Best BJJ instructional DVDs?
- Thread starter Tylerlikesmma
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For beginners, Roy Dean's Blue Belt Requirements is definitely the first DVD to pick up (my review here).
The Gustavo Machado DVD (my review here) is also very good, though the instruction can be fairly swift (and therefore less suited to absolute beginners). Functions well as a reference tool when you're finding yourself stuck in certain submissions.
Once you've digested that, you could play around with some of the older instructionals out there, like Pedro Carvalho and Renzo/Kukuk - take them with a pinch of salt (fairly hefty pinch when you get to Renzo/Kukuk guard passing, which is comparable to the dubious technique on Rorion's tapes), but there is still useful material. Main advantage to those is that their age means they're cheap.
The Gustavo Machado DVD (my review here) is also very good, though the instruction can be fairly swift (and therefore less suited to absolute beginners). Functions well as a reference tool when you're finding yourself stuck in certain submissions.
Once you've digested that, you could play around with some of the older instructionals out there, like Pedro Carvalho and Renzo/Kukuk - take them with a pinch of salt (fairly hefty pinch when you get to Renzo/Kukuk guard passing, which is comparable to the dubious technique on Rorion's tapes), but there is still useful material. Main advantage to those is that their age means they're cheap.
Demian Maia's science of BJJ. His two series cover a lot of stuff and it is very good. His preventing the guard pass is excellent and doesn't show up in many peoples DVDs.
Marcelo's stuff is all great but series 3 is probably the best as it has two volumes of escapes whereas the others have none. These are probably the first thing that should be looked at so you can actually get out of really bad positions and get used to how people get you into them instead of just being squashed for 5 minutes.
Marcelo's stuff is all great but series 3 is probably the best as it has two volumes of escapes whereas the others have none. These are probably the first thing that should be looked at so you can actually get out of really bad positions and get used to how people get you into them instead of just being squashed for 5 minutes.
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I looooooooooooooove Saulo's sets, but I don't think they should be used by beginners. I think they are better when you are a blue belt or a really really efficient white belt. Than you get the "ooooooh, so that's it." factor. Of course, you could watch them as a freash doughboy and get proper technique the first time but I think Roy Dean's set is great or if you want to go more in depth, than check out Ceasar Gracie stuff.
Basics all day.
Basics all day.
Sorry to bring up an old thread and I know this question is asked hundreds of times.
Do these answers still apply today or has something new come along? I love Maia.
I'm training two months now. Just wanted to check with you guys before I buy it, if Maia's instructional is too advanced for a two month noob.
Also off topic, when will we see Maia again in the UFC?
Do these answers still apply today or has something new come along? I love Maia.
I'm training two months now. Just wanted to check with you guys before I buy it, if Maia's instructional is too advanced for a two month noob.
Also off topic, when will we see Maia again in the UFC?
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Nah. No infos really changed. Maia's set is good to have. If you dont understand his concepts now you will in a few months.
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For total beginners, nothing much has changed, though I'm not sure if Kesting's 'Roadmap' set was out then: it's also very good for beginners, if expensive. I'd continue to recommend that after you've been on the mats a few months (or possibly longer, depending on how long it takes you to familiarise yourself with the basic movements, positions etc), Blue Belt Requirements is the first DVD to pick up.
Aesopian put up a great post regarding instructional books and how beginners should approach them, here.
For slightly more experienced BJJers, loads of good stuff has come out since then. For example, Xande's comprehensive set is good (still relatively basic, but I wouldn't recommend absolute beginners pick it up), especially as it is one of the very few to look in depth at maintaining position, instead of just a ton of submissions. I also hear great things about the new Emily Kwok/Stephan Kesting release.
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Get Maia's sets for half off, before Dec 1st.
World Martial Arts: MMA DVDs & Mixed Martial Arts Products
World Martial Arts: MMA DVDs & Mixed Martial Arts Products
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Only just noticed you said your total training time is currently two months: if you've only been training two months, I'd suggest you probably shouldn't be looking at instructionals yet.
Better to spend more time on the mat: after two months, unless you're training twice a day every day or something, you don't yet have enough basic knowledge to supplement with DVDs. If you are dead-set on getting an instructional at this stage, get Roy Dean: Maia's set is good, but personally I would not recommend it for a beginner.
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xande's set is pretty good all in one set for a beginner.
i would also put adreh anderson's closed guard dvd on there also.
i would also put adreh anderson's closed guard dvd on there also.
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I also meant to add that you could split the $$$ w/ friends, and have a larger base to learn from w/ more techniques along w/ basics. IDK why you would buy 1 DVD set when all this is available.
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A DVD you pay for once. A subscription site you pay for every month, and you also have to have an internet connection if you want to watch anything from it (whereas with a DVD, I can rip it to mp4 and stick it on my phone).
Which is a shame, as lots of online sites have very interesting material which I'd like to watch, but I don't want to pay a recurring fee and only ever have the option of streaming it from the internet (particularly as my internet connection is pants and has a bandwidth cap). Still hoping that GracieUniversity puts some of their blue belt stuff onto a DVD.
Having said that, I may well check out the 7 day free trial for MGinAction over christmas when I'm at my parents, as their internet is rather better than mine.
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A DVD you pay for once. A subscription site you pay for every month, and you also have to have an internet connection if you want to watch anything from it (whereas with a DVD, I can rip it to mp4 and stick it on my phone).
Which is a shame, as lots of online sites have very interesting material which I'd like to watch, but I don't want to pay a recurring fee and only ever have the option of streaming it from the internet (particularly as my internet connection is pants and has a bandwidth cap). Still hoping that GracieUniversity puts some of their blue belt stuff onto a DVD.
Having said that, I may well check out the 7 day free trial for MGinAction over christmas when I'm at my parents, as their internet is rather better than mine.
you can download the vids in most cases. I still have most of the vids from MG in action's first year on my laptop, not sure if you still can or not
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Ah, didn't realise that. If that's still true, much more appealing. Presumably not if you're on a trial though?
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I highly recommend the Tinguinha Spider Guard DVD. But he's also got a very good online site... WW.TBJJ.TV i dont know the prices of hand, but there are always new moves being uploaded to the site.
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A DVD you pay for once. A subscription site you pay for every month, and you also have to have an internet connection if you want to watch anything from it (whereas with a DVD, I can rip it to mp4 and stick it on my phone).
Which is a shame, as lots of online sites have very interesting material which I'd like to watch, but I don't want to pay a recurring fee and only ever have the option of streaming it from the internet (particularly as my internet connection is pants and has a bandwidth cap). Still hoping that GracieUniversity puts some of their blue belt stuff onto a DVD.
Having said that, I may well check out the 7 day free trial for MGinAction over christmas when I'm at my parents, as their internet is rather better than mine.
I completely understand what you're saying. However, he noted he trains w/ friends and I am going to assume he is going to continue training. I also assume he has internet as he posts on here and watches youtube videos. So lets say he buys a $100+ DVD set w/ about 45 moves. If he joins an online site he is only going to be playing between $15-$25/mo, furthermore he can possibly split this w/ his friends/training partners. If so that is about 4 months of tons of videos before he equals the price of the DVD. Also his friends would be able to watch it at their houses, and all come together to study it. I can see the problem though w/ people w/ low internet connections.
Yeah, I'm not the TS, I just dug up this thread. I don't train with friends, I train at a legitimate school under the Carlson Gracie lineage. I have been training for two months, and I just feel watching videos repeatedly help me more than anything when rolling. I have limited bandwith so downloading is a problem. I just taught the Maia DVD would help my game.
