Flow Jitsu Review – BJJ Instructional
I’ll begin this review by stating that as I’ve gotten deeper into my study of Jiu-Jitsu, I have started to become more and more attracted to instructionals that talk more about strategy, principals, and choices. This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the specific mechanics of the newest inverted reverse worm guard berimbolo. However, at some point, I think it’s imperative to understand the principals beyond an intellectual level into a subconsciously physical level.
What I like about Flow Jitsu, is that while Mike has some creative iterations of techniques we already know, he talks about the principals of the technique, as he learned it, and how his new expression of them is a personal choice for a specific outcome that fits into his game. So, even if I never use any of the techniques in this instructional, I have added a new dimension to the decision making framework that is building my Jiu-Jitsu. Don’t trip though, I am a fan of the wizardry and will definitely be using a choke or two from his arsenal. You’ll likely see it on my instagram when I can find an eager uke. 😉
From a bird’s eye view, Mike takes a hip-bump sweep and takes you through an array of sweeps and finishes. He shows you how to branch of the hip-bump sweep to finish from guard, the mount, and the back. The big lesson to take from this instructional is his approach to linking techniques. You know that tip that nearly every bjj blog/article maintains is the key to earn your purple belt? Well, this is a very good representation of how to do so in a very methodical manner.
Content & Organization
The digital download is broken down into the following sections.
Module 1 – Outside Kimura / Double Wrist Lock Sweep
Module 2 – Inside Kimura / Double Wrist Lock Sweep
Module 3 – Kimura / Double Wrist Lock Sweep Counters
Module 4 – Linking Your Sweeps & Setups
Module 5 – Setting up the Americana / Key Lock
Module 6 – Americana / Key Lock to Gift Wrap aka Peek A Boo
Production Quality
The quality of the video and audio are top notch. In 2016, you have no excuses for putting out crappy quality. Flow Jitsu uses mostly one angle with sporadic zooming in and extra angles when appropriate, but it does not insist on multiples angles where it is not helpful.
My only criticism is that the digital download is essentially one long video. Bookmarking certain parts or moving between modules is cumbersome, because you have to scroll the video until you see a recognizable frame.
Lecture Style
We can all relate to the cliche of the bjj instructional that starts with, and is frequently interrupted by a, “okay guys.” In their defense, I can barely communicate Jiu-Jitsu concepts in English and they’re doing it in a language that is foreign to them. But, we still make make fun of them, because we are jerks of course. Anyway, on the spectrum of concise to verbose, Mike leans much more to concise communication. This is my preference, as time is money. Mike will sporadically elaborate on a concept here and there, such as “angular momentum” in order to illustrate a point, but he doesn’t waste your time with stories of his luta livre days.
This is no talking heads type of instructional. He speaks as he demonstrates.
Who Should Buy This?
I wouldn’t advise a white belt to buy this instructional. You have bigger fish to fry. I think this instructional is perfect for the mid-level blue belt all the way to the rookie brown belt. For the rookies, this instructional does provide some good techniques, and, likely, a new expression of something you should already be pretty familiar with. For the gray beards, you can enjoy looking into the mind and game of someone who is more experienced than you, but is still enjoys experimenting and creating nuances within his game.
Watching this instructional gave me ideas to branch off on my own, as well as some nifty tricks to try when rolling. Mike has an arsenal of tricky setups and variations to keep you entertained for a while.
If you like his content on instagram, you’ll definitely want to buy this.
Closing Thoughts
If you follow Mike on instagram, you know that he preaches the concept of flow. And, in this instructional, he practices what he preaches and teaches you how to do it too. His theory on angular momentum, while not entirely new, is explained in a way that makes perfect sense and prompts some thought about other avenues in which you can insert that line of thinking. I enjoyed this instructional both for the techniques, but also for the principles that he stresses. I believe the best Jiu-Jitsu is adaptive and responsive; this is a good representation of that.
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Where & How to Buy
Buy it here and use ruben10 as your promotional code to get 10% off.