The Ground Game

I guess most of you are familiar with Brazilian Jiu-jitsu,Submission Grappling,Wrestling and the like? I would like to make a good review on the best training videos out there that could help you become a better grappler and elevate your game to a much higher level. Famous names such as Saulo Ribeiro, Marcelo Garcia,Mario Sperry and Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza would be highlighted in this post.

Hope this review will help you pick out the best instructionals in the planet today. Prices of the videos are from $100 - $300 so it isn't really cheap. I would like you to check the best bargains around Ebay so it would save you alot more click the widget below.




Let's start off with Mario Sperry. He is often called the Zen Machine due to his very calm approach when he fights, he's considered a legend in sport jiu-jitsu and one of the greatest Brazilian fighters of all time. Also known for his establishment of the famous Brazilian Top Team alongside Murilo Bustamante and has produced competitive fighters like the Nogueira brothers, Ricardo Arona and Paulo Filho and others.

His achievements include the following :

Black Belt World Mundial Champion 1996, 1997, and 1998. Brazilian National Black Belt Heavyweight Champion 1994 and 1995. Voted Best Purple Belt in Brazil by the Brazilian Confederation in 1990. Voted Best Brown Belt in Brazil by the Brazilian Confederation 1992.

No Holds Barred Accomplishments: Vale Tudo Super Fight Champion at the Titanic Duel in Brazil 1995. Reality Super Fight Champion in Alabama 1996. Ultimate Caged Combat Overall Championship in Sidney Australia 1997. Japan's Coliseum 2000 Heavy Weight Champion (Defeated Hiromitsu Kanehara). Pride fighter from 2001 to 2006

Submission Grappling Accomplishments: Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Competition Heavyweight and Absolute Class Champion 1998 Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Competition Superfight Champion 1999. Abu Dhabi Submission Wrestling Competition Superfight Champion 2000.

He released remarkable sets of training videos such as:

Mario Sperry Master Series 1 & 2

This new video details the most advanced standing techniques ever shown. You will learn the critical area of first grip control. This initial attack is one of the most important parts of fighting at the Black Belt level and Mario and Murilo reveal all of the hidden details! You will learn how to control and get the takedown first, every time! This volume not only shows the grips and attacks but also shows the most advanced methods of taking down an opponent in Sport Jiu-Jitsu available. Many of these takedowns have been personally developed and used by Mario and Murilo to become World Champions. Although these videos cost $150 it's really worth every buck. (check ebay for great bargains)

Mario Sperry Secrets of Submission Grappling

Sperry teaches the fight strategy, tactics, submissions and point scoring that has led him to become the three-time Abu Dhabi submission Grand Champion. These videos contain techniques dramatically different than his award winning Vale-Tudo videos and will become an instant favorite of those looking to dominate opponents grappling without the uniform. If you are looking to advance your submission grappling skills on the mat to the highest level, This is the dvd to start with.

Mario Sperry Vale-Tudo 1, 2 and 3

Volume 1

Here Mario Sperry will show you how to take control of the strongest street fighters and use the principals of ground fighting, standing up! Mario Sperry’s fighting style is so effective that any opponent, regardless of style, even students of conventional Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu will be unable to defend themselves. This video shows how to quickly immobilize strikers, wrestlers and grapplers and use punishing striking techniques of Jiu-Jitsu that are devastatingly effective! Mario Sperry will teach you how to take anyone down with techniques that work with even the biggest opponent.

Volume 2

Mario Sperry and Murilo Bustamante break the standing fight game down even further. Special punching techniques developed by these two masters allow them to enter into a takedown without getting hit in a vale-tudo match. Mario Sperry breaks these techniques down showing what and what not to do if you face a strong striker. Next, you will learn special techniques for taking down strong wrestlers or experienced fighters that refuse to hit the ground in Vale-Tudo. Mario Sperry also covers more ways to smash opponents that want to hang onto an octagon type fence. Great material! Next, Mario Sperry teaches how to get your opponent’s back while standing and teaches multiple advanced methods of punishing and bringing them down! Many, many new take downs and strategies in this tape; a must for your library.

Volume 3

Mario Sperry shows how the standing fight game of No Holds Barred has become more advanced in recent years. With the addition of more striking in no rules fights, new techniques and strategies have been developed to deal with these new elements. Mario breaks down the standing game in unbelievable detail with new strategies and game plans that will confuse hard core strikers and make defeating them much easier. Mario will also show some new highly specialized takedowns that fall right into submissions to end the fight quickly. This is another must have Mario Sperry takedown video!


You would love these techniques and will be very very useful in making you a better ground fighter. And now I wanted to share with you one of my favorite ground fighters of all time.
Here's Saulo Ribeiro, Wow! this guy is such an innovator I really like the way he teaches the techniques and how he explains it's every detail step by step. Saulo is one of the world's best competitors, combining both gi and no-gi in the last decade.

Competition titles include:

6 time Gold Medalist - World Jiu-Jitsu Championship: 1996, 97, 98, 99, 2000, and 2002
2 time ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship Champion: 2000, 2003
2 time Gold Medalist - Brazilian National Championships: 1995, 98
2 time Gold Medalist - Rio de Janeiro State BJJ Champion
2 time Arnold Schwarzenegger/Gracie World Submission Champion
No Holds Barred Superfight Champion - The Fightzone


Amazing isn't it? His videos are one of the hottests and slickest ever produced.

Saulo Ribeiro Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 1 & 2

He really revolutionized the ground game and sport Jiu-jitsu. Filled with such amazing techniques and feat of talent from the master innovator himself. I really really recommend these! Saulo speaks loud and clear and the camera angle captures the most important aspects in breaking down the technique. It will take your game to amazing new heights and adding all new advanced material that will blow you away! This series also marks the introduction of yet another set of new, never before seen techniques like the amazing X-Pass and Running Escape. Be the first in your academy to gain these incredible techniques from the 6-Time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu World Champion, Saulo Ribeiro.

Saulo Ribeiro Freestyle Revolution

2-Time Abu Dhabi Submission Grappling World Champion Saulo Ribeiro who delivers the ultimate submission grappling set. Freestyle Revolution continues the legacy as Saulo teaches his complete submission grappling system with all of the techniques and strategies he has used to become one of the most powerful forces in Submission Grappling history! Every position is covered from takedowns to submissions to escapes. A must have for MMA starters!

Moving further, I'd like to introduce the most devastating grappler who had ever set foot in the sport and is considered one of the fastest rising stars of MMA today!

He is Ronaldo "Jacare" Souza from the Amazonias. He has been a perennial top competitor in the sport of BJJ for several years, winning world championships. Known for his quick and athletic submissions he is often called JACARE (Portuguese for the Yacare Caiman, a type of alligator).

Famous in his battles with Roger Gracie (Won via points) and Randy Couture (to a draw). Ronaldo de Souza is one of the top submission wrestlers in the world today and currently has an MMA record of 5-1. He released his only instructional video named:

JACARE

In this limited DVD set, you will learn his winning guard passes, guard techniques, effective sweeps, and devastating submissions. No other fighter in the history of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu has been more dominating in worldwide competitions. Included in this special DVD set are over 2 hours of his fights from the Mundial 2002, Mundial 2003, Mundial 2004, Brasilian Nationals 2004, and Pan-American 2004. Watch as he defeats the top grapplers in the world such as Marcelo Garcia, Roger Gracie, Braulio Estima, and many more.

Surely you will make Jacare one of your favorite fighters out there after knowing his techniques.

And last but not the least in my list of top instructionals and fighters of all time
would be Marcelo Garcia.

He is considered by many to be one of the top jiu-jitsu and submission grappling fighters. Marcelo has five world championship titles in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, two of them as a black belt (in 2004 and 2006). He also has many submission grappling titles, including ones from the prestigious ADCC Submission Wrestling World Championship. At ADCC, Marcelo has won the 66-76 kg division three times in a row (2003/2005/2007), been awarded the most technical fighter twice (2003 and 2007), and won the best fight award in 2005. In 2005, he also finished in third place in the absolute (open weight) division and in 2007 finished second in the absolute division. Wow! what an impressive resume that is.

He has released 4 sets of instructional videos and like Saulo, His innovations had gone to the extreme and thus , makes him "The Most Technical" of grapplers around the planet. In his sets called:

Marcelo Garcia Series 1, 2, 3 & 4

What you will learn on these tapes is that Marcelo Garcia’s techniques are not based on size, strength or superior conditioning. His moves are so unique that most of his opponents are unsure of that to do when fighting him. What Marcelo teaches is the exact strategies and techniques he used to win the 2003 Submission Grappling World Championships.

Closely resembling the way Mario Sperry teaches, Marcelo not only explains in detail each technique, he teaches his complete game from the beginning of the match that leads to these incredible techniques. This allows you to understand what leads up to these moves working in real fighting and sparing. Learn Garcia’s amazing new X-Guard and his brutal Arm Drag technique that allowed to him to take the back of four of his opponents, choking out three of them in the World Championships! You will also see that Marcelo Garcia has reworked many older moves with new variations, making them dangerous new techniques that you will want to learn! This incredible series also shows many of his fight clips during the teaching so you can see him do the move in live action and then watch him teach it.

So far this is my ultimate favorite instructional in my own humble opinion. For additional suggestions, check out Karo Parisyan's Judo for MMA and other videos like Igor Yamikov's Russian Sambo sets.

Ti'l next time folks! Enjoy!