Steve's BJJ Blog

Stephan Kesting of Grapplearts.com is the author of several very well respected DVD instructionals, including the Dynamic Half-Guard. He’s a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and has a very impressive Martial Arts pedigree that includes Kajukenbo and Jeet Kun Do, among other things.

I’ve seen many BJJ instructionals, some better than others, but one thing that they all seem to have in common is that they attack one facet of BJJ in detail. That’s kind of the point. Whether it’s Stephan Kesting’s “High Percentage Leglocks“, Eddie Bravo’s “Mastering the Rubber Guard“, or Josh Barnett’s “Attacking the Guard” DVD, they all zero in on one aspect of the BJJ game. What is immediately unique about the Roadmap for BJj, is that it intentionally avoids this. Instead, it is to provide a framework for learning BJJ, a context within which to place the techniques and reference them when you need them.

That’s the goal, at least. How well does the product do this? I think that has to do with how you learn and how long you’ve been training.

Since the Roadmap for BJJ is such a large product encompassing so many pieces, I’ll start with the bottom line, then a summary of my opinions and impressions of the Roadmap as a whole package, and finally break down my impressions of each piece.

Bottom Line:

The bottom line is that this is a product intended for a specific audience: the beginning BJJ student. As such, if you are a…

New White Belt (equivalent to perhaps a 2 stripe or less), this package will probably be extremely helpful and will provide a framework for learning BJJ that will save you a lot of time and frustration on the mats.

Experienced White Belt, I think that this will still be very helpful, likely to fill in many holes in your game and gaps of understanding, as well as provide details on techniques. (ie, Why doesn’t my armbar from guard work? Oh… I don’t elevate my hips enough!)

Recently Promoted Blue Belt, you might find this product helpful. The benefit will likely be in the form of details and bits of information provided in technical explanations. If you have a weak position, you might be able to pick up some information that will help you round out your game. The meat of this package is the framework, and chances are you’ve already struggled through the conceptual issues explained in The Roadmap the hard way.

Of course, the above is very subjective. We all learn differently.

Overall Summary:

Overall, the product is very well done and I believe that the package as a whole is better than any of the individual pieces. The package comes with a printed version of the e-book, A Roadmap of Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. It also contains an audio version of the same book, a video DVD of the Roadmap system, a DVD entitled Step by Step submissions, some quicktime files on a seperate disk, and a poster. The entire package with descriptions can be found on Grapplearts.com.

The pieces play off of one another. The book, whether in print, online or via the audio CD, provides broad, conceptual information, the Why’s and What’s of BJJ. Combine this with the Step By Step Techniques DVD and you now have the How.

For example, in the Roadmap, one of the basic premises put forth is to learn a limited number of techniques from each position. He doesn’t tell you how to perform any techniques within the roadmap. Instead, he provides easy access to technical instruction through YouTube links, the Ipod/Computer files DVD and the Step by Step Techniques DVD.

If you have been training in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for less than 6 months, I believe that this package is indispensable. Depending upon your individual aptitude and training regime, I think that there is information of value to pick up for any White Belt, regardless of how long you’ve been training. You will easily find enough information to keep you busy and improve your game.

I can see some Blue Belts getting something out of this, although frankly, I found myself nodding in agreement often, but discovering little that I didn’t already know in the basic product. Where I actually did pick up tips and details that were new to me were in the extra products, such as the computer/iPod videos. I’ll go over those in detail a little later.

So, again, I think that it’s important to consider the package as a whole, where the pieces work synergistically to build a better grappler. Bottom line, Stephan Kesting values the product at over $1000. I might not go that high, but I would say that it is well worth the asking price of $197.

The DVD:

The DVD is really the best way to get the conceptual message. The DVD contains demonstrations of the ideas that are being communicated, along with a lot of specific technical instruction.

The DVD is divided into several sections including an introduction and conclusion, as well as lengthy sections specific to each position. For example, the guard section of the DVD is over 30 minutes long.

Each section starts with an overview of the position, for example, a discussion of what Guard is and isn’t and some general information. This is followed by Closed Guard Bottom, including demonstrations of good position, good habits, common mistakes and technical detail. Next are some demonstration of transitions from this position. Closed guard, for example, included a kimura to a hip bump sweep, the scissor sweep, and the flower sweep. And finally, the section concludes with several basic submissions. Not a lot of attention is spent on the submissions. They are clear, but detailed demonstrations are given in another DVD. These would be more like memory joggers. More time is spent on demonstration of the basic transitions than on the submissions, by far.

This pattern is followed through all of the subsequent positions, through guard, half guard, side mount, knee mount, full mount, rear mount, and turtle with approximately 30 minutes given to each position, 15 to top and 15 to bottom.

As I mentioned before, the DVD, like all of the products, is good on its own, but works much better when accompanied by the book.

The Book:

The book is available in three flavors: audio CD, printed book (available only as a part of this package) and an eBook available as a free download if you sign up at BeginningBJJ.com.

All three are helpful in their own way. The first thing I did when I got the package in the mail was to pop the Audio CD in and listen to it on my way to class. After I got over giggling when I heard Stephan say, “What this book is aboot,” I appreciated that it sounds like he hired a professional to record the audio. This is the first time I’ve ever listened to a book on an audio CD, and I have to admit, it’s not my favorite way to go. I kept thinking of long road trips, listening to radio shows on AM radio late at night. I’d rather read it. But that said, if audio books are your thing, or if you’re busy, slam this puppy onto your iPod or in the car. It didn’t put me to sleep or anything.

I will say this, though. If you’re brand new to BJJ, you might not want to make this your first look. I understood every word of it, but there is extensive BJJ jargon used and the illustrations in the printed book, online or on the DVD will be critical.

Step by Step Submissions:

This is a great addition to the package. Kesting goes through each position and details the major submissions. While I could probably find a DVD or video instructional that explains how to do some exotic variation of an anaconda choke, I’m hard pressed to find simple, high quality instructions for the armbar from guard or a correctly done guillotine choke. Once again, these submissions tie in well with the DVD and the book.

If you’re new to BJJ and you’re trying to learn two transitions and to submissions from closed guard, you could do so from this package. For example, the Flower Sweep and Hip Bump Sweep dovetail well with the Armbar from Guard and the Kimura. With those four techniques working together, you’d have some idea of what to do when someone is in your guard.

Other Stuff:

The rest of the package is supplemental. Included are video files of seminars and further details about some of the different positions, as well as a poster that outlines do’s and don’t’s for various submissions.

Conclusion:

Is the product worth over $1000? I don’t think so. It IS, however, well worth the asking price. Once again, the target audience for this package is a beginning BJJ student, so the earlier in your training you get ahold of these materials, the more useful you will find them.