Randy Bloom and Island Martial Arts have put together a
new DVD called Transitions, which is also known as Forum
Requests. Randy went on the various jiu jitsu forums and
asked people what they wanted to see. I thought it was a
great idea for Randy to ask everyone what he or she wanted
to learn rather than just putting a bunch of techniques
together.
The DVD is 50 minutes long and is broken into different
chapters covering the various requests that Randy received.
The first section is based on a transition that starts out with an
armbar from the guard, moves to the triangle choke, then to
another armbar, and finally to a knee bar. The common
theme with this transition, as with the others shown on the
DVD, is that each move is based on the reaction of your
opponent. Randy will also point out other moves that may be
available to you besides the one you are applying as he
goes through each transition.
The second transition he shows is a lengthy one. He starts
out with a kimura from the guard, transitions to a sweep, ends
up with a neck crank that moves to a guillotine choke, back to
another sweep, and finishes it off with an armbar. Again all of
these moves are based on how your opponent reacts to your
moves.
The third transition on the DVD is an armbar to a bicep lock.
This may seem like a small transition, but Randy shows you
how to hold the armbar as his opponent tries to escape and
resist. In the end Randy applies to the bicep lock for the tap.
The next section on the DVD covers a really good drill. This
is one of my personal favorites. Randy calls this drill "Chess".
It is very simple to do and is perfect for someone who wants
to roll light or is injured. Plus this drill will really make you
think about what you are doing and how you will react to your
opponent.
After the "Chess" drill, Randy covers another request and
that is side mount and scarf hold escapes. He teaches
various escapes from each position based on how your
opponent is positioned on top of you. For example, with the
side mount escapes he will show various escapes
depending on how your opponent's arms are positioned.
The last two chapters on the DVD deal with attacks from the
north and south position and attacks from the mount position.
Randy starts out showing you some tips on how to hold each
position first and then he goes on to teaching the attacks. I've
never seen these moves taught before so they are something
that I will definitely be working on.
I also want to mention a little more on how each section is
taught. Randy will first demonstrate the moves slowly,
explaining the details along the way so you don't miss
anything He will also demonstrate the moves from different
angles so you can observe what he is doing. Just watching
the way he moves on the mat can be a lesson in itself. After
he shows you how to do it, he will have two of his students
demonstrate the moves and will point out even more details
than before.
Randy and Island Martial Arts did a great job putting this
together and showing the stuff that people wanted to see. I
would recommend this to anyone. Finally I can't forget to
mention the cool explosion footage at the beginning of the
DVD. It reminds me of being back on an army demo range!
ttt