Company: ESPY-TV
Tape Name Vee Arnis Jitsu Stick Fighting Concepts, Part 1
Tape
Cost: $29.95
Length of Tape/Time: 1 ½ hours
Number of Moves/Techniques: Concept
Tape
Return Policy: Return On Defective Or Damaged Merchandise Only
Experiences
in dealing with this company: This company is terrific.
The Instructor: David
James
Company's Address: 611 Broadway, N.Y., N.Y., 10012
Company's Phone Number:
212-673-0899
Web Page: http://www.espytv.com
E-Mail:
order@espytv.com
Main Grading Criteria
Production/Tape
Quality: 10
Instructors demonstrated skill level: 10
Comprehension Score: 9
Degree
to which this will make someone a better Martial Artist: 10
Degree to which we
would recommend this product: 10
Score on delivery vs hype: 10
Wasted Time
(The lower the number, the less " fluff "): 10
Playback Score/Watching
it over-and-over again): 10
Would I purchase more of this company's products:
10
Overall grade based on cost vs value: 10
Grand Total: 99 % ( Excellent
= 4.75 Stars ) Original Grade = 99%
Secondary Grading Criteria
Beginners:
Excellent
Intermediate: Excellent
Advanced: Excellent
Time to benefit: Immediate
The need to buy additional tapes to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
Before I begin this
review, let me say that I have some experience in the filipino martial arts. I know
how difficult these arts are to learn at first but I know the tremendous pay off
that comes with diligent practice in these arts. That said, I would like to move
on to reviewing what I think is one of the finest videos on the filipino art of Arnis
that I have ever seen when it comes to making it understandable to a viewer who has
never had the benefit of such training.
At the very first part of the video,
Shihan James makes a very fundamental point when he says that you learn the sticks
to learn the concepts of movement of the stick and not the stick itself. As you learn
the movements, you can learn other weapons such as the knife ( and even a Sony Walkman
) as Shihan James points out in one segment of the tape.
After showing the
viewer a few warm up drills, Shihan James begins a series of stick striking drills.
After each drill, he then shows a practical application of that drill. This is done
with at least 10 different drills. This differs so much from so many arnis tapes
where we are shown arnisadors flailing away at each other without any explanation
as to what is going on. Or other tapes of Arnis where the participants look like
they are performing some strange modern dance and not combat related martial arts.
In
the last section of the tape Shihan James shows the " first dimension of 12
" which is one of many drills to help build that mysterious ability known as
the flow. If this is just the " first dimension ", I am extremely curious
to know how many dimensions actually exist. Shihan James has more flow than I think
I have ever seen on video.
It goes without saying that I recommend this tape
to any martial artist. The Arnis portion of Vee Arnis Jitsu may be the most intriguing
part of this system. However it will not be easy at first to grasp everything that
Shihan James says, but with diligent practice, you should find your own "flow"
developing very quickly. Please do yourself a favor, if you are a martial artist,
check out this video from ESPY, it comes with our highest recommendation.
CJ
