The production values and packaging for this 2 DVD set are very good. The whole package has a nice clean Zen aesthetic that sets it apart from a lot of other videos. The first DVD opens with Roy sharing some of his philosophy on Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and it is nice to get a feeling about where he is coming from.
Disk 1 covers a few Escapes, Submissions, and Guard Passes. The techniques are required for obtaining blue belt in the Roy Dean Academy. Overall the techniques are pretty good and Dean does a nice job of showing each movement from multiple angles. There isn’t a lot of discussion about when and where to use the various techniques, and there are not a lot of details provided.
One curious inclusion is the various leg locks including heel hook, straight foot lock, toe press, and knee bar. Dean is a student of Roy Harris who has an extensive Sambo background and so the surprise isn’t the leg locks, but the fact that they are required for white belts. These moves take some sensitivity to avoid hurting your training partner and so are not practiced by a lot of beginners. Dean does say to work on guard passes instead of just trying to submit people with the leg locks.
Disk 2 starts with a discussion of Ukemi, or falling skills, which Dean brings to BJJ from his Akido background. He does a very nice detailed job of instructing here and this is a topic that is only covered in a basic way in many BJJ schools.
The next chapter covers takedowns and throws where Dean mixes some various techniques from Judo, Wrestling, and Jiu-Jitsu. Roy states that he is not a wrestling expert, and this isn’t his strongest section of technique although it covers a lot of ground.
Next, Dean covers some BJJ philosophy that will be very, very helpful to beginners. This is probably the most valuable part of the video set and will go a long way towards helping advance a new white belt’s game. The DVD set ends with some blue belt tests and competition footage which are fun to watch.
