DVD Review: Stephan Kesting - Dynamic Kneebars

tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3919786164378249285.post-34696736065567098842008-02-25T01:33:00.016-05:002008-03-10T05:23:35.792-04:00DVD Review: Stephan Kesting - Dynamic Kneebars<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_B4W9sBcWxP0/R8JhxQuKcBI/AAAAAAAAADY/s3m6HTVOStE/s1600-h/Kneebar-Video-Cover-Large.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 147px; height: 225px;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_B4W9sBcWxP0/R8JhxQuKcBI/AAAAAAAAADY/s3m6HTVOStE/s320/Kneebar-Video-Cover-Large.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5170802821104824338" border="0" /></a>This review examines <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.grapplearts.com/Kneebar-Info.php?sid=">Dynamic Kneebars</a>, a dvd by Stephan Kesting - naturally, this is an instructional completely focused on kneebars. Stephan is a lifelong martial artist based in Burnaby, British Columbia (a suburb of Vancouver in Western Canada) and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu under Marcus Soares. He operates the <a href="http://www.grapplearts.com/">Grapplearts</a> website which carries all of his grappling instructionals and aims to be somewhat of a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu hub with articles on various grappling topics. The kneebar is a submission technique that has been underappreciated in BJJ mainly because there was somewhat of a mindset that leg attacks were somehow 'cheap'. However, in the last decade, as the sport has undergone further development, all types of lower body submissions are an accepted part of grappling, including ankle locks, toe holds, heel hooks, and kneebars. However, even in the present jiu jitsu world, there is still somewhat of a cautious mode of teaching leglocks thoroughly because they are considered more dangerous than other attacks and can lead to injury if the grapplers don't know what they're doing. We're not sure if this caution is warranted, but with this in mind, Stephan's dvd definitely fills a need for grappling students. The dvd is broken down into five main sections: introduction & principles, kneebar entries, counters & recounters, kneebar drills, and strength training. After watching the disc, you can tell that Stephan has tried to capture all of the kneebar relevant knowledge he has gained over the years - he credits Marcus Soares, Erik Paulson, and Oleg Taktarav for being key people he has learned these techniques from. Rather than list all of the techniques included, we have mapped out a chapter-by-chapter pdf that you may find useful if you are considering purchasing this dvd or if you already own it: <a href="http://mmaembrace.googlepages.com/StephanKesting-DynamicKneebars.pdf">CLICK HERE for the pdf map of the techniques on this dvd</a> As you can see, in terms of the depth of discussion around kneebars, this dvd is comprehensive and shows a very broad amount of material. Stephan demonstrates the techniques in an understandable way and he has a stoic teaching manner that focuses on the details that matter. Overall, it is a very straightforward disc that introduces concepts and positions in a logical manner. Although this is a very comprehensive dvd, at times the presentation felt a bit encyclopedic, and more like reference material than an instructional. Stephan points out that it is up to the individual to determine which moves work best for them, but perhaps the dvd would have benefited from discussion of what Stephan felt were the highest percentage techniques. Further, since there were several setups from the top half guard, we would have liked to see some commentary on how the lockdown would limit these setups, given that fewer and fewer people these days are using loose half guards from the bottom. In terms of production, thankfully we should note that this is one of the rare grappling related instructionals available in the market that actually has an extensive and logically organized chapter menu. The audio and video quality are fine - not outstanding by any means, but are adequate, although the viewer should know that the action shots demonstrating moves in real competition are shot in somewhat of an amateurish fashion. We liked that techniques were presented in full speed where appropriate, although we would have like to have seen this dvd make use of multiple angles and more professional sound (however, this is a suggestion we have for the majority of the grappling instructionals in the marketplace, not only this dvd) Overall, we think <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.grapplearts.com/Kneebar-Info.php?sid=">Dynamic Kneebars</a> is a good dvd which would we could recommend as a welcome addition to grapplers looking to add kneebars to their game, since particularly, as mentioned earlier, there are fewer available sources on kneebars in comparison with other techniques. The dvd is not going to blow anyone away, but certainly has worthwhile material. It is priced at on the high end of similar Brazilian Jiu Jitsu dvds at $44.95, but it is twice the length (approximately 90 minutes) of the majority of instructionals in the marketplace so perhaps it is not an unreasonable price. For further information on purchasing this dvd instructional, and to check out other dvds at Grapplearts, check out the product page on Stephan Kesting's website <a href="http://www.grapplearts.com/Grappling-Videos-DVDs.php?sid=">[click here for the link]</a> Enjoy it.(Editor) MMAembracehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17317469120358306281noreply@blogger.com