One of the most common questions I get from my students is what instructionals I like and recommend. The first thing to realize is that the instructional market has exploded and everyone has a series out there (of varying qualities).
So how do I decide what to watch and what not to watch? I have a few different criteria that I use to sort whether or not the instructional is more “NEED TO WATCH THIS ASAP” or “WHEN I GET A CHANCE”.
First, I always look at the credentials of the individual OR the team they have produced. Competition credentials don’t necessarily translate over to teaching ability (or the quality of the production company) BUT the best stuff is usually put out by the best guys; whether its because they have been brought up in good coaching environments or just because they got a good producer – who knows. In terms of the instructor’s team, why would I want to be coached/taught from a guy who hasn’t brought up the students he sees on a daily basis?
Second, I shy away from instructionals that are put out with buzzwords in the titles put out by a grappler not related to the buzzword. For example, when Telles was starting to get noticed on the internet boards, someone came out with a Turtle guard DVD. When Ryan Hall did the same thing, someone came out with a “Tornado Guard” DVD. Now that Demian Maia’s Science of Jiu-Jitsu DVD series are so popular, there are at least a few other “Science” of “Concepts” titled books out there. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery but I always prefered to learn from the originators.
Finally, there are a few companies that generally put out good DVDs. I like World Martial Arts and Paul Viele’s stuff (www.groundfighter.com) and I like the Japanese single DVD instructionals that are found on www.budovideos.com. They have produced single DVD instructionals of Cobrinha (2 vols), Bruno Frazatto, and Lucas Lepri, all which have been very good (although maybe not for beginners since the instruction is in either Japanese or Portuguese).
