This is a great video that happens to feature Paul Schreiner (of Kaijin fame) as the uke.  He moved to NYC to train a few months back.  So much gold here it is crazy!

I had my first bjj class in 1995 with Carley Gracie in San Francisco.  I attended class for about a month before moving, but his kindness, generosity and love for life always stuck with me.  He is an amazing human being.  I was very happy to see him in this video with Clark.  He deserves all the joy he receives.

This video shows an inside look at how beautiful the bjj family can be.

NO GI ESSENTIALS

I have been wanting to do this review for a while, but work has been getting the best of me.  Luckily for me, I found some time to sit down and really go over this new 2 disc set from Roy Dean.

As many of you know, I have trained with Roy on several occasions and was even the uke on one of his other dvds.  I always enjoy his productions and his teaching style is fantastic.  It doesn’t hurt that in addition to a bjj black belt he has black belts in Aikido and Judo.  You will also see from his newer work that he is diving into wrestling quite a bit as well.  Just what you want in an instructor, years of diverse experience and an open mind to new ideas.  Let’s get to the set.

This set represents Roy’s first foray in No Gi as a full set.  Of course, most of his other products have elements that work quite well without the kimono, but that is the focus of this set.

As with all his products, the production value was very, very high.  Great video and audio.  They just look beautiful.  I only mention it because people often wonder about production quality with so many sets on the market, but you won’t be getting handycam stuff here.  Rock solid.  Roy’s background as a sound engineer shows through in various places as well.  You can pick it up in subtleties like the echo at the end of chapters.

Ok, so who is this set for?  In my humble view I think this is perfect for blue and above.  I exclude whites since there is a shorthand in language here that I think less experienced players will miss.  There are also great sets (like Roy's blue belt requirements) that are likely a better fit for the novice.  Also, while the content stays 80% fundamental, there is 20% that delves into complex movements.  Overall, I think the balance was great - we should all strive for a mix like that in our own worlds.  Matt Thornton calls it "exposure" vs. "steady diet".

The other reason I think this is not for white belts is the level of detail.  You really get the sense that you are sitting down with Roy for a private lesson covering several areas of a game.  I think he assumes (rightly) that you can get deep dives in any area of a game from a variety of sources.  This set seems to be a bit like Roy pulling you aside to show you that little detail he figured out - how to tighten the triangle, how to transition to side control, etc.  I just love stuff like this.

One thing this set does very well is to show rolling footage in context of the instruction.  Very, very few sets do this and it should be mandatory.  Roy would teach a move and then show himself pulling it off with his students.  It was great to see and I was left wanting even more of this type of linked material.

Also, this is the only dvd where you will hear things like “and voila, the armbar!” or “Wax on, wax off” in relation to the armdrag.  Good stuff and an RDA exclusive!

Here is a list of the highlights from my personal perspective.  Just stuff that was new to me or that I liked the best:

BRIDGING

His explanation was the best I have seen to date.  It took me years to get these basics figured out and he is giving them away.  The core of bjj is the bridge & shrimp and he shows them both nicely. 

GRIPS

He pointed out that grips in no-gi is more important than in gi bjj.  It seems counterintuitive, but it makes perfect sense.  Less options, so you better get it right.  Color me surprised! 

PASSING

If you have watched all his dvds and rolling footage over the years, you can see Roy going to a much more fluid and less mechanical passing game.  It seems like the good guys are moving this way.  You'll hear him say things like, “Don’t worry about the legs, focus on the knee”.  You will see this type of movement everywhere in this dvd.  It is invaluable and this passing style could almost be a full dvd in itself.

WRIST CONTROL

I really like how Roy used wrist control from side control/s mount.  Let me try to explain...Imagine you are in side control and have head control (i.e. Shoulder pressure).  That same hand grabs their top arm’s wrist.  If you roll you get here a lot.  Roy shows a great transition to armbar I liked from that control position.  In my game, I typically go to arm triangle from here, but I will play with this new armbar now too.  Options are good, and critical against stronger opponents.

ARM DRAG

From standing, Roy takes the drag and secured the rear naked, but makes sure to have hip pressure to avoid the throw.  More smart fundamentals - and new to me.

KIMURA

My favorite section.  We all know the hip bump to Kimura, but he showed a full system of control here  - sweep/kimura/triangle/armlock/duck under.  If you want to put the kimura into your guard game, this dvd is a great place to start.

GUILLOTINE

This was the section that felt the most like hanging out with Roy after a class.  You see lots of little details that most don’t talk about.  You get the sense that these are things he has figured out since reaching black.  It has a personal stamp more than any previous work I have seen. 

NEWBIE COUNTERS

We have all rolled with beginners who choke you from the guard, do can openers, etc.  These are all countered in standard BJJ fashion.  I should note that this is a part of the dvd that I would recommend to white belts 100%.  I still need to work these (and headlock escapes) often - they need to be automatic.  I am surely not there yet, so I loved the refresher.

OMOPLATA

One big thing here.  He moved the hips away from his opponent to break base.  It is a simple idea, but a great little detail.  More and more I think even one idea like this is worth the cost of an entire set.

PASSING

Knee pressure was used in every pass.  This is gold.  I also really liked how Roy finished his passes with shoulder pressure on the sternum and rapid hip switching - these loose hips are something great players have.  I need to work it - badly.  Before I was injured, this was a big focus.  Hopefully I can get back at it in June.

S-MOUNT

Wonderfully technical transition to S, keeping the opponents elbow flared the whole time.  Smart.  You can also see some smooth, clean armlocks here.  If you are working armlocks, that is another reason to get this dvd. Roy's are among the best.

KNEE-BAR

There were a few cool knee bar moves.  My favorite was the single leg to knee bar.  Nice.

GUARD OPENING

We all have trouble opening the legs with more determined guard players.  In classic Roy Dean fashion, the answer is not more pressure, it is feinting.  We know the “wrong” moves from the guard (i.e.. Can opener), so do these as bait, wait for the armbar or triangle, then defend into the pass, taking the momentum.  Funny I never thought of doing it, but it makes perfect sense.  Good smooth options here.

FOOTLOCKS

Yep, no Roy Dean set is complete without it.  You’ll get solid techniques and some nice options on foot placement that were new to me and seemed really strong.  He also showed my favorite scissor sweep to heel hook.  That move requires timing, but it is a thing of beauty.  I aspire to it.

Oh, he also showed a great detail on defending the straight ankle lock.  We all know to kick out heel like putting in a boot, but flaring your toes outside their body/back was new to me, but made perfect sense - more little details that make this set special.

ROLLING ANALYSIS

There is a great section where Roy provides commentary on his rolls with various students.  It was very fun to watch and I’d love to see other teachers do this and even post them to YouTube.  Hearing what good guys are thinking as they roll is invaluable.  I should also note that Roy also is wearing a mouthpiece when rolling now.  Exciting new developments - film at 11.

In the end, I liked this set a lot.  It covers a lot of ground, most of it fundamental, but he shows the little nuances that he has picked up over years of work.  I think of this set the essential ingredients to key positions - not exhaustive details, just essential - that is the distinction here.  If you want a full curriculum or a 6hr set on half guard, they are out there and this is not it.  If you want smaller details on making your armbar better, tightening your footlocks, or even a few more ideas than you already have, this is a bargain.  Like I said, for even one of the little gems I’d pay (and have) this price and more.  Consider it the most well thought out 2hr private lesson on no gi grappling you'll ever get, at one quarter the price!

You can pick up the set for $44.95 at Roy’s website.

Have a great week!

Paul

One of my training partners dropped me a note about injuries.  He was out hurt and knowing I am out with a pinched nerve, he was wondering if I thought BJJ was "worth it".  It seems like people are injured quite a bit and there are a lot of activities like yoga, mountain biking, etc that seem much safer.  Even though my injury was not bjj related, I thought it was a great question.

Overall I think BJJ falls in the middle of a safety spectrum.  There are some things that are riskier, like football and some that are less risky, like golf.  However, this type of analysis misses the point.  The reality is that bjj chose me.  I am not going to switch sports because something is safer.  Now if I had another thing I loved as much, then the decision would be tougher, but this is it for me.  I hate golf.  So if we are not willing to quit the sport, how do we remain healthy?

In my experience, the biggest risk for injury is at the lower belts or in the extremely competitive levels.  In the latter you are basically a pro athlete.  You push very hard and when you redline your car, bad things happen.  That is the ticket to entry.  However, that is not most people.  Most are training for fun, fitness, camaraderie and self-defense.  In the typical bjj journey I see the most injuries at white and blue.  If you get past those you are much safer.  It is a lot like childhood.  If someone is born today they may be expected to live to 74 but if you make it to 40, you will likely pass 80.  Why?  Because you didn't get drunk at 18 and fall off that cliff at Yosemite.

Ok, so why are white and blue dangerous.  Lots of reasons.  First is that you are at the mercy of most you roll with.  This is both physically and mentally.  Mentally when you are "newer" and someone ask to roll, you won't have the confidence to tell them you want to go easy or that you don't want to roll with them at all.  Let's say you are an experienced white belt and some monster blue asks you to roll.  You know this guy is going to smash you, you see it every day, but you just slap hands and take it.  Why?  You just think that is how it is.  You have been told you need to "take your lumps".  You don't have the confidence to express your fears or desires.  Trust me, I have been there.

The other reason at the lower belts you have more risk is you are not as good.  You are, by definition, not as controlled.  Not as clear on what to do.  So you not only can't get into dominant positions (where you are safer), but when you are in a bad spot, you flail using attributes.  This means that you are injuring yourself.  I have seen this as the key way people are hurt.  They explode out of a position and into the doctors office.

I want to point out one last thing.  Tapping.  Everyone says tap early and people still don't.  A big part of this is that the less experienced you are, the less sensitive you are - so you dont know when is the last final moment.  Another reason is that the more resistance you give, the more your opponent pushes, and as discussed, less experienced people just won't have the control needed in those situations. 

A big issue here the idea of waiting til you "should" tap.  There is nothing wrong with tapping as soon as the guy grabs your arm.  Now you can say you won't learn strong defense that way, or that you are short-changing your partner so they are not learning, etc.  And you would be right!  But I am not talking here about building great armbar defense.  I am talking about the best way to keep healthy.  Start here.  Tap way way before you need to.  When I roll with Dave he does this.  Even though I think I am pretty controlled and have a purple belt, as soon as I get an arm (he gives me an arm), I take it SLOWLY and he taps FAST.  He taps before it goes anywhere.  Why?  I am quite sure it is a defense mechanism.  He could trust I will go slow, but too many don't.  He can't remember every person and even then people are not always consistent.  He can't take the risk.

I will also note that when I roll with people who take subs slowly, I get to know that.  I like training with them.  It is a safer roll.  We should all take subs slow.  Hey if they guy rips out of it, so what?  He learned bad defense and you learned you should be tighter.  If you can't hit a sub slow you can't hit it.  Keep working the details.

Take a typical class.  How can we be safe?  Do the warm up, then the technique stuff.  When time comes to drill, go very, very light.  So light you get beat badly.  Make it feel like a flowing session - but not choreographed.   Then and only then will they go easy.  This is a key point.  You have to exaggerate how light you are going beyond what is expected.  They need a sense of surprise to get it.  Why?  They are too used to people saying light and going hard.  They need to see it in your actions.

On Rolling.   Don't roll with anyone!   Pick people carefully, or if no one "safe" is available, ask if they want to do reps on today's move.  Or do solo drills - works for Galvao.  If you do roll, work POSTURE.  This means not exploding around from mount bottom, but protecting as long as you can.  Or working guard and staying safe as long as possible.  Do this only for positions and not subs though (as discussed). 

Last point, Roy Dean and I chatted a few weeks back and he is into Ashtanga Yoga.  He is convinced it helps his life and his game.  I plan to start soon as well.  I am quite certain that being fit and flexible will help avoid injury as well.  Something to try.

See you on the mat,

Paul

In beginning the project of documenting my game, I thought it would make sense to start with the clearest positions first.  Getting into something like Guard work is much more complicated than say Side Control. 

Ok, so let's talk Mount.  I like to think of positions in terms of top and bottom.  I'll start with the top.

Mount top has two basic "hubs".  High and Low.

A hub in Dave's definition is a "position of control with options".  It is essentially a place you can rest and bide your time.  I would add that in a hub you should be threatening as well.  I do not mean threaten in the simplistic attacking model, but also emotionally.  You should be putting pressure, making them worry a bit.  That is a good hub IMHO.

Before we get into holding high and low mount, I wanted to get into the position.  The transition.  You don't start a match there.  Of course people jump from guard to mount, etc, but I don't.  I am pretty old and slow so I always get there from side control.  So I'll look at both of those options.

TRANSITION TO MOUNT

If you have head control...

Step 1: Shoulder Pressure

When you have head control life is good.  In fact, so good that you will have a hard time getting it on good players.  You might say that someone is good if they aren't giving you head control.  That said, sometimes you get it.  When you do, reach DEEP.  Matt Thornton showed me once to place your index finger in their armpit.  I always liked this for no gi especially, but the same idea applies.

I found it interesting that in watching Paul Schreiner teach mount transitions the other day on MMAFaestro he mentioned this exact grip attributing it to John Danaher.  It is always nice to corroborate ideas with excellent teachers.  But I digress.

So you have the deep grip.  Now slide your body back a bit, drop your shoulder, and apply pressure under their chin (Schreiner Tip!).  Once there you have a solid side control pressure on their head.

Step 2: Clear the Arms

We have all heard people talk about separating the elbows.  This makes our opponent weak.  In addition, it also makes them nervous - always a good thing.  So let's be sure we apply this to our mount transition.  From this grip, I use my knee or hip to clear the nearside arm.  A lot of people skip this step, but if you can get it, it's wonderful.  Credit where it is due, I first heard of this from Matt Thornton and then later did a private lesson with Marcio Feitosa years later on it.  Once the arm is clear you have your knee up next to, or past, their head, locking it in place.  I used to do drills just from this position when I ran my small drill club.

Now this detail is from Schreiner and I really like it.  See, I usually just clear the near arm and go.  The problem you get into is that the opponent has the off hand to defend your knee coming across their belly.  If you have trained, this has happened to you.  Here is where we see another principle: Pre-emption.  We want to eliminate the roadblocks before they show up.  So in Schreiner's mount he switches the order a bit.  He attains head control and then uses his leg side forearm to dig under the opponents far side elbow, flaring it out.  Once flared he clears the near side arm as well.  Play with both ideas.  The key point is the BOTH arms should be cleared in an ideal world.

Step 3: Knee Drive to Mount

Once the arms are cleared and you have head control, simply drive the knee across their belt line, keeping pressure on their head and upper body as you land in mount.  This type of transition is very strong, but you will find the head control tough to get.

If you do NOT have head control

Step 1:

No Head Control

This idea came to me recently as I started to watch a few videos at MMAFaestro and I remembered Bruce Lee taking the time when in the hospital having his wife write out his entire philosophy.  Don't get me wrong, I am certainly no Bruce Lee, but the idea is to use this time wisely.  In my case for personal understanding.

Step one is to lay out all the positions and my fundamental game. 

I am not saying it will be shining brilliance, but just my best understanding to date.  It will be woefully incomplete at best and wrong at worst, but I think it is a worthwhile project for my own personal journey.  I am happy to have you look over my shoulder, but test everything you see and assume I have no clue.  That way we won't break any hearts.

Look for the first installment next week!

Paul

The image above was my view as I headed to stop in on the academy and say hi to some friends there.  Since my pinched nerve (12/22/2009) I have not been training so I wanted to stop in and socialize a bit.  So far it has been about 9 weeks.  I have not thought about bjj much, trying to keep a long term view on things.  BJJ does not define who I am - it is something I love doing.  I also realize that everything we love will come to an end at some point.  Luckily bjj is one of those things that we can do for a long time.  Less so than painting, more so than football.

Most people would advise during an injury to use that time to focus on the mental game, watch videos, attend class and listen, etc.  I am sure that is a great use of time, but for me, I just didn't feel it.  All I have wanted to do recently is other things.  I have been messing with piano, reading books on spirituality, traveling, and making short videos of my wife and kids.  Also photography has been a big joy recently.  Inside I hope that this mental break will do my game good.  I expect it will, but if not, I know when I return to the mat, it will come back to me.  Sure I'll be slower and have a harder time stringing things together, but all is well. I don't think Dave will take away my belt.  Will he?  ;)

Back to the image above.  It struck me as the end of the rainbow looks like it is hitting the academy (almost).  Most of us see the black belt as that end.  In truth, there is no pot of gold and there is no end no matter how hard you look.  We just keep searching.  We keep following the beauty that we love.  It is not the end that matters, just as it is not the pot of gold.  We marvel at the beauty of the rainbow without expectation.  BJJ is the same.  Pure joy in the experience drives us.  Who needs more?

Paul

It seems every day there is a new source for online training.  Happily, most of them are very good.  I just wanted to point out the site that Dave teaches on, MMA Faestro.  It has tons of his lessons on Judo, MMA, and BJJ, so if you ever wanted to train with Dave, this is as good as it gets.

Also there are other fantastic coaches like Paul Schreiner of Kaijin MMA, Kenny Florian, Dan Camarillo, Jon Fitch, Frankie Edgar, Mark DellaGrotte, Flavio Canto and more.  If you are looking for wrestling, mma, bjj, striking, whatever - this is a fantastic source for a low monthly charge.

Since I have been injured I find myself looking over the site more and more to keep my head in the game.

See you on the mat!

Paul