I mistakenly posted this in the Anaconda forum, which gets about as much traffic as a nun's vagina, so here's a repost for the Atama forum:
Apparently Xtreme Couture's head 'jiu jitsu' coach (really a catch and judo guy under Gokor, Lebell, Parisyan), Neil Melanson, is releasing a book on the triangle choke for MMA. Below is a video series detailing one of his setups, the Irish collar.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EMNBXxW2l4Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hMvBr_Qh38
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RvVWdU12zAc
Looks pretty damn interesting.
Only posting the first one because they are all so long. Might get around to watching these one day.
Lol @ the nun's vagina comment, hadn't heard that one before. 
Watched all three. I liked them. He addressed why he was doing certain steps and what escapes those respective steps prevented. Has a distinct catch flavor using pain as a distraction to force a predetermined reaction. I appreciated that once he has the initial tie up he gets things very tight and controlled which is obviously essential for a no gi mma environment. It is lengthy though.
Isn't the "Nuns Vagina" the newest part of the 10th planet system?
ttt
Vocally, his presentation style reminds me of a cross between Jim Grover/Kelly McCann and Mark Hatmaker.
He talks a lot but doesn't covey that much so it is kind of arduous to listen to him.
I get a "weird vibe" from him. The guy may have some skills, but there is definitely seems to be a certain level of BS with him.
The one posted here won't work for shit if you don't have a significant reach to be able to grab the guys arm over the shoulder. There are some easy defenses for it either way.
I'm still trying to figure out his lineage, credentials, technical ability, etc.
He got his black belt (in judo I assume) from Karo. Did he get other belts before that, or was he promoted straight from white belt to black belt?
Who else has Karo promoted?
Nate Diaz ^
Triangles always look easy when preforming them on people half your size.
Good content. Crappy production.
Skill is skill regardless. But I, too, am curious about his background and who he claims to have learned catch from. Lebell? Hmm...
right, instead of getting the Ryan Hall dvd's, (a guy who has triangled 1000 people in competition), or Baret Yoshida's book and dvd or Minotauro's set, I will instead get Neil Melson's mastering the triangle...
Talks too fucking much.
Missing Glove Tape - Good content. Crappy production.
Skill is skill regardless. But I, too, am curious about his background and who he claims to have learned catch from. Lebell? Hmm...
I agree skill is skill.
But has it ever been verified that he has skills on the mat- whether it be in rolling or teaching?
I'm sure he is pretty competent due to his size, but what about his technical abilities?
I'm not inferring that he is like our other friends like Matt Barvo, etc, but I've always been curious why more people haven't questioned his credentials.
kying418 -Missing Glove Tape - Good content. Crappy production.
Skill is skill regardless. But I, too, am curious about his background and who he claims to have learned catch from. Lebell? Hmm...
I agree skill is skill.
But has it ever been verified that he has skills on the mat- whether it be in rolling or teaching?
I'm sure he is pretty competent due to his size, but what about his technical abilities?
I'm not inferring that he is like our other friends like Matt Barvo, etc, but I've always been curious why more people haven't questioned his credentials.
I always thought he was a catch guy and do catch guys give rank?
They don't(at least not until Jake Shannon/Billy Robinson's organization gets off the ground). But again, is Melanson claiming claiming catch? And if so, who is he claiming it under? If it's Lebell then that's an issue. Lebell is arguably one of the best American judoka ever, and he certainly did/saw things in professional wrestling, but does that really mean he's thoroughly schooled in catch to be passing it on ala Billy Robinson and Karl Gotch(RIP)? I don't think so and as such, I think anyone claiming to be a Lebell-trained catch wrestler is sketchy. A Lebell/Gokor-trained judoka/sambist/'grappler' who's a terror on the mat? Sure. But not a catch wrestler.
shen -
Vocally, his presentation style reminds me of a cross between Jim Grover/Kelly McCann and Mark Hatmaker.
He talks a lot but doesn't covey that much so it is kind of arduous to listen to him.
I get a "weird vibe" from him. The guy may have some skills, but there is definitely seems to be a certain level of BS with him.
I think that what you are describing is his lack of formal training in BJJ. I dont mean in terms of skill in grappling or the value of one art over another, but BJJ is generally taught in a very systematic, clear way and even when a good BJJ instructor elaborates, he does so with a lot of focus. This is one gift that a lot of Brazilian instructors have that, perhaps because of some language difficulties, many people fail to recognize. If you watch someone like Rodrigo Medeiros (from Carlson's team) teach, you see how cleanly he performs the technique and how colorfully he describes what he's doing. The technique just sets in. You retain it. He doesn't go off on tangents and he is totally sure of what he's teaching. He takes a lot of the "maybe" out of it because the "maybe" is a given.
I really cant think of an American who teaches as well as some of the top Brazilian instructors, although there are some who come close.
andre - but BJJ is generally taught in a very systematic, clear way and even when a good BJJ instructor elaborates, he does so with a lot of focus. This is one gift that a lot of Brazilian instructors have that, perhaps because of some language difficulties, many people fail to recognize.
I agree. If there's one thing that separates bjj from other martial arts it's they way it is structured and taught. A simple, logical progression of techniques that comes together as an overall fight strategy and allows for extremely detailed instruction.
andre - I really cant think of an American who teaches as well as some of the top Brazilian instructors, although there are some who come close.
Matt Thornton should be at the top of anyone's list.
Neil says he is a catch wrestler / no gi specialist.
He has gotten his black belt by Karo, but who knows what that was under.
If he was such a skilled catch wrestler under Gene Lebell, why didnt Gene give him a black belt?
He is also listed as Extreme Coutures Las Vegas Jiu jitsu instructor, even though he says he doesnt teach brazilian jiu jitsu, but rather submissions grappling.
By all means, if he wants to teach his own style and reward belts for it (which he does), go ahead and do so. However, don't claim you are a jiu jitsu teacher or even a catch wrestler unless you have a clear lineage to it.