Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Well I have got to emphatically state that the wonderful people who produced this and the Ultimate Krav Maga DVDs, really are above and beyond when it comes to customer service. I recently received this DVD and was thrilled by not only the speed of shipping, but also the care in which they took to make sure that I was one of the first people to receive this newest addition to the Ultimate Krav Maga DVDs series.
I just finished watching both discs about an hour ago and am now tickling the keys on the keyboard in order to give you my thoughts on the contents contained in this two-disc advanced set, which by the way builds upon everything you would have learned in the first set in the series, and is the first of a several volume advanced series that will be released over the next few years.
Now before I actually get into the nuts and bolts of the contents of these two-discs, let me first say that I especially liked the care they took in packaging this DVD set as it is a two-disc set and that automatically lends itself to the possibility of one or more of the discs being damaged during shipping. This can be easily remedied and was done so once again with this set. In between the two-discs, which be the way were securely fastened to their center holding clips on each side of the jewel case, was a piece of Styrofoam padding to make the discs more secure and less likely to become dislodged during shipping. Bonus points easily added for that!
I would also highly recommend that you get the first set of DVD's in the series, in order to make what is being taught in this set easier to understand and implement. However, if you already have an extensive background in Krav Maga or another self-defense discipline, then it shouldn't be too much of a hindrance if you don't already have the first set of DVD's, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to get it anyhow since there is always more that you can learn. So with that being said, on with the review.
THE INSTRUCTORS
Duncan Pattle
Rune Lind
Renee Nolte
Dana Ben Kaplan
DISC ONE:
REVIEW of TECHNIQUES
The first sixteen minutes was spent reviewing the following key combatives from the first DVD.
Stances and Footwork
Palm Strikes
Straight Punches
Hammerfist Strikes
Hook Punches
Elbow Strikes
Uppercut Punches
Knee Strikes
Front Kick
Stomping Kicks (which were actually Advantage Kick, Side Kick, and Back Kick) and
Roundhouse Kick
This was a nice review of what was previously taught in the first DVD set and was done rather quickly, but not overly so, and the instructors touched on all of the key points without making it too quick or drawing it out too long. I also really liked the little 30 second countdown clock that they had in the lower right hand corner of the screen and the key points of each technique coming up on the bottom of the screen in white text after the initial review of the technique was completed by the instructor.
ADVANCED TECHNIQUES
Spinning Hammerfist: (5 minutes)
Inward/Outward Chops (Knifehand Strikes): (6 minutes)
Forward, Back, Side, and Upward Headbutts: (9 minutes)
Offensive Back Kick: (6 minutes)
Spinning/Jumping Back Kick: (6 minutes)
Inside/Outside Slap Kick (Crescent and Reverse Crescent Kick): (4 minutes)
Heel Kick/Spinning Heel Kick: (6 minutes)
Each one of these section went into the proper execution and application of each of the techniques being taught. Now while I didn't necessarily agree with everything in this section, I did find a lot of useful information in it. Although I did have a small degree of difficulty with a couple of things, the first being how the back kick was being executed in the Offensive Back Kick section. This is not the correct way to execute the back kick and can lead to a whole lot of problems if executed the way it was being shown in this segment. I don't recommend that you execute the back kick this way and would highly recommend that you get the book; Back Kick: Achieving Kicking Excellence; Volume 1 (it is available here on Amazon), in order to learn how to execute the back kick correctly.
I did really enjoy the statement from the instructor during the headbutts segment where he tells you that you can actually hurt yourself worse with a headbutt than your opponent if you don't execute the headbutt correctly. This can also be said for pretty much any technique, and merely reemphasizes the fact that proper technique is where it's really at.
As was done during the review portion of this DVD, the key points of each technique came up on the bottom of the screen in white text after the initial instruction of the technique was completed by the instructor.
FIGHTING TACTICS
Counter Attacks against One Attacker
Counter Attacks against Two Attackers
Escaping Multiple Attackers
Attacking the Hands
Overwhelming the Attacker
This was the final section on the first disc and lasted approximately sixteen minutes.
There was some really good information in this section, but also a couple of things that I really didn't agree with. I mean what makes more sense and is easier to accomplish; approaching a brick wall and trying to; go through it, under it, over it, or around it? If you said around it, you have won the prize and are off to a better start than most. You will understand what I am getting at when you watch the Escaping Multiple Attackers segment.
DISC TWO
This disc consisted of various training drills that you can implement into your training to broaden your horizons and make your training more realistic and to prepare you for an actual violent encounter.
Some of these drills I already use, although I have modified them to some extent to my way of teaching, and have found them to be very effective. However, there were a couple of the drills that I thought might lend themselves to developing some bad habits, but maybe that was just me. So I will leave that conclusion to you after watching those segments in this section. This section was approximately forty minutes in length and contained the following drills.
Target Acquisition
Gauntlet Drill
Fight to Your Feet Drill
Zero to Sixty Drill
Zero to Sixty Drill under Low Light Conditions
Advanced Zombie Drill (You just got to love the name of this one.)
Distractor/Obstructor Drill
Staying in the Fight Drill
Simulated Knockout Drill
In conclusion, I would highly recommend this DVD set as it contained a lot of good information, although like I said earlier, if you already have an extensive background in Krav Maga or another self-defense discipline, you may already know a lot of the information contained on these two-discs. If you are new to Krav Maga, definitely buy this set along with the first set Ultimate Krav Maga DVDs.
I would also recommend the following Krav Maga books and DVD's:
Krav Maga: How to Defend Yourself Against Armed Assault
Krav Maga - Use of the Human Body as a Weapon Philosophy and Application of Hand to Hand Fighting Training System
ISRAELI COUNTER TERROR WARFARE DVDs COLLECTION
Street Krav Maga Combat Essentials for Real-World Self-Defense with Branimir Tudjan
Shawn Kovacich
Martial Artist/Krav Maga Instructor
Author of the Achieving Kicking Excellence book and DVD series.
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Ultimate Krav Maga Advanced Series Part 1: Striking, Fighting Tactics & Drills
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