Can someone post a review of Tony Ceccine's Catchwrestling instructionals?
I know that Tony is well-liked by members of this forum, but...how applicable are his techniques to modern BJJ?
This series was filmed years ago, and BJJ is constantly innovating, so would his techniques be considered a little old school?
Yes. His techniques were "old school" when his series first came out.
From what I've seen of his stuff, he shows submissions with super-precise detail. He doesn't show how to get good positions or escape bad ones from what I can remember. Of course, in catch-wrestling, they just try to submit from whatever position they're in, so there isn't a vast library of sweeps and turnovers as there is in BJJ.
tony has some really good stuff and good theories especially on his side control stufff. some of the stuff works better if you are strong. his stuff is more from a wrestlers point of view because tony's background is wrestling.
some of the chicken wing stuff is good but it would be hard to pull off on a sweaty opponent.
also some of the moves need to be done quickly and explosively and that is not so good if you are training with friends.
his neck crack stuff is nasty. also i would have like to have seen some sparring footage of his material to see if some of the moves work against a live opponent.
Another bizarre Bill Lewis review. This time he doesn't mind that Tony C has no world championship titles... OY!
Not a review, but an interesting article on Tony C and catch wrestling
http://w3.blackbeltmag.com/featurecontent/view.asp?article=514&search=/featurecontent/searchResults.asp-!!-search=cecchine-!-command=OR-!-SUBMIT=Search
I have the tapes.
I think they're very good. There are a lot of details I have tried to incorporate from the tapes into my game. The quality of the pins/submissions/controls he shows is very good.
That being said, some of the details don't work for me (for example, I have trouble twisting my opponent's wrist when going for a bent arm lock).
Other times Tony says that a particular way of holding a position is "right" and the bjj way is "wrong" (for example, the way he pins in side control). Usually, I like the "right" way. But, I've also found that there is no "right" way. Often, the "wrong" way is also effective. The "wrong" way may not pin your opponent the same way Tony's "right" way does, but it is effective none the less - and can be used to create different set-ups and attacks.
Overall, I reccomend the tapes. They're not the be-all, end-all of submission grappling. But they are highly informative and useful. They will definitely add a new dimension to a bjj player's game.
I think every grappler ought to at least take a look at Cecchine's stuff, especially straight-bjj guys. Lots of top grapplers have tight, crushing top games, but very few seem to spend much time explaining it in a detailed manner (Roy Harris and Matt Thornton excluded). At the very least, they'll stop you from getting into the habit of pulling guard right off the bat. His leglocks will blow your mind as well.
I love 'em. The stuff has really helped my grappling game.
This tape set greatly improved my top submission game and leglock game. I highly recommend them and for $99 bucks its a steal.
There isn't any passes or sweeps that I remember on the set.
I might buy them again just to have them on DVD
Anyone else w/ an opinion? The previews look pretty good for this set.
Can any purple belts weigh in here?
My concern about this set is that it might be like Pedro Carvalho's set, ie, great for the year it was released, but outdated by current standards.
Good set !
"Can any purple belts weigh in here?"
FYI, I'm a purple belt. Hope that helps.
I am also a purple belt.
The Tony C stuff is pretty good for top position pins and submissions, but not very good for escapes or how to move while on your back. Also, no takedowns.
To go with the Tony C stuff, I suggest you get the Erik Paulson "Best Defense" stuff, Baret Yoshida's guard tapes and Darrel Gholar's takedown DVDs ...