.    
• Features different positional escapes, submissions blocks and how to defend transitions.  
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

ETHAN CRELINSTEN BACK ESCAPES DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Frustrations of Dealing With the Back Mount

One of the toughest spots to escape in all combat sports that involve grappling is the back mount or back control. The position is designed to allow the person holding it to keep their opponent from turning or disengaging, as they look for a myriad of different submission finishes.

The frustrations people usually have arise from the fact that if someone claws their way to the back, they can easily win a match. The position itself is worth 4 points, plus at least a couple more in getting there. Since there is no better position to conquer, there are no penalties for just stalling from there, which makes it particularly annoying for the one trying to escape.

This is before I even mention the very real threat of submissions that are very easy to set up and combine from the back, and quite difficult to defend. The good news is that there is a way to deal with it. There are several effective open, actually, and the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD presents one of them in great detail.

Canada’s Grappling Hope Ethan Crelinsten 

There are many great Canadian grapplers, but not many have managed to get a hold of major world titles lately, apart from Brianna Ste-Marie, the ADCC winner from 2022. One highly touted prospect for years has been Ethan Crelinsten, a Danaher black belt submission hunter, who failed short of any ADCC glory yet again in 2024.

That doesn’t diminish the quality of Ehtan, who is currently representing the B-team and had a strong competitive runout a few years back. The lightweight grappler won the ADCC East and West Coast Trials in 2017 and 2018 respectively, but placed third in the ADCC EC trials in 2023.

While Ethan’s grappling title cabinet might still be a little light of major silverware, people flock to his classes and seminars as the Canadian has a real knack for teaching the Gentle Art. As a specialist finisher from the back, the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD holds particular value for anyone involved in combat sports.

Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD Review. 

The Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD contains seven parts, all with different amounts of No-Gi video instructions on back defense. The total running time of the instructional is just under 4 hours.

Part 1 – Defining Strangle Territory

Ethan is a very methodical grappler, perhaps too methodical for his own good when competing. However, that is exactly what makes him an incredible coach, as is evident throughout the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD.

The first volume covers the concept of “strangle territory” a.k.a. situations during back control that pose a direct and real threat of strangles. To capture the point then uses examples that include arm and leg positioning as well as common hand-fighting tactics to deny the possibility of entering this territory.

Part 2 – Danger Awareness

Jsut as crucial as understanding when you’re about to get strangled, is being aware that dangerous attacks are forming while you’re trying to deal with someone hanging on your back. This extends past just strangles, and since there’s a lot to think about, Ethan boils it down to a system that helps you identify whether a threat is in its early-mid or late stage, and how to react to each.

Some of the examples in this part of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD include belly down escapes, tied in with the monumentally important motion of hip heisting.

Part 3 – Turning Escapes

So far very well organized, the third part of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD continues in the same fashion, focusing on one of the most effective ways to escape the back (in my humble opinion) – the turning escape.

Crelinsten talks about shoulder and hip positioning that enables you to initiate the turning escape without setting yourself up for a deep choke from the back. There is a lot of talk about angles, alignment, and the all-important strangle territory again, as Ethan explains how to create the momentum you need to get out safely.

Part 4 – Dealing With Seatbelt Variations

Part four of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD is all about the seatbelt and represents the most detailed seatbelt-counter fighting insturctional I’ve seen. In it, Ethan covers all the most common seat belt configurations and what to focus on when defending each of them.

Danaher might have turned the BJJ world upside down by offering attacks on both sides from the back, but Ehtan does a great job of offering ways to beat all of them, and then some.

Part 5 – The Threat of Arm Switching

Something, not many people factor in is that the person holding back mount, provided they know what they are doing, is going to switch up grips rather than switch sides, in an attempt to create submission openings while staying on your back.

The fifth volume of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD covers this in detail, covering key aspects such as overcommitting with the arms and posting recklessly. Crelinsten also shares his insights on escaping the cross-body ride (a.k.a. truck/twister) and using Granby rolls in a smart and effective way.

Part 6 – Disrupting Mount Transitions

As we near the end, the final instructional aspect of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD focuses on follow-ups, which most commonly include mount transitions for the person that had your back.

Once again, awareness is key, as Ethan explains what you need to be wary of when escaping the back, so you don’t have to go into a whole new cycle of mount escapes. I enjoyed his take on using the shoulder grind to cause a strange structure for the top person to control, as you have time to sneak out completely.

Part 7 – Roll Analysis

The very last portion of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD has Ethan commentating on his back escape tactics while rolling live. Three sparring rounds feature in this portion, with Crelinsten presenting the rolls as they are first, and then going into detailed breakdowns of his actions.

A Systematic Approach to Escapes

The best way to approach escaping is the same as you approach attacking – build a system. If you don’t know or want to build one, then turn to people who have them. There are tons of instructionals out there offering all kinds of material, but the only ones that really matter and can help are those that offer structured systems that make sense.

For example, you can learn the old-school style of back escapes, and try to use them against someone using the Danaher straight jacket system. The result is going to be a tap on your side, whether from a direct back choke or any other rear-based submissions that are available, such as triangles, armlocks leg locks, and spinal locks.

If you focus on making the person from the back struggle to maintain the position and make submission attacks impossible by utilizing smart positioning, precise timing, and specific movements, you have a system you can use against anyone. Pair it with a bit of patience and practice and you’ll be very difficult to hold and finish from the back.

One such system is available in the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD. My verdict is that it is definitely worth checking out.

FULL DOWNLOAD: ETHAN CRELINSTEN BACK ESCAPES DVD

Get Off My Back!

If it is up to me, I’d say that anyone should take a look at the contents of the Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD. It may not be the best-organized system, nor the most effective one in terms of back defense, but it does offer an understanding of what the main threats are, as opposed to trying to teach you moves that will most likely fail.

A very good investment in your long-term BJJ game, in my opinion. I know I will be going through it at least several more times in the near future.

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The post Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD Review appeared first on BJJ World.

The Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD is an instructional that offers very straightforward methods and techniques to deal with common No-Gi guards by taking the long way past the legs. While not the favorite method of most grapples these days, it is a very strong and tactically smart option that is definitely going to make you a better grappler.

Key Takeaways

• A No-Gi BJJ DVD with an hour and a half of quality passing material. 
• It consists of 4 volumes that outline a passing strategy based on going around the legs.  
• Covers distance management, posturing, and dealing with supine and seated guards. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating:7 out of 10.

OUTSIDE PASSING JASON RAU DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Taking The Long Round Past the Guard

If we rewind some ten years ago, when BJJ was mostly done with the Gi, passing on the outside was the go-to method for dealing with guards. Of course, back then people didn’t pay too much attention to whether a guard was seated or supine, as it was more important to execute the pass using strong Gi grips.

I remember that the knee slice pass was taught as a new thing and I was quite taken aback by it as a blue belt. It ushered in a new era of passing by stepping inside the legs, opening a path for pressure passing that skipped the single/double under stacks. The rest is history, as some of the most powerful passes emerged from an exploration of passing through the legs.

That placed outside passing, a.k.a. going around the legs in second place, as it does take considerably more effort in terms of movement and an understanding and feeling of body positioning to pull it off. Moreover, without Gi grips, it is considerably more difficult to stop the bottom person from blocking you or simply standing up.

The Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD is a rarity among modern instructionals, as it focuses on demonstrating this type of passing rather than the easy way through the legs.

Jason Rau: An Old-School Submission Specialis

Jason Rau is a scary dude to be standing across when you’re on the mats.  The Matt Serra black belt has spent considerable time training with every beast that has stepped on the mats of the famous blue basement in NYC, which is effectively every one of note in the MMA and BJJ World.

Jason is not as OG as Renzo or Danaher, but he certainly grapples like he was raised in that era. Now doner that is a direct result of spending most of his grappling life under the tutelage of the charismatic and equally as crazy, Matt Serra.

Rau discovered the Gentle art in 2010 and was so dedicated that he got his black belt in just 6 years, a feat matched only by a few in the history of the sport. He began with Gi BJJ, but quickly gave that up for the submission allure NO-Gi offered, and became one of the best on the planet.

His titles at the RISE Invitational (three-time champion), the Sapateiro title and a strong second place in the 2018 ADCC East Coast Trials do not paint a complete picture of the abilities that the 34-year-old has on the mats. His teaching reflects them much better, and that is exactly what you get a glimpse of in the Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD.

Detailed Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD Review

The Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD is a four-part BJJ instructional, presented in No-Gi and lasting about an hour and a half. While somewhat short by modern standards it does provide invaluable information on how to approach outside passing without the Gi against all types of modern guards.

Part 1 – General Passing Concepts

Jason begins his instructional as you’d expect someone who has spent time training with Danaher to start – methodically presenting the subject and key underlying principles. In the opening chapters, Jason goes over the effectiveness of outside passing and talks a ton about grip configurations.

The grips lay the foundation of all the material that follows in this instructional, as I found out throughout the Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD review. he also talks a lot about how to negate the power of the bottom person’s legs, which is an absolute essential if you want to pass modern guards.

Part 2 – Securing The Pass

Rau keeps on exploring how to deal with the legs in volume two, mostly dissecting the high leg position and what you can do to disrupt it. As I mentioned, grips play a pivotal role, with about half of this part of the Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD focusing on the cross scoop, popularized by Danaher as a leg-locking attachment.

Rau, an avid leg locker himself, uses it to introduce passing into the mix, making it easy to switch sides, pummel with the legs, and set up powerful staples that create the all-important bottom leg. A few thoughts on pressure passing bring this part to an end.

Part 3 – North-South Passing

Past the halfway point of the Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD, it is time to explore passing into the best possible post-pass pin which is the North-South position. Rau covers several key principles regarding knee and hip placement, as he goes through different motions to get as far away from the opponent’s guard as possible.

Of course, the pin is half of the work, so most of this is instructional and actually dissects how to hold people down from the North-South position and prevent them from re-guarding, which is pretty easy when you’re hips are so far away from theirs.

Part 4 – Dealing With the Seated Guard

As we come to the final part of this Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD, it is time for a short selection of top solutions for the seated guard. Rau gives a principle on how to retain posture and grip and fight with purpose so that you kill off any direct seated guard threats.

Passing-wise, he covers an interesting approach based around ankle picking from the top, as well as using misdirections to create an outside route past all types of seated guards.

Advantages of Staying On The Outside

Seeing how easy and straightforward inside passing is, why should you bother passing to the outside? Well, it doesn’t have as much to do with the passing, as it does with what happens after you pass the guard.

I remember hearing Ryan Hall in some old instructional saying that you should stay around your opponent at all times so that you can let them move without losing position. This tactic was the foundation for creating submission openings during transitions, and transitions can only happen if the other person can move.

Staying on the outside means you need to move less in order to keep control of the bottom person, as long as you control the direction in which they head so that they end up in a worse position or a submission trap set by you. It is a lot more difficult to navigate such a strategy from tight-pressure pins as opposed to loose outside control.

The Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD does not cover submission traps but it does go over crucial aspects of pinning directly after using outside passing. Once you get that down, you can set any submission trap you want.

FULL DOWNLOAD: OUTSIDE PASSING JASON RAU DVD

Cash Me Outside! 

Grab the Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD, and spend a weekend going through it several times. Once the new week begins, you’ll be able to surprise everyone by suddenly utilizing a method of passing that has been somewhat abandoned, especially in No-Gi.

After you confuse everyone, you’re free to figure out how to connect inside passes and submissions traps, such as leg-locks and front headlock chokes into the mix, emerging with a very strong and diverse top game.

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Giancarlo Bodoni is not just a meathead grappler (sorry Gordon) but also seems to be a very intelligent fellow who likes to think on his own accord. That makes him a formidable opponent, but also exactly the person you want to teach you. And when it comes to Ashi Garmi, having Bodoni explain the latest developments is like learning physics from Hawking.

Key Takeaways

• A 5-hour long No-Gi DVD instructional with eight volumes of Ashi Garmi material. 
• Covers the latest developments in the No-Gi Ashi Garami game.  
• New Ashi positions, baiting tactics, transitions, finishes, and lots of sweeps. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 10 out of 10.

ASHI GARAMI GIANCARLO BODONI DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Ashi Garami is About More Than Leg Locks

So you’re not a leg locker but you’re reading the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD review. Don’t worry we won’t tell. Even better, you’ll learn something about the Ashi Garami that has a lot to do with playing guard and not much to do with leg locks.

For those thinking outside the box, Ashi Garami is a set of positions that go far beyond just a huge potential for leg locks. The entanglement itself is a great way to understand the 50/50 situation that happens during sweeps when both players are on the mats with their hips.

If you’ve ever competed at a high level, you know that this is where sweep battles are won and lost. Now imagine having the best possible tool designed to keep the other person with their hips to the mats, as you comfortably gain the top position and two points. Well, there is, and it is the Ashi Garami. And let’s not forget that you can submit from there as well.

The Grappling Pedigree of Giancarlo Bodoni

Born in 1995 in Miami, Giancarlo has spent a lifetime practicing martial arts. He was 5 when he first enrolled in a Karate class, and the ball just kept rolling from there. Going through most of the usual martial arts for a 90’s kid, Bodoni spent time in Taekwondo, as well before discovering Gracie Barra.

Yeah, you read that right. Bodoni spent a lot of his early days gaining a fundamental understanding of Jiu-Jitsu under Gracie Barra’s Rillion Gracie. It was only after a visit to Brazil that Bodoni discovered the GFTeam, and it took moving to Charlotte to end up at Alliance, that gym that introduced him to the BJJ world.

Under the tutelage of Lucas Lepri, Giancarlo Bodoni made all the right splashes as a brown and eventually black belt, both grades awarded to him by Lepri himself. The Alliance association crafted a path for Bodoni to meet Bernardo Faria, who then led him toward his current home – Danaher’s New Wave Jiu-Jitsu team.

As we go on to explore the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD, it becomes apparent just how far he has come but has a teacher and a competitor.

Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD Review

Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD is a No-Gi instructional organized in 8 different volumes, each lasting differently. The total running length of the video material is almost 5 hours, and the information inside it is incredibly useful to anyone involved in BJJ.

Part 1 – All About Kuzushi

This Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD is one of the best Ashi Garami instructional I have ever seen. That much is apparent from the very first moment, where he spends the better time of half an hour talking about the most important aspect of effectiveness from Ashi positions – off-balancing.

Clearly influenced by the Danaher leg lock philosophy, Bodoni places a lot of emphasis on how he destabilizes his opponents, as well as the direction he wants them to take. In addition to talking about Kuzushi from the bottom, Bodoni also covers his general approach to playing the Ashi Garami game in No-Gi.

Part 2 – Testing The Connection

I particularly enjoyed this art of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD, where the young grappling prodigy emphasizes how key solid connection it to have any sort of tangible success with the Ashi Garami. he shares a very useful connection test that can work as a great drill to get you tighter with your Ashi.

Aslo featuring in this volume are integrations of Kuzushi with the connection in the elevator drill, as well as direct sweeping options. Bodoni promises efficiency and states that sometimes it is far more efficient to sweep from Ashi rather than hunt for leg locks.

Part 3 – Sweeping From Ashi

On the subject of sweeping form Ashi Garami positions, Bodoni shares a whole host of those in the third volume of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD. He begins with a very neat ankle pick and talks about using misdirection to increase the effectiveness of off-balancing.

A couple of sweep options in the tripod and double shin sweep follow a very informative chapter on leg placement, which outlines how to retain inside position when the top persons trying to establish a straight or cross hamstring passing checkpoint.

Part 4 – Butterfly Ashi

The most creative and innovative aspect of this Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD (and this is coming from a leg locker with a 10-year pedigree of chasing feet) is the fourth volume. The butterfly Ashi is a hybrid position, which Bodoni is taking to new heights as his own specialty.

While the position has a ton to offer, he only touches on the most crucial aspects in this part, covering how to switch between the legs and set up a few more sweeps marking the halfway point of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD.

Part 5 – Countering Top Maneuvers

The second most useful volume in the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD, which I found to be super rich with useful information. Namely, in this one Bodoni deconstructs what the top players are usually trying to do, and how to turn the tables before they even begin establishing their game.

Over the course of 40 minutes, Giancarlo goes over applications and modifications of the Ashi Garami when the top person changes levels, as well as how to turn their backsteps and shin pin passes into leg lock-rich traps.

Part 6 – Ashi Garami From Top

Another highly useful portion of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD, particularly to those that compete a lot in No-Gi. Everyone who has ever been caught in a footsie battle knows how frustrating it can be until the lone person decides to get the top position – and Bodoni shows how to be that person.

Of course, he demonstrates not just how to get on top efficiently, but also be safe from Ashi Garami attacks as well. And, since this is an Ashi instructional, Bodoni also shares some cool leg lock finishes from the top, featuring both belly down and belly up positioning.

Part 7 – Dealing with Defenses

the one thing that every seasoned leg locker is mostly battling these days is awareness. As leg locks became a staple of grappling, everyone started practicing and defending them. While Bodoni’s instructions of Kuzushi, connections, sweeps, and transitions can get you Into Ashi, finishing requires just as much work, if not more.

This portion of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD explains how to keep the pressure on as you transition different Ashi Garami positions and how to interchange linear and twisting leg locks for maximum efficiency.

Part 8 – Baiting and Transitions

The final part of the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD goes over the key transitions between Ashi Garami attacks. Bodoni shares a lot of baiting tactics here, that misdirect your opponent as you hunt for stronger Ashi positions and devastating finishes without easing off.

I love the tactic of coming up to improve connection before heading back to the mats for optimal finishing mechanics. A fine knee bar brings this incredible Giancarlo Bodoni No-Gi instructional to an end.

A Gateway To Attacking From Guard

The Ashi Garami is no longer a position that only specialists consider worthy of exploring. It also transcends the entire Gi and No-Gi BJJ debate, as it is extremely applicable to both. Don’t get me wrong, you can still play footsie as much as you want and the Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD is definitely going to put you ahead of the curve.

However, you will also benefit from this instructional as a Gi fighter who does not use leg locks and likes to win on points. The concept of using Ashi to play guard changes the landscape of the bottom Jiu-jitsu game.

The fact is that sweeps are an integral part of the Danaher Ashi Garmi system, as he emphasizes breaking the opponent down to a hip before setting up finishes. Well, that breakdown is essentially a sweep, with all that’s missing is gaining top position.

Furthermore, sweeping from different Ashi Garami positions also opens up new passing positions to consider, as it will place you in a position you don’t usually end up in during passing. Not to mention how effective it is at helping you recognize both leg lock and sweep threats very early on.

FULL DOWNLOAD: ASHI GARAMI GIANCARLO BODONI DVD

Chase Efficiency! 

If there is one theme that runs throughout this Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD it is that you need to be efficient with everything you do. Leg locks are not working from the Ashi Garmi? Sweep and get to the top then. You can always go back and finish from improved positions.

This is just one of the key aspects that Bodoni shares in his Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami DVD. The instructional is truly one of the best video learning resources I’ve seen in BJJ in 2024 and deserves to be in your collection since it teaches so much more than just leg locks.

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The post Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD Review appeared first on BJJ World.

The Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD seems like yet another wrestling instructional, albeit the subject is one that is extremely beneficial for Jiu-Jitsu grapplers – the knee tap takedown. However, as you’ll see from our review, this short instructional turns out to be much more than a takedown combo blueprint.

Key Takeaways

• BJJ No-Gi DVD with 2 short volumes reaching barely an hour of material.
• Extends past just knee tap setups and covers how to learn movement that lets’ you master any technique first.  
• Includes follow-ups to the knee tap, such as passes and submission finishes. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

SAM SCHWARTZAPFEL KNEE TAP SERIES DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

The Most Efficient Wrestling Takedown for BJJ

I am a fan of trips and upper-body takedowns rather than shooting, as many of my damaged body parts won’t allow for anything else. It is not that I don’t go for the occasional single, very rarely double though, if I create the right opportunity.

One of the moves that still falls under the category of leg takedowns, even though it is mostly upper-body work, is the wrestling knee tap. This incredible takedown is the epitome of off-balancing (popularly known as Kuzushi) and requires no shooting or crazy athleticism to pull off against skilled opponents, making it a great choice for anyone.

An even better aspect of the knee tap is that it doesn’t feature a major level change, so it leaves you in a clinch position, most often with an underhook, to recover and try again if you fail with your initial attempt. That underhook is also o massive at providing you impeccable top positioning immediately after you finish the takedown.

The knee tap is a very easy-to-master move that both older, beat-up grapplers and complete newbies can quickly add to their arsenal, introducing lots of diversity to their standing game. The Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD is an incredible resource on how to set up your research plan to master this effective wrestling move for BJJ.

The Indestructable Sam Schwartzapfel

One reason you might not know who Sam Schwartzapfel is (outside of 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu circles) as he is “still just a brown belt.” With a huge wrestling background though, and a competitive career reaching back more than a decade, the Eddie Bravo brown belt has put the professional No-Gi scene on notice.

The remarkable story of Sam has been inspiring to say the least, with Schwartzapfel returning to the sport he loves even after suffering a horrific car accident that left him in a serious condition. The accident prompted Sam to rethink how he moves, creating a crazy effective system for grappling that he uses to dominate now.

He puts safety first and has come up with a way to train BJJ and compete at a high level without taking any unnecessary risks while still being super efficient. Sam has a pretty well-rounded style that is surprising even to the creative folks over at 10th PLanet, and we now get to see a part of it in the Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD.

Detailed Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD Review

My Sam Schwartzapfel DVD Review Knee Tap Series DVD review was a lot more fun than I anticipated. Not knowing who Sam was before, I was surprised and inspired by his story, but also by the way he approaches Jiu-Jitsu and this DVD. This two-part No-Gi instructional lasts around an hour but is essential for anyone looking how to practice BJJ for a lifetime, even though you expect a wrestling DVD when you read the title

Part 1 – Learning Essential Movement

This DVD is anything but your round-of-the-mill BJJ DVD. Sam begins by talking a lot about his accident and instead of making this a wrestling instructional, which he is extremely good at actually starts by addressing a huge aspect of 10P Jiu-JItsu first – their warm-up system.

Sam focuses on the fundamentals of movement and how they relate to efficiency in this volume, demonstrating how he changed his own game to transform it from the 10Th Planet system into his own, simplified version. Some key aspects he covers include hip heisting and hip walking, but the best chapter is the one on how to develop moves that will help you execute a specific move, such as the knee tap easily.

This part of the Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD feels like an early Eddie Bravo instructional, with folks dropping in to chat with Sam as he demonstrates. All that is missing is a band playing.

Part 2 – Knee Taps for BJJ

The second portion of the Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap DVD holds a bit more in terms of techniques and combinations. Schwartzapfel’s goal is to integrate BJJ with wrestling, rather than just show wrestling so what he does is, he provides instinctive and effective follow-ups to the knee tap tailor-made for Jiu-Jitsu.

For example, he has an armbar entry straight off the takedown, as well as some key follow-up pins and passes. He bases most of his entries and follow-ups on an initial underhook control, which is the best way to set up a wrestling knee tap.

A section on leg lock defense to deal with counters and the notion of doing things with a clear purpose, rather than just moving wraps up this short, but very useful instructional.

A Tap That Wins Matches

The knee tap is a move that will help you win plenty of matches, even though it may not and you all the takedowns you attempt by doing it. Apart from being a viable and useful takedown for BJJ, its real value lies in opening up follow-up opportunities that are even more effective.

For me, and probably most older grapplers out there, those are trips and sweeps coupled with a safety net of a guard pull straight into your favorite sub. It also offers a bunch of transitional options for those who like to mingle Judo in their standing game, as creates such a powerful Kuzuhi that people will then fall prey to virtually any takedown or throw you attempt.

Finally, there is the control option. Most takedowns use lots of forward or spinning force to execute, which crates that problem of inertial movement that the bottom person can use for a reversal. The underhook, featuring heavily in this Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD, which stays in place during the knee tap ensures a stable top position after the takedown, even if you end up in someone’s guard.

FULL DOWNLOAD: SAM SCHWARTZAPFEL KNEE TAP SERIES DVD

Tap ‘Em Out! 

Mastering the knee tap is going to give you a very powerful weapon to use in both Gi and No-Gi, as you’ll achieve that crucial Kuzishi more effectively than by using only upper or lower-body-based takedown systems. Moreover, it provides incredible direct pin and submission follow-ups.

The best part about this Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD is that it goes beyond just showing moves and combos. It teaches a whole new approach to BJJ, leading you to explore the motions behind a move and then practice them with the purpose of making that move work flawlessly for you. One of the best BJJ DVDs I’ve seen in 2024.

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The post Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD 2024 Review appeared first on BJJ World.

Somewhat surprisingly, Jeff offers a very down-to-earth instructional that probably had him holding back a ton, but what he delivers might just be better than his craziness-filled DVDs. This one is definitely worth exploring for everyone, from white belt to black!

Key Takeaways

• 3-part No-Gi BJJ DVD with just under two hours of material.
• A very well-organized instructional that flows from one volume to the next. 
• Covers attacks and transitions between the half, butterfly half, and butterfly guards. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

1/2 AND BUTTERFLY GUARD JEFF GLOVER DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

The Role of Basics in Modern BJJ

The one thing nobody likes to practice (before brown belt, at least) is the basics. While training BJJ like the Gracie’s did in the 80s is definitely not effective and can be boring, there is nothing wrong with using the basics of BJJ to set up a modern game, as long as you modify them to fit modern-day needs.

In fact, there’s hardly anything better than relying on basics, such as the half guard or closed guard as a safety net to ensure you keep being a threat if fancier options, such as lapel or inverted guards fail. The same principle applies to top positions as well as standing exchanges.

Everything you see these days, from leg locks to crazy inversions and spins, to lighting-fast wrestling scrambles on the feet, is made possible because of the basics of Jiu-Jitsu. They are the foundation that provides you with the feeling of timing and control that makes all the more advanced stuff possible to pull off.

In this particular Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD, the focus is on these “forgotten” basics, rather than the fancier stuff. It’s not something that we’d expect from Glover, but still very well worth a watch.

The Grappling Legacy of Jeff Glover

Jeff Glover was the epitome of the creative BJJ troll in the 2010s. These days, he has been outside of the spotlight, after he decided to stop competing professionally. The 41-year-old is still active in the BJJ world though, mostly through releasing high-quality content.

Style-wise, Glover was always a wild card, but whatever he did pull off while performing on the mats, he was able to back it up with a very high level of technical proficiency and tactical genius. For example, he is the mastermind behind the Donkey Guard, a position so weird that it got banned for a while. Jeff, however, pulled it off at the highest levels of BJJ competition.

Equally as crazy and fun in both Gi and No-Gi, Glover has a legacy of being a troll land trickster, but not a jester. His stuff, while crazy, is not just efficient, but they are also easy for different grapplers to pick up and learn fast, adding them to their game. Proven at the highest levels, as confirmed by Glover’s No-Gi world title and ADCC bronze, opting to research some of his work, such as the Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD is always a good idea.

Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD Full Review

This three-part No-Gi instructional by Jeff Glover is really simple, just like it promises. The Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD goes over the most fundamental ways you can use these two guards to catch everyone off guard (pun intended).

Part 1 – Half Guard Simplified 

The Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD begins with just over thirty minutes of material covering one of Jeff’s favorite positions – the half guard. While he was a fan of the deep half, this instructional stays true to its title, covering the most basic half guard version that works like a charm.

This part of the instructional contains a couple of basic leg-based sweeps that follow a lengthy explanation of the basic half guard positioning that makes them possible. Glover ties in two sweeps, offering combo options through the body lock grip.

Part 2 – Pummeling to Butterfly Half

The second portion of the instructional cleverly opens the half guard as Glvoer starts using just one butterfly hook to set up more sweeps and a few submissions as well. In fact, the butterfly hook is a backup option to use if you fail when you open the half guard for triangles or Omoplatas.

This part of the Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD also covers how to set up variations of the top butterfly hook both offensively and defensively, as Glover touches on the use of the popular shoulder crunch position as well.

Part 3 – Butterfly Guard Game

The final part of the Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD is all about the butterfly guard, a strong suit of Jeff and a guard everyone plays from time to time. As expected, the introduction to the guard is tied in with the information from the previous volume.

This final part of the instructional also introduces Ashi Garami and the leg lock game, slightly modified by Glover for maximum efficiency. Interestingly enough, he prefers overhook control from the butterfly guard, which I have always been a fan of.

Building a Safety Net for Your Guard Game

Using basics such as the half guard and the butterfly guard is the perfect way of building a crack-proof guard game you can use even at high levels of competitive grappling. The reason behind this is that these positions share the same main goal of ensuring you keep your opponent where you want them, making it easy to figure out how to attack them.

Another crucial aspect of building a guard game around these two positions is that you can be as basic or as crazy as Glover is while playing them, still reaping the positional benefits they bring to the table. Both guards offer lots of variety and attack options that you can start very basic, and keep doing nothing but those two guards til the end of your grappling journey.

Finally, they integrate perfectly with one another, as demonstrated in the Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD. That translates to building a versatile, yet simple game that you can use against anyone, both with and without the Gi. If I had to pick two positions to build a guard game around, I’d pick these 10 times out of 10.

HALF AND BUTTERFLY GUARD JEFF GLOVER DVD DOWNLOAD

Back To Basics! 

Do not run from the basics simply because you think they’re boring or they don’t fit your game. They’re basics because everyone can do them and benefit, so make sure you master the basics first. The Back To Basics: Half and Butterfly Guard Jeff Glover DVD is a great blueprint to help you focus on a couple of very basic guards and build an intricate game around them.

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In a brand new 6-part instructional, Gordon covers the concept of scrimmage for BJJ, demonstrating how they set it up and offering a really useful and crucial blueprint for approaching the standing game. In a DVD where Ryan does not show a single takedown, he sets you up to succeed at all of them. His best-organized instructional to date, by a country mile!

Key Takeaways

• 6-volume No-Gi BJJ DVD containing over three and a half hours of material.
• Lays the foundation of any effective standing game plan development for BJJ.
• Contains over an hour of rolls and rolling commentary and breakdowns by Ryan. 
• BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.

GORDON RYAN ATTACKING THE SCRIMMAGE DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

What’s Scrimmage Wrestling?

The term scrimmage is not something you often hear in terms of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. In team-based sports, scrimmage refers to playing “mock” games during practice, which are not scored or officiated but replicate exactly what the athletes encounter during a live, official game.

In wrestling terms, this means you’re playing the “who scores first” game, setting it up to mimic the official scoring goals of the sport. The same is true for BJJ, with the New Wave team preferring to set up their scrimmage rounds following the ADCC ruleset format.

In the first of what I expect is going to be a long series of instructional Ryan explains how exactly they set up this popular aspect of training. The Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD outlines his experiences in learning wrestling by aiming to score a point using ADCC rules, and starting from standing.

Learning From Gordon Ryan Instructionals

There is no point talking about what Grodon Ryan has done in his grappling career. He is such a staple name at the moment that even people who have never trained know who he is and get pulled into BJJ because of him.

Apart from his stellar no-Gi grappling performances that positioned him as the best competition ever in the history of the sport, Ryan has been very active in sharing his knowledge and understanding of Jiu-Jitsu through instructionals.

When he first started, Ryan approached BJJ DVDs as seminars, offering way too many details and no real way to follow his train of thought unless you watch the entire instructional. With his early DVDs lasting more than 8 hours, this was no easy task.

I am glad that Gordon proved that he is an incredible student of the game in every possible way, learning and adapting to start issuing way better-structured DVDs that offer a lot more information that will benefit those that mostly watch BJJ instructionals – white to purple belts.

his latest instructional marks the start of a whole new era, with the GOAT addressing his standing fame for the first time ever in the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD.

Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD Review

In this No-Gi (no surprise there) Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD, the “King” introduces his approach to the standing aspects of the BJJ game. With his trusted uke Nathalia Santoro, Gordon demonstrates how to set up a winning approach to wrestling on the feet for the specific goal of winning BJJ matches.

Part 1 – Introduction to the Concept of Scrimmage Wrestling

Gordon begins his instructional in a very Danaher-esque manner, going through an entire 40-minute-long volume of theory regarding the standing game in Jiu-Jitsu. He first defines the goals of the instructional, making a careful and precise comparison of the scoring goals in wrestling and BJJ, focusing on the differences.

This sets the tone for setting up a tactical approach that wins you matches, and organize training in an efficient manner. Ryan talks a lot about time limits and pacing, as most people know that standing exchanges are the physically most demanding aspects of grappling.

As this part of the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD draws to an end, Ryan also covers the role of posture, common submission risks, and the scoring criteria in BJJ. I liked that he included the beginner’s theory as well, providing clear instructions on how new students should approach the standing game.

Part 2 – Stance and Motion

When I first started learning wrestling takedowns, the first two out of 5 crucial steps to any takedown were stance and motion. While it may seem like practicing katas, stance, and motion are the vital precursor of any successful takedown.

Gordon goes really deep in this one, covering stuff such as line of sight, how to align your own body, attacking the legs and the dominance that locked arms have over unlocked ones.

He also demonstrates some basic setups in this part of the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD. These serve as a foundation for the introduction of distance management, and the concept of smartly using the 3 zones at your disposal.

Part 3 – Grips

Grips are a tedious subject to study in grappling. yes, I know they’re very important, I tooth the same horn, but I still do not enjoy experimenting with them for long periods of time. Gordon’s third volume does not make things easier.

In this part dedicated solely to grips, Ryan goes over the general gripping theory they utilize at New Wave Jiu-Jitsu and talks a lot about the inside position. He introduces a few interesting concepts in his chapters on asymmetry which are only going to excite black belts, if we’re being honest.

If I had to only watch one part of this volume of the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD over and over again, it would be the one with chapters on creating ties, particularly collar ties, as the opening configuration.

Part 4 – Defense

As the instructional portion of the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD draws to a close, Gordon foes over staple defenses that are crucial to allow you to set stance, motion, and grips up in the first place.

He really does go basic here, which I appreciate. there is no place for fluff in wrestling, so Gordon sticks to comparing early and late defenses, and portraying how to keep your legs safe using both methods.

Parts 5 & 6 – Rolling Footage and Commentary

The customary rolling commentary is the centerpiece of the final two volumes of the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD. In the fifth part, he does four rolls with different people, totaling 20 minutes of material.

In the final volume, Ryan does a commentary on those four roles, spending a lot of time on each, explaining exactly what he did, though, and how he adjusted to his partner. his analysis more than doubles the length of this part, which runs for almost 50 minutes.

A Different Approach to Standing

This Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD is not going to teach you everything about wrestling for BJJ. I expect there are other titles to follow in this Gordon Ryan standing DVD series, but until such time, the truly crucial aspects of wrestling are all at your disposal.

If you can figure out a way to get close enough to someone to establish a locked arms position, you can set up any wrestling, or to an extent, Judo game that you want, while not losing control over the opponent. With this as your main goal, stance, motion, and grip fighting will emerge pretty naturally.

Instead of focusing on the final outcome, which is the takedown, and practicing how to do it over and over again focus on achieving dominant control over your opponent during standing, and keep them there. This opens up a lot more than just one takedown, which, oftentimes, in BJJ, ends up blocked or with you in a submission hold.

GORDON RYAN ATTACKING THE SCRIMMAGE DVD DOWNLOAD

Let’s Wrestle!

I think that I will call the Gordon Ryan Systematically Attacking The Scrimmage DVD my favorite instructional so far out of all his work. take this as you wish, knowing it comes from a black belt with a Judo background who has spent so much time scrimmaging that his neck now forces him to pull guard.

Unless you want the same thing to happen to you, now is the best time to pick this Gordon Ryan DVD up and set yourself up for success. This one is truly worth every penny!

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Moreover, after you take a look at the dissected, step-by-step instructions on how to perform this BJJ triangle escape to a leg lock, you’ll gain an understanding of how the best grapplers bind together submissions and escapes. This is why Tonon has such courage to go for crazy things at the highest level – he can escape submission if it fails!

Why Watch Garry Tonon? 

Garry Tonon, dubbed “The Lion Killer” is one of the most recognizable names associated with John Danaher and his Death Squad. He’s a multiple World No-Gi & Pan Ams No-Gi Champion, and gunning for his first-ever ADCC title again in 2024. He’s simply one of the best No-Gi BJJ practitioners in the world at specializing in submissions and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu.

His specialist style of Jiu-Jitsu has benefited Garry enormously in MMA. It’s best defined as relentless submission hunting mixed with scramble initiation. It has helped Garry achieve a 9-1 record in MMA, fighting under the ONE FC banner.

With such a style, though, the art of escape gets sharpened daily. Garry’s style has landed him in some difficult situations such as losing to Tye Ruotolo and Sean McNally. Garry does have an incredibly effective escapes system, built upon his submission-hunting prowess.

Garry is hunting for submissions all the time and he also gets himself into bad positions probably more often than anyone else, but ends up getting out and tapping more people than he taps to. We’ll take a look at how you can integrate his tactics into your game today.

Turning Escapes into Attacks

Whenever you do just one thing in BJJ, you set yourself up for failure. For example, trying to hold mount using everything you know, even against a first–day student is eventually going to fail – they’ll find a way out, even if it is by pure luck.

Threatening submissions while you try to retain mount, such as the Americana will most likely not end up with you tapping the bottom person. However, keeping them busy with arm lock defense means you can easily stay in the mount, which is a smart and efficient tactic to win matches.

Well, you can reverse-engineer this entire approach to use when you’re escaping as well. In fact, the most success I’ve had with escapes is when I wasn’t trying to get out of bad spots but rather hunted for counter-submissions. The D’arce choke off a Ghost escape and the Squirrel Lock Kimura comes to mind.

There are plenty of similar examples of how you can use submission threats to get out of escapes or turn escapes into submission attacks halfway through when the opponent is busy trying to keep a hold of you. You can be as creative as you want as long as you set up everything you do as at least a dilemma.

Technique Breakdown: Garry Tonon Triangle Escape To Leg Lock Finish

Triangle chokes are very tricky to get out of. It is not defending them that gets you in trouble, though, as much as the final stages of escaping do, when a lot of different attacking follow-ups open up to your opponent.

One way of countering these is to go for a counter yourself, well before such opportunities present themselves to your opponent. Here Garry Tonon shows a pretty slick triangle escape to leg lock combo that will catch anyone by surprise.

Moreover, he has created plenty of additional options to finish his opponent after he escapes toward Ashi. Let’s break down the entire sequence, along with the foundational idea behind it:

Keypoint 1: Posture is not Enough

While Garry agrees that posture is important during any BJJ triangle escape, he states that not jsut any posturing is going to help you. Instead of trying to pull up with your neck, focus on wedging your hips underneath the opponent’s hips. This soveling motion will provide you with all the posture you need to fend off the choke, as you set up your way out.

Keypoint 2: Don’t Go Forward, Go Up

Another key aspect of posture during a triangle escape from guard is getting up to your feet. Many people take the easy route of trying to stack the bottom person by leaning forward. This is a trap that only gets you deeper into the triangle, or potentially in a mounted triangle choke.

Instead, focus on standing straight up. Stepping to the side of your trapped arm is going to provide you with both the drive and the essential angle to stand up while not straining your neck and look to set up your triangle escape to leg lock combo.

Keypoint 3: Angle for the Step Over

We used to learn the basic triangle defense as jsut finding a way to sit back and throw both legs over the opponent’s belly. This still works, but Garry dissects the “just find a way to stand up” part in a very methodical way.

Yes, his route is longer. and does not employ both legs, which is a lot more effective, believe it or not. Once up, he steps over on the side of his trapped arm, and carefully sits back rather than throw himself on the mats. This latter is only going to pull the bottom person on top of you.

Keypoint 4: Open the Legs

A plus side of Carfull descending to the mats in a controlled fashion is that the opponent’s legs are still closed in the triangle. No this is not a bad thing, as now you can easily open them up while immediately gaining control over them.

This step is crucial as this is when your opponent will be looking for follow-ups since the triangle cannot work anymore. Even if you don’t open the legs immediately, use your free arm to control the one on your neck, as it will buy you all the time you need to set up Ashi Garami.

Keypoint 5: But-to-Butt 

The final aspect of this Garry Tonon triangle escape to leg lock combo is to remember that your butt needs to stay close to the opponent’s butt at all times. This is the first step we went over (wedging) and still makes or breaks this sequence.

Being butt-to-butt means you can work towards any Ashi Garami configuration that you want. In fact, Garry offers two options as a way to tap your opponent:

1. Outside Hell Hook: Immediately available off this modified staple BJJ triangle escape is the Game Over leg locking position, a.k.a. the Sambo Knot. Garry demonstrates an outside heel hook but you can go for a bunch of different locks from there.
2. Straight Ankle Lock: For the PG version that those IBJJF leg lockers are after, Tonon provides an alternative finishing, utilizing the most powerful version of a straight ankle lock – the belly-down finish.

How to Apply Submissions to All Your BJJ Escapes

Garry’s incredible rendition of a triangle escape to leg lock, as effective as it is to immediately add to your game, is a lot more than jsut a copy-paste tactic. It provides you with an entirely differnet way of thinking about escapes, as the means not just to get out, but to win.

This does not mean that you do not need to practice complete escapes any longer. On the contrary, you need to research and dissect them even more, so that you’re able to pinpoint the best time for transition into a counter as opposed to jsut running back to safety. it wil undoubtedly turn you into a true high-level grappling competitor!

If you’re interested in all kinds of escapes from numerous submissions make sure to check out Tom DeBlass’s DVD instructional. It’s called Submission Escapes! It can really improve your escape skills. And when we talk about Tom DeBlass, he’s the guy who hasn’t submitted to competition for more than 10 years.

Not even mention that Tom DeBlass’s guard is almost impossible to pass. He’s been working on it for the last 15 years and it’s nearly perfect. Check Tom DeBlass’ Half Guard DVD Instructional named Half Domination

There is also another Great Escape Instructional from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Legend Dean Lister. He’s very well known for his leg locks and intentionally giving legs to people so he could defend them and submit them. He’s the guy who inspired John Danaher with his legendary sentence “Why would you ignore 50% of the human body”. Dean Lister gathered all of his best escapes and put them in this instructional.

It’s called Worry-Free Escapes. And it’s something that will get your escapes to another level. And once you’re not afraid of being submitted you’re more offensive and that can be the game changer in your BJJ. So, check out the technique List and Dean Lister’s Worry-Free Escapes Instructional. 

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