In Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, the turtle historically has been seen as a conduit to either recovering guard or getting your guard passed (or possibly being submitted). However, over the last few years a lot of these views have changed as the turtle has become an offensive staging ground for sweeps, reversals, and even some submissions. While some have been slow to accept this changing paradigm shift about the turtle, others have embraced the unique aspects of this game. Nowhere else is this change so obvious than in the two Turtle specific volumes by Josh Russell and Eduardo Telles. Following is a cross comparison review of both instructionals where there can only be one winner and it isn’t the hare.

The Turtle Guard by Josh Russell- Seeing as this was the first Turtle DVD to be produced, it should definitely be the first one to go under the microscope. Russell, a Canadian black belt from Gracie Barra, discusses his involvement with the turtle though necessity as he outlines defense, reversals, and attacks from the turtle. Although the production quality leaves a lot to be desired, it is crystal clear that this material is more than unique as Josh showcases several defenses and maneuvers that you will not see anywhere else.

Who should get this: Like the following set, anyone with an interest in learning how to escape, survive, and reverse the turtle. Although I am not a huge fan of the production value, the moves are very unique and I think most people could benefit from integrating some of these drills into your warm-ups and flow rolling sessions. In addition, this instructional is about 1/3 the cost of the Telles instructional, so it may be a better choice for some economic minded buyers.

The Turtle/Octopus Guard by Eduardo Telles- Although Josh provides some valuable insight and I am sure he is a technical and skilled turtle guard practitioner, Eduardo Telles is the Turtle King. Or should I say Ninja Turtle? No one else has epitomized the positon as well as the changing paradigm from defensive turtle to turtle guard than Eduardo Telles. In this five volume instructional, Telles outlines his entire turtle game in grand fashion. As a production, Telles’ instructional is on a hole new level from that of Josh’s, but it is the depth of content that really separates the two.

As a content rich instructional, Telles’ set is definitely one of my personal favorites. He begins with his turtle guard basics and he shows everything from survival apects to defense of specific back taking techniques to some of the most enjoyable sparring drills I have ever done. Next up are two Sweeps volumes that encompass sweeps that originate from both the turtle and Telles’ loose version of the sitting guard. He shows how he transitions in and out of this guard and how he sweeps just about everyone with his relaxed style. Following this is a submissions volume with some of the sneakiest subs I have seen, and they have to be sneaky to be coming from this position! Finally, Telles includes a submission wrestling volume on a position he has coined as the octopus guard, which is both strange and exhilarating in its approach. Needless to say, it just is not possible for Russell’s instructional to match the depth of Telles’ with the amount of techniques and instruction time present throughout this DVD set.

Who should get this: Obvious Turtle fans will need to pick up this instructional. It really is the quintessential Turtle instructional and it has just about everything you need to learn and start playing with this unique position. If you want to learn the turtle from the master, go with Telles.

While it may seem that the Telles vastly overshadows Russell’s instructional, that really is not the case. Both are actually great together as a companion sets. Russell shows some crafty escapes by posting on his head and walking around the guy on top (who is trying to jump over to take his back) that are not on the Telles set. Obviously, the Telles set has moves and details that are not on the Russell set either. If you can afford both of them, I think that together they provide a rich view of the position.

For those that have seen the both sets and are ready for a different perspective, you can also check out Saulo Ribeiro’s Jiu-Jitsu Revolution 2 and The Turtle Volume he has included in that set. I would recommend this DVD just as highly as these two, but it is only one volume in a set of six.

Happy Training,
Kevin

Mauricio “Tinguinha” Mariano has done a lot of work for you. Besides playing a large role in the creation of many of the modern open guard moves while a student at the Gracie Barra Academy in Rio, he has also laid them all out for the benefit of everyone. In Tinguinha’s widely popular Ultimate Open Guard Series, Tinguinha takes all levels of practitioners through the Spider Guard, Sitting Up Guard, and Cross Guard, and later he puts them all together in one of the most dynamic volumes to date- The Extreme Open Guard. So, with all of the hype in place, let’s take a look at this series and decide once and for all of this is the Ultimate Open Guard Series.

The Spider Guard- To start off, I really believe that this is the best overall spider guard DVD on the market. Although there are other DVDs that show amazing spider guard concepts like the Braulio Estima instructional, this is the only set that only delves into the spider guard material at such an in depth level. Like all of the following DVDs, the core of the material is shown as follows: Establishing the position against different postures, controlling the position, and then basic sweeps followed by advanced reversals and submissions. In the spider guard instructional, the core material is followed by passing the spider guard and in the new special edition, preventing the spider guard passes. The production value is very high with clean camera work and a nice tight angle to see all of the action.

Cons: I have head that some of these moves are too independent and that there is not enough of a gameplan present in the instructional. Actually, I would disagree slightly. I think the DVD is laid out as a “collection of moves”, but he does provide valuable insight that when viewed as a whole presents a very illuminating gameplan for this tricky guard. Instead of a step by step gameplan, you get an in depth portrait of how the spider guard works, from here you can as many games as you want.

Personal Favorite Moments: I loved everything about this set, but my favorite had to be the drills and the helicopter sweeps. Although I’m not great at the move, it is just poetry in motion and who better to watch teach in than Tinguinha. Pick up this DVD if you have even in a passing interest in the Spider Guard.

The Cross Guard: Of Tinguinha’s three core guard DVDs (the third being more macro in scope), this is my personal favorite, but maybe that is because I love to use the cross grip guard. This is a guard that is built for gi sweeps and submissions and Tinguinha takes you through just about every possible variation and technique from the guard.

Also, many try to compare this DVD to Pe de Pano cross guard section from his instructional, but really I think the two really compliment each other more than anything. My view is that Pe de Pano, being the king of the cross guard, does a wonderful job of bringing the viewer to the inside of his competition strategy for using the cross grip. Tinguinha, on the on the other hand, once again provides a detailed survey of the position that really deals with the ins and outs of the position. Both are great and if you have them together, you have just about all that you need for this position.

Cons: As with all of these guard specific DVDs, if you do not like this guard, you probably won’t have any interest in viewing it, but there are some pearls in here for doubters. First of all, this is a competition oriented guard that everyone should have a firm understanding of just for the inevitable time you run into it. Also, Tinguinha has included his Countering the Spider Guard Pass section that is great for guard players who have to face the tough passers in class. The only other problem I see is that someone should have told Tinguinha and his partner not to wear the same colored gis, the blue on blue is not the best for viewing.

Favorite Moments: The drills in this set are probably some of my favorites to actually use as a warmup, but I really took a lot of value from how Tinguinha treats us to the basic cross grip to omoplata to cross grip sweep. He shows so many details and how he deals with different postures really has to be seen by everybody. Once again, this is a must have disc and it is a great compliment to the Pe de Pano set.

The Sitting Up Guard: Of all of Tinguinha’s guard specific instructionals this is probably my least favorite. Although I think it is a fine product with more high points than low, I just feel that this is a guard position that is also covered in depth in a multitude of other products. That being said, this instructional does keep up the integrity of the set by providing a detailed view of the position and you would be hard pressed to find someone who actually does not like this instructional.

Cons: As an instructional, the material once again is great, but Tinguinha falls into his trap once more of using the same colored gi as his partner. Unfortunately, this is the worst perpitrator because both are wearing black gis, and two guys in black plus shadowing makes detail very hard to discern from time to time. With that out of the way, the only other con is that there are a lot of other great products on the Sitting or Butterfly guards. Though I do not think any necessarily do a greater job than Tinguinha, they do have different approaches and sweeping techniques. Some of these include Stephen Kesting’s Butterfly and X-Guard or any of Marcelo Garcia’s Guard DVDs.

Favorite Moments: Any of Tinguinha’s submissions from the sitting guard. I love to see people pull triangles and armlocks from this position and this DVD is a great to place to go for some instruction on these. If you can get these down, you have definitely gotten a huge value out of this instructional.

The Extreme Open Guard: If you look at all four of Tinguinha’s DVDs collectively, this one is the most dynamic and therefore it is also my hands down favorite. In this instructional you can really tell that Tinguinha tried to think outside of the box and provide an instructional that really teaches you how to integrate all forms of guard into one effective platform. Everything about this DVD is top notch and I really cannot find too much room for criticism. In Extreme Open Guard, Tinguinha shows everything about making your guard a complete hassle for the passer, drills, specific guard pass counters and defenses, crazy sweeps and submissions, and the ever so important transitions between guards.

Cons: Some people ma find this DVD overwhelming, but it really is all that you need to integrate a complete guard game into your arsenal. The only real complaint may be that the information tends to lean towards the advanced end of the spectrum and this material is incredibly useful at the highest level of blue belt and beyond. There is a lot here.

Favorite Moments: First of all, I will watch any DVD that teaches me how to defend the guard and this one is no different. The escapes and strategies work perfectly into Tinguinha’s game plan and I love how Tinguinha highlights how to sweep passing opponents. This is jiu-jitsu philosophy in motion! Also, every single inter-guard transition is solid gold. Tinguinha deftly shows the symbiotic nature of different guards and he does an expert job of showing how to flow in and out of all guards to create a complete dynamic game.

Happy Training,
Kevin