Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD 2024 Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-

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!!!

Trailer: Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD
TRAILER: Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD

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!!!

Trailer: Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD
TRAILER: Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD

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.

Free Technique From the Ariel Tabak Hybrid Guard BJJ DVD
Free BJJ DVD Sample: Deep Lasso Guard by Ariel Tabak

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.

BJJ Lasso Guard – The Best DVD and Digital Instructionals

 

All BJJ Guard Passing DVD and Digital Instructionals GI & No-Gi

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

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

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-
Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD Review

The Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD is a very well-organized instructional tackling a subject that not many other coaches have targeted successfully, especially using video instructional. Dealing with back attacks is no joke, and very often people get a bunch of useless information that they try to base their escapes on.

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!!!

Trailer: Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD
TRAILER: Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD Review

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.

Free Move: Get The F**k Off Me Back Escapes Ethan Crelinsten DVD
Free Sample: Ethan Crelinsten Shoulder Grind Back Escape

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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Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD 2024 Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-
Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD Review

Passing is one aspect of BJJ that is always going to need more instruction. Guards are the most complex aspect of Jiu-Jitsu, and with Gi and No-Gi now equally spread, people find themselves stuck in guards more than ever before.

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!!!

Trailer: Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD Review
TRAILER: Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD Review

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.

Free Sample: Outside Passing Jason Rau DVD Review
Free Technique: Jason Rau North South Pass

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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Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD 2024 Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-

Thinking about competing in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu as a professional? If you have any hope of making it to the big states, you’ll need a carefully thought-out game plan that you can grow and adjust as you progress.

The Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD steps in as your coach, who should be handling planning, allowing you to figure out how to put together a practical game plan for Gi and No-Gi BJJ on your own. The best part about this DVD is that it offers a measurable blueprint so that you can assess how far you’ve come. Check out the full review:

Key Takeaways

  • An hour-long DVD instructional covering the theory behind building a BJJ gameplan  
  • Over 3 volumes, you’ll learn the 5 building blocks of a successful BJJ game.  
  • Includes Gi and No-Gi building blocks and a 6 months growth blueprint perfect for students of all levels. 
  • BJJ World Expert Rating: 8.5 out of 10.

KENDALL REUSING MINDSET GAMEPLAN DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!

Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD Trailer
Trailer: Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD

Learning Grappling Theory?

The question mark above is there because I am still not certain that everyone needs to spend time devising complex theories in terms of how they set up their BJJ game. Coaches? Absolutely. Recreational athletes? Perhaps, since they have time and not much in terms of training demands. Professional athletes? Nope, definitely not.

Let me explain. The training demands on professional athletes, whether they are grapplers or part of any other sport, are so huge that most of the day is training, recovery, nutrition, and talking strategy. The emphasis here is on the word “talking” strategy, as this is where coaches and instructors play the pivotal role.

I believe that dedicating time to figuring out how to grow your game plan, draw flowcharts, and build excellent sheets is something that a pro cannot waste time on. It is essential, yes, but that is exactly why coaches who oversee pro athletes have to be able to build this for the athlete and only adjust it using feedback.

The Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD offers a simple way to approach building the backbone of a BJJ game plan, from a theoretical standpoint. It also shows how you can implement it, and if you’re a coach this is a must-watch. The best way BJJ students can use it is to begin utilizing the concepts early in their careers, given that they aim to be world-class competitors.

GBs “Queen K”: World Champ Kendall Reusing

Kendal is a BJJ black belt under Tom Reusing, who happens to be her father. She is also a two-time Polaris open-weight world champion, three-time IBJJF No-Gi World Champion, has one No-Gi IBJJF Pans title and  SHHIF World Title and gold at the 2021 ADCC Trials to her name. She has also won 4 US Nationals in high school, as well as the California State Championship in wrestling.

Reusing embodies the Gracies’ way of approaching Jiu-Jitsu, being exposed to it from the earliest age through her father, a Nelson Monteiro black belt. Kendall began training at the age of 5 and complimented her training with lots of Judo and wrestling along the way. The result, as expected is a world-class grappler who, at the age of 26 still has boundaries to push in the BJJ World.

Kendal took a brief hiatus from BJJ to focus on wrestling while she was part of Team USA during her college years but quickly returned to the sport she grew up with. A member of the Gracie Barra team, Reusing has an impressive record of 38 wins and 17 losses as a black belt.

Obviously raised to compete, she now shares her knowledge on how to put together a game plan for grappling, through her Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD instructional.

Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD Review

as part of the Kendall Reusing Jiu-Jitsu Roadmap series, the Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD offers a theoretical blueprint and methodology on how to build your competition game.

It covers Gi and No-Gi strategies, how to put your plan to paper, and how to implement everything in training. The instrucitonal has 3 volumes and lasts around an hour.

Part 1 – Building a Game Plan Like a Pro Athlete

As this unusual but promising Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD begins, Kendall immediately shows she knows exactly what she is talking about. Reusing begins by shortly introducing the importance of building an ever-evolving game plan for BJJ before explaining how to develop one.

She has a 5-stage process that she presents in reverse order, placing emphasis on submissions, working backward through gaining to position and moving through pins, merging takedowns and guard pulls, and all the way back to the initial moments of standing without an engagement.

Part 2 – Introducing the BJJ Tree

Teh second part of the Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD is somewhat short, as she only focuses on deconstructing the concept of the BJJ tree that is the foundation of her game-building approach.

The tree analogy is actually very useful, as Kendal suggests you shouldn’t discard what you already know and use it in BJJ in favor of introducing new stuff. As you grow your BJJ arsenal, so should your gameplan tree, but you should always keep watering your foundational game consisting of the trunk and biggest branches.

A very cool and applicable analogy that makes a lot of sense, especially when Reusing pairs it with her training approach that she says will help you improve faster as long as you stick to your game plan using different training partners.

Part 3 – Gi and No-Gi BJJ Game Plans

Teh final portion of the Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD covers the key question of how to have one game for both Gi and No-Gi Jiu-Jitsu. While it is impossible to replicate the same game, Reusingni guides us through the essential adaptations we need to make to ensure the game plans are not completely different and still highly effective.

She also shares something she only shared in a 1-on-1 setting so far, and that is how to set up a personalized growth plan in regard to your game, and how to measure your progress over six months.

Building Your Game Plan 

Developing a clear set of directions is a must if you are a competitor. Once again, your coach should be guiding you through this, especially if you are a complete beginner or a professional. It is a lot easier to perform when you have defined directions to follow and in the case of advanced competitors, alternative routes to the same destination.

I had to figure stuff out on my own as a competitor, but I can safely claim that my game changed significantly when I decided to focus on a select few things that tied in together rather than just winging it at a tournament. I was a blue belt at the time and I never really stopped devising game plans since, although most of the plans these days are for my students.

A good game plan is the difference between professional and recreational athletes and you can mimic, or even surpass professionals in that regard. If you’re still trying to figure out how BJJ competition works, the Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD is going to help you form a foundation for your game in years to come.

In a perfect world though, a coach would take on this responsibility, leaving you more time to prepare for your matches.

Sample: Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD
Free Sample: Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD

FULL DOWNLOAD: KENDALL REUSING MINDSET GAMEPLAN DVD

Grow Your Jiu-JItsu Tree! 

The Kendall Reusing Mindset Jiu-Jitsu Accelerator DVD is a useful resource to show you that there is a lot more to the physical aspect of training BJJ. Strategizing is not easy, it takes lots of time and effort to put together, which is exactly why pros have coaches doing it for them.

If you’re not yet a pro or do not have access to a serious coach, this blueprint is going to help you build an effective BJJ game plan for both Gi and No-Gi. After all, Kendall has been competing for most of her life and knows exactly what she is talking about.

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Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
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Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD Review

Just another Ashi Garmi DVD or something really worth exploring? The latest rendition of Danaher’s popular leg locking system dubbed the  Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD features one of his start students who seems to have a solid head on his shoulders.

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!!!

Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD Trailer
TRAILER: Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD

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.

Review Efficiently Executing Ashi Garami Giancarlo Bodoni DVD
Free Sample: Heel Hook to Knee Bar by Giancarlo Bodoni

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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Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-

We take a look at the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle today, which claims to deliver in-depth details on how one of the best Gi grapplers in modern Jiu-Jitsu builds his competition game. The bundle consists of 5 different titles, each outlining a guard or passing aspect of Meregali’s game plan.

While I am not the biggest fan of Gi Jiu-Jitsu, I’ve done it excessively over the years and I have followed Meregali since his early black belt days. I’ve always been fascinated with how effective he is in his matches and I couldn’t wait to dig into the dissection of his methods. Here’s what I found out:

Key Takeaways

  • A five-part bundle containing passing and guard Nicholas Meregali DVD titles.
  • Based on the world title-winning game of one of the best grapplers in Gi BJJ.  
  • Contains almost 15 hours of material on Gi guards, passing, and submissions.
  • BJJ World Expert Rating: 6 out of 10.

DOWN UNDER TOP GAME CRAIG JONES DVD BUNDLE IS HERE!!!

Review Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle
Complete Bundle Here: Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu

Nicholas Meregali – A Gi BJJ Virtuoso 

Nicholas Meregali was a grappler that most people involved in Gi Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu knew as a top competitor in the late 2010s. The Brazilian-born began training in 2010 and managed to reach his black belt in just 6 years. He was promoted by Mario Reis and Jeferson Adan already having won the Brazilian Nationals as a blue belt and the IBJJF Worlds and Europeans at purple and brown.

His winning streak carried over into his black belt performances, marked by winning the IBJJF Worlds 3 times, completely dominating both his division and the absolute in 2022. He also has a double gold title at the IBJJF Pans, as well as 4 more Brazilian Nationals as a black belt.

A major jump in his grappling career was his humility. Recognizing that he is masterful with the Gi, but lacks No-Gi experience, Meregali opted to join the New Wave team so that he could learn from the best – John Danaher himself. He started training with Danaher and Gordon Ryan in 2022 and hasn’t stopped, as he is getting ready to conquer the No-Gi BJJ World as well.

Since his No-Gi still needs work, as witnessed at the 2024 ADCC, Meregali has been relentless at putting out high-level instructionals depicting his multiple world title-winning Gi game. Now, all of them are available in the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle,

Reviewing The Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu Jitsu DVD Bundle

The review of this Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle was way less enjoyable than I thought it would be, but he managed to salvage it at the end. It is a 5-part bundle that contains DVDs outlining his guard and passing game for Gi Jiu-Jitsu, with a total running time of just under 15 hours:

Open Guard Attacks DVD – AVAILABLE HERE

Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review Open Guard Attacks
TRAILER: Open Guard Attacks Nicholas Meregali DVD

Subject Matter: As you’d expect from the title, this first member of the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle outlines the Brazilian’s open guard approach, focusing mostly on attacking with submissions from the lasso guard.

Key Points Covered: This 6-part instructional by Meregali is a fairly short one but organized in a way that will truly help people with no or little prior experience develop a competitive open guard Gi game.

Mergeali starts with guard basics, talking about mechanics, positioning, and grips in the first two parts of the DVD, before moving on to actual attacks, mostly in the form of triangle-Omoplata combinations. He uses the lasso guard and a few variations to launch his attacks, supplementing them with plenty of overhead sweeps. the X-guard and De La Riva also make an appearance.

Technical DVD Specifications: Short by modern BJJ DVD standards, this six-volume instructional only lasts around 2 and a half hours, with some of the volumes barely reaching 10 minutes of material.

Closed Distance Open Guard DVD – DOWNLOAD HERE

Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review - Close Distance Guard
TRAILER: Nicholas Meregali Closed Distance Open Guard DVD

Subject Matter: A bit more precise than his previous DVD, this Meregali BJJ instructional targets playing open guard at a specific distance. While I wouldn’t call it fundamental it does provide lots of basics and refrains from over-complicating things.

Key Points Covered: This title in the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle offers a lot of value, in terms of setting up a balanced open guard game. Instead of just attacking Nicholas covers how to avoid common mistakes, guard retention and recovery, transitions between guards, and important counters to passes.

The main culprits are once again X-Guard and De la Riva variations, based on Gi grips, as well as the dangerous collar and sleeve guard that Meregali used a lot in his matches. Transitions to the back appear towards the end, making this DVD a very well-rounded open-guard resource.

Technical DVD Specifications: Once again, Meregali opted for 6 distinct DVDs, none rally offering too much in terms of length, but a lot in terms of useful information. The total running time is just over 3 hours.

Standing Guard Passing DVD – GET IT HERE

Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review Standing Guard Passing
TRAILER: Standing Guard Passing Nicholas Meregali DVD

Subject Matter: In the third part of the Nicholas Meregali DVD Bundle he switches to the top, exploring standing passing against various guards while relying on the Gi. The focus is on different passes and how you can use them against the most common BJJ guards.

Key Points Covered: Meregali begins by covering essential mechanics first, similarly to his other DVDs. Most of the first two volumes cover the stages of passing and an overview of common passing sequences.

As the instructional progresses, Meregali goes into what each guard offers in terms of strengths and and where their weaknesses are. He uses a system of grips to gauge the effectiveness of passes, quickly switching between different ones.

Technical DVD Specifications: The first top position contribution to the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle is a serious one in terms of length, with the 6 volumes totaling just over 4 hours of material, neatly organized in chapters and sections.

Meregali’s Gi System DVD – FULL DOWNLOAD

Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review Meregali Gi System
TRAILER: The Meregali Gi System DVD

Subject Matter: The best-sounding part of the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle is the breakdown of his entire competitive system, which covers his top and bottom game, as well as grip fighting strategies.

Key Points Covered: This is a short instructional, more of an overview than an instructional, really. It could’ve been a set of 4 YouTube videos instead, with Meregalsi very shortly touching on his X-guard game, Torreando passing, mount, and back finishes, and dealing with the top half. The only part really worth it is the volume on grip fighting tactics.

Technical DVD Specifications: 4-part DVDs featuring no more than 20 minutes of material per volume, and those are the longer ones. An underwhelming total of 1 hour of material touching upon different badly connected parts of Meregali’s Gi game.

Half Guard Pressure Passing DVD –DOWNLOAD DVD HERE

Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle Review Pressure Passing Half Guard
TRAILER: Pressure Passing Half Guard Nicholas Meregali DVD

Subject Matter: The final part of the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle covers pressure passing versus the half guard, something Meregali became known and feared for.

Key Points Covered: A comprehensive and very detailed guide on dealing with the half guard by utilizing pressure passing. Meregali goes bit by bit to deconstruct all the layers of the guard, methodically guiding you toward an unstoppable pass.

He also covers different half guard variations and what variables of the methodology you need to adjust to deal with them, rather than doing completely new types of passes. The last part of the instructional features Meregalis’ favorite top half guard submissions.

Technical DVD Specifications: While numbering only three volumes, this is the most substantial DVD in the Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle, lasting well over 3 hours, although 2 of those are contained within the first volume. without a doubt the best DVD in the bundle!

The Final Verdict 

The Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle is a resource that Gi players who are thinking about organizing their game might find useful. I’d say it is limited in potential to giving blue belts stuff to think about and then use to build a game by consulting their coaches.

The DVD on open guard is underwhelming, to say the least, and is not really going to be of much help to anyone. I have no idea why the Meregali’s Gi System is in this bundle at all, as that one should be outlawed for being so notoriously unhelpful and ill-conceived.

That said, Meregalis standing passing, close distance guards and, in particular, the pressure passing DVD are worth getting in this Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle. They actually provide everything you need to build as strong and versatile guard and passing game for Gi Jiu-Jitsu, and might even be useful to advanced grapplers at brow and black belt level.

Review Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle
Complete Bundle Here: Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu

DOWN UNDER TOP GAME CRAIG JONES DVD BUNDLE DOWNLOAD

Fundamentals Win Fights!

As a big fan of fundamentals for competitive BJJ, I must say I was pretty disappointed at what Meregali delivered. Knowing how methodical and detailed he is in his matches I expected that he’d at least deliver actionable advice in his Nicholas Meregali Fundamentals Of Jiu-Jitsu DVD Bundle rather than just snippets of his game.

The bundle as a whole is not that bad, and it is going to be useful for building a Gi game based on the experiences of one of the most efficient Gi grapplers in the world. It does reduce al to of the clutter of modern BJJ, sticking to the things that will win you matches, especially in terms of simplifying open guards.

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Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD 2024 Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
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Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD 2024 Review

Learning takedowns is one of the hardest aspects of BJJ, along with passing, but unlike the latter, people can shy away from takedowns by opting for guard pulls instead. Whenever a move appears that somehow makes takedowns easier to master, it should instantly become the centerpiece of your game, unless you’re a collegiate wrestler or Olympic-level Judoka.

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!!!

Trailer: Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD 2024
SEE FULL TRAILER: Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD

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.

Sam Schwartzapfel Knee Tap Series DVD 2024 Review
Free Move: Knee Tap to Armbar by Sam Schwartzapfel

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.

No-Gi Takedowns – The Best DVDs and Digital Instructionals

The Best BJJ Gi Throws and Takedowns DVDs

Jiu-Jitsu Takedowns Refresher Course: The Safada Takedown

 

CJI vs ADCC 2024: Top Lessons From an Action-Packed Weekend

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-
CJI vs ADCC 2024: Lessons Learned from an Action-Packed Weekend

In the aftermath of what was the most grappling-filled weekend in Las Vegas in the history of professional Jiu-Jitsu, we have a lot of things to process. Following two days of upsets, incredible performances and under-performances, and emerging talent, we come out the other end with the landscape of professional Jiu-Jitsu changed forever… or as long as Craig has powerful sponsors to back him up financially.

Some people in the BJJ world, athletes and fans alike, preferred the ADCC, while plenty flogged over to the new kid on the block, CJI to see if he was the cooler one to hang out with. Let’s go through the major lessons learned from last weekend, but don’t expect a verdict on CJI vs ADCC – that one is up for you to decide. Here’s all you need to know:

CJI vs ADCC – The Tale Of The Tape

ADCC a.k.a. the Abu Dhabi Combat Club started in 1998 as the premier No-Gi event often equated to the Olympics in terms of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. It was the first (or one of the first) tournaments to invite only the best athletes in the world and give them a substantial sum for winning their division – $10.000.

The thing that sparked the formation of CJI as a response to the treatment that the ADCC has of athletes, was precisely the prize money. Fast forward to 2024, some 26 years later than the very first ADCC, and the prize money for the winning athletes never changed.

In a landscape of professional Jiu-Jitsu and god knows which inflation since the change of the century, simply put, 10K does not cut it any longer. Craig Jones called ADCC head organizer Mo Jassim on this multiple times and eventually opted to put together his own tournament creating the CJI vs ADCC rivalry.

The very first edition of the Craig Jones Invitational (CJI) was held in Vegas last weekend (August 16 and 17, 2024) and it showed that it offered athletes a lot more than just a bigger cash prize compared to the ADCC.

CJI offered each athlete who opted to respond to the invitation a $10.001 sign-up prize, plus a staggering $1 million for the winner of each of the two divisions (-80 kg and +90 kg). After pouring out the cash at the JRE when he announced the tournament, everyone started asking where does the money come from?

Lots of rumors circulated, from Zuckerberg backing Craig to a crypto casino being behind the millions in cash prizes and all event-organizing expenses, but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter.

I’ll leave the financing details to Chael to explain, but the undeniable truth is that Craig Jones just made a couple of high-level grapplers millionaires, changing BJJ forever.

What We Learned From the CJI vs ADCC Grappling Weekend in Vegas

The past weekend, apart from providing lots of material to break down and learn from for the BJJ nerds such as myself, even more entertainment for the casual BJJ fanatic watching, and a hope of reaching millionaire status for competitive grapplers worldwide, provided us with a lot to think about in terms of the state of the BJJ world after the CJI vs ADCC weekend:

Craig Took Professional Jiu-Jitsu to Anotaher Level

Like it or not, the CJI was just what we needed. Everyone that even thinks about becoming a professional grappler these days, has to consider the stark reality that BJJ is not a sport that pays well unless your first name is Gordon and last name is Ryan.

What Craig offered to the world is hope that grapplers can make lots of money doing what they love – performing on the mats. If the first CJI came out with a $1 million prize money, I expect future events to offer more and even host more divisions so that more athletes get a chance to really earn significantly from BJJ.

Ffion Davies is Scary Good!

The one thing I was incredibly impressed with was Ffion Davis‘ performance in her CJI super fight against Mackenzie Dern. I know that Dern’s focus is on MMA, but as a UFC fighter, and having won a UFC fight just 2 weeks prior, she is in great shape and has access to world-class training on a daily basis.

Ffion came out with an aggression that we used to associate with Dern, and relentlessly pushed until she not only took Mackenzie down and controlled her, but also got what was the best submission of the entire weekend for me – a Scorpion Death Lock!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO3b2XBLZRk

Gordon Looks Tired

Let’s switch over to the ADCC for a bit. Gordon Ryan only had two fights scheduled this time, with each coming on a different night. While not at all easy, as he battled last time’s winners Felipe Pena and Yuri Simoes, both fights saw Gordon gas out and struggle significantly.

Of course, we all know his stomach is giving him lots of trouble, and he revealed a torn LCL after winning both fights, but the King we saw at the 2024 ADCC is a far cry from the version that scared everyone two years ago when he manhandled Galvao.

This leads us to the inevitable question: is the GOAt done? And I don’t mean a mock retirement like a few years ago, but for real this time. The CJI vs ADCC did suggest who could follow in his footsteps.

Belts Don’t Really Matter Anymore

Yeah, we knew this already, but it really did reach another level at the ADCC. Allow colored belts to match up with black belts, and you’ll likely see a better match than coupling two black belts together.

We saw the perfect example of this in Meregali’s performance at the ADCC. The Danaher protege lost his match to purple belt Michael Pixley by way of submission (Darce choke). Granted, it seemed that Meregali injured his shoulder or elbow as he posted awkwardly during the throw that preceded the Darce, but that should not take anything away from Pixley.

 

ADCC Will Have to Catch Up To CJI

Organization-wise, ADCC was a far cry from CJI. To begin with, the ADCC’s reluctance to deal with matches going out of bounds was hugely annoying, as opposed to CJI’s Karate Combat-like pit, which proved to be the best surface for professional grappling we’ve seen to date.

Also, we saw a lot of struggling with the ADCC announcement team, as they miscued matches, introduced athletes who weren’t on stage, and even ones who were competing at the CJI at the same time. There is more, but you get the winner in this CJI vs ADCC aspect.

CJI, on the other hand, had a great team led by commentator Brandon McCaghren that did the event justice, with the only real; remark being time management – day one went on for more than 10 hours, and it didn’t have to.

Unified Refereeing Rules

We saw a lot of chaos in terms of refereeing in the CJI vs ADCC weekend. While not leaving it in the hands of the judges sounds cool, it is a lot harder to put into practice than writing it on the wall of a gym.

This weekend felt like the early days of MMA when they attempted to apply a hybrid of the old boxing scoring system (which more or less is still in effect today). It is obvious that we need to unify the circumstances that lead to victory in submission-based events that end up going the distance.

Overtime always seemed like a good idea in EBI, but it didn’t turn out to be so great during the CJI vs ADCC weekend in Vegas.

You Can Make Millions From Jiu-Jitsu (Finally)

Yup, you can now decide to leave everything and dedicate yourself to grappling. of course, you’ll need to train your ass off, compete for a ton and hope that all those competitions end up rewarding you with some petty, ADCC-like prize money until you can reach the big stage.

Not for everyone, I know, but finally, we saw people win big by doing nothing except grapple and it is a dream come true for most people involved in BJJ, even though we didn’t win anything.  After the CJI vs ADCC weekend, the future seems very bright!

Kade Ruotolo and Nicky Rod win 1$Million Each by Grappling!

Rafel Lovato is a True Highlander

Rafel Lovato Jr. cannot retire. He tried it, but it didn’t work, and we’re glad it didn’t stick. The legendary grappler came back for the 2024 edition of the ADCC after announcing his retirement two years prior in the same event.

Not only did he feature again, but he dominated. At the young age of 41 cruised through the -99kg division, eventually running into a wall called Kaynan Duarte in the final of the division. The timeless Lovato took home the silver, and I’m sure we’ll see him again although it remains to see who he chooses between CJI vs ADCC.

We’re Taking BJJ Too Seriously

The whole CJI vs ADCC thing was really comical to witness from the stands. While you had the seriousness of the ADCC on one side, with everyone acting like it was a major UFC event or something, on the other side was Craig Jones, trolling everything and everyone in every way possible, blending in laughs with all the action.

It was a very welcomed refreshment in terms of the aura we associate with professional BJJ. Grappling should be fun over anything, and it can only be fun if we don’t take it seriously. CJI managed to dial it in perfectly, making it seem like it was a jiu-Jitsu Globetrotter Camp event. I can’t imagine what the afterparty looked like.

Nicky Rod is a Force to be Reckoned With

The winner of the +80 kg division in CJI was B-team’s own Nicky Rod. Saying it is a deserved victory is an understatement, as Nicky seemed scary on his way to the $1 million bucks. He dismantled  Owen Livesey and Max Gimenis quickly on day one, repeating the same with Adam Bradley and Fellipe Andrew on day 2 to win the coveted prize money.

Of course, he called out his nemesis Gordon Ryan at the end. To be honest, I’m not sure Gordon could’ve handled Nicky if they fought on the same event this time. Maybe in a CJI vs ADCC super fight someday.

What Happened to Nicky Ryan?

One worrying thing that stood out at CJI was the performance of Nicky Ryan. While most of the B-team performed well, even though some fan favorites like the up-and-coming Josef Chen didn’t get far, it was Nicky Ryan’s performance that stood out like a sore thumb.

Nicky looked like a guy who came over for a few rolls on the open mat and was surprised that a highly competitive wrestler wanted to go all out with him. Ryan lost to the highly impressive Andrew Tackett and left a huge question mark over his grappling future.

Who Will be The Next GOAT?

I firmly believe that if Gordon Ryan does not get healthy, the spot of the GOAT is going to be wide open, with many strong contenders coming out to claim it. The double gold (-99 kg and absolute division) winner of the ADCC, Kaynan Duarte is the leading name, of course, but Nicky Rod is not far behind.

We also have to mention Kade Ruotolo, the other millionaire after last weekend’s performance, as well as the emerging talents such as Andrew Tackett and Mica Galvao.

Best Match of the Weekend?

I’m going to go ahead and claim that the match between Kade Ruotolo and Andrew Tackett in the semi-final of the -80 kg divisions at CJI gets the match-of-the-weekend accolade. It was a grappling masterclass by two extremely talented athletes who, I’m in no doubt, will keep providing us with lots more grappling entertainment in times to come.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBtzcDu1Qts

Full CJI 1 Results

The full Day 1 of the CJI event streamed live on YouTube and you can watch the full 10+ hours here, or go on to read the results:

Over 80kg First Round:

  • Nicky Rod defeated Max Gimenis via submission (rear-naked choke).
  • Owen Livesey defeated Mahamed Aly via unanimous decision.
  • Adam Bradley defeated Kyle Boehm via split decision.
  • Pat Downey defeated Luke Rockhold via unanimous decision.
  • Lucas Kanard defeated Victor Hugo via submission.

Over 80kg Quarterfinals:

  • Nicky Rod defeated Owen Livesey via submission (rear-naked choke).
  • Adam Bradley defeated Pat Downey via split decision.
  • Inacio Santos defeated Lucas Kanard via unanimous decision.
  • Fellipe Andrew defeated Joao Gabriel Rocha via unanimous decision.

Over 80kg Semifinals:

  • Nicky Rod defeated Adam Bradley via submission (rear-naked choke).
  • Fellipe Andrew defeated Inacio Santos via submission (heel hook).

Over 80kg Finals:

  • Nicky Rod defeated Fellipe Andrew by submission (RNC)

Under 80kg First round:

  • Tye Ruotolo defeated Jason Nolf via submission (kneebar).
  • Levi Jones-Leary defeated Roberto Jimenez via submission (inside heel hook).
  • Lucas Barbosa defeated Kenta Iwamoto via unanimous decision.
  • Jozef Chen defeated Andy Varela via unanimous decision.
  • Kade Ruotolo defeated Matheus Diniz via submission (ankle lock).
  • Tommy Langaker defeated Renato Canuto via unanimous decision.
  • Eoghan O’Flanagan defeated Magid Hage via submission (outside heel hook).
  • Andrew Tackett defeated Nicky Ryan via unanimous decision.

Under 80kg Quarterfinals:

  • Levi Jones-Leary defeated Tye Ruotolo via unanimous decision.
  • Lucas Barbosa defeated Jozef Chen via submission (knee crush).
  • Kade Ruotolo defeated Tommy Langaker via unanimous decision.
  • Andrew Tackett defeated Eoghan O’Flanagan via unanimous decision.

Under 80kg Semifinals

  • Levi Jones-Leary defeated Lucas Barbosa via unanimous decision.
  • Kade Ruotolo defeated Andrew Tackett via split decision.

Under 80kg Final

Kade Ruotolo defeated Levi Jones-Leary by unanimous decision.

Superfights

  • Ffion Davies def. Mackenzie Dern via sub (armbar)
  • Craig Jones def. Gabi Garcia via sub (rear-naked choke)

Full 2024 ADCC Absolute Divisions Results

During the CJI vs ADCC, things were busy at the ADCC, although the lineup was quite different from what people expected before Craig announced his own tournament:

Men’s Absolute Round 1

  • Declan Moody defeated Diogo Reis by submission.
  • Kaynan Duarte defeated Diego Pato by submission.
  • Mica Galvao defeated Elder Cruz by submission.
  • Dante Leon defeated Michael Perez by a referee’s decision.
  • Giancarlo Bodoni defeated Davi Ramos by a decision.
  • Fabricio Andrey defeated Vagner Rocha by a referee’s decision.
  • Roberto Abreu defeated Luiz Paulo by a decision.
  • Ryan Aitken defeated Izaak Michell by a decision.

Quarterfinals

  • Kyanan Duarte defeated Declan Moody by submission.
  • Dante Leon defeated Mica Galvao by submission.
  • Giancarlo Bodoni defeated Vagner Rocha by submission.
  • Cyborg Abreu defeated Izaak Michell by a decision.

Semifinals

  • Kaynan Duarte defeated Dante Leon by decision.
    Cyborg Abreu defeated Giancarlo Bodoni by decision.

Final

  • Kaynan Duarte defeated Cyborg Abreu by submission.

Women’s Absolute Quarterfinals:

  • Adele Fornarino defeated Brianna Ste-marie by submission.
  • Rafaela Guedes defeated Bianca Basilio by decision.
  • Amy Campo defeated Amande Leve by decision.
  • Bia Mesquita defeated Kendall Reusing by submission.

Semifinals

  • Adele Fornarino defeated Rafaela Guedes by submission.
    Bia Mesquita defeated Amy Campo by a decesion.

Final

  • Adele Fornarino defeated Bia Mesquita by a decision.

Full List Of ADCC 2024 Champions

ADCC 2024 Ful lResults and List of ADCC 20024 Champions

Who won the ADCC in the 2024 edition? While there is a winner in the CJI vs ADCC debate, the athletes who fought their way to the top in this year’s ADCC are as follows:

Men’s Divisions:

-66kg

Diogo “Baby Shark” Reis – Gold
Diego Pato – Silver
Josh Cisneros – Bronze

-77kg

Mica Galvao – Gold
Vagner Rocha – Silver
PJ Barch – Bronze

-88kg

Giancarlo Bodoni – Gold
Jay Rodriguez – Silver
Felipe Costa – Bronze

-99kg

Kaynan Duarte – Gold
Rafael Lovato – Silver
Cyborg Abreu – Bronze

+99kg

Felipe Pena – Gold
Luke Griffith – Silver
Daniel Manasoiu – Bronze

Women’s Divisions:

-55kg

Adele Fornarino – Gold
Bianca Basilio – Silver
Jasmine Rocha – Bronze

-65kg

Ana Carolina Vieira – Gold
Helena Crevar – Silver
Bia Mesquita – Bronze

+65kg

Rafaela Guedes – Gold
Nathiely De Jesus – Silver
Kendall Reusing – Bronze

Super Fight Day 1

Gordon Ryan – Gold

Super Fight Day 2

Gordon Ryan – Gold

What’s Next?

As we conclude our analysis of the CJI vs ADCC weekend in Vegas, we are left switch lots of information to process. Professional Jiu-Jitsu just got a taste of what athletes earn in other sports, and I doubt those who took part will want to go back to how it was.

I understand allegiances and history, but in all honesty, the CJI vs ADCC weekend showed us that money talks, and that there are ways to turn professional grappling into a spectator sport. Whether it is going to take years of CJI vs ADCC rivalry, or they’re going to suddenly merge into the best platform ever, remains for the future to uncover.

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Craig Jones in his fight against ADCC: ‘I received death threats from the organizers’

By
BJJ World
-
Craig Jones in his fight against ADCC: 'I received death threats from the organizers'

Craig Jones has decided to take a stand against the current state of grappling, specifically Jiu-Jitsu.

He did this by withdrawing from the most prestigious grappling tournament, ADCC, and organizing his event in the same city, Las Vegas, at the same time. While ADCC 2024 will be held at the T-Mobile Arena, Craig’s event, CJI, will take place at the Thomas & Mack Center, where ADCC 2022 was held.

What stands out about the tournament organized by Craig Jones is that he significantly increased the prize money for fighters compared to what ADCC offers. ADCC awards $10,000 to fighters who win their category in the tournament, whereas CJI offers $10,001 just for participating. Furthermore, CJI promises category winners a prize of $1 million.

This move by Jones has not been well received by the leadership at ADCC, especially by Mo Jassim, who commented that it is not fair for Craig Jones to hold his event on the same day as ADCC.

“ADCC doesn’t treat its athletes fairly. To take a stand against the current state of grappling, I had to challenge ADCC,” Jones stated, adding, “What they are doing is ridiculous. Their fighters are competing for crumbs. It’s insane. That event isn’t even worth mentioning.”

Jones was driven to take this action due to his dissatisfaction with ADCC’s modest payouts. In a short time, he managed to raise several million dollars for his two-day CJI tournament. This was also fueled by the fact that ADCC’s prize money had not changed in years despite promises from their leadership, including Gordon Ryan after the 2022 competition.

“My goal is for this sport to be fairly compensated and to become mainstream,” Gordon Ryan wrote on Instagram in 2022. “It’s not ADCC’s job to pay more. We need bigger sponsors and a larger audience. At the next ADCC, I want the winners to earn $50-100k just for competing, and I want to earn $1 million for competing and $2 million for the weekend. This is just the beginning, and I’m happy to lead this fight for professionalism.”

The highest payout at this year’s ADCC is $40k, as stated on their official website. In contrast, Craig Jones has secured a $1 million prize for the winners of his tournament and has also sold out the entire Thomas & Mack arena.

What truly fascinates everyone is the fact that this was all planned for just three months.

“I honestly think it couldn’t have turned out better,” Jones said, continuing, “All the fights were exciting, the crowd was intense. We directly competed with an event that has been selling tickets for two years and did very well. We sold out Saturday night. I’m sure this will be the most-watched event in history,” Jones concluded.

It’s also worth noting that the CJI event was streamed for free on the B-Team YouTube channel, while ADCC charges for its streaming.

The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle Review

By
Ognen Dzabirski
-
The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle Review

Craig Jones might be the best in the world at conquering silver medals and the second place everyone despises, but when it comes to BJJ DVD instructionals, the Aussie is among the champions. He has released a bunch of different instructionals so far, which means he can now organize them into cohesive bundles.

The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle is a collection of three Craig Jones DVD instructionals, understandable, No-Gi, that outline what he finds to be the most important aspects of having a solid top game for BJJ. Is this bundle worth picking up if you’re not a black belt or prefer to roll and compete with the Gi? Stick with our review to find out.

Key Takeaways

  • A three-part bundle containing 3 different Craig Jones top game DVDs.
  • Includes the entire B-team passing game, spiced up with some typical Craig Jones magic. 
  • 10 hours of highly useful details on passing, pining, and submitting from the top.
  • BJJ World Expert Rating: 8 out of 10.

DOWN UNDER TOP GAME CRAIG JONES DVD BUNDLE IS HERE!!!

Review The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle
The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle Cover

The Second Best Grappler in the World

There is no real need to introduce Craig Jones, especially with the Craig Jones Invitational clearly achieving what it set out to do and overtaking ADCC in its first-ever edition. Craig elevated trolling to an artform during the build-up, and the event itself, providing the BJ Jworld with some much-needed entertainment, both in terms of laughter and high-level Jiu-Jitsu.

Let’s not forget that as crazy as Craig has become over the past few years he is still one of the very best grapplers in the world. The Aussie had a bunch of titles to his name,e prior to taking up the mantle of the best second-placed grappler in the world. So far he has won the Polaris belt three times in two different divisions and has a bunch of world titles as a purple and brown belt.

In terms of his instructionals, he has not been really consistent, though. He has some that are real gems that every grappler should own, and others that you probably won’t even finish on account of how useless they are. Is The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle a collection of Craig’s top-notch DVDs or a set of flops? Read on.

What is Inside The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle

The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle contains three different Craig Jones instructionals, each with a different number of volumes and a different running time. This collection si going to help you figure out how to set up and integrate your passing, pinning, and submissions as you approach opponents playing different guards in No-Gi BJJ.

Power Ride Pinning DVD – AVAILABLE HERE!

Review The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle - Power Ride DVD

Subject Matter: The first title in The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle is his DVD on pinning that revolves around ride techniques extracted from wrestling to stop your opponents from escaping your pins.

Key Points Covered: This instructional covers a somewhat unusual aspect of pinning, at least for BJJ, by exploring how to use power rides. Craig presents everything from a BJJ standpoint, covering how pinning points work and how wrestling can make a difference.

Throughout the instructional, Jones covers lower and upper body rides to force people back to the mats, as well as effectively deal with the modern-day defensive turtle. A bunch of submissions enforces the efficiency of these rides, which Craig ties into common BJJ control points such as mount, back, side control, and knee on belly.

Technical DVD specifications: The instructional has 6 volumes, each lasting a different length, from 30 minutes to an hour. The complete running length of the instructional is just under 4 hours and everything is demonstrated in No-Gi.

The B Team Top Game DVD – DOWNLOAD HERE

Review The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle - B-Team Top Game DVD

Subject Matter: Arguably the most useful DVD in this collection is Craig’s six-part instructional outlining the top game that the B-team uses in their high-level grappling performances on the competitive stage.

Key Points Covered: Craig goes over different approaches to passing and pinning seated and supine guard players in this part of The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle. The instructional contains a good balance of concepts general approaches and technical instructions to cover everything you’ll need to know about grappling from the top.

Some standout aspects of this Craig Jones DVD include forcing errors from your opponent, managing distance, passing both loose and tight, and defending common guard threats such as leg locks and sweeps.

Technical DVD specifications: Contains six volumes, with a total length of almost 5 hours, and a very precise and progressive organization of the material presented by Craig.

How To Pass Guards Quickly & Easily DVD – GET IT HERE

Review The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle - Passing and Leg Locks DVD

Subject Matter: The final member of this Craig Jones DVD bundle is one of his earlier instructional and one of the best ones he has ever released. It covers how passing and leg locks work together as opposed to being antagonists.

Key Points Covered: This short instructional covers Craig’s take on bleeding leg locks and guard passing to create dilemmas that end up giving you one or the other, all but guaranteeing success.

In the opening volume, he outlines a bunch of common passes, such as the knee slice, smash pass, and leg weave, and how you can integrate Ashi Garami attacks and flash finishes to make them a lot more efficient.

The second part builds on this information, providing instructions on knee pummeling, and wrestling-based passes such as the Khabib wrist-ride.

Technical DVD specifications: The final part of The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle is the shortest of the bunch, with only two volumes and a running time limited to just over an hour.

How Craig’s Game Can Help You

It’s really simple – Craig offers lots of options in the Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle. As he only focuses on playing the top aspects of grappling, this translates to something for everyone, regardless of preferences or level of experience.

This collection of Craig Jones DVDs offers lots of variety, particularly in terms of passing. He covers all passing sequences that work in No-Gi, fortifying them with the threat of leg locks, and offering a lot of unusual follow-ups in utilizing wrestling rides to pin the bottom person once you pass, and sometimes even before it.

At the end of the day, you’ll find something you can immediately integrate into your game from this Craig Jones bundle. The best part is that you don’t have to follow it to a “T”, you can pick and choose what to use and what to leave for the future as you build your own unstoppable top game.

Review The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle

DOWN UNDER TOP GAME CRAIG JONES DVD BUNDLE DOWNLOAD

Get on Top, Stay on Top!

As we draw this Craig Jones DVD Bundle Review to a close, the verdict is reached – it features only gems released by Craig, and none of the mumbo-jumbo trolling DVDs. This collection is a great resource to help you either set up a top game from scratch or polish your existing passes, pins, and submissions from the top.

The Down Under Top Game Craig Jones DVD Bundle is one that I expect will make grapplers’ lives easier, as it helps arm you not just to attack guards, but also how not to get trapped into and pulled into the web of different bottom positions threats. A real hit, this one!

Watch BJJ Brown Belt Ashton Kutcher Sparring With Craig Jones

Craig Jones Down Under Bottom Game DVD Bundle Review

Craig Jones Hosts $1 Million Tournament, Draws More Qualified ADCC Fighters

 

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