Key Takeaways
- A 4-volume No-Gi instructional offering a masterclass on the shin-to-shin guard.
- Features instructions on grip and head fighting, posture breaks, heisting, and wrestling up.
- Offers strategies against standing and half-kneeling opponents.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 9.5 out of 10.
SHIN TO SHIN EOGHAN O’FLANAGAN DVD GET HERE:
When I picked up the Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD, I expected a half-assed guard DVD with more leg locks than guard chapters. It has nothing to do with Eoghan, whose DVDs I generally like, but rather the fact that everyone who’s attempted to deliver precise instructions on the shin-to-shin guard has failed pretty miserably so far.
This instructional is different. Somehow, O’Flanagan found the magic bullet to pick apart the shin-to-shin guard, and put it back right before our eyes, helping us understand how it works. This DVD is all about the guard and the different ways you can use it to deal with standing opponents. Worry not, though, there are still plenty of leg locks inside!
The Shin-to-Shin Position
The Shin-to-Shin Guard is a positon that is not going to suit everyone. While it has its strengths, it also has glaring weaknesses and is best suited to the game of leg lockers and perhaps wrestlers.
While this may not be what you want to hear, it definitely is what you need to know. The guard is not easy to play, has plenty of pitfalls you probably won’t see coming, and is notoriously easy to kill off in the Gi.
That said, the guard does offer an incredible way of connecting to your opponent so that you can stop them from moving, while also having excellent chances to chop away at their base. You don’t have to go for leg locks from there, but they’re too available to skip over if you know what I mean.
The Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD is an instructional by a world-class leg locker – as I said, this guard has very specific uses. If you want to figure out how not to suffer in it when you’re looking for leg locks in No-Gi, though, then this instructional is a great way to kick off 2025.
YouTube Driven Eoghan O’Flanagan
Eoghan O’Flanagan is what Joe Rogan would describe as a ‘strange cat’. The 28-year-old grappler is nomadic, training all across the UK and sometimes, the US. His approach to BJJ has always been that all you need is a mat space and partners to learn BJJ – no coaches required.
Eoghan attributes most of his skill acquisition to YouTube and open mats, as well as from BJJ instructionals. Despite being a very legit black belt, promoted by Helio Soneca, O’Flanagan only spent time training with him sporadically, as they weren’t even on the same continent.
It was 2022 when Eoghan O’Flanagan made waves in the BJJ world, clawing his way to a 4th place finish at the ADCC. He used leg locks to perfection, catching everyone by surprise and making quick work of legends such as Mason Fowler and Xande Riberio along the way.
Having also won the Trials, as well as Grapplefest and Polaris titles on several occasions, Eoghan is a real bundle of knowledge when it comes to submission grappling. I guess instructionals are his way of giving back, since he used them to figure Jiu-Jitsu out initially, His Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD is the latest in a long line of fairly solid and reliable instructionals.
Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD Review
The four-part Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD is a surprisingly detailed instructional, delivering a masterclass on a position, that not many people really know how to play in BJJ. World-renowned leg locker Eoghan shares his experiences with using the shin-to-shin guard against opponents both standing and kneeling, providing over 2 hours of quality material on the subject:
Part 1 – Dealing With Posture
The Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD starts off dedicating an entire volume to one of the key aspects of playing any guard in the sport – breaking posture and keeping your opponent from resetting. When you’re playing the shin-to-shin guard, where the head is far, this is a whole different problem to solve.
Over half an hour, Eoghan goes over his favorite ways to make opponents bow, mostly through manipulating the legs, as levers to the hip. By threatening balance with foot sweeps, Eoghan forces the opponent to bring the head within reach.
Posture breaking from that point is a matter of grip selection and utilization, a couple of aspects that O’Flannagan also covers in great detail. In this portion, he covers completely grip fighting, along with stripping common dangerous grips.
Part 2 – Heisting
One aspect, not many people associate with playing the shin-to-shin guard is the value of heisting. O’Flanagan puts an offensive perspective on this motion, showing how we can use it to wrestle up from the guard, rather than only try to sweep.
This part of the Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD uncovers the different ways in which you can wrestle from the knees, forcing takedowns such as ankle picks instead of only trying to sweep a standing opponent without raising, which is next to impossible against good guys.
Speaking of standing opponents, Eoghan also offers ways to heist against half-kneeling ones, introducing snap downs and head-fighting to the mix. Slide bys, collar thighs, and arm drags all feature heavily in this portion.
Part 3 – Setting Up the Shin-to-Shin Guard
Still integrating upper body wrestling control from the shin-to-shin guard against a half-kneeling opponent, Eoghan offers ways to integrate underhooks as another reliable means of control. He also talks briefly about overhooks, before moving on further from the guard.
The third part of the Eoghan O’Flanagan Shin to Shin DVD mainly focuses on how to arrive at the shin-to-shin guard. In it, Eoghan shares how to set up the position against opponents in different stances, as well as how to counter some common pass threats along the lines of knee drops.
Part 4 – Attacks
The final part of the Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD is all about attacking with a purpose. As you’d expect, leg locks take an important place in Eoghan O’Flanagan’s system – they’re his signature move.
Most of Eoghan’s attacks are reactive, based on the top person attempting to resolve the shin-to-shin position. Pummels, headlock counters, and traps against common pass directions make up the main portion of the material in this volume.
Stopping Standing Opponents
The greatest use of the shin-to-shin guard is not the option to enter leg locks. You can do the same, if not more from the X-guard while lying on the ground – it is way easier. The one aspect of the shin-to-shin that makes it irreplaceable in my arsenal is the ability to restrict the movement of a standing opponent.
There is a fallacy in the battle of passer vs. guard player when the former is standing upright. In cases where there is no contact, passers have the upper hand as speed and range of motion is on their side. Not many guards can help you keep a standing opponent in place without having to sacrifice guard structure, which could lead them into passing opportunities.
Once you figure out how to position your spine so that you don’t end up crumbling, and you figure out grips, the shin-to-shin is what connects a standing opponent who’s trying to outmaneuver you with your favorite guard, filled with traps. The Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD is the top resource to understand where this guard fits in your Jiu-Jitsu game.
FULL DOWNLOAD: SHIN TO SHIN EOGHAN O’FLANAGAN DVD
Stick to the Shin!
After you pick up the Shin to Shin Eoghan O’Flanagan DVD, make it a point to go through it all. Only attempt the stuff you see in there after you become aware of what the top person is going to try and do. That way, you won’t be discouraged that “things don’t work” and you’ll be able to anticipate the top person’s moves and use slick counters to turn the tides. Perfect tactics for any guard player, especially in No-Gi!
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