Key Takeaways
- A four-part bundle containing different complete No-Gi guard systems by Neil Melanson.
- Features the Ground Marshall full and half guard, the snap guard, K-guard, octopus guard, and many more.
- 12+ hours of details on submitting with the most evil submissions from guard, mostly triangle choke variations.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 10 out of 10.
GUARD SYSTEMS NEIL MELANSON DVD BUNDLE AVAILABLE HERE
People often ask about the best guard to use in No-Gi. BJJ is highly dependent on guards for the bottom player, but given the sport’s roots, the presence of the Gi has influenced how we play guard to a point of detriment.
If you take away the kimono, you’re left with a slippery, sweaty opponent who can move way better than you — they are on their feet while you’re lying on the mats. Only one winner there. Unless you can attach and trap — now the game changes. But how can you hope to do that without learning the systems and tactics from the Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle?
Ground Marshal Neil Melanson
If you’ve never seen a Neil Melanson DVD, you have been missing out, and then some! Of course, with Neil, you get everything but your run-of-the-mill BJJ instructions. In fact, it’s not even BJJ — it’s something better: pure submission grappling focused on stuff that works reliably. And it’s painful.
Neil himself hasn’t walked, or better said, rolled, the usual progression in Jiu-Jitsu. He started off as a catch wrestler, and a darn good one, then Judo (he is a black belt under Karo Parisyan), and he also holds a black belt in whatever crazy submission style Gokor Chivichyan teaches. You know, leg locks and neck cranks based on pain — that kind of stuff.
Neil Melanson managed to take all this combined knowledge to a different level, introducing the logic and systematization of Jiu-Jitsu to the brutality of catch wrestling and submission grappling. His systems are as close to unstoppable as anything can get.
The Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle is just one example of his work, but it is one that will surely revolutionize the way you set up guard attacks.
Our Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle Review
Neil Melanson has a very unique style of putting together BJJ DVDs, which is apparent throughout this Neil Melanson Bundle. He likes to explain sequences rather than moves, and he uses longer (but fewer) chapters per volume to make his point. You’ll learn more in a three-chapter Neil Melanson volume than in entire Danaher DVD sets — there, I said it.
The Ground Marshall Guard DVD — AVAILABLE HERE
Subject Matter:
The Ground Marshall Guard, Neil’s signature guard system, is up first in this bundle, delivering a No-Gi system built around innovative traps from a closed/K-guard variation Melanson developed himself.
Key Points Covered:
You’ll learn how to attack from the bottom in a way that surprises everyone. The catch is, they won’t be able to create distance while you do. Neil begins with some basic positioning, sharing leg and foot control, and arm placement to set up the trap.
His signature triangles appear quite soon in this DVD and linger throughout. Later on, they’re joined by arm bars from high guard, Kimuras, and another one of Neil’s contributions to BJJ — the Irish Collar system.
Technical DVD Specifications:
This opening instructional of the Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle contains four volumes, each with a different running time. The full length of this No-Gi instructional is around three hours.
Advanced Guard Systems DVD—GET IT HERE
Subject Matter:
This DVD is for folks who like to hit unexpected stuff from guard. It features an overhook variation that is very similar to the Williams guard, but somehow even more dangerous.
Key Points Covered:
The most diverse part of the Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle is all about connecting different types of attacks from a guard that’s even stickier than the trap-ridden Ground Marshall Guard.
Neil immediately kicks it off with chokes, using the Guillotines as an intro before re-introducing the Irish Collar and, of course, triangles. Taking traps to a different level is the snare, and super-charging submissions are the Reverse Kimura, arm bars, and plenty of super-powerful sweeps.
A rendition of K-Guard also appears in this Melanson instructional, which means one thing: leg locks. Understandably, Neil pairs them with triangles and some catch wrestling craziness, such as fin locks. You’ll have to see it for yourself.
Technical DVD Specifications:
Another four-volume Neil Melanson bundle contribution, this one running for the better part of four hours. I doubt Neil has ever recorded something with the Gi, so this is another one intended for the No-Gi crowds.
Technical DVD Specifications:
Another four-volume Neil Melanson bundle contribution, this one running for the better part of four hours. I doubt Neil has ever recorded something with the Gi, so this is another one intended for the No-Gi crowds.
The Snap Guard DVD – FULL DOWNLOAD
Subject Matter:
My personal favorite from the Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle is the piece that breaks down the Snap Guard. It explains how to base your entire guard game around snap downs.
Key Points Covered:
This one contains lots of wrestling, with moves such as the Russian tie and arm drag featuring heavily, but it’s all done from the guard — there’s absolutely no standing involved. Neil uses these two attachments to launch a series of triangle-Kimura combos paired with some special, unique finishing moves that will turn you into a Neil fan instantly.
For those who really love headlocks, Melanson does a Schultz headlock breakdown better than the brothers who came up with it — it’s all here, along with cement mixers, cow catchers, and plenty of Whizzers.
Technical DVD Specifications:
Melanson delivers consistency throughout the bundle — this instructional offers an additional two and a half hours of guard nastiness, spread over four volumes.
The Ground Marshall Half Guard DVD – DOWNLOAD NOW
Subject Matter:
The final part of the Neil Melanson guard puzzle is the half guard, appearing as a remake, or better said, an adjustment of the original Ground Marshall Guard already covered by Neil in this bundle.
Key Points Covered:
Just like the full guard version, the GM half guard is based on trapping the top person in a web of super-painful submission holds. These all depend on positioning, which is why the opening volume is all about hand and leg placement.
Once Neil smells blood, though, there’s no stopping him as he layers sweeps and submissions on top of each other until he gets a tap. Plenty of interesting ways to get on top feature first, followed by a set of triangle setups, nasty hammerlocks, and back takes.
The half guard is also a hub connecting all other guards from this Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle, while also presenting a new position to hunt from — the octopus guard.
Technical DVD Specifications:
Neil provides around three hours of material with the quality, grit, and humor that we’ve come to expect (and love) from him. Structure-wise, he sticks to the proven four-volume format.
A Different Type of Guard Game
Melanson’s approach to guard may be simple, but it doesn’t make it easy. Quite the contrary. You won’t be watching long-winded explanations of how to pinch your arm when you grip, but rather get stuff that works.
Neil likes to get down and dirty as soon as possible. His guard systems all have the same tactical background — trap the opponent so they can’t move first, and attack with combinations rather than one-off moves.
In terms of trapping, you’re actually killing passing even before it begins, effectively taking guard retention off the table and reducing the stuff you need to worry about. It is smart, effective, and fun — no stalling with this game.
As for attacks, well, it’s safe to say that the Guard Systems Neil Melanson Bundle has such an abundance of attack options that I doubt anyone reading this and getting the DVDs is going to be able to hit all of them. I dare you to try it.
GUARD SYSTEMS NEIL MELANSON DVD BUNDLE DOWNLOAD
Marshall The Ground!
You’re struggling to figure out guard in No-Gi anyway — why not get a helping hand? The Guard Systems Neil Melanson DVD Bundle offers four helping hands, in the form of super-specific and just-as-effective instructionals on using guards. It’s not BJJ, and that’s exactly why it works perfectly!
