This is kind of a work in progress.
I took Cecil's excellent "CMD/IAJJ" two-day class last year (that's Crazy Monkey Defense - a type of boxing, and IAJJ, as in Immediate Action Jiu-Jitsu) and was blown away by his distillation of probably the two most effective unarmed fighting styles as well as integration of weapons (both unarmed vs armed opponent, and close-distance weapons based work in the larger context of those martial arts).
Anyone who has ever taken a class with Southnarc (one of Cecil's collaborators and colleagues - a two-way street for sure), wanted to do so, or wondered about the importance of martial arts in "fighting" for self-defense, could benefit from Cecil's knowledge. His seminars are very reasonably priced, but even more reasonably priced is his newly released DVD through PDN "Defensive Applications of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu."
One of the truisms anyone who has taken a Shivworks class can attest to is that while a handgun may make a great pre-emptive weapon at an adequate distance, pulling a handgun or other weapon at the wrong time (too close), or when already physically overwhelmed (multiple attackers, or grounded), is at best a risky proposition. Further, not all serious situations merit immediate use of deadly force, nor are most of us likely to be armed 24/7/365 for the rest of our lives (NPEs, etc).
All of these things point to a need for good solid unarmed techniques that take into account the possible or even likely presence of an opponent's weapon but do not rely on our own weapons, partly because we may not have them or be able to access them, and partly because - this is a big paradigm shift for almost everyone and usually must be realized through training - sometimes, it's advantageous to control the opponent's weapon and not actually try to utilize our own, at least until we have partially subdued the opponent through unarmed techniques.
To paraphrase Southnarc, a "drag race to the weapon" is not really a winning strategy closer than 5, or generously, 3, yards. Further, a lot of the martial arts people are attracted to make claims (from neck-breaking to other "guaranteed" fight-stoppers) that are somewhat dubious, not testable, and at any rate, hardly defensive or useful for those who are starting the fight at a disadvantage as many "average" people who are concerned with self-defense may find themselves doing, unfortunately. It's important to differentiate between something that MIGHT work for a fit, skilled, experienced practitioner in an optimal scenario toeing off with a bad guy, and testable techniques that you can trust to work to save your butt when you are getting pounded into the ground.
I have no special bias toward BJJ or Cecil that matter, as I came to this line of thought through some pretty rough training experiences in Southnarc's classes, and did not have any real martial arts background at that time.
Anyway, on to the DVD: it's produced, I believe, by Rob Pincus. Rob appears in the material to ask Cecil questions, some of them "hardball questions" (more on that in a moment), and also to help Cecil demo some of the basic BJJ movements. Every PDN production I have seen has been good (Claude Werner's Dryfire Practice and Methodology DVD is another good one) both in terms of sound and video quality, contextual explanations, and valuable material from great instructors.
Regarding the material Cecil's perspective is unique because he is a BJJ black belt but he is extremely concerned with what works in a defensive situation. In his discussion with Rob, Rob asks some pointed questions, things like (from memory): isn't BJJ just a sport martial art? I thought grappling was not a good strategy for self-defense?
Cecil does a great job of explaining that we don't really get to choose the setting or manner in which "our" fight may occur (pretty common knowledge to gun owners, I think - hence the perennial answer to why we carry guns: "If I knew there was going to be a problem I wouldn't be there, but I can't know..."), and that some of the basic BJJ movements are highly effective at surviving an attack from a bigger opponent, getting off the ground, and ultimately maintaining a position that allows us to access a weapon or to escape.
BJJ was originally developed as a defensive martial art and it still works for that. Some of the movements may not work for everyone, and fighting on the ground may not be our aim in a fight, but BJJ is a vast, deep ocean, and there is plenty that DOES work well for almost everyone; dismissing that which works because some of it is too "sport oriented" makes about as much sense as not carrying a Glock because they're the most common "gamer gun."
The techniques frankly are pure gold and I think just about anyone of any age who can sit down on the floor and get off the floor relatively unassisted could benefit. If a senior citizen reading this can't do those things, I recommend a gentle fitness program to enable that person to do so, and watch the DVD once you've attained that level of fitness.
For people who may never go to a BJJ class or even take a defensive class from Cecil or Southnarc, the concepts and skills in this DVD are much, much better than nothing. It's a real game changer and most of them can be practiced solo or with a friend. For people who are considering doing a martial art that has applications to self-defense, this DVD would be a great "Rosetta stone" to help understand the differences in strategy between self-defense oriented BJJ and "sport" BJJ, as well as the commonalities and thus derive the most out of the instruction available at a local BJJ gym.
To reiterate, the techniques are incredible: simplified, very well explained, and easy to practice. But what makes this DVD truly special (even to those who may not know the prowess and knowledge level of the instructor) is the contextual explanations and the strategy that's clearly spelled out. The contextual explanations should help viewers trust the techniques and concepts and understand why they're valuable, and the strategic overview (which is really nicely summed up in bullet point form after each "chapter" for note-taking maniacs such as myself) helps viewers keep from getting overwhelmed with technical detail. Once you realize why something is important, and where it fits in, it's easier to muster the patience to learn a technical physical movement. This signposting or contextual bridging is something all self-defense instructors and trainers should do, because it really drives the material home and helps it stick with students of different learning styles.
I will probably add more to this soon. If the mods are OK I'd like to add a link because Google is having a hard time turning up the DVD.
I really encourage people who may be wishing they could go buy 50-100 rounds to blast downrange but for the ammo shortage, or shave 0.05 off their drawstroke with that 2 hours of free time this month, to spend that time or money exploring this DVD - I think Cecil does a great job explaining the importance of being multidisciplinary and gives viewers the perfect start down that path. Conversely, even higher level practitioners of BJJ or similar arts have said this material was incredibly valuable for them.
I would love to see more people in the "gun community" who are concerned with self-defense becoming well-rounded multidisciplinarians.
I took Cecil's excellent "CMD/IAJJ" two-day class last year (that's Crazy Monkey Defense - a type of boxing, and IAJJ, as in Immediate Action Jiu-Jitsu) and was blown away by his distillation of probably the two most effective unarmed fighting styles as well as integration of weapons (both unarmed vs armed opponent, and close-distance weapons based work in the larger context of those martial arts).
Anyone who has ever taken a class with Southnarc (one of Cecil's collaborators and colleagues - a two-way street for sure), wanted to do so, or wondered about the importance of martial arts in "fighting" for self-defense, could benefit from Cecil's knowledge. His seminars are very reasonably priced, but even more reasonably priced is his newly released DVD through PDN "Defensive Applications of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu."
One of the truisms anyone who has taken a Shivworks class can attest to is that while a handgun may make a great pre-emptive weapon at an adequate distance, pulling a handgun or other weapon at the wrong time (too close), or when already physically overwhelmed (multiple attackers, or grounded), is at best a risky proposition. Further, not all serious situations merit immediate use of deadly force, nor are most of us likely to be armed 24/7/365 for the rest of our lives (NPEs, etc).
All of these things point to a need for good solid unarmed techniques that take into account the possible or even likely presence of an opponent's weapon but do not rely on our own weapons, partly because we may not have them or be able to access them, and partly because - this is a big paradigm shift for almost everyone and usually must be realized through training - sometimes, it's advantageous to control the opponent's weapon and not actually try to utilize our own, at least until we have partially subdued the opponent through unarmed techniques.
To paraphrase Southnarc, a "drag race to the weapon" is not really a winning strategy closer than 5, or generously, 3, yards. Further, a lot of the martial arts people are attracted to make claims (from neck-breaking to other "guaranteed" fight-stoppers) that are somewhat dubious, not testable, and at any rate, hardly defensive or useful for those who are starting the fight at a disadvantage as many "average" people who are concerned with self-defense may find themselves doing, unfortunately. It's important to differentiate between something that MIGHT work for a fit, skilled, experienced practitioner in an optimal scenario toeing off with a bad guy, and testable techniques that you can trust to work to save your butt when you are getting pounded into the ground.
I have no special bias toward BJJ or Cecil that matter, as I came to this line of thought through some pretty rough training experiences in Southnarc's classes, and did not have any real martial arts background at that time.
Anyway, on to the DVD: it's produced, I believe, by Rob Pincus. Rob appears in the material to ask Cecil questions, some of them "hardball questions" (more on that in a moment), and also to help Cecil demo some of the basic BJJ movements. Every PDN production I have seen has been good (Claude Werner's Dryfire Practice and Methodology DVD is another good one) both in terms of sound and video quality, contextual explanations, and valuable material from great instructors.
Regarding the material Cecil's perspective is unique because he is a BJJ black belt but he is extremely concerned with what works in a defensive situation. In his discussion with Rob, Rob asks some pointed questions, things like (from memory): isn't BJJ just a sport martial art? I thought grappling was not a good strategy for self-defense?
Cecil does a great job of explaining that we don't really get to choose the setting or manner in which "our" fight may occur (pretty common knowledge to gun owners, I think - hence the perennial answer to why we carry guns: "If I knew there was going to be a problem I wouldn't be there, but I can't know..."), and that some of the basic BJJ movements are highly effective at surviving an attack from a bigger opponent, getting off the ground, and ultimately maintaining a position that allows us to access a weapon or to escape.
BJJ was originally developed as a defensive martial art and it still works for that. Some of the movements may not work for everyone, and fighting on the ground may not be our aim in a fight, but BJJ is a vast, deep ocean, and there is plenty that DOES work well for almost everyone; dismissing that which works because some of it is too "sport oriented" makes about as much sense as not carrying a Glock because they're the most common "gamer gun."
The techniques frankly are pure gold and I think just about anyone of any age who can sit down on the floor and get off the floor relatively unassisted could benefit. If a senior citizen reading this can't do those things, I recommend a gentle fitness program to enable that person to do so, and watch the DVD once you've attained that level of fitness.
For people who may never go to a BJJ class or even take a defensive class from Cecil or Southnarc, the concepts and skills in this DVD are much, much better than nothing. It's a real game changer and most of them can be practiced solo or with a friend. For people who are considering doing a martial art that has applications to self-defense, this DVD would be a great "Rosetta stone" to help understand the differences in strategy between self-defense oriented BJJ and "sport" BJJ, as well as the commonalities and thus derive the most out of the instruction available at a local BJJ gym.
To reiterate, the techniques are incredible: simplified, very well explained, and easy to practice. But what makes this DVD truly special (even to those who may not know the prowess and knowledge level of the instructor) is the contextual explanations and the strategy that's clearly spelled out. The contextual explanations should help viewers trust the techniques and concepts and understand why they're valuable, and the strategic overview (which is really nicely summed up in bullet point form after each "chapter" for note-taking maniacs such as myself) helps viewers keep from getting overwhelmed with technical detail. Once you realize why something is important, and where it fits in, it's easier to muster the patience to learn a technical physical movement. This signposting or contextual bridging is something all self-defense instructors and trainers should do, because it really drives the material home and helps it stick with students of different learning styles.
I will probably add more to this soon. If the mods are OK I'd like to add a link because Google is having a hard time turning up the DVD.
I really encourage people who may be wishing they could go buy 50-100 rounds to blast downrange but for the ammo shortage, or shave 0.05 off their drawstroke with that 2 hours of free time this month, to spend that time or money exploring this DVD - I think Cecil does a great job explaining the importance of being multidisciplinary and gives viewers the perfect start down that path. Conversely, even higher level practitioners of BJJ or similar arts have said this material was incredibly valuable for them.
I would love to see more people in the "gun community" who are concerned with self-defense becoming well-rounded multidisciplinarians.
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