This is one of those DVD instructions that teach you the whole BJJ game by focusing on movement rather than going off the deep end with endless details on techniques that you’ll likely never remember. Garry’s intent with this is to help you integrate standing and groundwork, not just when going to the ground but also when standing up.
Just like with any other Garry Tonon DVD instructional, this one delivers on its promise. Gary managed to figure out a way to present the true power and potential of hip heisting in BJJ, turning one of the most dismissed and ignored movements into the subject of an 8-part instructional that will make you a better grappler.
GRAB THE HEISTING GARRY TONNON DVD HERE!
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- A No-Gi, 8-part instructional, with over 5 and half hours of material;
- Seamless integration of standing, top, and bottom positions using one move;
- You’ll learn winning scrambles and set up wicked submission traps;
- A multidimensional approach to training and teaching Jiu-Jitsu;
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 10 out of 10
The Lost Art of Heisting for Grapplers
If there is one thing that anyone who has been training for more than a couple of months hates hearing in BJJ class is ‘Okay, guys, let’s do some hip escapes’. The blame for that lies with coaches, though.
Having people practice endless hip escapes, a.k.a. hip heists, a.k.a. shrimps across the mats is a waste of everyone’s time and a complete misrepresentation of a very powerful movement in BJJ. Allow me to elaborate.
Heisting is not a defensive movement to get you out of side control. In fact, that is one example where it doesn’t work. Heisting refers to moving your hips in the direction of your butt, but not in just one direction, but rather all available ones. This includes vertical motions as well as horizontal which is the cornerstone of this Garry Tonon DVD.
Did he manage to capture the true essence of heisting for grappling? Well, he had 8 volumes and just under 6 hours to achieve it, but you don’t have to get the instructional to find out the answer – just check out the detailed review of every part that we prepared below.
Do We Really Need to Talk About Garry Tonon?
Dubbed “The Most Exciting Grappler Alive”, Garry Tonon is a name everyone knows in the grappling world and a rising one in the MMA realm. One of the original trio of Danaher Death Squad members to reach notoriety with leg locks, Garry represents the New Wave Jiu-Jitsu team but is more focused on his ONE FC MMA performances rather than pure grappling competition.
Garry got his black belt from Tom DeBlass and Ricardo Almeida but has spent most of his professional grappling career as one of John Danaher’s prodigy students. While everyone’s still waiting on Tonon’s first ADCC title, he does boast an impressive competition pedigree which includes several EBI World Champion titles, and Pans title.
The most exciting part about Gary Tonnon’s style of grappling is how he moves. he places a lot of emphasis on motion, wearing down opponents with relentless movement, which is all aimed at opening up submissions across the entire body. One of the pillars of this style is heisting, a multidimensional approach to BJJ he shares with us in this instructional.
GRAB THE HEISTING GARRY TONNON DVD NOW!
A Detailed Review of Garry Tonon DVD about Heisting
Garry’s immaculate organization of this DVD ensures that he covers more aspects of heisting than you could possibly think about. I admit, some of these uses and iterations of this underrated foundational movement were eye-openers for me as well. From leglocks and takedowns, Tonon takes us through pins, escapes, scrambles all the way to inversions all by focusing on how to heist your hips:
Part 1 – Leg Locks
You’d expect a Tonon DVD to feature leglocks, so Gary decided to kick things off by addressing heisting in relation to the famous Ashi Garami leg lock system. Most of the focus in this par is on entries into leglocks, from top and bottom.
Heisting helps open up a sliding motion which Gary uses as the key method to execute cross, double leg, and even back side entires into leglocking positions. The wrap-up in this part is a section covering the ankle pick by way of heisting.
Part 2 – Sumi Gaeshi
If you’ve seen Tonon grapple, you know how much he likes to use ‘sacrifice throws’ in his game. Sumi Gaeshi is the perfect example, a staple in both Judo and BJJ when it comes to taking someone the mats by pulling them on top and over your head.
This volume starts with footwork that makes heisting possible, which, in turn, makes the throw unstoppable. In true Tonon style, he then shows how you can spread towards a ton of attacks, from Ashi Garami leg locks to Kimura finishes.
The best aspect of this volume of the DVD is that he offers ways to heist and end up with a Sumi Gaehsi sweep from different guard scenarios, in addition to using it for surprisingly fast throws.
Part 3 – Back Attacks
Another staple of Garry Tonon’s game is slick and lightning-fast back takes from literally everywhere. It turns out he was using heisting to make it all happen so effectively.
Most of the chapters in this section of the instructional cover ducking, which is much more than just a way to expose the back during takedowns. Tonon explores both seated and standing integrations of the heist, throwing in arm drags and hamstring pulls to open up a bunch of different attacking directions.
Part 4 – Pinning and Escaping
One aspect of heisting you are probably aware of already is as a means of getting out of pins. While not really efficient on its own, used to expose submission threats, a heist truly changes how effective you are in dealing with pins.
More importantly, your ability to heist is a great way to ensure you become a lot more proficient at pinning others, by introducing purposeful movement into pinning, rather than just trying to hold someone down statically. The elbow positing chapter is particularly interesting as an opinion of blending together defense and offense.
Part 5 – Heisting For Top Position
A few more integrations of takedowns and pins by way of heisting, with the focus now on the heels-to-butt position. In this volume, Tonon explores Judo-derived foot sweeps and throws, a few more Sumi Gaeshi variations, and inversions that open up a whole new can of movement worms.
Part 6 – Takedowns
In this volume of the Garry Tonon DVD, the focus is on two of the most common wrestling takedown launch pads we use in BJJ. The first one is the single leg, which Gary accentuates with heisting. The second is the front headlock, where the use of the heist is apparent, but Garry still has some useful insights to offer.
Wrapping up is another misused and misunderstood staple grappling movement – the sprawl. Garry explains how heisting makes the sprawl better, introducing a new dimension to it, just as promised in the DVD title.
Part 7 – Scrambling
This volume is probably what most of those who expect the DVD to resemble Gary Tonon’s grappling style expect out of it. The subjects in this volume are versatile and different, but they all have one thing in common – heising.
From the turtle position and passing, to Ashi Garami positions, throws, and takedowns, all the way to funk rolls, Gary manages to pull everything together into a very cool way of using heisting as a safety net and means to end up winning whenever you enter a scramble.
Part 8 – Inversions
Inversions entered BJJ as a way to attack before quickly mutating into one of the best guard retention and recovery means ever, and even a powerful defensive position when done right. Getting in and out of inversions is all about hip hesitating, which just so happens to be the subject of this DVD.
This volume covers the art of heisting into inversions, as well as connecting inversions to leg lock entries based on heisting, like the ones covered in the first volume of this instructional.
CHECK OUT THE FULL GARRY TONNON HEISTING INSTRUCTIONAL HERE!
Heistng Past the Shrimp in BJJ
From a practical standpoint, the best way to use this DVD is to allow it to change your mind on what hip heisting is. If you’re expecting an 8-part instructional on shrimping, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
If you want to make your Jiu-Jitu more effective in every aspect, and most importantly, during transitions between top, bottom, and standing positions, then there is no aspect of this DVD that you won’t find useful. The best part is that you don’t have to use the DVD in the order it is shot, but can rather watch any one volume, or even chapter, and still get vital information out of it.
Making Your Jiu-Jitsu Multidimensional
As far as I am concerned, Tonon’s instructionals are a must-have in any grappler’s video collection. This particular one moves past being a collection of endless techniques and concepts and rather teaches you something many thought was impossible – the entire game at once.
There is really not much left to say – this is a 10 out of 10 DVD which any grappler will benefit from watching, even if you don’t finish it. As a black belt who is moving away from a fast-paced movement-based game such as Tonon’s, I still found a wealth of knowledge in this instructional to rapidly improve in all aspects of BJJ.
Grab the heisting DVD by Garry Tonon now and provide yourself with the perfect means to surpass everyone on the mats in record time!
“Shoot To Kill: Wrestle, Scramble, Submit” Garry Tonon DVD Review
