Key Takeaways
- A three-part instructional built around using the Kimura as a control system, not just a submission.
- The strongest material focuses on chaining reactions into back takes, armbars, sweeps, and positional upgrades.
- The “TV position” is clearly the backbone of the set, giving the course a strong internal structure rather than a loose collection of moves.
- This is especially useful for grapplers who already grab Kimuras often but don’t always know how to convert them into bigger outcomes.
- The main limitation is that it stays tightly centered on one attacking framework, so it is less appealing if you want a broad submission encyclopedia.
- Rating: 8.5/10
KIMURA TRAP DINU BUCALET DVD FULL DOWNLOAD
The Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD is the kind of instructional that will immediately make sense to anyone who has ever clamped onto a Kimura grip, felt they had something dangerous, and then watched the whole exchange fall apart. That is the gap this course tries to close. Rather than selling the Kimura as a magic tap machine, Dinu Bucalet presents it as a controlling framework that can keep you one step ahead through transitions, counters, and scrambles.
A lot of Kimura material in Jiu-Jitsu either gets too submission-hungry too quickly or turns into a pile of isolated follow-ups. Here, the pitch is much more practical: secure the grip, understand the mechanics, and funnel your opponent into a series of worse and worse decisions. If that idea appeals to your game, the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD has plenty to work with.
The Most Versatile BJJ Position
The Kimura has always occupied a funny place in Jiu-Jitsu. Everyone knows it as a shoulder lock, but experienced grapplers usually end up valuing it even more as a steering wheel. Once the grip is locked and your body positioning is right, the Kimura becomes a way to break posture, freeze movement, expose the back, force rolls, and climb into stronger positions.
That is why a good kimura trap system tends to age well. It is not dependent on speed alone, and it does not require you to out-muscle people if the mechanics are sound. It works because the trapped arm limits your opponent’s options in a very direct way. They can posture, roll, hide, or turn, but all of those reactions can be anticipated and punished if the attacker understands the sequence.
Dinu’s instructional seems to understand that central truth. The goal is not simply to squeeze harder on the finish. The goal is to make the Kimura grip the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. That is a much smarter way to teach the position, and it makes the material more useful for long-term game building.
Romania’s MMA Fighter of the Year Dinu Bucalet
Dinu Bucalet brings a pretty credible mix of experience to this topic. He is a Romanian-born BJJ black belt who received his black belt from Nicholas Brooks in 2019, and his background extends beyond pure grappling into MMA, kickboxing, boxing, and coaching. That wider combat sports lens matters, because it usually produces instructors who think in terms of control, pressure, and transitions rather than just isolated taps.
His competitive background also gives him some added legitimacy here. He has had strong grappling results, including an IBJJF European No-Gi title at brown belt, and made his professional MMA debut in 2013. On top of that, he was named Romania’s MMA Fighter of the Year for 2013. That does not automatically make every instructional great, of course, but it does suggest that he has spent a lot of time making upper-body attacks work in live settings.
Perhaps just as important, Bucalet has clearly become a prolific teacher. That tends to show in the structure of a course like this. The material does not read like a random dump of favorite moves. It reads like a coach trying to organize a repeatable attacking framework for everyday grapplers.
Detailed Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD Review
The Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD is split into three volumes, and that structure is one of its big strengths. It moves from a central control hub into finishing mechanics, then into top-side attacking and troubleshooting. That progression makes the course easy to follow:
Volume 1 – Introduction of the Kimura Trap
The first volume of the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD is built around the ingenious “TV position”, which is clearly the anchor of the whole set. Bucalet does not just mention it and move on. He drills it, returns to it repeatedly, and shows how it opens into back takes, armbars, and additional options depending on the opponent’s reactions.
That matters because Volume 1 gives the instructional an identity. Bucalet gives us a recognizable control platform. The repeated focus on entries, including realistic entries and entries from distance, also helps. It suggests he is not only concerned with what happens once everything is already perfect, but with how regular grapplers actually reach the position.
This is also where the TV position BJJ theme becomes the biggest selling point of the entire course. If you like instructionals that revolve around one strong organizing concept, the first volume is probably the part you will remember most.
Volume 2 – Finishing Mechanics
Part 2 is where the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD becomes less about access and more about authority. Bucalet shifts into finishing mechanics, how to lock the position down from the top, how to manage the grip from half guard, and how to deal with one of the most common headaches in Kimura attacks: an opponent who starts posturing and fighting the lock intelligently.
This section looks especially useful because it is not pretending the Kimura happens in a vacuum. People resist. They straighten posture, hide their arm, and try to turn the exchange into a scramble. Bucalet responds by building options off those reactions rather than treating them as annoying interruptions. That is exactly how this material should be taught.
The Tarikoplata inclusion is a nice touch too, because it expands the attack tree without making the course feel bloated. The standing material and the Sumi Gaeshi variation also help round out the volume. That makes the Tarikoplata transitions and related follow-ups feel earned rather than decorative.
Volume 3 – Attacking the Arm On Top
The final section of the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD leans into top-side problem-solving. Bucalet covers attacking the arm on top, dealing with single-leg situations, troubleshooting against counters, what to do when you get stuck, and how to turn the same family of controls into crucifix attacks, reverse triangles, back finishes, and advanced back takes from the “TV position”.
This is a smart closing volume because it acknowledges a very real truth about Kimura traps: they often become messy. You do not always get a clean, textbook finish. Sometimes the opponent turns, bases, rolls, hides, or makes the position awkward. A good instructional has to help you survive those moments, and this one appears to do that.
The back-control material is also a strong fit for the overall theme. If the first volume taught the main control hub and the second explained the mechanical bite behind the attack, the third shows how to keep converting those same reactions into dominant outcomes. That gives the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD a satisfying sense of progression from setup to enforcement to cleanup.
Can’t Roll Without Kimuras
Where this course should help most is in positional sparring and system-building. The smartest way to use it would be to isolate a few recurring nodes rather than trying to absorb every option at once. Start with the TV position entries and retention, then pair them with one back take, one armbar route, and one answer for a defending opponent who postures hard or tries to roll out.
That kind of focused study is where the Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD looks most valuable. It is not really a watch once and instantly become dangerous kind of release. It is more of a framework you can plug into specific rounds.
Give yourself Kimura-only rounds from half guard. Start in the “TV position” and work to the back. Start on top and hunt the trapped arm while your partner’s goal is only to free it. That is how you turn this into muscle memory.
Long term, this can help both offensive confidence and transitional awareness. Even if the Kimura never becomes your signature finish, using it better as a control system can upgrade your guard attacks, top pressure, scramble reactions, and back-taking instincts.
GET IT HERE: THE KIMURA TRAP DINU BUCALET DVD
Who Is This For?
The Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD should appeal most to blue belts, purple belts, and above, especially grapplers who already understand the basic Kimura grip but want to turn it into a reliable attacking web. It also makes sense for coaches who want a more organized way of teaching Kimura-based decision trees instead of isolated techniques.
It should fit well for grapplers who like upper-body control systems, people who attack from half guard, guard, or front-side top positions and anyone who enjoys chaining submissions into positional upgrades rather than forcing one finish.
It is less ideal for brand-new white belts who still struggle with basic control and body positioning, those looking for a broad fundamentals course rather than a focused attacking system, and folks who only want quick, standalone submissions without studying transitions.
Pros & Potential Drawbacks
Pros:
- Strong conceptual spine: The course revolves around a clear core idea, which makes it easier to remember and apply.
- Good reaction-based logic: Bucalet does not stop at “here is the lock.” He keeps showing what to do when the opponent starts resisting intelligently.
- Useful mix of finishes and upgrades: Back takes, armbars, crucifix options, reverse triangle routes, and standing transitions give the system real depth.
- Solid troubleshooting emphasis: The later material looks especially practical for the ugly moments where most Kimura attacks stall out.
- Coach-friendly structure: The three-part layout is clean and easy to convert into drilling blocks or positional rounds.
Potential Drawbacks:
- Narrower than a full submission course: If you want a broad attacking encyclopedia, this stays tightly focused on one family of control.
- Very system-heavy by design: People who prefer quick-hitting technique collections may find it a bit more layered than they want.
Modern Kimura Traps
The Kimura Trap Dinu Bucalet DVD succeeds because it treats the Kimura like an ecosystem rather than a single move. That instantly makes it more relevant to real rolling. Instead of obsessing over one finish, Bucalet shows how the grip can govern movement, create reactions, and open doors to better positions and cleaner submissions.
