Key Takeaways
- A BJJ DVD instructional going over super fundamental Gi mount principles.
- Provides the perfect blend of old-school Jiu-Jitsu and modern top pinning.
- Goes over different mount variations, offering finishes, control, and escapes.
- BJJ World Expert Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
TIMELESS MOUNT RAFAEL LOVATO SR DVD GET HERE
The mount is always going to be a subject covered in BJJ instructionals. No matter how many DVDs come out on the subject, there’s always something new to learn about it—it is that versatile and important.
Personally, I enjoy a lot of the pressure-style, “wear ’em down” mount that is usually a signature of old-school BJJ competitors, such as Roger Gracie and the Ribeiro brothers. No wonder I ended up enjoying the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD so much—RL Senior is, after all, a Saulo Ribeiro black belt!
Mount Dominance
I had the misfortune of losing the mount position in a competitive match very early in my BJJ journey (my second-ever tournament), so I discovered the importance of mount earlier than most of my peers. Only those that end up stuck in someone’s mount value the mount more than I.
To this day, I prefer the mount over the back. There is a dominance that you feel when you are facing someone, and they still can’t do anything to get you off. Holding someone in mount is the epitome of pinning from the top, taking power away, and using pressure to slowly “cook” your opponent.
Paired with smothers, the mount becomes an unbearable position that is much more psychologically devastating to an opponent than the back mount is. This psychological aspect of mount is super important and often overlooked—once you unlock it, you’ll end up with a torture tool that will help you defeat very formidable opponents.
The Rafael Lovato Mount DVD is just the start, but it is a great one if you don’t already have an understanding of the mount position.
The Original Lovato – Rafael Lovato Sr
You’ve heard of Rafael Lovato, but it’s most likely the younger version of the Rafael Lovato we’re going to talk about today. Confused? It’s fine, you’re not alone.
Just like in the case of Roger Gracie and Mauricio Gomes, the son outshines the father when it comes to BJJ accolades—and with good reason. Roger beat literally everyone that mattered in his time, while Rafael Lovato Jr. wrote BJJ history on multiple occasions.
What you might not have known is that Rafael Lovato Sr. is also a grappler—a black belt, nonetheless. He holds the rank of 3rd degree, given to him by Saulo Ribeiro. On top of being a legit grappler, Senior is also a Jeet Kune Do expert who spent a lifetime teaching self-defense.
As much as I enjoy Junior’s instructionals, the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD was a great way to introduce a bit of freshness and diversity into the Rafael Lovato Timeless series. Here’s what awaits inside:
Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Sr DVD Review
This Rafael Lovato Sr Mount DVD offers plenty of great information for those who like to dominate from the top in Gi Jiu-Jitsu. It contains three volumes and has a total running time of just under two hours:
Part 1 – Mount Retention & Variations
As the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD kicks off—which happens to be my first instructional by Senior—the vibe is immediately one of old-school, effective Jiu-Jitsu. RL Sr. immediately makes it clear that his DVD is all about white belts and older practitioners, as he begins exploring different mount variations.
Among the rest, he goes over the high mount, three-quarter mount (a.k.a. monkey mount), the gift wrap, and the technical mount. Essentially, you don’t really need any other variation beyond these, especially if all you’re looking for is effectiveness with minimal effort.
Part 2 – Submission Attacks & Combos
The second volume of the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD is a bit higher-paced, with plenty of submissions featured in about half an hour of running time. Rafael Lovato Senior begins strong, describing in great detail how to attack with a combo that includes an armbar, a wrist lock, a Kimura, and a triangle.
For those who like simplicity and prefer finishing one sub to threatening with multiple simultaneous ones, options in this DVD range from cross choke variations to Americanas and Ezekiel chokes. Let’s also remember armbars—a mount classic—spiced up by a very sneaky Brabo choke that captured my attention in particular.
Part 3 – Mount Escapes
The final part of the Rafael Lovato Sr. Mount DVD, in true old-school style, wraps up the subject of mount by turning the tables and looking at how you can beat it. Rafael Lovato Sr. sticks to a combination of basics and modern options, resulting in one of the best mount escape systems I’ve seen.
Senior offers escapes in several directions, ending up in different guard variations, top positions, and leg lock entanglements. He also addresses different mount variations, just like in the first volume—but from a defensive perspective. The Kimura escape is a very unexpected one; I suggest you try it.
Invisible Jiu-Jitsu
The story of Jiu-Jitsu is movement, and the old guys in the sport know this better than anyone. While I’m not going to go into the issue of not practicing movement as we focus on series of sequences instead, the fact remains that at the end of the day, the things we don’t see matter the most.
This invisible Jiu-Jitsu concept that Rickson popularized is not about stuff that you can’t see because it is truly invisible. It refers to the things—oftentimes not small at all—that we do while grappling but don’t recognize as important, or worse, at all. Those who manage to see these things hidden in plain sight, like mushrooms on a forest floor, end up reaping great results.
While the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD does not dwell on the concept of invisible or hidden Jiu-Jitsu, the principle runs through the DVD. Sometimes, it takes an OG like Rafael Lovato Sr. to open your eyes to stuff you’ve always been doing but never understood why it works—or, more importantly, why it keeps failing.
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The Last Position You’ll Master
This is something that I hear Rafael Lovato Sr. say in the Timeless Mount Rafael Lovato Mount DVD, and it stuck. While the mount is something we begin learning very early, even as early as day one, it is a position many will only master after a long time spent on the mats.
Trial and error might be the only methods that will effectively teach you how to dominate from the mount, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t get all the help you can get, like this DVD, for instance.
