When it comes to instructionals, there are usually two major subcategories that arise: 1. Encyclopedic- including the macro every move under the sun as well as the micro/position specific instructional and 2. Game specific- where the player tries to give insight into why his/her jiu-jitsu works so well. However, sometimes the dividing line between these subcategories becomes hazy and this is definitely the case with the recently released Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Vol. 1 and Cobra Jiu-Jitsu 2 instructionals by Bull Terrier out of Japan.

First off, let’s learn a little about Ruben Charles and why these instructionals are going to be of such interest for so many practitioners. To talk about Rubens is so to talk about the famous and now defunct TT School. As a student/blackbelt under Fernando “Terere” Augosto and Eduardo Telles as well as a classmate to Andre Galvao, Rubens has been fortunate to train under some of the most popular and sought after instructors. With the collapse of TT and lack of instruction from Galvao or Terere, this set along with the Eduardo Telles Turtle Guard is pretty much all that is available to get an insight into the techniques of TT. With that said, Charles has also blossomed into an international BJJ star in his own right with dominating victories at the Mundials in which he became a world champion by convincingly defeating Marcio Feitosa and chasing this with a Pan American title as well. His style most closely mirrors that of Fernando Terere in his use of hooks, capoeira infused athleticism (he is an instructor level in capoeira as well), uncanny sensitivity, and transition.

Regarding the instructional, this is a 2 volume set (Rubens Charles I and Cobra Jiu-Jitsu II) that is filmed entirely in Japan. The language track is Portuguese only with Japanese subtitles, so if you have a problem with visual learning this may not be the set for you. Each disc retails at 39.95 and consists of over 50 moves per disc. Both volumes consist of techniques, interview (once again Portuguese only), sparring footage, and class footage. The class time includes warmups, drills, Swedish Ball techniques, and a capoeira demo. It should be noted that the class and sparring footage is filmed on a different camera and due to lighting and resolution the visual quality suffers a little bit compared to the instructional footage. However, the issue is a minor one when you consider how enjoyable these segments are.

The content of these DVDs is superb, but may not be for everyone. Foremost, it is a non-English import DVD (don’t worry - it works fine on Region 1 players) and some people will not be able to learn visually or understand the language. As far as techniques the movements include a lot of transitions and again this may be alien to some viewers. What we do get with these DVDs are some of the most advanced techniques I have seen; some complex and some simple. Here are some of my personal favorites:

For the Andre Galvao fan: Cobrinha goes through several moves with the leg lasso from spider guard that Galvao has made famous in competition, Arte Suave vol. 1 (where he is partnered with Cobrinha), and in his segment at TT Academy on BJJ Spirits. The lifting sweeps from the leg lasso are incredible.

The Terere fan: Most of the transitioning techniques are very similar to what you may have seen Terere accomplishing in competition, especially Charles’ back taking moves, guard pass transitions, and hook guard techniques. Both Charles and Terere have a great ability to sweep off being flattened with their hooks in. It is a position that most end up in and get passed, yet these guys manage to sweep and for that alone I think these techniques are incredible. Not to mention, there is no Galvao or Terere instructionals- this is the only way to see their techs.

The Marcelo Garcia fan: As an Alliance lineage black belt (and present student of Fabio Gurgel), there are a lot of comonalities between Cobrinha’s attacks and Garcia’s. On Volume 1, Cobrinha goes in depth on what Garcia now calls the monoplata and he shows how he attacks it from a myriad of positions. You can often see Gavlao, Charles, and Garcia working this with great success in competition. In addition, both volumes include guard passing and harness strategies that look very similar to Marcelo’s game as well.

In addition, there are similarities to Telles’s Octopus game in a couple of moves and Leo Vieira’s movement based guard passing throughout the DVDs. One of my favorite things about the guard passing is that he puts moves together so that you do 2 or 3 passes to get the pass and it is all about drilling for your opponents reaction. There is so much on these DVDs and most of it I have not seen anywhere else.

Who should get this? Anyone looking to add transitions to their game that do not mind a language barrier. The moves range from intermediate to advanced, but more often than not lean towards the advanced end of the spectrum. In a recent interview, Rigan Machado spoke of the importance to train yourself in transitions and Cobrinha looks like living proof of this sentiment.

Asides from transitions, this is a collection of the current most advanced competition techniques out there. Almost every position is covered (with the exception of escapes) and these two volumes have a lot of great new content.

What I did not like? Some of the moves are very advanced and you will need some attributes to stand on your head or to do some of the rolls. Also, some of the moves may not be high percentage, but they are pure jiu-jitsu entertainment. On that entertainment value alone, I would recommend this to everyone.

So, if you are interested in some high level movement based BJJ (or at least watching it) you will love Rubens “Cobrinha” Charles Jiu- Jitsu Volume 1 and Cobra Jiu-Jitsu Volume 2. Both fit together perfectly to show a gameplan and are encyclopedic in their scope of covering modern competitive jiu-jitsu.

When I first thought of the idea of showcasing a certain athlete and his material, Rigan Machado was the first person to come to mind. The reason is simple… Rigan has a ton of knowledge, experience, and product both written and video from multiple publishers, therefore he was a prime candidate for the Essential Series. In addition, Rigan is respected as one of the greatest BJJ practitioners of his era and is also one of the five famous Machado brothers of jiu-jitsu.

Now, let’s establish the purpose of the Essential Series. Basically, the role of the ES is to take an extraordinary martial artist and discuss the pros and cons of their entire curriculum. This will be top down, so there will be a Top 3, following by the rest of the media in no particular order. With these guidelines established, here is the Essential Rigan Machado.

1. Rigan Machado’s Triangle- This is one of the most underrated books out there. When I hear of popular titles, they are usually Kid Peligro or Victory Belt related, but this book really flies under the radar and is packed with content. Triangle stands out for a few reasons. First of all, it is the only BJJ book that I am aware of that solely and deeply delves into the finer intricacies of the triangle choke. Secondly, it was originally packaged with a DVD that was worth the cost of the book alone, featuring chokes and competition highlights. And finally, it captured a lot of interesting variations and detail that Rigan is known for.

Its cons are that it could have used some more writing in areas and that it’s a little too large for my bookcase (I know this is trivial). The warmups were okay, but they felt a little tacked on and lacked the importance of the following chapters. Also, some editions do not include the DVD instructional and as I said earlier, this is a great DVD that can only get your triangle attacks stronger.

To begin the Top 3, Rigan Machado’s Triangle takes top honors for being unique and one of a kind, focused, and consistant in the ability to focus the readers game towards some practical applications.

2. Rigan Machado: The Art of Passing Volume 1- Not only is this Rigan’s best DVD release to date, but it is probably one of the best instructional on gi less guard passing that you will find anywhere. In this basic volume, Rigan takes you through the fundamentals of passing the gi less guard and the detail is great. Actually, what I liked most about this set is how Rigan simplified what the passing game is and then showcased some very solid principles of passing to assist in the aquisition of passing skill. Another favorite is how Rigan forces the opponent to react and then passes off of the proper trained response; I found to this be very savy and technical. I am looking forward to seeing whats on Vol. 2.

The only real con that I could see with the content is that some people may be looking for more passes, but as a first volume, I can only assume that more is on the way. Other than that, the moves on this DVD are coherent and I love how Rigan manages to turn anything into a drill - this is itself is of incredible value.

3. No Gi Submission Wrestling Vol. 1-3- This DVD is kind of a mixed bag for me. On the one hand it does include a lot of great no-gi techniques, but it is more encyclopedic and it lacks the feel of the previous two instructionals. What this series does great is capture the pool of knowledge that Rigan has on submission wrestling. Some highlights for me are Rigan’s take on the twister, transition footlocks, roll overs from foot control, and everything regarding the underhook. There is some fantastic information on here.

As a negative, the structure and DVD format leaves a lot to be desired. It is hard to watch some DVDs that have chapter issues (or lack of) with poor opening structures and menus. This is issue is also present on Rigan’s Mastering, Essential, and Secrets of the 1/2 Guard Series‘.

Honorable Mention:

The Secrets of the 1/2 Guard- This set is actually really good and Rigan’s halfguard operates a lot differently from the current paradigm as popularized by Eddie Bravo in his Mastering the Rubber Guard book. Rigan plays a lot with lapels and overhooks and this series serves as a great compliment to the Bravo book and other great halfguard instructionals like Gordo’s and Gustavo Machado’s. Unfortunately, the organization is lacking and the producer failed to create a chaptering system that could only have assisted in the viewing of the DVD. Still, there are moves on here that I had never seen prior to this.

Now, on to the rest…

Encyclopedia of BJJ Vol.1-3, Essence of BJJ, and Rigan Machado’s Leglocks- The Encyclopedia books are filled with a vast amount of techniques and this is the quintessential tome of Rigan’s knowledge. Reading this three book series, it is just incredible to see how many techniques Rigan knows intimately. What stops this book series from surging towards the top are the black and white photographs and the horrid organization without any clear chaptering, move list, or index. The reader should not have to skim through Guard Passes 1-50 (I know it is an exaggeration) to find the torreando - just call it the torreando! With that said, I can guarantee that everyone can find something new or forgotten in this set and that in itself makes it valuable.

The Essence of BJJ and Encyclopedia of Leglocks books just feel a lot more lacking than the first Encyclopedia Books. The Essence of BJJ is essentially a bare bones Book Series with an equally shallow DVD series with abyssmal video quality to accompany it. I would not recommend these to anyone pass a beginner with absolutely no knowledge of BJJ, but in that case I would probably recommend the Royler and Renzo Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu book instead. The Leglocks Book is hindered by grainy photographs and short explanations, although there are some great moves in here. For the leglock enthusiast- you might pick this up because of the lack of other leglock books on the market, but I would go for the Yakimov Leg Lock DVDs and perhaps the Imanari DVD for some truly exciting leg attacks. One thing is for certain, the market is right for a good leglock book to be introduced.

Mastering Jiu-Jitsu Series- This is a 3 Disc Set in which Rigan delves into the 1/2 Guard, Chokes, and Leglocks. A lot of the moves are seen in other instructionals, so I did not really get into the groove of these DVDs. The production is a lot better than the Essence of BJJ series, but once again the chapters are lacking and the DVDs run like one big long shot. This should not be the case and unfortunately it interferes with the viewability of the product. Perhaps they should have focused more on the halfguard DVD and created it more as an addendum to Rigan’s Secrets of the Halfguard.

After watching so much of Rigan Machado, one thing is for certain- this man is a veritable encycopedia of BJJ. As a walking encyclopedia, I feel that Rigan is best utilized when his focus is micro, so that he can pour all of his knowledge and detail onto one fine tuned topic. The result of which are products like the Top 2 and Secrets of the 1/2 Guard, focused and full of details that many would never get to see.

Next up for the ES series? The Essential Mario Sperry.

Happy Training,
Kevin