Instructional DVDs: Best buys, worst buys and future buys...

Scramble

I've actually spent all my money on presents for people and whatnot (this being the season, and all), so there's scant chance of forking out for instructional DVDs for a while ... but I thought a good topic for a thread might be for members to list their best buys, worst buys and maybe what they would like to buy in the future.

I'll start:-

Best buys:

-The first Functional JKD series from Matt Thornton. The second one might be even better (?), but can't comment on this as I don't own it. Given that there are so many MMA people on the board I would imagine this is a common buy.

-Scrapper's Mod 1 package. A VHS tape of Scrapper discussing his bodyweight exercises, then a pack of audio CDs where he calls out the counts for the various workouts, and also a ring-bound book with more questions on the exercises.

-Scott Sonnon's Warrior Wellness joint mobility programme. A set covering a beginner, intermediate and advance programme of joint mobility which is designed to be done daily. A lot of the exercises are familliar beforehand (the beginners one, at least), but Sonnon puts them together in a very intelligent way. I've gone off a lot of his other material in a major way, but this is his best work, IMO.

Worst Buys:

-Car Cestari combatives seminar DVDs from close-combat-video.com. One covering the world war II material of Fairbairn, the other the world war II material of O'Neill. In theory this is easy to learn, easy to retain basic stuff. In practice the DVD is mostly footage of out of shape guys in BDUs beating up a free-standing dummy. Carl Cestari himself looks competent, but as with a tremendous amount of this sort of thing the training methods are so static and dead that it is hard to tell. I'll hold up my hand and say that I was an idiot to buy these in the first place, although in my defense I was off in the wilderness and hadn't really been properly exposed to alive training.

Future buys:

In no particular order:-

-More SBGi instructionals
-I'd like to buy some of the original Dog Brothers tapes on VHS and transfer them onto DVD.
-Karl Tanswell STAB tape
-Mario Sperry Vale Tudo DVDs (open to correction on this one, but I heard they were good)

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And before someone else brings it up : Yes, instructional tapes are no substitute for being properly coached and training regularly.

dlofnep

I liked Marcelo Garcia's no-gi DVD along with Stephan kesting's DVD's - Namely the omoplata and butterfly guard/x-guard DVD's.

Colm_OReilly

Have never seen the Scrapper DVD's but from his website he seems like he's got some good ideas.

As for recommendations, you cannot live until you've watched Clinchin' 2: The All New Electric Bugaloo by Adam Singer and Paul Sharp. Quite simply, if you want to learn clinch, this is where to go. Not only is it jam packed with info on the clinch but it has a teaching progression and fundamental five element to it that really helps me when I'm practicing/coaching clinch.

Also, the USA Wrestling Coaches syllabus (sp?) is very good for clinch and takedowns. It covers basic skills for Greco and Freestyle and then moves on to takedowns and finishes. I got it for €50 plus P&P iirc.

STAB is an excellent program and I recommend anyone get the vid. There have been a few improvements in the way Karl teaches STAB now but the material is teh same as on the vid.

Colm

dlofnep

I've a Dan Gable instructional. It's pretty good. Where did you get that clinchin DVD Colm?

Clive

http://www.thehardcoregym.net/store.html

dlofnep

Cool thanks.

Cabelo

Has anyone ever heard of John Brawn's Fists of Might?


I heard it was the best DVD ever created... ever.

judomick

best ive seen is saulo ribeiro's bjj revolution awesome , would like to see karo parisyan's set!

dlofnep

Judo for MMA?

Roper

Best:
Peter Aerts instructional 5 DVD set. Simple, good combos but worth it from any strikers point of view, thai or not.

Worst:
An unnamed "master's" grappling tape. Can't recommend it little enough.

Future:
Few more jits/sub wrasslin tapes. Possibly some of the above. Thanks for those recommendations folks!

dlofnep

I have that Peter Aerts instructional. It's nice for someone like me who doesn't really get to do much stand-up sparring. Good to mix up your combos.

Musashi

What do you want for the Cestari stuff?

Scramble

Mushashi, PM sent.

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Something I notiched lately is that Geoff Thompson is selling packages of his DVDs at reduced prices on E-bay. 'The Method Series' (all the pavement arena type / fence type stuff), 'The Grappling Series' (all his judo, sambo, greco / wrestling and grappling stuff') and various combinations. Anyone own any of these DVDs?

Im2Lazy

I've got a lot of instructional DVD's & I have a guy who I order everything from he has hundreds of them & is always adding more.

The Good:
Krav Maga 5 disc set,a good example of the main KM techniques & explained very well.
Singer Brothers Hardcore Training methods. (Going to get Electric Boogaloo soon as this one is so good.)
Mark Hatmaker's submission encyclopaedia 1&2 - excellent as it works on chaining submissions together so gives you ideas on what submission to do if your the first one you go for is countered.
Pat Miletich 6 instructionals in 2 dvds - Covers the 3 ranges well & has some good drills.
Scramble - All the Dog Brothers ones have very good content & are easy to follow as they don't use many FMA terms or angle numbers to describe anything it's all plain english.
:rolleyes: Too many others to mention ....

The Bad:
John Carlo - No Rules Boxing : There was nothing in this you wouldn't learn in any Boxing or MMA gym in the first class.
Krav Maga by Moni Azizk he can call it KM if he wants but whatever it is it's not KM more like Jiu Jitsu (nothing against JJ).

The Ugly :(Never even think of getting these):eek:
Systema Knife Defense - I got this free with another order & that's the only good thing I can say about it - the best things in life are definately not free in this case.

Anyone seen Rodney Kings Street Boxing 1 & 2 was thinking of getting it soon....Any input much appreciated.

columok

Anyone seen Rodney Kings Street Boxing 1 & 2 was thinking of getting it soon....Any input much appreciated.

The CM stuff is excellent. It doesnt take long to be able to apply it into a live sparring environment. Even better go to the Rodney King seminar...

Im2Lazy

Hi columok,

Thanks for the reply, I was thinking of heading to the seminar just wanted to see him in action a bit more first.

I've done a little of it already & found it really effective.

Ger Healy

columok wrote:

The CM stuff is excellent. It doesnt take long to be able to apply it into a live sparring environment. Even better go to the Rodney King seminar...

Here the cover of his newest dvd


If your looking to train with him, He will be in Ireland in march for more info click here