I am a beginner and would like to pick up a good basics BJJ series. What would you suggest, I mostly train with a gi, fyi. I was thinking of Jens series, or possibly Harris's 101, also I have heard Pedro Carvahalo(sp?) has a good series. I will probally end up with most of these sooner or later, but which should I get first?
Roy's tapes cover a broad overview of the basics of jiu-jitsu. I would recommend that you start with them. When you decide that you want to learn more about a particular subject, then I would look into Jen's tapes. Roy's and Jen's tapes are both very informative and receive very good reviews on this board.
I would definitely say get Jens series first.
Mike Jen's series consists of a LOT of tapes, each on an individual subject.
Roy Harris BJJ 101 consists of only 3 videos, of which the first one is crucial to beginners (and available on DVD), and the second is also very important.
I agree with Eel - Get Roy's BJJ 101 Volumes 1 & 2, then get individual titles of Mike's as you have trouble/become interested in a given area.
I have ALL of Roy's and Mike's videos (and many others), and they really ARE the best on the market for beginners, in my opinion. They are also very complimentary, with very little overlap.
Adam
Adam is very correct.
I have about 7 of Jen's tapes, Harris's BJJ 101 vol 1 and vol 2, and all three of Carvalho's sets.
For a completely new beginner: Harris's does a great job of describing general approaches and positioning. Very thorough.
Best Deal: Carvalho's (I got all three sets on DVD for $300. That's the equivalent of 24 tapes for 300 bucks!!) Good moves, too.
Best instruction: Jen's, his attention to detail within a specific context (eg. pin escapes, guard work) are second to none.
In summary: get Harris's for a very solid intro. Then get Carvalho's to totally expand your grappling vocabulary. After a little while when you're more comfortable on the ground, get Jen's or Sperry's BJJ vid's to really fine-tune your game.
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.