Company: Iron Warrior Federation
Tape Name: Fundamental Concepts & Conditioning
Secrets For Grappling and Groundfighting
Tape Cost: $ 39.95
Length of Tape/Time:
1 hour and forty five minutes
Number of Moves/Techniques: Concept video , but
many techniques used to illustrate the concepts
Return Policy: Tapes can be returned
for refund if one is unhappy
Experiences in dealing with this company: Excellent
The
Instructor: Marco Lala
Company's Address: P.O. Box 979 , Yonkers, NY , 10704
Company's
Phone Number: 1-800-573-7655
Web Page: http://www.fightingsecrets.com
E-Mail:
marcolala@fightingsecrets.com
Primary Grading Criteria:
1.
Production/Tape Quality: 9
2. Instructors demonstrated skill level: 10
3. Comprehension
Score/Immediate Understanding: 10
4. Degree to which this will make someone a
better Martial Artist: 10
5. Score on delivery vs. hype: 10
6. Degree to which
we'd recommend this product: 10
7. Wasted Time (The higher the number, the less
"fluff"/repetition): 9
8. Playback Score/Watching it over-and-over again:
9
9. Would I purchase more of this company's products:10
10. Overall grade
based on cost vs. value: 10
Grand Total:
1. 80%-100% = 97%
2. Poor,
Fair, Good, Excellent = Excellent
3. 0-5 stars = 4.25 stars
Secondary Grading Criteria:
1.
Beginners benefit: Good
2. Intermediate benefit: Excellent
3. Advanced benefit:
Excellent
4. Time to benefit: Needs work (what doesn’t), once you start getting
it, great improvement in fighting performance
5. The need to buy additional tapes
to understand this one: None
Written Summary:
The problem
with reviewing Marco Lala's videos lies in finding sufficient variations of saying
: “Well thought out, superbly presented, informative, instructive and highly applicable
to combat . Over the years Marco Lala has put together a system that covers standing
- as well as ground fighting, high kicking as well as eye gouging and somehow, when
one sees him teaching it, it all fits together. His own high level of ability is
apparent in every one of the movements, techniques and drills he shows. Also refreshing
is the degree to which Mr. Lala is prepared to go to great lengths to keep his customers
happy (example - his refund policy)
As to the contents: One hour forty five
minutes, no endless repetition of the same techniques and crammed with information
from beginning to end, this tape begins with a forty minute presentation of fundamental
grappling concepts, as Marco Lala sees them. Specifically stance, mobility, level
change, penetration, set-up, drive, lift and finish. What Mr. Lala is trying to do
here, is tie together the stand up techniques of the kicker/ puncher and the entries
of the grappler. The stand –up fighter is vulnerable to a good grappler because of
the his high stance and the grappler is vulnerable because he often leads with his
head. Grappler in this video seems to refer mainly to a wrestler. Every concept
that is discussed is illustrated by a variety of techniques.
The next twenty
minutes are devoted to a wide variety of warmup and conditioning exercises. Some
of these are definetely not for beginners, but they are all meant to create the strength,
agility and toughness needed to grapple effectively. This is followed by a 5 minute
discussion of the eight directions of balance and a 7 minute section on gripping
techniques, i.e. the various ways in which the hands and fingers can be interlaced
and a section on movement on the ground. A variety of neck exercises are shown and
also a number of drills, standing and on the ground. Marco Lala is no Royce or Rorion
Gracie on the ground, but then again Royce and Rorion are no Marco Lala standing
up either. Recent N.H.B. matches, such as the bout between one of the Machado brothers
and Frank Trigg in Japan, have shown that a pure B.J.J. strategy is no longer necessarily
optimal for producing results. Marco Lala, with his balanced system of both standing
and ground fighting may just be the right man with the right goods at the right time.
E.P.
