The X-Guard series from TFW had me skeptical at first. I have never really been a big fan of the X-Guard, and never really been able to utilize it. While Marcelo Garcia has released numerous resources covering the X-Guard, I find it difficult to utilize. And if the guy that invented the position couldn’t get me interested in it, then I figured I would surely hate this video set. That being said- I was surprised. It is obvious from the beginning of the set that TFW put a lot of time into the production of this video. The content is well laid out and the techniques chain together nicely. I think that what sets this video apart from other X-Guard explanations is the setups. The hardest part about X-Guard is getting into the position itself, and this set does an excellent job explaining how to do that from numerous positions. Since watching this video, I have been a little more turned on to the X-Guard. While it is not my “go-to” guard YET, it is quickly becoming more and more of a tool that I use.
I suggest checking out this video set if you are a guy that plays a lot of guard. If you like to sweep from the bottom, then you might think this is the best thing since sliced bread. Overall, I give it 4 stars!
The High Percentage Grappling set from TFW is absolutely great. While all of the videos in that set are released for free, I highly suggest getting the videos so that you can have them on DVD. For only a couple of dollars, it will at least keep good content coming out of TFW as an incentive to stay in business.
In this setup, many of the setups and chains are explained that Richard uses in personal grappling. This set started as a “Technique of the Week” section on his site, and continued to grow. It has some VERY useful techniques in it, and if you would like to see something else- you can ask for it in their forums and Richard will add it to this series! You can purchase the entire set on DVD for $30, or download it all for $15. If there’s only a couple of the techniques that you want, you can download any of them for only $1 a piece. This is a great resource, and I give it 5 stars!
The Rubber Guard and Twister Side Control from TFW was a different video set. While I didn’t really expect to see this set from them, I am glad that they did it. I don’t really use the Rubber Guard very much, but this video did help to turn me on to it a little bit. I don’t have very good flexibility, so to see someone else who admittedly doesn’t have great flexibility yet was able to use the rubber guard was motivational if nothing else. Another great asset is to see the Rubber Guard explained by someone OUTSIDE of the 10th Planet circle. All of those guys are GREAT at using the Rubber Guard, but they all also have great flexibility. It was nice to see a more applicable spin on the rubber guard for the average guy like me.
For the Twister Side Control part- again, it was great to see the Twister Roll setup explained by someone OTHER than the 10th Planet guys. TFW didn’t go into nearly as many setups as the 10th Planet guys use for the Twister Side Control, but they did expand nicely on the basics of Twister Side Control and Rubber Guard.
All in all- while I appreciate the time it took to make these videos, I doubt that the 10th Planet style of grappling will ever be my “go-to” skills. I rate this set with 4 stars.
The Aggressive Guard video set from TrainFightWin.com is one of their best sets. Not only is the content very useful, but their camera angle has improved dramatically in this set. Essentially, this set covers sweeps from the half guard and the butterfly guard- and the content is for real. Some of the half guard sweeps are taken from the 10th Planet System, but have been tweaked a little bit. The sweeps from half guard cover everything from leg placement and creating space, to sweeping or getting back to your feet. The butterfly guard content only gets better as you go through chained sequences of sweeps. That’s probably the greatest asset to the videos that TFW has- it’s use of the “chains” as they call them. All of their techniques are shown how they are used in a sequence to create a system of attacks, rather than just a wild list of techniques. The Butterfly Guard sweeps in this series expand on that idea, and do a great job at showing how to get the sweep if you do end up in butterfly guard.
Because of the improved camera angle and the great content, this video set is getting 5 stars!
The Defend, Escape, Counter series is the first series that TFW did after their first huge series that was released for free. Defend, Escape, Counter focuses on how to escape positions and submissions; however, the escapes from positions were almost all covered in their first series. That being said, it’s still helpful to have those techniques laid out on one DVD; especially if you didn’t purchase the first set.
The escapes from the submissions are well laid out. They focus on escaping the submissions taught to you in the first set. While it can be frustrating training these escapes at first (because that means you are getting submitted), it does pay off to drill them a LOT. Overall, this set is affordable and that helps out with this review. The content isn’t magnificent and shocking- but the subject that it is covering really doesn’t allow for any of that. Because of the price being so low and the content being applicable and helpful- I rate Defend, Escape, Counter with 4 stars!
Smarter, NOT Harder! was the video set that started it all for TrainFightWin.com! This set is absolutely unbelievable and should be STRONGLY considered by anyone who is getting involved in Mixed Martial Arts or No-Gi submission grappling. The best part about this 7 hour set is the sequence of the techniques. They are organized into belt color to show the progression of difficulty, but they are really laid out in a way that builds on the techniques that you have already learned as your skill level increases.
The only real drawback to this set is the camera zoom. Richard explains on his site that there was no one available to film him and his training partner during the taping of this set, and so the zoom is placed pretty far back. If you are simply viewing this on YouTube, it is quite distracting. However if you get this set on DVD, you will be able to get a LOT more of the detail on a TV screen than in a computer monitor. Furthermore, if you view the set on your computer in full-screen mode, it is completely viewable.
That being said- this is probably the most comprehensive and well organized approach to teaching MMA/BJJ online that we have encountered. It is methodically laid out so that any grappler, regardless of skill level, can quickly find where they need to begin.
This video set receives 4.5 stars. It is a great tool for your skill set that you should definitely look into!
Ari Bolden of Submissions 101 has teamed up with some great accomplices to bring the Fitness Jiu Jitsu program. This program goes through everything from stretching and warming up to strength and conditioning exercises. I thought that the approach was well organized (as always with Ari) and that the content was very valuable to anyone wanting to get in better shape for jiu-jitsu or MMA. Check out the video below:
The rank of purple belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu (BJJ) is the gateway to the advanced game. It cannot be defined by a list of techniques, but instead requires a combination of skills. In this instructional 2 DVD set, Roy Dean outlines his skill requirements for the rank, and gives viewers a template for the “game” of BJJ, which they can change and personalize. Submission and strategies from the mount, sidemount, guard and back positions are covered, as well as lower body submissions and guard passing. Also included is sparring footage, rank demonstrations, and guidelines for growth on your BJJ journey.
This DVD contains no region codes and is available for playback worldwide!
