Jiu-Jitsu University Author: Visit Amazon's Saulo Ribeiro Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0981504434 | Format: PDF
Jiu-Jitsu University Description
About the Author
Saulo Ribeiro is a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu champion. Ribeiro, along with his jiu-jitsu achievements, is a lawyer and judge and now head instructor at the world-famous University of Jiu-Jitsu based in San Diego, CA.
Kevin Howell is a political science professor based in Huntington Beach, CA. He holds a brown belt in judo and a purple belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.
- Paperback: 368 pages
- Publisher: Victory Belt Publishing (November 17, 2008)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0981504434
- ISBN-13: 978-0981504438
- Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.9 inches
- Shipping Weight: 3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
This is a fairly comprehensive survey of the basics, covered in a belt-by-belt perspective. The photographic quality is emblematic of the new style of MA tutorials, with clear pictures, and techniques portrayed from multiple perspectives in a top-down, linear fashion. It's the same style used in Couture's "Wrestling for Fighting" and several other recent works.
There are scads of GJJ books on the market, so I will only cover what makes this one different from the rest. One noticeable difference is in the belt pedagogy. In the Gracie books, the techniques assigned to belt levels (if at all) are often apparently randomly selected and organized. Ribeiro, on the other hand, assigns a principle goal of each belt, and then organizes techniques in accordance with the goal. The main thing to realize is that many (most?) classes put defensive techniques and offensive techniquest together at each belt level, with proficiency, as well as learning some advanced techniques, being the key to getting the belt. Ribeiro, on the other hand, groups like techniques. Therefore, the reader's class will likely be out-of-step with this book. Ribeiro is presenting a pedagogy, not an encylopedia of techniques, so if you're considering this book, keep that in mind.
Amazon won't let you see the TOC yet, so I will break the chapters down.
White belt: The goal is "survival," which seems completely reasonable to me, at least as a focus. This chapter covers the correct positions to attain and to hold while you're under another player's mount (top, side, back, etc.). Ribeiro lists the mistakes he thinks players typically make when defending against submissions in these positions, and some of his techniques are slightly different from what I've seen taught elsewhere.
I have not much basis of comparison with other bjj books, however, I have seen plenty of instructionals and done my share of googling.
The thing I love about this book is Saulo's core premise - get good at defense first. In fact, get good at knowing what to do in the very worst positions first (e.g. under mount, under side control, under knee on belly, etc). After you know how to survive under those positions, learn how to escape. After you know how to escape those, learn what to do from guard (the best of the worst positions). After you know what to do from guard, learn how to pass it. After you can laze around all day in a superior position, learn how to submit. Hell, as long as you have dominant position and can hold it, you will win on points. In a real fight, you would be pounding on your opponent anyway, requiring little real finesse.
I came to this realization very early in my bjj career - I hated being smothered, I hated that it was difficult to escape, so it was crucial to learn how to escape. I did not even make the connection that there were survival skills to learn (e.g. what SR covers in his white belt section, or how to not get submitted while under dominant positions and spend minimum energy doing so) other than escapes. But now thanks to this book I realize that these skills have a fundamental importance - even more so than escapes. So it is gratifying to read something from a several time world champion who says basically the same thing, and extends my understanding.
Get good at the defense, and you will be like one of those weighted punching balloon dolls, always somehow rising to the top, causing your opponent endless frustration and demoralization.
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