The Sergei Beloglazov DVD named Gold Medal Takedown Mastery is not going to win you gold medals in wrestling and is most definitely not going to make you an Olympic-level wrestler. You’ll just get an idea of what an Olympic and World Champion wrestler can do.
What you, as a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu practitioner will gain from this DVD, is a blueprint of how to manage distance on the feet and enter dominating clinch positions that allow you to do whatever you want. Whether you’re going to take someone down, get on their back, or pull guard is up to you!
Key Takeaways
- 3-volume No-Gi wrestling instructional with just under two hours of Russian wrestling-based clinch work.
- Covers front headlock, arm drags, 2-on-1, and undertook variations for control.
- Takedown included a range from ankle picks to snapdown cradles, providing value for grapplers of all levels and ages.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
SERGEI BELOGLAZOV TAKEDOWN MASTERY DVD AVAILABLE HERE!!!
Russian Wrestling for BJJ
One thing (out of quite a few) that sets Russian wrestling apart from Western wrestling is the heavy and deliberate use of clinching as the means to set up takedowns, trips, and throws. This is the perfect methodology to use when setting up BJJ takedowns as well and merits further investigation.
Namely, instead of shooting across the length of the mats to hit a double, which in BJJ, might get you locked up in a guillotine or Kimura, you choose to manage distance and win grip fighting first. As you gain control over most of the opponent’s torso, you are free to ragdoll them using any means at your disposal, from upper body throws to powerful leg takedowns.
The integration of clinch work in BJJ is not too difficult and does emerge intuitively after you spend a while training. However, getting to the clinch is where most people fail, as nobody likes to flair their elbows in Jiu-Jitsu. This is where Russian wrestling comes in.
As you’ll see in our Sergei Beloglazov DVD Review: Gold Medal Takedown Mastery, most of the entries into takedown positions and chains that Russian wrestlers use begin by controlling the arms, usually doubling up with two of your grips on one arm, as well as the opponent’s neck. Perfect for Brazlian Jiu-Jitsu!
From Russia With Force: Coach Sergei Beloglazov
Sergei Beloglazov is one of the most recognizable names in the world of Russian wrestling. The two-time Olympic gold medalist and six-time world champion wrestler was born in 1956 in Kaliningrad and was involved in wrestling his entire life.
In fact, Belgolazov comes from a family with al long wrestling tradition, and his twin brother, Anatoly is also an Olympic and World champion. According to many, he is the best freestyle wrestler of all time, particularly given that he is a small guy who used to dominate the under 57 and under 62 kg divisions.
After spending almost a decade as the Head Coach of the National Wrestling Federation in Singapore, Sergei took up the mantle of head coach at Cliff Keen Wrestling, one of the hubs of wrestling in the US.
He has now made his coaching methods, or at least some of them, accessible to the masses, with the Sergei Beloglazov DVD: Gold Medal Takedown Mastery his latest effort to raise the bar for all types of grapplers.
Full Sergei Beloglazov DVD Review: Gold Medal Takedown Mastery
This instructional is a three-part wrestling DVD that goes over the methods of upper body control that lead to different trips, throws, and takedowns rooted in Russian wrestling. The Sergei Beloglazov DVD dubbed Gold Medal Takedown Mastery includes very valuable information on arm drags, the Russian tie, the front headlock, and undertook control, all presented in under 2 hours.
Part 1 – Underhooks and Arm Drags
In the opening volume of the Sergei Beloglazov Takedown Mastery DVD, the legendary Russian wrestler begins by presenting a myriad of ways to control opponents using underhooks. His take is to control your opponent as you draw them into takedowns, rather than launching at them.
Sergei manages to place lots of attention on wrist control and grip dominance without making the subject boring, which is truly an art form. Once positional mechanics are done he uses throw bys and snap downs to open up headlock/body lock combos, as well as entries to the legs.
The second portion of the first part also addresses something BJJ folks are very familiar with – arm drags. Given that they are a staple of Russian wrestling, Beloglazov offers some unique insights on how to use the arm drag to get the legs, foto sweeps, and knee picks, which I personally enjoyed the most from this DVD.
Part 2 – Front Headlock
Another position we use on a daily basis in BJJ is the front headlock, albeit far less effectively than world-class wrestlers. This volume of the Sergei Beloglazov DVD focuses on helping you bridge this gap.
He starts by deconstructing the crucial mechanics of the front headlock position, demonstrating the principle of folding as he connects it with ankle picks. The following section on chaining the front headlock with cradles and the Pancake is tailor-made for Jiu-Jitsu.
Past the halfway point, Belgolazvo turns up his wrestling efforts, demonstrating double legs, cross knee picks, and snaps to further compliment the front headlock chains. As he draws part two of the Takedown Mastery instructional to close, he also addresses the double unders position, presenting roll through takedowns and direct pins.
Part 3 – The 2-on-1 Control
The bread and butter of Russian wrestling is the 2-on-1 arm control position, perhaps better known as the Russian Tie. A personal favorite of mine for use in BJJ, the position offers huge benefits both during standing and while playing certain guards.
Understandably, the final portion of the Sergei Beloglazov DVD: Gold Medal Takedown Mastery focuses on the takedowns stemming from the 2-on-1. Sergei goes over the most effective setups and dynamic positioning principles to constantly keep your opponent on the back leg. Double leg takedowns, stepovers, and the ‘Beloglazov special’ bring this instructional to a conclusion.
Mastering Wrestling Takedowns
Wrestlers are a nightmare to deal with on the mats for BJJ grapplers, but pure wrestling can only take you so far in Jiu-Jitsu. After a certain point, when you go up against seasoned grapplers, you’ll end up deep in BJJ traps if you only rely on the explosiveness and constant movement of wrestling.
Blending both is a different story. I’ve said it many times in the gym and in articles that wrestling is the best grappling complement to BJJ, both for takedowns, defense, and pins. You just need to carefully disregard what is not useful, and more importantly, the things that will get you in trouble.
What I mean by this is that some wrestling moves, such as power double or head inside single are awesome for wrestling, but will open up Guillotine choke and Kimura counters for your opponent. All it takes is a bit of common sense and some on-the-match experience to weed this stuff out of your game.
That leaves you with the stuff that is perfect for BJJ, and nothing makes wrestling more useful to Jiu-Jitsu players than clinch control. Upper body wrestling is the one aspect of freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling that you must master if you want to be successful and dangerous on your feet as a BJJ grappler. The Sergei Beloglazov DVD on Takedown Mastery is a great resource to get you started.
DOWNLOAD HERE: TAKEDOWN MASTERY DVD by SERGEI BELOGLAZOV
From Russia With Force
Picking up the Sergei Beloglazov DVD: Gold Medal Takedown Mastery is one of the best things you can do to improve your wrestling efforts on the mats. You won’t just get more efficient and safer takedowns, but also learn how to tie them in with pins and break down defensive efforts with mat returns as you go.
Even if you like to pull guard, you’ll gain valuable information from this instructional. At this point in my BJJ game, being too messed up with injuries to wrestle young guys, I use wrestling takedown setups, mostly in terms of upper body control to set up dangerous guard pulls that lead directly into threats. This DVD has everything you need to do the same!
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