What do you think when you think of armbars? Most of you got a mental image of someone doing an armbar finish from the top, didn’t you? The armbar is a submission that has been around grappling arts from the moment someone figured out how to put pressure on that elbow joint. Well, if you want to know how to attack with armbars systematically, then you should consider the spiderweb position. In fact, you should probably get your hands on this Richie Martinez BJJ DVD instructional titled “Armbars, Spider Webs & EBI Overtime”.

Overview

Any instructions that Geo and Richie Martinez come up with are worth checking out in my opinion. The brothers are very high-level black belts under Eddie Bravo, and great innovators, especially in No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu.

Conversely, this instructional looks at the position used commonly in the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system for finishing armbars – the Spiderweb. The position provides control, multiple entry points, and different submission finishes and follow-ups. However, the one thing it is perfect for is the armbar, which is exactly what Richie Martinez is focusing on hee.

Moreover, he talks about tactics for dominating EBI Overtime rounds, which have you begin attacking and defending from the Spiderweb position.

Instructor Background 

Richie Martinez is a black belt under Eddie Bravo in the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system. That means that his black belt is also endorsed by Jean Jacques Machado.

Richie and Geo come from breakdancing, which has a significant impact on their style of fighting. Both the “Freak Brothers” like to do crazy acrobatic movements as they grapple, but do so with great success. They also specialize in certain aspects of the 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system, taking things a lot further than Eddie Bravo.

Richie has always been keen on armlocks, attacking often with Omoplatas and armbars in addition to his signature necktie chokes.

Martinez has some notable titles and wins in NAGA, EBI, IBJJF No-Gi Worlds, Onnit Invitational, etc.

Richie started BJJ back in 2011 with his brother Geo, and they skyrocketed through the system. Actually, the first year saw Richie train once per week in an academy and spend every other day drilling with his girlfriend until he got his blue belt. That’s when he went to 10Planet HQ to learn under Eddie Bravo. He got his black belt from Bravo in 2015, in just 4 years.

Currently, Richie is teaching at his 10th Planet Freaks Academy in San Diego.

Subject 

The armbar is a classic BJJ submission that is statistically responsible for the most taps in competitive matches ever. As such, it is a well-known move that everyone learns quite early in Jiu-Jitsu. Ways of finishing the armbar from different positions, dealing with how people counter your armbar attacks, and ensuring you can stay in position long enough to finish an armbar is where most fail.

This is exactly what this Richie Martinez DVD addresses. The spiderweb is a position that allows you to access a top position armbar submission while having as much control over the opponent as is possible. It is an intricate position that does have many details to it.

In those terms, knowledge of the position, and the best submission available from it – the armbar is of extreme importance in the context of competing under EBI rules, which is arguable, the best competitive Jiu-Jitsu ruleset out there.

Martinez talks about everything of the above, offering a “cheat sheet” on how to understand armbars, spiderwebs, and EBI overtime rules in record time.

Complexity 

10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu is often referred to as advanced and complicated. However, the spiderweb position is something I teach to all my students, starting from the white belt. Obviously, the armbar is already a staple of BJJ that students learn in their first few classes (very first class in my academy).

The way Richie Martinez presents the information in this DVD is diverse, He shows some very basic moves, like armbars breaking mechanics and armbar gip breaks from the spiderweb. He also shows advanced ways of getting to the position, like the swim move and rubber guard that is more appropriate for people at the blue/purple belt level.

Technical Details 

There are two volumes to this DVD set. The first lasts almost 30 minutes, while the second one goes up to 50 minutes. That is a total running time of 1 hour and 20 minutes, which is a lot of dedicated time to exploring spiderweb armbars.

The camerawork, video, and audio quality are up to the golden standard. The “Armbars, Spider Webs & EBI Overtime” instructional is available both as a digital download and in DVD format.

The way Richie conveys information is beyond question, as he is one of the best instructors in the entire 10th Planet Jiu-Jitsu system.

Detailed Analysis

DVD #1

Starting off, Richie Martinez explains the concept behind the spider web position and armbars. This is the fundamentals part of this instructional, where Richie goes over armbar setups from knee on belly, covering both near and far side attacks

He also dissects the spiderweb position in the second part of this first volume. He covers holding the position and some key grip breaks to give you access to the armbar from there.

DVD #2

This volume is all about flows that lead towards the spiderweb and armbar finishes. Richie shows how you can enter the position from everywhere, top, bottom, and standing. He starts with a swim move setup (rolling armbar setup) from guard, before exploring some more “traditional” entries like the flower sweep and hip bump sweep.

Past the halfway point in this DVD, “Boogeyman” goes off the deep end, showing some advanced ways of armbar hunting. Triangle armbars, rubber guard connections, and armbar variations all feature heavily here. The violin armbar is one to really pay attention to.

How We Grade The “Armbars, Spider Webs & EBI Overtime” Richie Martinez DVD Instructional

Considering this “Armbars, Spider Webs & EBI Overtime” Richie Martinez instructional DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate in short below. 

Technical Quality: 10/10 

BJJ fanatics is behind this BJJ DVD instructional, meaning every technical aspect of it is professionally taken care of. Video and audio quality are up to standards and camera work is precise, offering multiple angles.

Quality of Content: 9/10 

Richie Martinez is an amazing coach, and everything he shares in this instructional is highly useful. He starts off at the beginning, showing the basics that will be easy even for complete beginners to grasp. HE then goes on to advanced transitions and flows that will tickle the minds of even the most creative black belts.

Martinez is also very good at connecting the materials that he shares in different chapters together.

The only negative side to this instructional is that it is somewhat short – “only” two volumes and a total of 1 hour and 20 minutes of material.

Overall: 9/10 

Great DVD if you are an armbar hunter, especially one that specializes in No-Gi and has an eye on competing under EBI rules.

Wrap Up

Personally, I like Richie Martinez, and I found his and his brother’s instructional very useful. They do represent a very specific style of BJJ that not everyone is on board with, but that exactly is why I recommend you look into them – they can provide you with some secret weapons your opponents are not aware of.

You’ve heard the phrase”invisible Jiu-Jitsu”? Well, Bruno Bastos doesn’t seem to be a big fan of that one, opting instead to name his series “Visible Jiu-Jitsu”. The first instructional in the series is titled “Top Spread Passing & Submissions” and we’ll tell you all about it here today.

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Overview 

This is a four-part instructional DVD focusing on how to deal with people’s guards, most of the half guard variety, place them under pressure once past them and look for a quick submission finish. In other words, this is an instructional about what BJJ is all about, apart from covering takedowns.

The instructional is heavy on passing by using underhooks, which makes sense given that half guards are what Bruno Bastos is focusing on. There’s a lot about passing the deep half guard, which is a subject not covered by many. There are also very interesting solutions to beat the well-established underhook half guard everyone seems to love. And not just with Darce chokes.

Submission-wise, Bruno covers everything: arm locks, chokes and leg locks.

Instructor Background 

Bruno Bastos is one of the representatives of the “alternative” path of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He comes from the Oswaldo Fadda lineage, which has nothing to do with the Gracies. namely, Fadda was actually a student of Mitsuo Maeda along with Carlos Gracie.

Bastos is a 5th-degree black belt under Wendell Alexander, and one of the most decorated competitors in the BJJ world. He competed for the Nova Uniao team until 2014, before establishing the Bruno Bastos Association, as well as the LEAD team.

Some of Bruno’s accomplishments include winning the Brazilian Nationals, the CBJJE world title, The Brazilian Cup, IBJJF World Masters (multiple times in both Gi and No-Gi). He is also an ADCC veteran.

Bruno started training at the age of 10 and began competing as early as he could (as a yellow belt). Six other members of the Bastos family also train BJJ, 4 of which are black belts.

Bruno Bastos is also known to be heavily involved in charity work, through an organization called Arte Suave which he founded in 2005. Its focus is on keeping Brazilian kids away from drugs and violence through BJJ.

Subject 

The subject of this first installment of Bruno Bastos’ “Visible Jiu-Jisu” series covers how to approach a BJJ match when you are the top person. Getting past the guard is no easy task, and oftentimes, the last resort of many guard players in the half guard. Bruno’s focus is quite specific, covering different ways in which you can get past some of the most utilized half guard variations.

He also focuses on how to keep your position and prevents people from recovering guard once you pass it. It is all topped off with submissions that are available both as you pass and after you’ve established a pin.

Complexity 

The deep half guard, which takes up a solid portion of this DVD is a subject that is definitely not beginner’s level. However, the approach to passing it that Bruno Bastos shares in his “Top Spread Passing & Submissions” DVD does not require knowledge of the guard itself.

Bastos offers direct and easy routes for passing and submission, but also talks a lot about leverage and power and puts together interesting and effective combinations of all the moves.

The bottom line is that this DVD will offer grapplers of all levels something to learn about passing the half guard and submissions.

Technical Details 

The “Top Spread Passing & Submissions” Bruno Bastos DVD instructional has four volumes. Each of the volumes contains multiple chapters, with a running length of 30 minutes per DVD. That brings the total running time of the instructional to 2 hours.

Produced by BJJ Fanatics, all of the technical aspects like sound, camera work, video quality, etc are on point. Bastos has a strong Brazilian accent but speaks English audibly and understandably. Moreover, he is an amazing teacher, bringing everything together as he speaks, rather than referring to future chapters where “he will explain how it all works together”.

The material is available as a digital download, or a DVD, both in HD quality.

Detailed Analysis

DVD #1

In the opening volume of this instructional, Bruno Bastos immediately introduces the underhook explaining how much control and leverage it provides for whoever wins it first. Given that he focuses on the top name in this DVD, he teaches how to best use it when passing.

He covers both single and double underhook scenarios when on top, which then utilize head control, leg movement, and pressure to get you past the legs. Some of the passes lead directly to the mount, which is what Bastos demonstrates in several fo the final chapters of this first volume.

DVD #2

Part 2 of the DVD still revolves mostly around underhooks, but from a more advanced standpoint. Namely, here Bastos explores different ways to grip from the near side underhook. He has some very interesting pants grips that open up interesting passing options, like cross passing.

Bastos also shares how to get to the mount and to the back from the near underhook. He also goes into some unique moves, like inverted half guard passing and using bear hugs to pass.

DVD #3

This is where submissions start to feature more. Past the halfway point in the “Top Spread Passing & Submissions” DVD, Bruno talks a lot about inverted half guard passing, and how to obtain maximum control from it. There are several chapters covering head control, and how it relates to submissions (arm triangle, Americana, Kimura).

In the second portion of the third volume, Bastos looks into Knee Cut Passing against the Deep Half Guard. He offers different options, ranging from collar grip passing to getting past the legs and directly into an armbar or a baseball choke.

DVD #4 

In the final volume of his instructional, Bruno Bastos keeps offering solutions to the deep half guard riddle.

The first two of those solutions involve direct submissions vs the deep half guard in the form of a straight armlock and Kimura.

Bastos then goes into knee cut passing again, this time underhooking the far leg. Once again, the end goal is submitting the opponent, which he makes possible by introducing toe holds to the underhook passing system vs. half guard.

How We Grade The “Top Spread Passing & Submissions” Bruno Bastos DVD Instructional

Considering this Bruno Bastos instructional DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate on in short below. 

Technical Quality: 10/10 

All of the technical aspects in this instructional, from video and sound quality to the organization of the content, are on point.

Quality of Content: 10/10 

There’s really nothing that I could find about this DVD that I did not like. there’s no unnecessary talk, there’s a great connection between the chapters, and it is adopted so that all level grapplers can learn. Despite the option of covering everything that passing pinning and submissions offer, Bruno Bastos smartly decided to focus on passing the half guard, doing diverse submissions, and using underhooks as the centerpiece of everything.

Overall: 10/10 

“Top Spread Passing & Submissions” is a BJJ DVD I highly recommend to everyone involved in BJJ. You’re going to spend a lot of time in people’s half guards. Why not have a great system ready to go?

Wrap Up

 It is difficult to figure out which DVDs will actually help you. Every now and again, an instructional like this comes along, providing proven and easy ways to deal with some of the most common Jiu-Jitsu problems. Thank you, Bruno Bastos. 

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Are you old and tired of younger guys smashing you in rolling? Time to take your revenge with the brand new Bernardo Faria Instructional. “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” covers awesome old-school secrets on how to play guard and half guard and annoy young, athletic, heavier, and stronger opponents.

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Overview

The best time to pick up an “old guys” BJJ DVD is not when you’re one of the old guys. It would be a very smart thing to get one while you’re still fighting in the adult divisions. That way, you’ll be able to prepare better for anyone that is stronger and faster than you, and when the time comes, younger than you as well.

“Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” is a Bernardo Faria instructional that covers how you can play bottom positions against, well, pretty much everyone, without having to use athleticism, strength, or speed. The focus of the instructional is on the half guard and closed guard, as some of the most often used positions in Jiu-Jitsu.

Apart from covering why the closed and half guard are the best options for “senior” grapplers, Faria also shows how to use them to get the most out of both guards. he demonstrates how to get from one to the other, as well as how to pull closed and/or half guard for those OGs still looking to compete.

Instructor Background

Bernardo Faria is one of the most easily recognizable faces in Jiu-Jitsu, mostly because of his ultra-popular BJJ fanatics DVD production service. THere’s also his “Huge honor for me” slogan that is unmistakably linked to the charismatic Brazilian.

From a more athletic standpoint, though, Faria is one of the most decorated and most successful BJJ black belts ever to compete at heavyweight and super-heavyweight. He is a Ricardo Marquez black belt (Carlson Gracie lineage) with 5 World titles to his name. Faria also has 4 Pans, 3 Europeans, and 1 Brazilian Nationals title to boast with.

Representing the Alliance Jiu-Jitsu team, Bernardo has one of the best guard passing games in the entirety of the sport, especially when it comes to over-under (Miragia) passing. He is also a true half guard virtuoso, with very few people able to claim they have passed his guard.

Bernardo’s official record has 95 wins and 26 losses. Apart from managing BJJ fanatics, Bernardo is currently running his own academy in Bedford, Massachusetts (the Bernardo Faria Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Academy).

Subject

This Bernardo Faria instructional is pretty straightforward. It provides a complete bottom game based don’t the closed and half guard, mainly aimed at older practitioners. Throughout five volumes, Faria shares his “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” tricks to control, sweep and/or submit most people from the guard, without much effort.

Instead of creating scrambles and power-based exchanges, Bernardo’s system introduces you to the world of tricky BJJ. He shares a bottom game that flows between the closed and half guard constantly, easily dealing with any brute strength attacks from the top. Moreover, there’s a perfect link between sweep and submission attacks from both guards that is not intended for just OGs.

Complexity

Bernardo is one of the best teachers in the BJJ world, and all of his instructions are very easy to follow. While there are details that will be extremely useful even to black belts, all of the content is white belt friendly. in fact, I’d say that white to purple belt older practitioners is the ones that’ll benefit most from this Bernardo Faria instructional.

Most of the techniques are very basic, including stuff like the knee shield half guard, Omoplatas, the simple guard pulls, and some awesome closed and half guard drills anyone can do.

Faria speaks great English, although with a recognizable Brazilian accent. he is concise and easy to follow, creating easy connections between the material throughout the volumes/

Technical Details

The “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” instructional has five volumes, each covering a specific subject in relation to either closed or half guard. Basically, Faria begins with the half guard and moves on to transition to the closed guard. After addressing the closed guard he covers ways of going back to the half guard, before wrapping things up with guard pulling tactics and approaches.

The video and sound quality, as well as camera work, are at the level we’ve grown to expect from BJJ fanatics. The instructional is available both as DVD and digital download.

Detailed Analysis

DVD #1

Bernado Faria kicks everything off by explaining why he chose the half and closed-guard positions for this DVD. Even though many people like to play funky stuff like lapel and inverted guards when at risk, they still revert to closed or half guard variations. The reason for it is that they work for everyone and are highly reliable.

The first technical chapters of the “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” Bernardo Faria instructional cover the knee shield half guard variation. Attacks from the knee shield range from the Faria sweep, to single leg takedowns specially tailored to work for non-athletic people. Lots of the finishes from the knee shield go to the single leg, but Faria has a sneaky and lazy way of setting it up from the knees, no wrestling required.

There is also a chapter on the dog fight position, which is basically a safety checkpoint for anyone not looking for scrambles. The volume ends with a chapter on playing half guard when your back is on the ground.

Oh, yes, there’s of course some deep half guard stuff there as well. After all, this is a Bernardo Faria instructional for old guys – both mandatory deep half guard boxes checked there.

DVD #2

Part two picks right up where the first volume ends, looking into ways to connect half guard to the closed guard if all else fails. Or if you choose to do so. Bernardo goes over three different transitions in this portion of the DVD:

1. Going to closed guard when you’re back is on the mats in half guard;
2. A way into the closed guard directly from the knee shield half guard;
3. Getting to the closed guard when a single leg takedown/sweep attempt is not working out for you.

Easy, simple, and already connected to the volume coming before and after this one.

DVD #3

Bang in the middle of the “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” DVD, Faria explains how to use the closed guard without too much hassle. Along with his over-under passing and half-guard magic, the Omoplata is one of Faria’s signature moves. No surprise that he uses it as his main closed guard attack.

Half of the third volume of this Bernardo Faria instructional is about the Omoplata, with some really cool secret details that will improve most people’s understanding of the submission.

The second portion of volume 3 has to do with sweeps. Faria begins with the belt grab sweep before exploring shoulder bump options. The final chapter in this instructional is my favorite – trapping the legs to seep from the closed guard.

DVD #4

Another transitional volume, this time covering how to get from the closed guard into the half guard. Once again, there are three chapters that cover pretty much every question you might have up until this point of the “Jiu-Jitsu For Old guys” DVD.

1. Going to half guard when they use elbows to open your guard;
2. Going to half guard to counter a standing opening;
3. Connecting closed and half guard transitions both ways.

DVD #5

The final part of the instructional has two sections. One focuses on guard pulling tactics that include both the closed and half guard. Since Faria’s subject is how to successfully pull guard as an OG, his approach has no unneeded movement or explosive exchanges. Rather, he shows how you can jump guard, and fake takedowns to get easy guard pulls. There’s also a very sneaky way to pull half guard that you most likely have not seen before.

The final part of “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” contains some bonus chapters on how to set up closed and half-guard drills. An outro wraps this Bernado Faria instructional up.

How We Grade The “Jiu-Jitsu For Old Guys” Bernardo Faria Instructional

Considering this Bernardo Faria instructional DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate in short below.

Technical Quality: 10/10

The sound and video quality are at the usual level expected from any release from BJJ Fanatics. Camera work and angles are also high-quality, with nearly every chapter presented from several different angles.

Quality of Content: 8/10 

Faria is a great teacher and has lots to teach, but unfortunately, only goes in one direction in this instruction. He does cover both the closed and half guard from an interesting standpoint in regard to older practitioners. The quality of the techniques he teaches is beyond the question, as is the closed-half guard system he presents. However, he only covers things from one perspective, not allowing too many options past the knee shield, Omoplata, and a few sweeps.

This Bernardo Faria instructional is quite short in total running length, despite containing five different volumes. The first volume is the longest, with a running length of an hour. The second and fourth volumes, containing transitions, each last barely more than 10 minutes. The third and fifth volumes last around 30 minutes each. In total, that is around 2 and a half hours of running time for 5 volumes, which seems insufficient.

Another aspect of this DVD is that it is a Gi-only instructional.

Overall: 8/10

Given the short running time of the “Jiu-JItsu For Old Guys” Bernardo Faria instructional, and the focus only on Faria’s favorite positions, this DVD gets 8/10. It is still a worthwhile buy, especially for anyone above 40 and interested in primarily Gi Jiu-Jitsu.

Wrap Up

You will benefit from instructional by someone as experienced and decorated as Bernardo Faria is. If you want to learn how to play closed guard and half guard the lazy way and be able to fend off the attacks of younger, stronger grapplers, then this is one instructional that can help.

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A couple of years ago, a mention of the Ruotolo twins in the BJJ world was nothing special outside of the Atos circles. After ADCC 2019, the names Tye and Kade Ruotolo became just as well known in the Jiu-Jitsu community as the names of Gordon Ryan or Andre Galvao. Now, you can take a look at the twins’ very own buggy choke BJJ DVD instructional.

Overview

The Buggy choke JJ submission is the focus of this instructional, as is evident from the title. What might be less evident from the get-go, though, is what the choke is. The Buggy is one of the sneakiest chokes in Jiu-Jitsu, given that it is best set up when in bottom side control. Cruel and unusual, this choke puts people to sleep without them even being aware they are in danger.

The Ruotolo twins, Tye and Kade, provide a complete guide to the submission with setups, finishing mechanics, and follow-ups. The DVD contains two volumes.

Kade & Tye Ruotolo Background

The Ruotolo twins have been involved with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the early age of 3. Born in Hawaii in 2003, their parents enlisted them In Cleber Luciano’s school in 2006, after moving to Huntington Beach, CA.

The brothers started making waves in the children’s divisions, being so proficient in a competition that they earned an RVCA sponsorship at the age of only 10. In 2013, Tye and Kade moved to the Art of Jiu-Jitsu Academy led by another famous grappling brothers duo – the Rafa and Gui Mendes. As expected, their skills skyrocketed from there, eventually landing them at Andre Galvao’s Atos team in San Diego (then affiliated with AOJ).

The twins first came on people’s radar at the 2018 East and West Coast Trials. Tye got to the semifinals in the East Coast trials, beating many established professional grapplers at the age of 15. While neither of the twins won a direct placement in the main ADCC event, they gathered enough attention to get Tye an invite.

Aged 16 and “only” a blue belt, Tye managed to beat Bruno Frazatto and Pablo Mantovani to get to the semi-finals, where he lost to Kenedi Maciel. That earned him a third-place match against none other than Paulo Miyao, another half of a famous BJJ brothers duo. Tye narrowly lost on points, after catching Miyao in one of the tightest kneebars you’ll ever see… but Paulo did not tap and got the win, despite limping away.

That match put the Rutolo twins firmly on the radar, and they just kept building on their legacy in future matches. The wins for their black belts from Andre Galvao in December of 2021.

Subject

The unorthodox buggy choke is a crazy submission that you can pull off when you’re stuck in bottom side control, with your back on the ground. The choke is essentially a triangle, only done with your entire body, rather than just your arms or legs. The Ruotolo twins cover the many intricate ways in which you can set this choke up and finish it.

The Good, The Bad And The  Buggy Choke BJJ DVD  is a no-gi instructional that explores every aspect of this shiny new submission hold, presenting it in a way that requires no special flexibility or other athletic abilities.

The twins go over entires, finishing details, combos with other submissions as well as troubleshooting pointers.

I’d say that this DVD is for everyone, regardless of their affinity towards gi or no-Gi and/or their belt level.

Considering this Craig Jones instructional DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate in short below.

Technical Quality: 10/10

A BJJ fanatics DVD, which guarantees that this instructional is up to the modern BJJ DVD standards. HD quality, clear sound, precise camera work, audible instructions by the instructors, and the availability to acquire as a digital download or a hard copy DVD set.

Quality of Content: 7/10

The Buggy choke BJJ DVD by the Ruotolo twins is definitely a solid instructional. It covers a submission that we know little about. For example, I doubt anyone apart from Kade and Tye has attempted to hunt for the choke from mother positions outside of bottom sie control.

What I personally don’t like about the original version of the choke is that, similarly to Rubber guard, it requires knee flexibility and holds the potential for a knee injury you can actually inflict on yourself.

The Ruoptolos do offer different options thought, exploring positions for the choke that are easier on the knees. That said, this choke is still yet to be completely broken down and researched, so the DVD is quite short – shorter than what we’re used to seeing from BJJ fanatics.

Finally, while everything the Ruotolos show, they show precisely and in-depth, there’s no real connection between the chapters. It is a DVD with cool and effective one-off moves, but there’s no system included anywhere.

Overall: 8/10

A short DVD covering a move that might be slightly dangerous to perform from certain positions. Taught by a couple of the best grapplers in the world that will only get better. Bottom line – perfect for those already fans of the buggy, as well as those that might be looking to explore it. If you don’t like it, though, I doubt this DVD will make it any more appealing.

Wrap Up

A good instructional to have if you like being a sneaky and unpredictable submission hunter. The Ruotolo twins are definitely going to be around the top of the grappling community for the foreseeable future. It is nice to see them share their knowledge early on, and this Buggy choke BJJ DVD is a great opening salvo.

Craig Jones. If he is not winning left and right he is making waves in the BJJ world with funny comments, self-taunting memes, or B-team videos. Oh, and he does issue instructional DVDs on a regular basis. One of the best titles you can get in 2022 is “POwer Bottom”, a Craig Jones instructional on modern guards. No-Gi guards, of course.

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Overview

This time around, Craig delivers a 6-part DVD that tackles the subject of how to optimally play guard for modern Jiu-Jitsu. Lately, Craig Jones has been using Mexican terms naming his innovations, so that’s exactly how he begins this DVD – with the so-called Mexican concepts and principles. Those involve “if this – then that” situations.

Long-range, mid-range, and short-range guards manipulating the knees, innovative half guard variations (reverse Z and false half guard), and a bunch of leg locking setups feature heavily throughout this Craig Jones instructional. He even goes into defensive guard territory, exploring interesting turtle concepts and counterattacking from the all-fours position.

Instructor Background

I doubt Craig Jones needs too much of an introduction. He is the second-best grappler in the world (according to himself) and one of the all-time greatest without a doubt. Craig is easily the most famous grappler to ever come from Australia.

He is a Lachlan Giles black belt since 2016. He is known as one of the world’s deadliest leg lockers, and a member of the now-defunct Danaher Death Squad. Craig started training in Australia in 2006, changing a few academies before ending up at Lachlan’s Absolute MMA Academy. Craig has three Polaris championships as a black belt, as well as ADCC silver. He also has beat pretty much everyone of note in the grappling world.

Currently, Craig heads the Austin-based “B-team” with Nicky Ryan, Ethan Crelinsten, and Nicky Rodriguez.

This is also the volume where lots of that Craig Jones special vocabulary comes into play. You’ll find chapters named “putting the age in Sumi Gasehi” and “Mexican karate arm drag”. They are as effective moves as they sound weird and annoyingly fun.

A few more shooting options mar the halfway point of this Craig Jones instructional.

The focus shifts toward short-range guards midway in this fourth volume. Craig showed a few knee levers and off-balancing tactics. He then uses the “false half guard” to further dwell on attacking from short-range guards. HE uses both underhooks and “the overwrap” to achieve sweep and/or leg lock attacks.

Craig starts with a few new concepts about approaching the turtle in general, including some offensive grip fighting scenarios. He then shows some very interesting ways to roll out of the turtle, exposing the weaknesses of the seatbelt grip.

This portion of the “Power Bottom” Craig Jones instructional is longer than the previous volumes and explores ways to roll out of the turtle (like Granbys) go for leg locks (kneebar) or use some old-school wrestling moves like the power half Nelson to deal with the top person.

DVD #6

The final volume of “Power Bottom” takes the turtle position even further. Craig teaches very interesting ways in which you can use the wrestling “all fours” position like a guard in BJJ. He shows how to shake people off, switch positions, granbying, and how stand up to turn the tables.

The second portion of the final volume is all about dealing with the rear body lock. Craig’s choices include Judo throws like Uchi Mata and Harai Goshi, as well as ways in which you can roll into Ashi Garami positions for quick finishes.

How We Grade The “Power Bottom” Craig Jones Instructional

Considering this Craig Jones instructional DVD’s technical aspects and quality of content, we come to an overall score for this instructional that I’ll deliberate in short below.

Technical Quality: 10/10

The camera work is done very professionally, covering multiple angles on almost every chapter. The video quality is HD, as is the sound. Craig is talking very audibly and understandably.

The full running length of this Craig Jones instructional is almost five and a half hours. The material is divided into sections, that are further split into chapters. There is time coding on each chapter so it si easy to find particular ones when you’re searching.

Quality of Content: 9/10

There’s no doubt whenever Craig Jones is involved that you’re getting the highest level of BJJ instructions. However, as is the case with most of the top-level competitors, their take of what is fundamental greatly differs from what people with no or little experience find to be fundamental. this is an awesome DVD, but for people that are purple belts and above, have previous No-Gi experience, and a working understanding of leg locks.

That said, Craig really explores some unique ways of approaching the guard. there’s a lot of wrestling, as he uses takedowns as sweeps lots of the time. Moreover, he explores offensive ways to use “bad” positions like the turtle and all fours when you’re the bottom player.

An outstanding feature of this instructional si that Craig categorizes guards as long, mid, and short-range, providing a very useful way of looking at bottom positions.

Overall: 9/10

The “power Bottom” DVD will definitely teach you a new way of playing guard and using all kinds of wrestling-based moves to get sweeps or set up intricate Ashi Garami leg lock attacks. You’ll find it hard to navigate through if you’re a beginner, and even a fresh blue belt, in my opinion. Hence the 9/10.

Wrap Up

If you’re looking to improve your guard and throw in modern-day attacks like leg locks, this is the perfect DVD for you. The “Power Bottom” Craig Jones instructional will take you through offensive and defensive aspects of the guard, allowing you to be a constant danger to the top person. IF you like No-Gi and leg locks, you simply have to watch this DVD.

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