Customer Rating: 
Summary: Solid Fundamentals For Beginners
Comment: Gene Simco's two-disc DVD is an excellent 'how-to' introductory course for beginners in the art of submission fighting. This can be a quality vehicle in doing homework between classes and may even give you an edge in preparing for classes or competition. Simco has a great teaching style and takes his time in demonstrating the holds, takedowns, escapes and grappling sequences from a variety of angles. He packs more information into this 200-minute DVD than many instructors cover in three months of classes.
Intermediate fighters will also find this useful for review and even exploring topics that may have been briefly discussed or overlooked. For advanced fighters, there is little more than review except for the end of Disc Two where some good tips are available in 'chain' techniques and ground maneuvering.
Again, students from beginner to intermediate will benefit from this high quality course offered at a bargain price.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great DVD
Comment: This DVD offers fantastic qualilty instruction. Very detailed. You can't go wrong for the price.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Essential Techniques
Comment: I haven't actually bought this particular DVD set. But I do have Gene Simco's 4 DVD Set, "Essential Techniques." Looking at the description and video preview for this DVD at the producers' website, this set seems to be one and the same. I paid $100 for my set at Simco's site, so at Amazon, this is a steal. I thought I would pass along this information so people don't spend more than they need to.
As far as the DVD set, this set is basically a companion to Simco's beginner book, "Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Basics". He goes over the basic foundational techniques that you will use to build into some of the most advanced techniques in BJJ. I second the notion that it seems like you are almost there in class with Gene. The camera angles are great and what makes Gene stand out as an instructor are the way he puts the what seem to be complex techniques into the simplest terms. This makes it very easy to go from the explanation to the application.
The set goes over:
Standing techniques: Basic standing technique, closing the distance, takedowns from the clinch and when your opponent is behind you.
Attacks from the top: Guard passing, hold downs, submissions from the top and back.
The Guard: Sweeps, submissions, arm locks and chokes. The three pillars of guard submission (Triangle, arm lock, omoplata) and combinations.
Escapes and Leg locks: Escape from the pin, leg locks and leg lock escapes.
For what it's worth.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great technique, but waffles on a bit.
Comment: I found this to be a great instructional DVD. The techniques he showed were not unlike other DVD's, however with each technique he shows a slight twist here or angle change there that can mean the difference between a really tight inescapable lock to a loose one. These small differrences make a big differrence.
The only negative thing I would say is he waffles on a bit. He introduces too many concepts while trying to demonstrate the basic technique. It would be easier to grasp if the basic technique was introduced first, then show the finer points and variations of the basic. It leaves you thinking "come on, get on with it" a lot. But the actual techniques are great.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A steal for the price compared to the others
Comment: This product was a steal for the price! I ordered the Gracie method, which is excellent, but I think they spend too much time going over the "fine details" of each move on that video series---it is so drawn out it gets boring to watch! This video is right to the point. The moves are clearly demonstrated, but there isn't so much talking and they don't do the same thing over and over so many times (isn't that what a rewind button is for?). If you master all the moves on this video, you could probably at least be ready for the blue belt test in jiu jitsu at most schools. They do a drill alternating between the triangle choke, arm bar, etc. (3 moves---can't spell the 3rd one!)---my teacher surprised us all by throwing that very drill on our belt test...I was ready for it because of these videos (we never did it in class). I would definitely buy the intermediate/advanced videos if/when available. I hope this helps.
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