To be honest, I was sort of put off by all the super fancy stuff on the Mendes dvd out of Japan. They were brown belts, and there just seemed to be a lot of fluff. Maybe for the Japanese audience, maybe to show off, I don't know.
But seeing how they actually roll makes me super interested.
Just watched Megaton. Wow.
Also worth seeing Rafa and Robson Moura. It goes much longer, but you will seldom see Robson shut down like that either.
So now I am convinced that the Mendes brothers need to put out some dvds on their "basics"--closed guard, passing, etc.
This would be good for everyone, including all the white belts out there trying to copy the stuff on the Japan dvd before they can even tie their belts properly.
Muffinho - Berimbolo is something different, and it is quite glorious.
I use this underhook position to put lots of pressure on the knee and then jump on single legs or omoplata. Omoplata is easy from this position.
Berimbolo isn't an underhook.
The Berimbolo can be done with an underhook. As demonstrated by Rafael Mendes.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHikSZK5jc4
at 1:06 he executes berimbolo on Renan Borges with an underhook.
John Frankl - To be honest, I was sort of put off by all the super fancy stuff on the Mendes dvd out of Japan. They were brown belts, and there just seemed to be a lot of fluff. Maybe for the Japanese audience, maybe to show off, I don't know.
But seeing how they actually roll makes me super interested.
I was also skeptical with all of their fancy rolling upside down techniques when I first saw both their Bull Terrier dvds... then turned me into a believer when they started winning world championships using those techniques.
Muffinho - After Rafael gets to high guard and decides for the armbar, instead of lifting his hips a little and putting the leg over and then finishing, he basically extends his hips 90% of the way, then passes his leg over the head.
By the time his leg goes over your head, you have to tap because it's so tight. It's also impossible to get stacked this way. I used to get stacked by the 250+lb guys, but this way, they have to tap way before they can. Hell, even if i don't extend enough to make them tap, they can't stack because my body is fully aligned. I'm in a very biomechanically strong posture.
I'm not sure if this is actually different. I had never seen the armbar done this way, and a few BBs I talked to hadn't either.
That's basically how Rickson explains his success with the armbar from closed guard. He taught it that way and then we drilled it while he corrected things. Almost every correction I saw him make was to the timing of passing the leg or to keeping your body straight to avoid being stacked. It made my armbar from closed guard much more effective.
I definately was not trying to say that the Mendes Bros don't have AMAZING fundamentals, nor that they wouldn't/don't like to use their closed guard. I've never had the honor of training with them, but I have trained and taken lessons with Durinho and Bruno from ATOS. The style of game that each of them played was dictated by angles of attack. It didn't matter if they were standing, open guard, half, side control, anything. Attacking at an angle to unbalance, then attack with submissions. Its beautiful to watch, terrifying to feel, and simply amazing to realize the level of skill present.
The whole ATOS team utilizes a complete understanding of basics, then embellishes the attack with incredible flexibility, strength, and balance. When i see those videos from Japan i think they are showing the embellishments, and they produced those because the basics, are well, basic. There are a million dvds showing the guard, and you should have an instructor that demonstrates fundamentals. You buy a dvd like that to see embellishments that the Atos team developed, but they are surely not for the player who hasn't yet mastered the basic concepts.
great thread. anyone have tips for passing the underhook DLR. When good guys use it, it really gives me fits
countlphie -shen -LiteBlu - DLR with underhook on trapped leg = The Berimbolo.
Really, what does that mean? Is it someone's name...?
i asked my instructor what it means and he told me to stop watching youtube.
lol +1
I'm not arguing that Rafa can't do those things in real time. I am skeptical about the rest of us:)
A certain trainer once commented that Muhammed Ali ruined a lot of boxers. He meant that by trying to copy his unique style, while not having his unique gifts, they got punched in the face alot. I can see the same thing happening with guys trying to copy SOME of Rafa's stuff.
Gui's game against Baret, on the other hand, seems very doable.
John Frankl - I'm not arguing that Rafa can't do those things in real time. I am skeptical about the rest of us:)
A certain trainer once commented that Muhammed Ali ruined a lot of boxers. He meant that by trying to copy his unique style, while not having his unique gifts, they got punched in the face alot. I can see the same thing happening with guys trying to copy SOME of Rafa's stuff.
Gui's game against Baret, on the other hand, seems very doable.
I've been analysing the differences between the brothers. IMO both have the same level of technique but it seems that Rafael is bigger, stronger, more athletic, more explosive and more naturally gifted than his older brother. Guilherme moves at a lot slower pace than his brother. He doesn't seem to be able to perform the explosive movements that Rafael does, nevertheles Guilherme is still able to perform the same set of de la riva techniques in what looks like slow motion (his opponents dont seem to be able to stop it, one good example of this is his match with justin rader http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rTNXTxgWtJA ). When Rafael does the same technique he will explode upside down and drag to his opponents back in a split second. WHen trying to learn these techniques, I tend to look more at how Guilherme executes them becuase he doesnt have the exceptional physical attributes that his brother has.
I think Gui is the physically stronger, but Rafa is quicker and more explosive.
Their games are different every so slightly, it's kinda cool. Gui loves the knee slice + brabo choke. Rafa is almost purely leg drags and chokes from back.