Mastering the Open Guard with Tinguinha…
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
Tags: Jiu-Jitsu Book Instructionals
