BJJ Norcal

About a week ago, Roy Dean dropped me a line asking if I would take a look at his new purple belt requirements dvd and give him my thoughts. Having trained with Roy several times (even being the uke at one of his seminars), I was humbled and honored - of course, I accepted. I should also note that I did not pay for the dvd, but that in no way influenced my review.

If you have seen any of Roy’s materials, you know he is well regarded by the bjj community for his clear teaching and quality instruction. This set is no different. What has changed is you the viewer, and any good presenter tailors their material to their audience. You are now expected to understand the basic concepts of positions and even the fundamentals of specific movements such as the armbar or the triangle.

This dvd is a perfect fit, in my opinion, for the blue belt practitioner since much of the material covered is about concepts that you may struggle with implementing at the white belt level. For example, the use of momentum or feinting attacks and set-ups. Not that you cannot do this at the white belt, but my sense having been there is that you have other, more important issues to tackle. You are trying to understand the basics of each position in isolation and trust me that is a LOT in itself.

Roy compares bjj to learning a language. The blue belt is spelling single words and beginning to recognize letterforms. The vocabulary is there but you would not win too many debates just yet. The purple belt is stringing those same words into sentences, flowing, and knowing what words are most effective to use, when.

In the spirit of flow, this dvd is not a set list of techniques as was blue belt requirements. This is a very personal exploration of Roy’s game - the sentences he uses in every day conversation on the mat. If I could sum this dvd set up I would say it is on balance more about the movement between techniques than the techniques themselves . It endeavors to give you tools - shining a light on the path towards an advanced game.

One of the best parts of this dvd is the sections where he discusses approach and philosophy. These are areas not often touched on in the sea of instructionals out there. It is important since many people buying dvd’s do not have the benefit of a black belt instructor, so a place where you can feel like you are having a conversation with a mentor is critical. In this role of guide, Roy talks extensively about the gateway to a more advanced approach to the art with concepts such as momentum, fluidity, kuzushi, using your legs, and why you should let others into the game when you roll (“you can’t be the hammer all the time”). He mentions how purple is where you get beyond accumulation, noting the difference between “knowledge and skill”. I should also note that watching Roy hit armlocks is inspiring - some of the smoothest movement I have ever seen.

Now, I wouldn’t want you reading this and thinking there was no hard core instruction on this dvd. There are a whole lot of techniques with some inspiration thrown in for good measure. In fact, I already feel like I need to review them again since I could not absorb it all even in three sittings. The distinction is that the techniques are not beat to death. You will find the key details discussed, but the emphasis is on set-ups and transitions. You will hear things like “when they push back” or “if they react like...”. This is the essential point.

As an example, when Roy talks about the triangle he does not show 10 ways to tighten the choke, but instead flows from the triangle, to the armlock, to the omoplata to the flower sweep. These are all variations on a theme and are a realistic application of the art, understanding that we do nothing alone - we are always working in concert with our partner. Bjj is a relationship and there are always two involved. If it is not working, sometimes we are just ignoring the others actions. Personally I see this a lot even with white belts (and some new blues) who will pull on the same arm for the whole roll. This dvd will inspire you to avoid that pitfall.

I will not review each and every technique since there is quite honestly a lot on this dvd. He covers his favorite moves from guard, half-guard, mount, back, side control, leglocks, passing the guard and more. It is comprehensive in it’s breadth, not it’s depth. There are a lot of sets that spend an hour on the overhook grip - this is not one of those. For a deep dive in any single position you can find a set out there, but he will show you options from everywhere that you can play with. Options that he uses in his game. The cool thing is that sometimes just knowing something is possible is enough to get the creative juices flowing. In fact, after watching the dvd I tried his side control to d’arce choke move in rolling that night and hit it on the first try. I love it when I get a dvd where I can put something into practice right away.

One thing that suprised me was that I saw some moves I had never seen before. I was supsirsed since i own a ton of dvds and even if i cant pull things off (that list if long btw) I have usually some familiarity with them. Some quick examples:

• Back attack to triangle to keep them guessing.
• Side control lapel choke with knee behind head if you can’t finish.
• Bow and arrow choke to triangle if you lose the grip.

I should also note that at many points in the dvd Roy includes live rolling examples of the previously demonstrated move in action. This ranged from tournament footage to him working in his classes, but it cements the move in your head, and just is a great way to break up the pace. I really think every dvd should do this - it adds a lot of value and makes it more fun to watch.

You should be aware that this is a 2 dvd set. There is a lot on it. Aside from all the technical instruction there are also highlights from his Kuwait seminar, a ton of rolling footage, and some competition and demonstration footage as well. Although a lot of people just want more techniques, and I get that, I found this material in line with the philosophy of non-accumulation at this level, but more importantly, I actually picked up a lot by watching. As Roy says “seeing is training”. One you understand the philosophy behind belts, you can watch the white, blue, purple, brown and black belts roll and really see stark differences. The blues are single minded and the purples flow. The browns and blacks let others into the game even more, working on their escape timing while they attack with precision. It is a progression of confidence in your game and a personification of Roy’s ubiquitous motto “Discover Who You Are”.

In the end, this dvd is about the “next thing”.  Flowing to the next move with misdirection and momentum, being aware of what options present themselves before they appear.  When I started bjj, it was like magic and I wanted to know what was behind the curtain.  This dvd begins to shine a light on the elements that make bjj so special.  If you do pick up the dvd, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.  Thanks again to Roy for the opportunity and for sharing his insights with me and the bjj community.

See you on the mat,

Paul