Mario Sperry - Secrets of Submission grappling,
Review by Ubik 8 March 2001
OK, first off this series will not teach you arm bars or leg locks - it assumes you are already a competent grappler. The whole emphasis is on submission grappling strategies and techniques. Basically Mario chains a whole series of moves, counters and submissions which together form a system for competing (and winning) in an Abu Dhabi rules submission wrestling event. At all times he takes into consideration points, and how to maximise them throughout the match - this is simply because he reckons only around 20% of this style of competition finish with a sub.
I know some people slate Mario for not finishing, but lets be fair wins by sub are rare in Abu Dhabi and I think Mario gets just as many subs as anyone else. Don't forget, not only is Mario undefeated at Abu Dhabi - he has never had a point scored against him. The main difference between these and the Vale Tudo tapes is, as he points out, you cannot set-up submissions with strikes - most of the positions and submissions are the same but the set-ups have to be altered and this is what he focuses on. Each tape is around 45 minutes long.
Tape 1 - Takedowns If you want to learn no-gi takedowns then get the USA wrestling syllabus, if you want to learn what to do and what not to do in a submission grappling situation then this is the tape for you. The importance of levelling and guillotines is explained here. Basically it comes down to this - if youāre up against an excellent wrestler you are going down, if you jump to your guard you loose points (its a takedown) but if you attempt a sub (guillotine) then you don't. Here teaches several techniques in combinations in the format of, "if he does this - then move on to this move". Far more "flowing" than his VT series of tapes. Itās all good common sense stuff here and more importantly useable - I learnt a lot of techniques here. Moves aren't taught in isolation - they are a direct response to the opponent countering your technique. There is a lot of useful information on guillotines and counters to sprawls. I think this tape is useful for understanding how to adapt your wrestling to this style of event, but you won't learn to wrestle from this tape.
Tape 2 - Guard Passing More simple common sense stuff - watching this will refine and add a more "scientific" basis to what you know - hopefully preventing you from making mistakes. In the past I have been taught guard passes but never really thought how they worked, here Mario explains the importance of preventing the opponent escaping his hips. Though like his VT series some moves will not work for you unless you are as big and strong as Mario Sperry. He even covers the cartwheel guard pass and how to do it properly - excellent! Again the passes are taught to be used in a flowing manner moving from one to the next. Mario's main virtue as a teacher isn't the techniques (you should know the basics already) its how to win and how to put things together. Here covers both standing and kneeling guard passes.
Tape 3 - Strategies from the top This is where the points mentality comes into play - for example why get mount which is relatively easy to escape when you can keep passing half guard for points. More guard passes and submissions from the top. All good stuff - this is far more acrobatic and experimental than the VT series (obviously, as you don't have to worry about getting your face kicked in). He covers more guard passes (including half guard) and how to set-up submissions from sidecontrol, again like in all the other tapes he teaches what happens if, he doesn't take the bait, or he's stronger etc.
Tape 4 - Strategies from the bottom pt 1 Aha - here it is! Everything seems to revolve around using a guard with both feet inside the opponent's thighs (I believe this is called the butterfly guard in ju-jitsu - but I could be wrong). Lots of sweeps and moves from sweeps to submissions are covered here. This is the aspect of submission grappling that I knew the least about - I could criticise Mario's other tape series for not covering enough defence - but here he uses the bottom position to good effect. Always looking to win points and position - not just escape (and give up points). This tape deals exclusively with the attacker being on their knees, and provides a complete system of guard work, nearly every eventuality seems to be covered.
Tape 5 - Strategies from the bottom pt 2 This is equivalent of Tape 4 but with the opponent standing, mainly takedowns to submissions. I have seen several of these moves on other tape sets but only presented in this format with lots of options for each position does it really seem to come together. At the end of the tape he also covers bits he may of overlooked in the rest of the tapes - one useful tip was from the guard never let him get his arms behind your head - this will prevent him from passing, and also some easy escapes from other guard passes.
Tape 6 - Points winning strategies Here he explains the Abu Dhabi points system, and how to make the most out of it. Simple enough.
Conclusion - Overall a very good tape set - it will definitely help my game - you will not learn these moves and strategies on any other tape set! This is not VT and it is not BJJ - this is the only real competition submission grappling tape set I am aware of. If this is what you want to compete in then this is the tape set for you - It is not about loads of funky new submission moves - it how to win in submission grappling. Not really recommended for beginners - you need to know your grappling 101 before you look into this otherwise you will be a bit lost.
The only problems are - it's not as funny as the VT series, though he still calls locks chokes. Every move is shown at least twice, this is only warranted 50% of the time - though at least there are no slow motion replays. There is no competition footage like in the previous tape sets, which is a shame. But it is better laid out than the VT series and looks more like a complete system.
Overall better than his VT series - though only applicable to submission wrestling (there is nothing for VT fighters here).
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